One of the most important ways community health nurses can provide care that is culturally competent ...

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One of the most important ways community health nurses can provide care that is culturally competent is through education and finding ways to stay up-to-date so that the patient's culture and values are thoroughly understood.  Establishing rapport is the fundamental first step with any patient to help in understanding what a patient believes about health and how they value their own health.  Due to the vast amount of cultures and subcultures, it is difficult to know everything about each practice.  But, according to Maurer & Smith (2013), nurses can master the knowledge and skills associated with cultural assessment and learn about some of the cultural dimensions of care for clients representing the groups most frequently encountered.  Communication that is effective is key and the nurse will need to assess both verbal and nonverbal components. It is ideal if the nurse speaks the same language or has interpreter services to develop the plan of care.  In addition, the nurse must be aware of their own beliefs, biases, and assumptions while being sensitive to the patient’s differences.  When the nurse uses the following strategies, the patient is getting care that is integrated with cultural competence.