Supporting each other towards independence: A narrative analysis of first-year nursing students' collaborative process.

Collaboration for nursing is a core competence and therefore educational interventions are essentials for collaborative skills. To identify such interventions, we carried out a study to understand nursing students' collaborative process. A narrative inquiry method was used to explore the collaborative process of first-year undergraduate nursing students. The analysis was conducted on field notes from 70 h of observation of 87 nursing students' collaboration during skills lab activities. It also included transcriptions of four focus group discussions with 11 students. The results are presented as a sequential process of (1) navigating in unfamiliar territory, (2) navigating together to cope, and (3) navigating together towards independency and the future nursing profession. We identified a transition from teacher-led assistance and guidance to student interdependency and reciprocal learning, ending with student-led assistance supporting independency. In line with Vygotsky's theory of zone of proximal development, different scaffolding interventions are needed depending on where the students are in the collaborative process.

Need of support for significant others to persons with borderline personality disorder-A Swedish focus group study.

BACKGROUND: Being a significant other (SO) to a person with borderline personality disorder (BPD) affect their health. High incidence of substance use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, stress, fear, anxiety, depression, family burden and grief are common. Some specific therapies for BPD, have included support to SOs, however resources are scarce and to participate in the support it assumes that the person with BPD is included in these therapies. Although the SO support has been shown to be helpful, they all have a similar structure, and only a small exclusive group of SOs have access to the support. AIM: The aim was to describe experiences and need of support for significant others to persons with borderline personality disorder from the perspective of themselves and of health care workers. METHODS: Data was collected via two focus groups. One with five SOs to persons with BPD, one with five health care workers. Two interview sessions in each group were conducted and data were analysed with qualitative content analysis. The study was approved by the research ethics committee of Lund (2016-1026). RESULTS: The results revealed four themes; not being seen by health care professionals creates hopelessness, being seen by healthcare professionals creates trust, experience of support - helpful or shameful and the step from loosely structured support to a structured support group. Both groups expressed a need for further support as a complement to already existing support. CONCLUSIONS: The need of support is extensive. The results suggest a professional coordinator intended for SOs and peer support groups not linked to a particular psychiatric treatment yet offering support in a structured way. Further studies examining these complements to existing support, is therefore recommended.

Exploring differences in and factors influencing self-efficacy for competence in interprofessional collaborative practice among health professions students.

The value of health care delivered via effective interprofessional teams has created an imperative for interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP). To inform IPE strategies, we investigated differences in perceived self-efficacy (SE) for competence in ICP among health professions students. The study data were collected between 2015 and 2019 from students from 13 different health professions programmes (N = 3,497) before an annual institutional interprofessional programme. Students completed the IPECC-SET-27, a validated instrument evaluating perceived SE for competence in ICP, and rated their 1) amount of previous contact with, and 2) perceived understanding of, the role of different health professions. Students in different health professions education programmes were compared using parametric statistics. Regression analyses explored factors influencing SE for competence in ICP. Findings revealed significant differences in perceived SE for competence in ICP between programmes (p < .05). Specifically, health information management/health informatics, dentistry, medicine, and nursing students expressed relatively higher SE, whereas physical therapy and occupational therapy students expressed relatively lower SE. Perceived understanding of the role of health professions (p < .01) and gender (p < .01) contributed significantly to predicting perceived SE for competence in ICP, while the amount of previous contact with other health professions did not (p = .42). The findings highlight the value of designing IPE with consideration of specific learner needs.

Swedish stakeholders' views of the preparatory work needed before introducing the nurse practitioner role in municipal healthcare-A focus group study.

