The author looks at Australia's multicultural society and identifies the failure of the nursing profession to provide nursing services that meet the commitment of Australia to preserve the cultural backgrounds and meet the needs of the people nurses serve. The author suggests ways in which this problem can be addressed. It is argued that there is a need to ensure that transcultural nursing services are recognized and made accessible to people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Nurses need educational preparation to provide them with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential to work with people from different cultures. Moreover, the cultural profile of the nursing profession should approximate those served. Nurses today must recognize these critical needs and be committed to provide transcultural nursing care that is so essential in Australia's multicultural society.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Advisory Committee to the Multicultural Nursing Workforce Project (ACMNWP) (1991). Responding to a multicultural society: Issues and strategies for nurse education. Melbourne: Australian Government Printing Service (AGPS).
2.
Andrews, M. (1992). Cultual perspectives on nursing in the 21st century. Journal of Professional nursing. 8(1), 7-15.
3.
Andrews, M. (1993). Integrating transcultural nursing into the under-graduate and graduate curricula. Journal of Transcultural Nursing. 5(l), 31.
4.
Capers, C. (1992). Teaching cultural content: A nursing education imperative. Holistic Nurse Practitioner, 6(3), 19-28.
5.
Cox, D. (1987). Migration and welfare. New York: Prentice Hall.
6.
D'Cruz, J. and Tham, G. (1992). Nursing and nursing education in a multicultural Australia: A Victorian study of some cultural, curriculum and demographic issues. Melbourne: David Lovell Publishing.
7.
Department of Employment, Education, and Training (DEET) (1991). National nurse labour market study: Volume one; summary report. Canberra: AGPS.
8.
Dawes, T. (1986). Multicultural nursing. International Nursing Review, 33(5), 148-150.
9.
Doku, J. (1990). Approaches to cultural awareness. Nursing Times. 86(39), 69-70.
10.
Emery, E. (1991). The experience of cultural diversity in psychiatric nursing. In Minas, I. Cultural diversity and mental health. Melbourne: Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Practitioners) RANZCP. 211-217.
11.
Foster, I. and Stockley, D. (1984). Multiculturalism: The changing Australian paradigm. Avon: Multilingual Matters.
12.
Holland, R. (1992). Primary community Aboriginal mental health development. The Lamp. 48(11), 44-47.
13.
Jupp, J. (1989). The challenge of diversity: Policy options for a multicultural Australia. Canberra: AGPS.
14.
Jupp, J. (1990). Two hundred years of immigration. In Reid, J. and Trompf, R. The health of immigrant Australia: A social perspective. Sydney: Harcourt Brace Jovonovich. 1-38.
15.
Jupp, J. (1991). Immigration. Sydney: Sydney University Press.
16.
Kanitsaki, O. (1990). Towards the transcultural approach to the education of health professionals and to health care delivery in Victoria. In A. Pauwels (Ed.), Proceedings of the conference on cross-cultural communication in the health profession (pp. 94-100). Melbourne, Australia; Monash University.
17.
Kanitsaki, O. (1992). Transcultural nursing: An introductory teaching package for nurse lecturers and teachers. Melbourne: La Trobe University.
18.
Kuhni, C. (1990). When cultures clash at the bedside. RN.(January), 23-25.
19.
Lefley, H. and Pederson, P. (1986). Introduction to cross - cultural training. In Lefley, H. and Pederson, P. Cross-cultural training for mental health professionals. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas. 5-10.
20.
Lefley, H. and Pederson, P. (1986). Cross-cultural training for mental health professionals. Springfield: Charles C Thomas.
21.
Leininger, M. (1970). Nursing and anthropology: Two worlds to blend. New York: Wiley & Sons.
22.
Leininger, M. (1977). Changing foci in nursing education: Primary and transcultural nursing care. In International Council of Nurses. Proceedings: 16th Quadrennial Conference. Tokyo: ICN.
23.
Leininger, M. (1978). Transcultural nursing: Concepts, theories and practices. New York: Wiley & Sons.
24.
Leininger, M. (1984). Transcultural interviewing and health assessment. In Pederson, P., Sartorius, N. and Marsella, A. Mental health services: The cross-cultural context. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications. 109-133.
25.
Leininger, M. (1988). Leininger's theory of cultural care diversity and universality: A theory of nursing. Nursing Science Quarterly. 1(4), 152-160.
26.
Leininger, M. (1989). The transcultural nurse specialist: Imperative in today's world. Nursing and Health Care. 10(5), 251-256.
27.
Leininger, M. (1992). Summary reflection and message to the 1992 Transcultural Nursing Conference. In University of Sydney 1992. Proceedings: Transcultural Nursing Conference 1992, Cumberland College. Sydney: University of Sydney. 1-4.
28.
Leininger, M. (1992). Strange myths and inaccurate facts in transcultural nursing. Journal of Transcultural Nursing. 4(2), 39-40.
29.
Meleis, A. , Lipson, J. and Paul, S. (1992). Ethnicity and health among five middle eastern immigrant groups. Nursing Research. 41(2), 98-103.
30.
Minas, I. (1991). Psychiatric services research in a multicultural society. Cultural diversity and mental health. Melbourne: RANZCP. 35-52.
31.
Minas, I. (1991). Cultural diversity and mental health. Melbourne: RANZCP.
32.
Nkongho, N. (1992). Teaching health professionals transcultural concepts. Holistic Nurse Practitioner, 6(3), 29-33.
33.
Office of Multicultural Affairs (1989). National agenda for a multicultural Australia. Canberra: AGPS.
34.
Opit, L. and Martin, P. (1979). Student general nurse applicants in Victoria (1978) with particular reference to their ethnic origin and language skills. Melbourne: Monash University.
35.
Rairdan, B. and Higgs, R. (1992). When your patient is a Hmong refugee. American Journal of Nursing. 92(3), 52-55.
36.
Reynolds, C. (1992). An administrative program to facilitate culturally appropriate care for the elderly. Holistic Nurs Pract. 6(3), 34-42.
37.
Sharpe, I. (1992). Let us not forget our ethnic aged. The Australian Nurses Journal. 21(10), 16-25.
38.
Singh, B. (1990). Cross-cultural communication issues in the medical curriculum. In Pauwels, A. 1990. Proceedings of the conference on cross-cultural communication in the health professions. Melbourne: Monash University. 1-11.
39.
Smith, D. (1990). Caught between two cultures. Nursing Times. 86(39), 66-68.
40.
Stevens, P. , Hall, J. and Meleis, A. (1992). Narratives as a basis for culturally relevant holistic care: Ethnicity and everyday experiences of women clerical workers. Holistic Nurse Practitioner, 6(3), 49-58.
41.
Tham, G. , Klimidis, S. and Minas, I. (1991). Psychiatric nurses: Their awareness of cultural factors in patient management. In Minas, I. 1991. Cultural diversity and mental health. Melbourne: RANZCP. 195-210.
42.
Transcultural Health Care Council (1991). Towards a transcultural approach to the education of health professionals and to health care delivery in Victoria: Proposal for a strategic plan. Melbourne: THCC.
43.
Trim, A. (1991). Hospital and community nursing of elderly people from ethnic minority groups. In Squires, A. 1991. Multicultural health care and rehabilitation of older people. Melbourne: Edward Arnold. 108-122.
44.
Tross, G. (1991). Transcultural nursing. Nursing. 4(43), 7-18.
