Increasing Nursing Students Cultural Awareness through Technology

Purpose: The purpose was to do a pilot study to compare students cultural competency pre and post classroom experience. Since there are many Latin American cultures in the USA, I felt the need to expose my students to Latin American culture and the Spanish language. 

Methods: Students were given a pre and post test cultral knowledge survey. They were also given a pre and post Spanish test using anatomical words and finally a native Spanish speaker was brought into the classroom for students to do a physical exam and health history using on the Spanish language.

Results: Student rated on a scale of 1 to 5 (being the best). Cultural competency increased from 2 to 5, they rated being confident in performing a physical exam using the Spanish language from 1 to 4, and understanding Latin American healthcare policy from 1 to 5 

Conclusion: Students found this course very helpful with increasing cultural competency. Using Skype with a faculty member from Mexico proved to be a wonderful experience. Using technology in the classroom can be an effective teaching stragegy and worthy alternative to a study abroad experience.