Lienhard School of Nursing, Pace University & Mt. Sinai Medical Center
Culturally Sensitive Care for Vulnerable & Underserved Patients in NYC
- Marilyn Jaffe Ruiz, EdD, RN, Professor, Lienhard School of Nursing, Pace University
- Harriet Feldman, PhD, RN, Dean & Professor, Lienhard School of Nursing, Pace University
- Maria Vezina, PhD, RN, Senior Director, Nursing Education/Professional Practice, Mt. Sinai Medical Center
The program, Culturally Sensitive Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Patients in New York City, aims to increase the cultural awareness, competency and sensitivity of baccalaureate nursing students and Mt. Sinai Hospital staff nurses. The program works to build cultural competency to improve the quality of patient care, increase professional nurse satisfaction and to improve nurse retention.
To accomplish this, faculty and consultants provide students and staff nurses with seminars, training workshops and clinical experiences focused on improving cultural competency. Lienhard students from diverse backgrounds are selected from an accelerated one-year BSN program designed for non-nurse college graduates and Mt. Sinai staff nurses volunteer to participate in the program. Students are paired with staff nurses from medical-surgical, obstetrical, pediatric and psychiatric nursing for clinical shifts at Mt. Sinai Hospital to provide culturally competent care to patients on each unit.
Monitoring and evaluation include metrics on participating nursing students and staff nurses’ pre- and post-program content knowledge and self-assessments in cultural competency. Students who participate in this program receive scholarship support for their final semester.
