Increasing the Cultural Competence Levels of Undergraduate Nursing Students

Background: This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Culturally Competent Nursing Modules (CCNMs) developed by the U.S. Office of Minority Health on improving the cultural competence levels of undergraduate nursing students. Method: Students completed the CCNMs over a 2-week period, and their pre- and posttraining cultural competence was assessed using the Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence Among Healthcare Professionals-Revised tool. Results: The CCNMs were effective in increasing the cultural competence of the nursing students (pretest mean = 68.44 +/- 6.58; posttest mean = 79.06 +/- 7.99; t(17) = 7.44; d = 10.61; 95% confidence interval = 7.60, 13.62; p < .001). Before training, 89% of the students were culturally aware and 11% were culturally competent. After training, 22%, 67%, and 11% were culturally aware, culturally competent, and culturally proficient, respectively. Conclusion: The CCNMs training program is effective and should be incorporated into nursing curricula.