Deborah Wilson
Issues surrounding cultural diversity have taken on a new priority for the nursing in the 21st century, engendering considerable anxiety and reluctance to openly confront many of the issues that affect the profession: the provision of culturally competent care, educating nurses to be culturally competent, and accepting nurses from culturally diverse backgrounds. Despite claiming to value diversity, the profession has been either unable or unwilling to fully embrace diversity and respond to the challenges that it presents to nursing and to healthcare. If the profession is to move forward, it must confront these issues and the challenges that they present. This article addresses the fears related to acknowledging cultural differences, power and control, confronting complex racial issues, cultural competency, and acknowledging biases in research.