BACKGROUND: The nurse practitioner role has become important globally in handling the growing healthcare needs of older adults with chronic diseases. Nevertheless, research shows that introducing the role is a complex process, and more studies are needed to prepare for its introduction into different healthcare contexts, such as municipal healthcare. AIM: The aim is to investigate what Swedish stakeholders identify as the preparatory work needed before introducing the nurse practitioner role into municipal healthcare. METHODS: Data were collected through four focus group interviews conducted virtually on the TEAMS digital platform, with three to six participants in each group and 18 participants total. The transcribed interviews were analysed using a six-step thematic approach: familiarisation with the data, coding the data, generating initial themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming the themes and producing the report. FINDINGS: The findings are divided into two main themes, each with two sub-themes. In the first, clarifying why the nurse practitioner role is needed, participants stressed the importance of having a clear intention for introducing the role. The second, ensure a national framework to bolster the introduction at the local level, demonstrates the need for collaboration among national actors to clarify the role's mandate and authority before its introduction. CONCLUSIONS: Adding the nurse practitioner role to municipal healthcare can help increase the supply of nursing competence and the quality of patient care, but preparation for introducing the role requires extensive work. The development of the nurse practitioner role requires decision-makers and leaders to take primary responsibility for its introduction. This study can support countries in the early phase of developing the nurse practitioner role by identifying both best practices and pitfalls.

Health and quality of life among women after participation in a CBPR-informed physical activity intervention: with a pandemic perspective.

The lack of culturally and contextually oriented interventions promoting physical activity (PA) has led to increased physical inactivity among women living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Sweden. In this study one such intervention informed by community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been evaluated among 34 women from a disadvantaged neighbourhood before and during COVID-19. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL), behavioural and biomedical outcomes were assessed directly prior and post-intervention, followed by evaluations at 6-months and 18-months follow-up during COVID-19. The results revealed that HRQOL, particularly psychological, social, and environmental health significantly increased post-intervention compared to prior to intervention but reversed back at 6-months follow-up. Perceived health satisfaction and environmental health increased at 18-months follow-up during COVID-19. Participation in PA improved post-intervention and at 6-months follow-up. Everyday activities and fruit and vegetable intake continued to increase through all timepoints. Systolic blood pressure significantly decreased post-intervention and 6-months follow-up; blood flow rate increased significantly at all timepoints. Overall, the findings underscores the potential effectiveness of CBPR approaches in promoting and sustaining healthy lifestyles, even during acute situations such as the COVID-19. It may even serve as a future model for promoting health and addressing health disparities in similar groups.

Nurse anesthetist students' experiences of peer learning in clinical education - A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: As part of an interprofessional operating team, nurse anesthetists need to be skilled in collaboration, problem solving, attentiveness, independent decision-making and knowledge of anesthesiology nursing. Factors that are vital for nurse anesthetist students' future profession. The educational model peer learning, characterized by collaboration and learning through social interaction between individuals, may support nurse anesthetist students' development in such skills. AIM: The aim of the study was to explore nurse anesthetist students' perceptions of their experiences of peer learning as an educational model during their clinical education in a Swedish context. METHODS: The approach was a qualitative descriptive design. Seven nurse anesthetist students from four different universities were interviewed individually using a semi-structured interview guide. The data were analyzed with content analysis. RESULTS: Three generic categories revealed a description of the phenomenon: Increased independence, Holistic view and Expansive learning process. A main category brought together the content of the generic categories and shows the overall finding of the study: Peer learning promotes nurse anesthetist students' personal and professional development. CONCLUSION: Peer learning as an educational model during nurse anesthetist students' clinical education might facilitate preparation for their coming profession.

Nurse practitioner in Swedish municipal elderly care: A Delphi study of challenges and opportunities.

INTRODUCTION: Worldwide, countries are struggling with strained healthcare systems, especially due to the growing number of frail elderly. Developing the role of nurse practitioner in the care of the frail elderly is therefore of interest to make the care chain more efficient. In Sweden, the role is in an early development phase, but more research is needed. AIM: The aim was to investigate how stakeholders at the national level express the challenges and opportunities of the evolving nurse practitioner role in Swedish municipal elderly care. METHOD: A Delphi survey technique with three rounds of electronic questionnaires was used. Twenty-seven experts responded to the first questionnaire, containing two open questions; what opportunities respectively challenges do you see in developing and implementing the nurse practitioner role in municipal elderly care? The following questionnaires consisted of statements to rate using a four-grade Likert scale, and 20 and 17 responded to the second and third, respectively. The first round was analysed using content analysis, and the other two with descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Thirty-four statements about challenges and opportunities related to the nurse practitioner role in municipal elderly care were identified and rated as important. CONCLUSION: The findings provide knowledge that can contribute to discussions and decisions to refine the nurse practitioner role in Swedish municipal elderly care. The nurse practitioner role may contribute with much-needed competence to the elderly care. However, it is important to consider the challenges that need to be overcome before the development of the role. To solve this, it is necessary to have clear national guidelines concerning issues of education, title protection and the mandate and authority of the NP role.

