Cheryl Leuning

Transcultural Nursing Society Position Statement on Human Rights

In 2006, the Transcultural Nursing Society created a business plan with a firm commitment to social change and the support of human rights. One of the primary goals of the plan was to seek recognition from the United Nations as a Human Rights Organization. As a first step in articulating this goal, the board of trustees of TCNS tasked a small group of Transcultural Nursing Scholars to develop a position statement. This article is the culmination of the collaborative task forces efforts to define how TCNS seeks the fulfillment of human rights for people of all cultures worldwide.

Proposed Standards for Transcultural Nursing

For the past 3 years, the Minnesota Chapter of the Transcultural Nursing Society has focused efforts on the development of standards for transcultural nursing practice. The standards, based on Leininger’s culture care theory and Campinha-Bacote’s model of cultural competence, are intended to foster excellence in transcultural nursing practice, to provide criteria for the evaluation of nursing care, to be a tool for teaching and learning, to increase the public’s confidence in the nursing profession, and overall to advance the field of transcultural nursing. The standards are presented as an invitation for individual and collective reflection and commentary.

Developing a Culturally Competent Workforce through Collaborative Partnerships

Inthis article, the authors describe a federally funded project to implement a partnership model involving the Transcultural Nursing Society (TCNS) and two universities that have undergraduate and graduate programs in nursing. The overall goal of the project is to use transcultural nursing as a framework for developing the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor cultural competencies of nursing faculty, practicing .nurses, and nursing students. The purpose of this article is fourfold: (a) to describe the background and environmental context of the TCNS-university partnership; (b) to provide an overview ofthe project objectives, key partners, and organizational structure of the partnership; (c) to discuss the current and future project activities; and (d) to critically examine the benefits of partnering for both the TCNS and the two universities involved in this project.

The Citizen Nurse: An Educational Innovation for Change

BACKGROUND Nursing education needs to provide the necessary tools for students to develop leadership skills and to practice civic agency to create meaningful change in the shifting health care field. This article focuses on facilitating a students role in becoming a citizen nurse through curricular modifications. METHOD Through an ongoing partnership, nursing faculty and community organizers implemented a year-long pilot project to discover the deeper insights into the role of a citizen nurse and to analyze the skills students need to be effective agents of change. Pilot lectures and workshops were held throughout the academic year, and curricular changes were implemented. RESULTS Based on input from pilot class experiences, student reflections, and faculty workshop feedback, the decision to implement ongoing curricular changes was made by the department. CONCLUSION The development of citizen nurses in nursing education will pave the way for praxis embedded in meaningful work with just solutions, enhancing the agency of all involved in promoting health and well-being. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(4):247-250.].

Transcultural nursing scholars’ corner: advancing our practice, changing our world.

It’s Toronto, October 2002. I am attending my first ever Transcultural Nursing Society conference. I stand in awe as I see hundreds of people from all over the world. I am inspired by their energy and enthusiasm. These are people who, like me, are passionate about culture, care, and health. Though I know no one, I feel welcome in this place. Within the first hour I meet my new best friend Betty Klecker. She has been a member of TCNS for many years, and is a CTN (Certified Transcultural Nurse). Wow, I’m impressed! Betty introduces me to Magie Conrad and Lorraine Steefel, also from New Jersey. The three musketeers I call them. It feels like I have known them my whole life! The conversation now turns to certification. Lorraine is taking the exam at this conference (she passes!) and Magie says she is going to take it in San Antonio the following year. I listen. Sure enough, as friends often do, the three musketeers (in unison) say, “Beth, you should go for certification.” My response is an emphatic NO! No, I don’t know enough. . . . No, I’m not smart enough. . . . No, I could never pass the exam! Final outcome—I take the exam in San Antonio with Magie and we both pass! The message to all of you is YES, you can do it too! Until recently TCNS only offered the certification exam for those who have their Masters or Doctorate. That will change at the end of this year with the initiation of our Basic Certification exam when those with their BSN, Diploma, and Associate degrees can become Certified Transcultural Nurses too! It was through the creative effort of the Transcultural Nursing Certification Commission, chaired by Dr. Marilyn McFarland, that the advanced exam is now a reality! Add to that mix the editors, contributors, and reviewers, who published the Core Curriculum for Transcultural Nursing and Health Care and you’ll find yourselves better prepared than ever. So are you ready? We are, and we’re here for you every step of the way. You can tweet us @TCNS_Says, and we’ll answer all your questions and guide you through the process. You can chat with us at our annual TCNS Conference in Las Vegas this month too. We believe in you! Peer pressure is good pressure! Tenga un buen día.