Evaluation of cultural competence levels of nursing students

Cultural competence is a set of skills, attitudes, and behaviors that work together in a system, organization, or across professions to enable an individual to perform effectively in a variety of cultural circumstances. Cultural competence in nursing involves recognizing cultural differences and integrating this awareness into all aspects of individual/patient care, including communication, decision-making, and treatment planning. As the demographics of individuals receiving care continue to evolve, nurses must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to provide inclusive and culturally sensitive care. The level of cultural competence is also important for nursing students in this context. The purpose of this study; To evaluate the level of cultural competence and related factors in nursing students. The population of the cross-sectional study is nursing students studying at the nursing department of Al-Basra University in Basra, Iraq. It was planned to reach the entire population (except the 1st grade) and the research was conducted with 193 volunteer student nurses between April and June 2022. Data was collected through the "Personal Information Form" and the "Nurse Cultural Competence Scale". In order to conduct the research, ethical approval was obtained from the Iraqi Ministry of Health, institutional permission from the university and informed consent from the participants. In evaluating the research data, Descriptive statistical methods (number, percentage, min-max values, mean and standard deviation), independent sample t test for the difference between two independent groups in comparing quantitative data in normally distributed data, and one-way analysis of variance were applied in comparing more than two independent groups. The relationship between continuous variables was examined with the Spearman correlation coefficient. Statistical significance level was accepted as p<0.05. The average age of the student nurses participating in the research was 23.38±3.15; The average clinical experience is 49.19±271.34 hours. 58.5% of the participants are women and 72% are single. 40.9% of the participants stated that they spoke a language other than their native, and 32.6% had experience of living/studying abroad; They stated that 51.3% provided care to patients of different race/ethnicity/culture. 30.6% of the participants stated that one of the most difficult issues they had while caring for patients from different races/ethnicities/cultures was negative attitudes towards nurses. 97.9% of the participants stated that they wanted to care for patients from different cultures, 22.8% stated that they had received seminars or training on intercultural nursing care, and 98.4% stated that the health practices of different cultures should be included in the nursing curriculum. The average score of student nurses on the Nurse Cultural Competence Scale is 73.29±7.06. It was determined that there was no statistically significant relationship between the student nurses' Nurse Cultural Competence Scale scores and their age (r:0.084; p>0.05) and clinical experience. Additionally, it was determined that there was no statistically significant difference between the scores of the Nurse Cultural Competence Scale according to variables related to individual and cultural characteristics (p>0.05). Nursing students have a high level of cultural competence. It is recommended to ensure the continuity of educational programs that will increase the cultural competence levels of nursing students.