Guadalupe Pacheco, MSW, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 600, Rockville, MD 20852, 301-443-3379, gpacheco@osophs.dhhs.gov and Ann Kenny, RN, MPH, Center for Healthcare Outreach and Management Support, Science Applications International Corporation, 5107 Leesburg Pike, Skyline 5, Falls Church, VA 22041.

The US is experiencing a dramatic change in the composition of its population. The 2000 Census data indicate that by 2050 the population will be 47.2% White and 52.8% Non-White persons. According to the 2000 National Sample Survey for Registered Nurses, the nursing population does not reflect the diversity of the US population. Since nurses spend more time with patients than other health care providers, this lack of diversity will create a further gap between health care providers and recipients.

The Culturally Competent Nursing Modules are designed to help nurses understand and increase their knowledge of issues related to cultural competency; develop self-awareness about attitudes, beliefs, biases, and behaviors that influence the care they provide; and to serve as a tool to enhance their “survival skills” in providing culturally competent care to our increasingly diverse patient population.

This presentation will share our experience designing a national cultural competency curriculum for nurses including: an environmental scan of existing literature, health care practices, and course curriculum; results from 6 focus groups consisting of RNs and NPs of varying specialties and settings to aid in the development of content, structure of the modules, and defining outcomes and evaluative measures; rigorous pilot and field testing; and valuable content input from expert advisory panels.

The final phase of the modules will include development of a Web-based version of the modules and accreditation for Continuing Education units.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to

• Provide an overview of the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS)
• Understand the rationale for developing the Culturally Competent Nursing Modules and describe ongoing initiatives related to health disparities and cultural competency
• Gain valuable insight on what the processes are for designing, testing, and refining a Cultural Competency Nursing Curriculum as a sustainable educational tool.

Keywords: Cultural Competency, Health Disparities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employment