Transcultural Nursing, Annotated Bibliography Example

Bryant, Rosemary, Elizabeth Foley, and Elizabeth Percival. “The role of RCNA in promoting transcultural nursing as a discipline of study, research, practice and management in Australia.” Contemporary Nurse. 28. (2008): 3-11. Print.

In this article, the authors examine the roots of Transcultural Nursing Education at the Royal College of Nursing in Australia. In the early 1990s, the RCON began to explore different aspects of Nursing that could be discussed and shared in an educational capacity. Subjects ranged from Research to Ethics to Transcultural Nursing. In 1994, the Transcultural Nursing Society was established. The Societies, now referred to as “Networks,” changed and evolved over the years, with some Networks being joined with others, and other Networks established as needed. At the time of the article’s writing, there were fourteen different Networks.

The Transcultural Nursing Network focuses on ways in which the needs and concerns of different cultures can be understood and shared in order to ensure that adequate care is provided across cultural boundaries. The Transcultural Nursing Network focuses largely on the issues involving Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, with an understanding that the cultural concerns of Aborigines, Torres Strait Islanders, and the peoples of other cultures  must be taken into consideration to ensure they receive competent Nursing care.

This article focuses less on the specifics of Transcultural Nursing, or the programs offered by the RCON, and more on the establishment and growth of the Network; in this regard, it is thorough and effective.

Chenowethm, L., et al. “Cultural competency and nursing care: an Australian perspective.” International Nursing Review. 53. (2006): 34-40. Print.

This article on Transcultural Nursing focuses on the specifics of the field.  The authors assert that competent Transcultural Nurses must establish an understanding of the needs and concerns of those from various cultures in order to provide adequate care. In some cases, nurses may have preconceived notions of what constitutes appropriate care; further, they may have preconceived notions, end even prejudices, about certain cultures. In order to surmount these preconceptions, nurses must be adequately trained to understand and address the specific concerns of different cultures, and the authors propose specific programs and approaches that can foster such understanding.

This article asserts that cultural understanding can be aided by calling upon the expertise of nurses from different cultural backgrounds, and makes a convincing case that such cross-cultural education and sharing is an effective means to achieve the end result of providing adequate nursing care across cultural boundaries.

O’Brien, Anthony, Julie Boddy, and Derrylea Hardy. “Culturally specific process measures to improve mental health clinical practice: indigenous focus.” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 41. (2007): 667. Print.

The authors of this article examine the ways in which Transcultural Nursing has been effective, as well as the ways in which it has fallen short. The article takes a pragmatic view, focusing on “what clinicians do” in the real world, as opposed to exploring the educational underpinnings of Transcultural Nursing. While authors praise the efforts to make Transcultural Nursing a fundamental part of Nursing education and practice, they do not shy away from discussing the failures of such efforts as well. The article makes the claim that many efforts at promoting Transcultural Nursing are done in a “piecemeal” fashion, and further assert that this lack of a consistent approach highlights the flaws still found in the field of Transcultural Nursing. The authors also note the difficulties inherent in measuring the success –or lack thereof- of Transcultural Nursing education; with no consistent guidelines or measurement standards, it can be difficult to determine not only if Transcultural Nursing programs are effective, but it can also be difficult to determine how to set such standards in the first place.

This article effectively highlights the ways in which Transcultural Nursing efforts sometimes fail to meet expectations, as well as making clear the difficulty inherent determining what expectations should be used as standard assessments and goals. While it poses important questions, it also falls a bit short in specifying exactly what the answers to those questions should be; these shortcomings actually serve to highlight the point of the authors. Though the article may have more questions than answers, it does serve to foster the necessary dialog that is needed to find those answers.

Douglas, Marilyn, and Julienne Lipson. “Transcultural Nursing: The Global Agenda.” Contemporary Nurse. 28. (2008): 162-164. Print.

As an introductory article in a journal edition devoted to the subject of Transcultural Nursing, the authors lay out the wide-ranging issues surrounding this field of study and clinical work. Transcultural Nursing, the authors note, involves more than just acquiring textbook information about peoples of different cultures. As is the case with the article authored by Chenowethm et al, this article notes that Transcultural Nursing is not just a set of dry, academic concerns; it is only significant to the degree that it translates into action. In an increasingly globalized world, it is imperative that nurses adequately explore the concerns of those from the different cultures with whom they will work. Though the article is brief, it is clear and effective in delivering its message about the modern world, and the ways in which nursing itself must evolve and adapt to the rapid cultural changes of this world.

Luna, Linda, and June Miller. “The State of Transcultural Nursing Global Leadership and Education.” Contemporary Nurse. 28.1-2 (2008): n. page. Print.

As is the case with the article written by O’Brien and Hardy, this article focuses on the ways in which Transcultural Nursing efforts can be difficult to measure for success or failure. The article briefly traces the growth of the field –specifically the growth in Australia- before turning its attention to the educational fundamentals of Transcultural Nursing. The authors praise the many ways in which Transcultural Nursing has contributed to the overall field of Nursing, while also noting several studies that demonstrate the failures of some educational efforts.

Overall, the authors cast Transcultural Nursing in a positive light, but they do not shy away from making it clear that, in many ways, the field is in its infancy. If Transcultural Nursing is to continue to evolve effectively, it is imperative for educators to constantly strive to find new and effective ways to deliver adequate programs that will foster the growth of the field both in school settings and in the real world of clinical settings.

Omeri, Akram. “Advancing Transcultural Nursing through Collaboration.” Contemporary Nurse. 28. (2008): 207-210. Print.

Author Omeri Akram’s name will be familiar to those who have read the first article in this collection; she was a founding member of the original Transcultural Nursing Society at the RCON in Australia. As is the case in the article co-authored by Marion Douglas and Julienne Lipson, this article is relatively brief and to the point. This article’s brevity does not diminish its significance, however; the focus on “collaboration” is fundamental to the effective implementation of Transcultural Nursing programs and their adaptation to clinical work. In this context, “collaboration” does not refer just to the teamwork necessary among medical professionals, but also to the ways in which nurses and other clinicians must collaborate with those to whom they provide care. It is necessary to collaborate with patients, and not just each other, for Transcultural Nursing to be effective. Akram’s point may be a simple one, but it goes to the very heart of what Transcultural Nursing is all about.