The purpose of the presentation is to outline the development and implementation of a Spanish Minor for Nursing Majors exploring the individual, community, and systems collaborations required for sustainability. The presentation includes a review of extant literature related to the promotion of cultural competence though Spanish language and cultural learning in nursing education. Ongoing research developed from the minor will contribute to outcomes-based evidence generation which may influence the development of similar programs in diverse nursing curricula.
Methods:
Nursing literature recognizes culture as essential to patient’s understanding of their health as well as to provider’s delivery of care (Douglas et al., 2014; Purnell, 2014). Foreign language pedagogy highlights the need for language instruction for nursing professionals to extend beyond basic Spanish grammar and health-related vocabulary to include topics such as personal space and relationships, concepts of time, and policy issues (Grosse & Voght, 2012; Levi Altstaedter, 2017). Despite an increasingly culturally diverse patient population, organizational and institutional mandates, as well as individual expectation of person centered care, opportunities to study abroad, assess cultural variation, practice cross cultural communication, and critically reflect upon their own values and beliefs remain limited among undergraduate baccalaureate nurses (Douglas et al., 2014; Holland, 2015; Kardong- Edgren & Campinha-Bacote, 2008; Kohlbry, 2016).
Through a partnership between a Spanish professor and a nursing professor, Spanish companion courses were created to complement existing nursing courses by highlighting and reinforcing content from a Hispanic/Latino perspective. Further, for those nursing students enrolled in the minor, extant nursing courses were redesigned assignments and service-learning opportunities to be completed in Spanish or to be focused on the Hispanic/Latino perspective. Finally, a five-week study abroad experience was introduced.
Results:
A Spanish Minor for Nursing Majors was developed and implemented. Student participants report feeling reflective, grateful, and empowered through the theoretical and practical learning experiences which presented diverse points of view and ways of life to contribute to person centered understanding and care of Hispanic/Latino patients.
Conclusion:
Extant literature suggests that cultural competence training among baccalaureate students is a priority (Mayo, Sherrill, Truong & Nichols, 2014). While cultural competence is a recognized standard in baccalaureate education, nursing programs are challenged by predetermined course sequence and mandated requirements. Interaction with and immersion in a Spanish speaking country have been found to increase knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to cultural competence (Mayo, Sherrill, Truong & Nichols, 2014). Some institutions have developed elective coursework for advanced practice nurses (Bernal de Pheils & Saul, 2009), while others have implemented a ‘Spanish Minute’ beginning undergraduate nursing classes with a relevant health related Spanish word or phrase (Amerson & Burgins, 2005), but none have developed a unique set of experiences for nursing majors seeking educational focus on language and culture related to the Hispanic/Latino population. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the development and implementation of a Spanish Minor for Nursing Majors which through educational focus, cultural and linguistic immersion, and self-reflection may enhance cultural competence.