title: Cultural competence course for nursing students in Taiwan: A longitudinal study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Culturally competent care is an essential ability for nursing students. However, little is known about the effects of educational intervention on attitudes or behavior changes with regard to cultural competence in Taiwan.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluates the effects of a cultural competence course for nursing students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a longitudinal study design, 105 participants were assigned to an experiment group (51 participants) and control group (54 participants) based on the school they attended. Students in the experiment group received a two-credit course on cultural competence care. Using the Cultural Competence Assessment Instrument-Chinese Version (CCA-CV), data were collected between 2012 and 2013 at three points in time: before and after the course and again 6 to 8 months after the two groups (experiment and control) had completed the clinical practicum.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of a generalized estimating equation (GEE) analysis indicate that the cultural competence of all participants had improved at the posttest assessment, with the experiment group showing a significantly better improvement over the control group. However, the overall effectiveness of the training diminished with time. This study supports that taking a cultural competence course effectively enhances the cultural competence of nursing students for a limited period of time immediately following the course.
  These results support that the benefits of incorporating a cultural competence course in clinical practice should be considered in the future. Furthermore, healthcare institutions should be encouraged to provide greater support and consideration to cultural competence issues in the nursing workplace in order to reinforce and extend the benefits of cultural competence courses provided at nursing schools.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan; Department of Nursing, Shu-Zen Junior College of Medicine and Management, Taiwan. Electronic address: ta897105@mail.ncku.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Chia-Jung
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Fooyin University, Taiwan. Electronic address: ns173@fy.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Pei-rong
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Fooyin University, Taiwan. Electronic address: ns194@fy.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Ling-Hua
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing/Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan. Electronic address: meay@mail.ncku.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Mei-Chih
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D054521:Cultural Competency / Q000193:education*; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D013338:Students, Nursing; D013624:Taiwan; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cultural Competence Assessment Instrument-Chinese Version (CCA-CV); Cultural competence; Educational intervention; Nursing students