Cultural Competence of Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses

Objectives: To measure the cultural competence level of obstetric and neonatal nurses, explore relationships among cultural competence and selected sociodemographic variables, and identify factors related to cultural competence. Design: Descriptive correlational study. Setting: Online survey. Participants: A convenience sample of 132 obstetric and neonatal registered nurses practicing in the United States. Methods: Nurse participants completed the Cultural Competence Assessment (CCA) instrument, which included Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity (CAS) and Cultural Competence Behaviors (CCB) subscales, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted. Results: The average CCA score was 5.38 (possible range = 1.00-7.00). CCA scores were negatively correlated with age and positively correlated with self-ranked cultural competence, years of nursing experience, years of experience within the specialty area, and number of types of previous cultural diversity training. CCB subscale scores were correlated positively with age, years of nursing experience, years of experience within the specialty area, and number of types of previous diversity training. CAS subscale scores were positively correlated with number of types of previous diversity training. Standard multiple linear regression explained approximately 10%, 12%, and 11% of the variance in CCA, CAS, and CCB scores, respectively. Conclusion: Obstetric and neonatal registered nurses should continue to work toward greater cultural competence. Exposing nurses to more types of cultural diversity training may help achieve greater cultural competence.