Learning Objective #1: Describe an innovative method for integrating cultural competency into a community health nursing course

Learning Objective #2: Understand the importance of cultural competency in nursing education

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Background: Georgia's fastest growing minority population is from Latin countries. According to national census data, the Latino population in Cobb County, Georgia, has increased by 400% in the last 10 years, making it among the top four most populous counties in Georgia for this diverse minority (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2002). This growth in the Latino population creates an imperative for nursing education to prepare culturally competent health care providers. Methodology: Within Cobb County, a university-based nursing program collaborated with the Latin American Association to provide ten senior level nursing students with a precepted community health experience. The purpose of the collaboration was to expose students to a highly diverse, largely Latino, low socioeconomic status community and to assess the health and social needs of this medically underserved population. This experience was designed for students to spend 180 hours over one semester working within the community. Discussion: Through this experience, students gained an understanding of health care issues facing immigrant, indigent, and Latino populations. Students developed their cultural competency skills through group and individual-level interactions with clients. In this environment, students were able to begin or improve their Spanish proficiency. An outgrowth of this collaboration was the creation of a community-based center that flourished under the leadership of the students and clinical faculty. The success of this center was rooted in the students' newfound ability to effectively collaborate with community-based organizations. Implications: Nurses are increasingly called upon to provide health care services to a widely diverse population. Therefore, it is important that nursing programs adequately prepare their graduates to be culturally competent providers. Ultimately, this type of collaboration benefits both the students and the clients they serve.