Purpose: This study aimed to examine the degree of cross-cultural competency among UK mental health student nurses, and the care delivery challenges arising from their internalized cultural assumptions.
Design and methods: This study adopted a mixed-methods design. Participants were final-year nursing students in the United Kingdom.
Findings: The results revealed participants had a moderate level of cultural awareness and competency but highlighted many challenges to providing cross-cultural care arising from the meanings, enablers, and values they attributed to culturally competent mental health care.
Practice implications: As cultural competency is considered an essential characteristic of effective nursing care, greater attention should be paid to how student nurses assimilate cultural awareness to develop confidence in their day-to-day practice.
Keywords: care; culture; mental health; nurse; nursing.
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