Impact of a CBPR-informed physical activity intervention before and during COVID-19 among women from a disadvantaged neighborhood in Sweden.

Background: Public health practitioners have been striving to reduce the social gradient and promote physical activity among citizens living in disadvantaged neighborhoods. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected these citizens extensively, has posed a significant challenge to efforts to maintain a physically active lifestyle. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the impact of a CBPR-informed physical activity intervention before and during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of women from a socially disadvantaged neighborhood. Methods: A total of 34 women participated in a CBPR-informed physical activity intervention previously developed in collaboration with lay health promoters and other citizens from the same neighborhood. Focus group discussions were conducted at four time points, namely, at baseline prior to the intervention, post-intervention, 6 months after the intervention ended, and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis following an inductive approach. Results: In total, four themes emerged from the discussions: "Wavering between frustration and action," "Shifting from prioritizing family needs to taking control of self," "Between isolation and social support," and "Restricted access to health-related knowledge vs. utilizing internalized knowledge". Conclusion: The results of this study reveal that building on CBPR-informed health promotion initiatives has the potential to foster individual empowerment and assist during acute situations like the COVID-19 pandemic through mobilizing communities and their resources, which leads to increased community resilience and health. This study is regarded as unique in that it involves evaluation of a CBPR intervention that was initiated ahead of the pandemic and followed even during the pandemic.

Collaboration between first year undergraduate nursing students - A focused ethnographic study.

AIM: The aim was to explore collaboration between first year undergraduate nursing students in a three-year bachelor program during clinical skills lab practices. BACKGROUND: The ability to collaborate is important in the nursing profession to ensure patient safety. Thus, efforts supporting nursing students with learning activities emphasizing this ability is crucial in nurse education as a preparation for the requirements of the nursing profession. Collaborative learning models are described as ways that support the students' interaction during education. However, collaboration between students has shown to have challenges such as negative competition and confrontations. This stresses the need to explore the collaboration between students to find ways to support the interaction. DESIGN: The study was conducted with a focused ethnographic approach. METHOD: Data were generated by participant observations during one semester, involving 70 h observation of 87 first year nursing students for 6 months and 24 training sessions in clinical skills lab practices. Two focus group discussions were used to elaborate students' views of collaboration and to provide an opportunity for follow up questions and interpretations from the observations. Field notes and focus group discussions were interpreted as one unit of analysis conducted with thematic network analysis. A global theme were synthesized from organizational and additional basic themes presenting the overall metaphor of the students' collaboration. RESULT: The global theme, Between adaptation and non-conformity, revealed a field of tension in the nursing students' collaboration. One the one hand, the global theme involved the students' ability to adopt to new knowledge and to being a nursing student in a clinical skills lab and to others' perspective. On the other hand, non-conformity creates a collaboration with less reflection between the students and non-synchronized and time-consuming laboratory work. CONCLUSION: Collaborative activities in nurse education fosters and challenges nursing students' collaboration required for clinical practices and later in the nursing profession. By the presented scaffolding efforts, nurse educators can arrange a learning environment that can support the collaboration between students and facilitate the transition into the profession.

Bachelor nursing students´ and their educators´ experiences of teaching strategies targeting critical thinking: A scoping review.

