Paper
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
This presentation is part of : Posters
Documenting the Development of Cultural Competency Skills in Advanced Practice Students
Evelyn L. Cesarotti, PhD, FNP, Barbara Brillhart, PhD, FNP, and Shannon R. Dirksen, PhD, RN. College of Nursing, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
Learning Objective #1: Identify pros and cons of a tested educational method designed to assist advanced practice students in delivering culturally competent health care.
Learning Objective #2: Contrast the merits of using two different cultural competence models in patient case studies by advanced practice students
Objective: Increasing cultural competency skills in health care settings is important for several reasons, including the need to eliminate long-standing disparities in the health status of people of diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, and to improve health outcomes (Ahmann, 2002). A literature review reveals many studies that assess the impact of cultural competency training on trainees, but few that demonstrated consistent evidence of improvement in delivery of health care by the trainees or how to assess the impact on health outcomes of patients. Design: This was a pilot education intervention to increase cultural competency skills in advanced practice students and demonstrate evidence of improved patient health outcomes. Method: The first step in this project was to develop course modules that would provide a foundation of knowledge and skills for work with underserved populations. Second, students participated in seminars, assessing their own patient cases using two cultural competence models; and third, students consulted with a panel of diverse providers with advanced cultural competency knowledge and skills. The final phase will be to compare the number of culturally competent interventions initiated by advanced practice students in the second semester after this intensive training. Findings: 15 advanced practice students have successively completed the first three steps. For the final phase, clinical instructors will assess students’ records to note changes in number and kinds of culturally competent interventions. Conclusions: By the time of the conference the last phase of the pilot will be completed with additional data. Implications: This pilot will address issues related to the impact of cultural competency training on outcomes, and can assist in identifying methods with the most positive impact such as elicitation of key clinical information and improved patient adherence to treatment recommendations.

Back to Posters
Back to Evidence-Based Nursing: Strategies for Improving Practice
Sigma Theta Tau International
July 21, 2004