The nurse is caring for a patient of a culture different from her own.To provide culturally competent care for this patient,what does the nurse need to do?

A) Not be curious about other ways of being in the world
B) Understand the forces that influence her own world view
C) Recognize that she must not hold any bias toward the patient
D) Have no predispositions relative toward the patient's culture

Although curiosity about other ways of being in the world is an important attitude for cultural competence,it is also important for a nurse to understand the forces that influence his or her own world view.Everyone holds biases about human behavior.Bias means a predisposition to see people or things in a certain light,positive or negative (Aguilar,2006).Becoming more aware of one's biases and attitudes about human behavior is the first step on the ladder of cultural competence that can lead to positive change.