Also relevent: UE nursing school receives cultural awareness grant : Local News : Evansville Courier Press

Disability is feared more than death among many Amish patients, and faith often plays an important role in the health care decisions of many Hispanics.

Russian and Eastern European immigrants come from backgrounds that value rest and a good night's sleep as essential components of good health.

All three groups are growing but underserved populations in Southwestern Indiana, said Amy Hall, chair of the University of Evansville's Department of Nursing and Health Sciences.

"We work with the hospitals a lot. Our students are there, taking care of patients," she said.

"It is amazing how many of these patients we see."

The UE nursing school even has two Russian students, Hall said.
The school has received a $4,716 grant from the Southwest Indiana-Area Health Education Center to help teach nursing students about cultural awareness.

"How we all perceive our health is really influenced by how we were all brought up," she said. "Culture really plays into someone's perception and how they seek care and take care of themselves."

It is not uncommon for nursing students to encounter patients from diverse cultures while working and getting practical experiences at area hospitals, she said.

Hispanic, Russian-Eastern European and Amish cultures are especially growing in numbers locally, Hall said, and finding ways to provide them the same level of care as other area residents requires an understanding of their beliefs, practices and even languages.

UE will use the grant to provide students with training scenarios in its new simulated patient lab.

The grant also will allow UE to purchase a Hispanic infant simulator.
The scenarios will give nursing students a chance to work with a Hispanic migrant worker or a Russian immigrant, Hall said.

Hall hopes to work with the university's foreign language department to incorporate those languages into the scenarios.

Also see: http://www.ultimatenurse.com/forum/f...areness-34563/