Act Local but Think Global: Transcultural Nursing Competencies and Experiences of Foreign Students from Selected Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines

Abstract

The need for transcultural nursing competencies amongst students offers an array ofimprovements in nursing education, hospitals, and communities around the globe. Thisresearch assessed the level of transcultural nursing competencies and experiences of foreignnursing students. The objectives of the study are to assess the: level of perceived transculturalexperiences of respondents in terms of nursing education, classroom instruction, clinicalinstruction and clinical practice; level of transcultural nursing competencies of therespondents in terms of cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skills, culturalencounters and cultural desire; and the significant relationship between perceivedtranscultural experiences of respondents and their level of transcultural nursing competencies.Data were collected using descriptive-evaluative, descriptive-comparative and descriptivecorrelational research designs with a purposive sample of 104 respondents through aresearcher-made tool which underwent exploratory factor analysis establishing its reliabilityand validity. Frequency distribution and percentage, weighted mean and standard deviation,and Spearman rank were utilized for data analysis. Respondents had adequate generalexperiences in nursing education (M=3.13); classroom instruction (M=3.16); clinicalinstruction (M=3.13) and clinical practice (M=3.38). They acquired clinical experiences andadequate competence in cultural awareness (M=3.73); cultural knowledge (M=3.24); culturalskills (M=3.27); cultural encounters (M=3.16) and cultural desire (M=3.52). Respondentswere knowledgeable of other cultures and they understood institutional difficultiesdiscouraging cultural groups from obtaining healthcare services. They had skills inunderstanding the relationship between health and culture including cultural assessment toolsused to evaluate patients and they possessed the willingness to learn from others. Significantrelationship were between general experiences in nursing education and cultural awareness(p=0.003); classroom instruction and cultural skills (p=0.002); clinical instruction and clinicalawareness (p=0.024) and cultural skills (p=0.003); cultural encounters (p=0.001) and culturaldesire (p=0.021); clinical practice and cultural awareness (p=0.000); cultural skills (p=0.003);cultural encounters (p=0.000) and cultural desire (p=0.012). Students’ theoretical and clinicalexperiences need strengthening and improvement by incorporating transcultural nursing inthe curriculum.