The value of community-focused interprofessional care in peru for developing cultural competency in health professions students.

International immersion experiences for health-care students have increased over the past 10 years. Students and faculty expect these experiences to increase cultural competency; however, research on outcomes of these programs has lacked rigor. Over a 4-year period, groups of nursing and other health professions students spent 3 weeks in Peru providing primary care and health education. Students attended pre-departure seminars addressing personal travel health and safety, culture and health care in Peru, working with interpreters, and ethics of international health care. Student participants (N=77) completed an instrument assessing self-perceived cultural competency before and after the experience. Results of pre- and post-immersion scores showed significant increases in perceived cultural competency and increased self-efficacy in cultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes for four groups of students. Implications and future directions are discussed and recommended.

Academic faculty qualifications for community/public health nursing: an Association of Community Health Nursing Educators position paper.

The Association of Community Health Nursing Educators (ACHNE) has developed a number of documents designed to delineate the scope and function of community/public health nursing (C/PHN) educators, researchers, and practitioners. Consistent with the mission of ACHNE, this position paper entitled Academic Faculty Qualifications for Community/Public Health Nursing has been developed by the Faculty Qualifications Task Force. The shortage of qualified nursing faculty has been well documented. In particular, this shortage has increased the difficulty in having sufficient numbers of faculty who are educationally and experientially qualified to teach in the C/PHN specialty. ACHNE is addressing this concern by setting forth preferred qualifications for faculty to teach C/PHN at both the graduate and undergraduate level. While we recognize that the current faculty shortage may require schools to use faculty to teach in areas in which they do not have appropriate formal preparation, the paper outlines best practices for teaching C/PHN, a goal we urge all schools of nursing to work toward. Task Force members developed an earlier draft of the document in fall 2008, and input was solicited and received from ACHNE members and considered in the final document, which was approved by the ACHNE Executive Board in July 2009.

The Population-Focused Analysis Project for teaching community health.

New instructional methodologies that foster student inquiry, critical thinking, accountability, group work, and self-mastery skills must be created to meet the challenges of modern community health nursing. Bold steps need to be taken to examine current nursing curricula and institute innovative teaching-learning methods to achieve these outcomes. Designing a unique way of providing clinical practice in community assessment is one step toward achieving these goals. The purpose of this article is to share the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Population Focused Analysis Project (PFAP). This new approach to community assessment for baccalaureate nursing students links theory and clinical practice and provides students with an opportunity to learn about and implement the core functions of public health in relation to a selected population.

Nursing and health sciences workforce diversity research using PhotoVoice: a college and high school student participatory project.

This participatory study used PhotoVoice and qualitative description to (a) mentor baccalaureate nursing and college students in workforce diversity research; (b) explore barriers and facilitators encountered by rural American Indian, Hispanic, and other high school students when attending college and pursuing careers in nursing or the health sciences; and (c) model a process of social action to help existing and future students. Baccalaureate nursing and graduate students participated in all stages of research, including dissemination. Five themes emerged from analysis of PhotoVoice data: (a) being afraid; (b) believing; (c) taking small steps; (d) facing fears; and (e) using support systems. Findings underscore the importance of helping students participate in efforts to increase work-force diversity through research. Increasing nursing and health sciences workforce diversity may require strategies developed within and tailored to specific cultures and communities.

Perceptions of diabetes symptoms and self-management strategies: a cross-cultural comparison.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to compare and contrast perceived symptoms of type 2 diabetes mellitus and self management strategies between Russian-speaking Slavic immigrant American women and non-Hispanic, nonimmigrant White American women. METHODS: The qualitative­descriptive study design was conducted with a convenience sample of Slavic immigrant women 50 years of age and older with type 2 diabetes (n = 10), and non-Hispanic, nonimmigrant White American women 50 years of age and older with type 2 diabetes (n = 10). RESULTS: Slavic immigrants reported more global holistic symptoms of diabetes, whereas nonimmigrants reported more specific physiological somatic symptoms. The nonimmigrant women used more complex diabetes self-management techniques compared with the Slavic group. A lack of education and awareness of hypoglycemia may contribute to less medication adherence in Slavic immigrants and may prevent them from being motivated to participate in diabetes self-management. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Health care providers caring for Slavic immigrant women with diabetes need to be aware that these women may fail to recognize the symptoms of hypoglycemia and seldom acknowledge depression, although depressive symptoms are often present. Culturally congruent health care will increase adherence and improve health outcomes for Slavic immigrant women.

Slavic women's understanding of diabetes dietary self-management and reported dietary behaviors.

BACKGROUND: Slavic women with type 2 diabetes are an understudied group for issues related to dietary self-management for diabetes and heart health. METHODS: A single home or extension office visit was conducted with ten Slavic women for an individual in-depth interview, clinical and physical assessment, and a survey questionnaire. RESULTS: Participants were in poor diabetes control. They reported changes in traditional foods to better support diabetes control and heart health. Most appeared responsive to their health care provider's recommendations and valued cooking classes from a Russian-speaking educator. Barriers included perceived expense of a healthy diet. Cultural bridges between patients and their caregivers were critical supports for self-management. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Support of Slavic women with diabetes should include health care providers knowledgeable about Slavic dietary and health concepts, Russian-speaking educators who can bridge between traditional foodways and the U.S. food system, and appropriate involvement of the patient's social support network.