Purpose

The purpose of the Course Project is to give the student the opportunity to apply concepts in transcultural nursing by performing a transcultural nursing assessment.

The purpose of Milestone 1 is to identify and describe an adult, non-relative, born outside the US, whose culture is different from yours and is willing to participate in a transcultural nursing assessment during Wk. 6. (Milestone 3).

Course Outcomes

CO1: Identify theories, concepts, and beliefs related to transcultural nursing. (PO1)

CO2: Communicate effectively with culturally diverse individuals, families, and organizations. (PO3)

CO4: Perform a culturally competent nursing assessment. (PO7)

Notes: 

• Send your instructor a brief email during Wk. 1 or 2 briefly describing the individual’s place of birth, age and current city/community of residence.
• The actual assessment does not occur until Milestone 3. The assessment is not a purpose for this assignment.

Requirements and Guidelines

1. Review the Course Outcomes for this assignment.
2. BEFORE beginning this Milestone, make sure you have received “approval” of the individual from your instructor. This must be done during Wk. 1 or 2 of the course. Send your instructor a brief email with the initials of the individual, country of birth, current city/community of residence. Your instructor will reply to your email letting you know it is all right to proceed with Milestone 1 (“approval”).
3. Review the guidelines for Milestones 1, 2, and 3, paying particular attention to Milestone 1 for this assignment. The guidelines for all of the Milestones are located on the left-hand navigation menu. Also, read the Course Project Overview document located under the Modules Tab. Here you will find more details and helpful tips.
4. Identify/describe the individual approved by your instructor. This individual:
   • Has been living in a culture other than the one of origin for at least 2 years.
   • Was born outside the United States.
   • Can be a patient, friend, or colleague, such as a physician, or acquaintance, but cannot be a relative.
   • Must be living in your community and must be currently receiving or have previously received healthcare services in your community.
   • Race, ethnicity, language, religion, and culturally based beliefs about healthcare and illness should be quite different from yours.
   • Must speak English. An interpreter/translator is not permitted for the actual assessment, which occurs in Milestone 3 (Week 6). 

Note: This is the same individual for whom you will develop verbal assessment questions in Milestone 2 and whom you will ask those questions in Milestone 3. Then you will reflect on your learning about the Course Project Milestones, assessment and how your future practice will change based on your learning.

1. Individuals can come from a variety of settings. Recent immigrants, migrant workers, exchange students, international students, long-term care residents, refugees, coworkers, physicians, patients, employees at local ethnic businesses, religious venues, community centers, and individuals who have recently moved to your community are some suggestions. The individual does not need to be a healthcare worker but must have received healthcare services in the community of origin as well as since arriving in the United States.
2. Speak with the individual, and obtain permission to conduct an assessment later in the course. Clearly explain that statements made in the assessment will be recorded (written) and submitted to the instructor only. It is not intended for public distribution. Anonymity will be maintained when you use first and last initials only on all templates. Assure the individual that the assessment (Milestone 3) should not take more than one hour of the individual’s time.
3. Download the NR394_Individual_Profile_Template. (Links to an external site.) Although you are not performing the official assessment until Milestone 3, it will be necessary to obtain some general information about your individual’s background to complete Milestone 1. This information may come from the individual or Internet sources. Basically, you are comparing the individual’s previous and current communities/cultures.
4. Type information about the potential individual using only the template provided. You are expected to write clearly and use proper grammar and spelling and eliminate typos.
5. Submit the completed template by the end of Week 3 at 11:59 p.m. MT.
6. Contact your instructor if you have any questions.

Example: KC was born in Hwidiem, Ghana, a small village in Africa, where he did not graduate from high school. He is 72 years old. He immigrated to the United States at age 28 and has lived in Grove City near Columbus, Ohio since then. Hwidiem is considered the provincial capital (fill in information about the community or city as you can find). He was married but divorced after a traumatic brain injury. Since then, he has had many part-time jobs and studies his Bible faithfully. Grove City is a town in Ohio (fill in information about the city or community). Currently, he receives healthcare for his hypertension control. I met him 3 years ago at a senior citizens’ center where I volunteer.

References: Andrews, M. M., & Boyle, J. S. (2016). Transcultural concepts in nursing care (7th ed.). Philadelphia: PA: Wolters Kluwer.

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.