AIM: The objective of this scoping review was to review the published literature on existing teaching strategies targeting bachelor nursing students' critical thinking and explore how these strategies are described by students and educators. The research questions were: (i) Which teaching strategies are described in the literature targeting critical thinking among nursing students? and (ii) How are these teaching strategies described and experienced by students and/or nurse educators? BACKGROUND: Critical thinking is integrated in the many clinical assignments and responsibilities with which registered nurses are faced. Therefore, it is important that nurse educators implement teaching strategies supporting bachelor nursing students' development of critical thinking to prepare them for their professional responsibilities. DESIGN: Scoping review, Open Science Framework (OSF) registries DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/D89SB. METHODS: The scoping review followed the six steps of Arksey and O'Malley (2005). Systematic searches were conducted using the databases PubMed, CINAHL, ERIC, ERC and PsycINFO. Eligible studies were quality assessed and text excerpts answering the research questions were analysed by a thematic analysis. RESULTS: Our findings represent 19 published studies and can be understood according to two themes: the importance of the educational conditions and the impact of implemented teaching strategies. The first theme reflected not only the descriptions of important traits in the educational milieu facilitating the development of critical thinking but also the importance of how the content targeting such skills were delivered and organised. The second theme mirrored descriptions of how the students, through the teaching strategies, realized the need for collaboration to facilitate critical thinking. Further, it showed how the teaching strategies fostered professional growth and learning adaptation, by encouraging the students to question their knowledge and facilitating their development of clinical knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: The strategies used in the facilitation of critical thinking need to incorporate collaboration and student-centredness, creating a relaxed climate where the educators can assist through guidance and support. This calls for the implementation of teaching strategies whereby both educators and students are active in facilitating the learning environment.

Mechanisms Driving Postgraduate Health and Social Science Students' Cultural Competence: An Integrated Systematic Review.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a global urgency to address health care provision disparities, which have largely been influenced by systematic racism in federal and state policies. The World Health Organization recommends educational institutions train clinicians in cultural competence (CC); however, the mechanisms and interacting social structures that influence individuals to achieve CC have received little attention. This review investigates how postgraduate health and social science education approaches CC and how it accomplishes (or not) its goals. METHOD: The authors used critical realism and Whittemore and Knafl's methods to conduct a systematic integrated review. Seven databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and ERIC) were searched from 2000 to 2020 for original research studies. Inclusion criteria were: the use of the term "cultural competence" and/or any one of Campinha-Bacote's 5 CC factors, being about postgraduate health and/or social science students, and being about a postgraduate curriculum or a component of it. Thematic analysis was used to reveal the mechanisms and interacting social structures underlying CC. RESULTS: Thirty-two studies were included and 2 approaches to CC (themes) were identified. The first theme was professionalized pedagogy, which had 2 subthemes: othering and labeling. The second theme was becoming culturally competent, which had 2 subthemes: a safe CC teaching environment and social interactions that cultivate reflexivity. CONCLUSIONS: CC conceptualizations in postgraduate health and social science education tend to view cultural differences as a problem and CC skills as a way to mitigate differences to enhance patient care. However, this generates a focus on the other, rather than a focus on the self. Future research should explore the extent to which insight, cognitive flexibility, and reflexivity, taught in safe teaching environments, are associated with increasing students' cultural safety, cultural humility, and CC.

Preceptors' and nursing students' experiences of using peer learning in primary healthcare settings: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Due to the need for students to integrate theory with practice, current research seeks the best learning and teaching models in primary healthcare settings. The aim of this study was to explore preceptors' and nursing students' experiences of using peer learning during clinical practice in primary health care. METHODS: A qualitative research approach was used based on semi-structured interviews with seven preceptors and ten nursing students. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed by using content analysis based on an inductive reasoning. RESULTS: Preceptors and students perceived peer learning as an educational model to be beneficial for learning in primary care settings. They found the model to be stimulating, challenging, and leading to development of professional identity and nursing skills. All informants were positive towards the peer learning experience, with students reporting they were seen as individuals, despite working in pairs. However, the physical environment was demanding with regards to telephone counseling issues, limited opportunities for using computers, and the use of small examination rooms. CONCLUSION: This study shows that, despite the complex learning environment, peer learning as an educational model appears to work well in a primary healthcare setting. However, much improvement is needed to facilitate the students' learning process. Consequently, conditions for clinical practice and learning beneficial to both students and preceptors should be prioritized by management.

Translation and validation of the Swedish version of the IPECC-SET 9 item version.

