This book explores the cross-cultural interactions and conflicts between nurses and the diverse array of patients they may see. Culturally competent nurses can cut through preconceptions, reduce health disparities, and deliver high-quality care as they encounter patients from a range of backgrounds and beliefs. As frontline providers for diverse populations, nurses are expected to treat each patient with empathy and respect.This text addresses what it really means to be culturally competent in nursing practice. As representatives of specific cultural, racial, ethnic, and sociopolitical groups, nurses bring their own values, beliefs, and attitudes to all interactions with patients and with one another. Whether or not nurses choose to make their attitudes explicit, these attitudes ultimately influence the quality of care they provide to patients. The content of this book is grounded in the Staircase Model, which builds upon the nurse's own self-assessment to identify personal limitations, find strategies to improve cultural competence, and progress to the next level.

Part I: Building Cultural Competency Skills. Defining Cultural Competency --Cultural Competency Models and Guidelines -- Why Can’t They Speak Our Language? Part II: Stepping up to Cultural Competency -- Cultural Considerations When the Patient’s Religious or Spiritual Needs Differ From One’s Own -- Cultural Considerations When Caring for Patients With Physical, Psychological, or Intellectual Disabilities -- Cultural Considerations When the Patient Speaks a Different Language -- Cultural Considerations When Caring for the Patient Who Is Terminally Ill -- Cultural Considerations When Caring for the Geographically Displaced Client -- Cultural Considerations When Working With LGBTQIA Patients -- Cultural Considerations When Caring for the New Immigrant or Refugee -- Cultural Considerations When Caring for the Poor and Uninsured -- Cultural Considerations When Caring for the Patient Who Is Morbidly Obese -- Cultural Considerations When Caring for Veterans -- Cultural Considerations When Caring for Children of Diverse Backgrounds.