Cultural competence among student nurses in two selected government schools of nursing in Sri Lanka: A descriptive study

The Cultural Competence of nurses is an important aspect of effective health care. Cultural competency in nursing contributes to equity in health care for culturally diverse patients. Sri Lanka is a plural society and nurses will be serving patients from diverse cultures in their professional contexts. Components of cultural competence are cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skills, cultural encounters, and cultural desire. The purpose of the study on which this article is based was to investigate the level of cultural competence among third-year nursing students in two selected schools of nursing in Sri Lanka. The study was descriptive, cross-sectional, and was conducted in the schools of nursing in Jaffna and Kurunegala among all the schools of nursing. According to the results, all the components of cultural competence were at a moderate level. Based on this finding, the article suggests that cultural competency ought to be improved among student nurses. Moreover, the article suggests that training on components of cultural competence ought to be included in nursing education in Sri Lanka. This would ensure that nurses are equipped to provide culturally competent care. Such nurses would improve equity in health care and enhance patients’ satisfaction.