Interprofessional Education (IPE) is essential to prepare future health-care professionals for collaborative practice, but IPE requires evaluation. One psychometrically sound instrument is the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Competence Self-Efficacy Tool consisting of nine items (IPECC-SET 9). This tool does not, to date, exist in a Swedish version. Therefore, the aim of this study was to translate and validate the Swedish version of the IPECC-SET 9. The English version was translated into Swedish and tested among 159 students in the 3-year Bachelor Programs in Nursing and in Biomedical Laboratory Science. The psychometric analysis was guided by a Rasch model, which showed that the items functioned well together, confirming unidimensionality, and that the person misfit was also lower than the set criterion. The separation index was 2.98, and the Rasch-equivalent Cronbach-alpha measure was estimated to .92, supporting internal consistency. No systematic differences on item level in IPECC-SET 9 further supported fairness in testing. The Swedish IPECC-SET 9 demonstrates sound psychometric properties and has the potential to be used as a measure of self-efficacy for competence in interprofessional collaborative practice among health profession students. However, the IPECC-SET 9 is recommended to be further tested in larger samples representing the entirety of health-care teams.

'Working as a Real Nurse': Nursing Students' Experiences of a Clinical Education Ward in Psychiatric Care.

Although the concept of clinical education wards has shown encouraging outcomes regarding nursing students' satisfaction with clinical placements in somatic care, the existing research in a psychiatric context is sparse. This study aims to explore nursing students' experience during clinical education at a psychiatric clinical education ward. A qualitive descriptive study with content analysis, using interviews with 16 bachelor's degree nursing students was conducted. The results indicated that an enriched and adapted learning environment focusing on psychiatric nursing with peer learning supported independence and progression into the future nursing role.

Using internationalization-at-home activities to enhance the cultural awareness of health and social science research students: A mixed-method study.

BACKGROUND: Despite healthcare scholars valuing diversity, current cultural awareness training does not address mechanisms that drive societal patterns, that generates cultural insensitivity and reinforces stereotypes of minority groups. The influence of culture on thinking is an important issue because of potential ethnocentric biases on the design, data collection, analysis, and dissemination of research. OBJECTIVES: Using internationalization-at-home activities to explore the mechanisms that enhance the development of cultural awareness in postgraduate health and social science research students. DESIGN AND METHODS: A pragmatic critical realist study, qualitatively dominant, using mixed-methods to integrate and analyze qualitative and quantitative data. Data were collected pre- and post-internationalization-at-home activities. Qualitative data were collected from online discussion forums and focus groups, and quantitative data were collected from a pre-test and post-test measure of cultural awareness. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen research students in postgraduate health and social science programs from three universities (Australia, Hong Kong, and Sweden) participated in five formal internationalization-at-home webinars and informal international group activities. RESULTS: Participants reported four mechanisms counteracting structures (i.e., ethnocentric biases) toward the emergence of cultural awareness: 1. awareness of cultural issues motivating people toward achieving a common goal; 2. reflexivity within psychological safety; 3. deliberations that challenge the veracity of individual assumptions; 4. courage coupled with curiosity. When some or all the mechanisms occurred, properties of enhanced cultural awareness emerged, as confirmed by the quantitative data. CONCLUSIONS: Cultural awareness training should emphasize social relations to allow cultural safety to develop for postgraduate health and social science research students. Without skills revealing unconsciously held ethical values, this study argues that postgraduate health and social science students may inadvertently reconstitute and reinforce in their research the discrimination of underserved groups.

Drama with a focus on professional communication - A phenomenographic study.

The nursing program is intended to prepare students for future occupational life. One role for nurses in the nursing occupation includes being prepared to communicate well in various patient situations. The aim of this study was to describe variations in nursing students' conceptions of a drama workshop to practically illustrate communication in nurses' work. This qualitative study was conducted at a university in southern Sweden. Interviews with 15 nursing students were conducted and the data were analyzed using a phenomenographic approach. Four descriptive categories were identified through the analysis: 'Conceptions in relation to the development of empathy', 'Conceptions in relation to "my" learning', 'Conceptions in relation to personal development of professional identity' and 'Conceptions in relation to the understanding of applying pedagogy through drama as a method'. This study illustrates that the use of drama in nursing education can increase nursing students' understanding of professional communication relating to the care of patients. To use drama as an educational method provides opportunities to develop nurses' professional identity and professional role. Moreover, drama can act as a teaching strategy that increases the understanding of theory through practical exercises.

