Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University, August 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 136-152).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 1994. / Title from title page screen, viewed April 7, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Larry D. Kennedy, John R. McCarthy (co-chairs), Ronald Halinski, George Padavil. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-120) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (M.Ed.(Curriculum Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2000. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 221-235). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 154-162). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-132). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (MCur.(Nursing Science, Faculty of Health Sciences))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Summary in English and Afrikaans. Includes bibliographical references.

Background: In the United States, minorities are numerous and account for 28% of the population. It is well known that some of the cultural elements are related to the patients’ health. Therefore, it is an obligation of healthcare providers to become culturally competent to improve minorities’ overall healthcare. PURPOSE: This study was conducted to assess the cultural attitudes, skills, and knowledge of undergraduate and graduate respiratory therapy (RT) students at an urban university located in the southeastern United States. METHODS: The study used a descriptive exploratory design with a self-reporting survey. The survey instrument used was a short version of the Cultural Competence Self-Assessment “ASK” (Attitude–Skills–Knowledge) Scale. The survey was administered to a convenience sample of first and second-year BSRT and MSRT students attending an accredited RT program. The survey consisted of 24 items on a five-point Likert scale. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent samples t-test. RESULTS: Fifty-three students were surveyed; around two-thirds of the respondents were female. Sixty-eight percent of respondents were BSRT and 22% were MSRT students. First-year students accounted for 56.6% of the respondents and second-year students accounted for 43.4%. The majority of the respondents were under the age of 25. The respondents reported to be ready to practice in the attitude and skills subscale (4.49±.49, 4.20±.62 respectively) but they need practice based on the knowledge subscale (3.80±.86). The statistically significant findings were found between first-year and second-year respondents in the skills subscale, knowledge subscale, and the total scale. However, there were no statistically significant difference between BSRT and MSRT students. CONCLUSION: This study found that respondents made progress throughout the RT program. Also, it found that level of education has no effect on cultural competency. This may be because student’s level of cultural competence improves as they advance in their clinical course work and their educational training. The results may assist RT educators to recognize the students’ needs for more information to improve their cultural competency.

With growing cultural diversity in the United States (U.S.), health disparities continue to exist among many ethnic minority populations impacting the U.S. economy. Health disparities are health differences that are noted in a particular cultural group in respect to higher rates of diseases and deaths in comparison to others. These cultural groups have common attributes and can be based on race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, income, residential location and many others. One such example is individuals of Puerto Rican heritage, the second largest Hispanic group living in the U.S. mainland. Puerto Ricans are identified to have multiple health disparities in comparison to other Hispanic and non-Hispanic population groups living in the U.S. Among other factors, common cultural health care beliefs and practices of individuals impact health outcomes. Healthcare professionals like nurses are expected to provide culturally competent care to vulnerable populations with known health disparities. Culturally competent care refers to delivering care congruent with patients' cultural beliefs and practices. Therefore, it is important to educate health professionals regarding caring for vulnerable populations. The purpose of this community-based participatory research (CBPR) study was to develop content for an educational tool, an online virtual interactive simulation (OVIS) case for developing cultural competency of nursing students in caring for the Puerto Rican population of New York City (NYC). The content development for OVIS was guided by the framework for Cultural Competency Simulation Experiences (CCSE), which was developed as a part of this dissertation. The CCSE framework guided the content development of OVIS using a CBPR approach. A community advisory board was developed which consisted of cultural, clinical and educational experts, residing in New York and Puerto Rico.