PUPOSE: With diversity expected to increase in the future, Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) education regarding international nursing care and cultural competency was explored. Specifically, the purpose of this research was to determine whether current BSN students believe they are capable of providing appropriate care to international patients and/or patients of different cultural backgrounds.
METHODOLOGY: A mixed-methods survey was designed to assess student’s perception of ability to care for and interact with international patients and patients of different cultural backgrounds. Additionally, it was assessed whether students believed more cultural education should be provided by the School of Nursing.
RESULTS: 53 BSN students were recruited to fill out the survey. The results indicated that about half of the nursing students felt prepared to provide care to international. Most of the participants indicated a need for additional cultural education to be provided by the School of Nursing.
CONCLUSION: From these results, it is evident that BSN programs should begin to incorporate more cultural and international nursing education. From the student’s perspective, more preparation is desired before caring for patients of different cultural backgrounds. More research is needed to determine the most effective way to provide this education