Formative peer assessment in higher healthcare education programmes: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVES: Formative peer assessment focuses on learning and development of the student learning process. This implies that students are taking responsibility for assessing the work of their peers by giving and receiving feedback to each other. The aim was to compile research about formative peer assessment presented in higher healthcare education, focusing on the rationale, the interventions, the experiences of students and teachers and the outcomes of formative assessment interventions. DESIGN: A scoping review. DATA SOURCES: Searches were conducted until May 2019 in PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Education Research Complete and Education Research Centre. Grey literature was searched in Library Search, Google Scholar and Science Direct. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Studies addressing formative peer assessment in higher education, focusing on medicine, nursing, midwifery, dentistry, physical or occupational therapy and radiology published in peer-reviewed articles or in grey literature. DATA EXTRACTIONS AND SYNTHESIS: Out of 1452 studies, 37 met the inclusion criteria and were critically appraised using relevant Critical Appraisal Skills Programme, Joanna Briggs Institute and Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool tools. The pertinent data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULT: The critical appraisal resulted in 18 included studies with high and moderate quality. The rationale for using formative peer assessment relates to giving and receiving constructive feedback as a means to promote learning. The experience and outcome of formative peer assessment interventions from the perspective of students and teachers are presented within three themes: (1) organisation and structure of the formative peer assessment activities, (2) personal attributes and consequences for oneself and relationships and (3) experience and outcome of feedback and learning. CONCLUSION: Healthcare education must consider preparing and introducing students to collaborative learning, and thus develop well-designed learning activities aligned with the learning outcomes. Since peer collaboration seems to affect students' and teachers' experiences of formative peer assessment, empirical investigations exploring collaboration between students are of utmost importance.

Content in nurse practitioner education - A scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: Globally, the role of nurse practitioner is evolving to meet increased healthcare demands. Nevertheless, there are factors hindering the development of this role, one of which involves differences in nurse practitioner education worldwide. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to identify what is known in the research field on the content of nurse practitioner educational programmes. DESIGN AND DATA SOURCES: The literature scoping review follows a six-stage methodological framework including: i) formulate research questions, ii) identify relevant studies, iii) select studies, iv) chart data, v) collate, summarize and report the results, vi) consultations. Data bases searched included CINAHL, PubMed and ERIC and were followed by manual searching of reference list in the included papers. Of the 1553 papers identified, 16 met the aim of this study. REVIEW METHODS: To answer the research questions 'what is the content of curricula in nurse practitioner education?' a deductive content analysis was used. RESULTS: Two main categories emerged. The first was related to the professional nurse practitioner role and includes research and nursing theories, leadership and collaboration, and organizational, political, economic, regulatory and legislative issues. The second is related to becoming an autonomous practitioner and includes health promotion and disease prevention, and other medically oriented content. CONCLUSIONS: The content identified is consistent with the core competencies that nurse practitioners are expected to have after graduation, which have been described by the International Council of Nurses and by other researchers. Given the lack of recent research in nurse practitioner education, the results of the present study advance knowledge in this research field. Additionally, this study may be of practical value in developing new nurse practitioner educational programmes.

Psychometric properties of a modified cultural awareness scale for use in higher education within the health and social care fields.

BACKGROUND: Cultural awareness and cultural competence have become important skills in higher education as populations continue to grow in diversity around the world. However, currently, there are few instruments designed to assess student awareness of the aspects of culture, and the existing instruments need further development and testing for use with different target populations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the psychometric properties of a modified version of the Cultural Awareness Scale (CAS) for use in higher education within the health and social care fields. METHODS: A modified version of the CAS was developed, which was tested psychometrically using cross-sectional data. In total, 191 undergraduate students from different health and social care undergraduate programs in Sweden and Hong Kong responded to a call to test the modified instrument. RESULTS: The results showed that the modified CAS is a four-factor measure of cultural awareness and possesses satisfactory internal consistency. Results also support the use of the modified CAS as a generic tool to measure cultural awareness among students in higher education within the health and social care fields. CONCLUSION: The modified CAS showed satisfactory psychometric properties and can be recommended as a generic tool to measure cultural awareness among students in higher education within the health and social care fields. However, further psychometric testing on the effectiveness of the modified CAS as a tool to evaluate the efficacy of cultural awareness interventions is required.