Cultural competency

President Obama signed the historic Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law on March 23, 2010, and its first changes went into effect on July 1 of the same year. But signing that bill was just the beginning of a passionate national health care debate.

Given the major health issues disproportionately affecting minorities, there are life-altering reasons to target such communities for clinical trials and research. But doing so requires combating lingering mistrust, reaching out to neighborhood allies, and even educating yourself.

It's no secret that health care professionals must identify, respect, and care about their patients' differences, values, preferences, and expressed needs. Some patients' backgrounds might be similar to those of the care provider and some may be different. It's the differences that cry out for attention.

A look back at Lillian Wald's groundbreaking organization

The nurses who authored Advancing the Dream through Faculty Diversity and this article, each reached out to Minority Nurse in search of a place to share their experiences as nurses, as African Americans. From different areas of the country and different professional backgrounds, never knowing one another, they both submitted abstracts that put forth the same beliefs and arguments, grounded in a desire to improve diversity in the workplace as a means to improve the quality of life in the black community.

Exploring the key elements for culturally responsive community-based learning

The changing demographics of the citizens of the United States compels health care providers to adapt and deliver culturally competent care to underrepresented minorities, particularly in the nurse anesthesia profession.

How nurses and hospitals that serve limited-English-speaking patients can protect themselves from translation liability

As the population ages in unprecedented numbers and is living longer than at any other time in history, the field of gerontological nursing is facing big changes with staffing needs and day-to-day practices.