California State University (CSU) System nursing faculty: Are you culturally competent to teach in a multicultural state?

BACKGROUND

The predicted changes in demographics are forcing health care professionals to recognize they must become not only more culturally sensitive, but also culturally competent.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this descriptive, correlational study was to describe the level of cultural competence of faculty teaching BSN pre-licensure programs, and faculty personal (age, gender, race/ethnicity, ability to speak another language) and professional characteristics (years in nursing education, highest degree earned, certification, continuing education in cultural competency, and nursing specialty areas) predictive of cultural competency, and the relationship between cultural competency and transcultural teaching behaviors.

METHOD

Campinha-Bacote's (1999) model of cultural competence theoretical framework guided the study. The Cultural Diversity Questionnaire for Nurse Educator-Revised Scale measured a sample of 152 (n = 152) faculty cultural competence and transcultural teaching behaviors.

RESULTS

CSU System faculty were moderately culturally competent. The overall regression model with faculty personal predictors were statistically significant F(4, 145) = 2.98, p = .02, and variables accounted for 7.6% of the variance in cultural competency (R = 0.076). The overall regression model with faculty professional predictors were statistically significant F(9, 139) = 3.62, p < .001, and variables accounted for 19% of the variance in cultural competency (R = 0.190). Major findings revealed four aspects of cultural competence predictive of transcultural teaching behaviors. The overall regression model was statistically significant F(5, 146) = 182.71, p < .001, and variables accounted for 86.2% of the variance in transcultural teaching behaviors (R = 0.862).

CONCLUSION

The personal characteristic ability to speak another language was predictive of cultural competence. Professional characteristics nursing specialty area of mental health, and continuing education in cultural competency were predictive of cultural competence. The four aspects of cultural competence awareness, knowledge, skills, desire are predictive of transcultural teaching behaviors.