Introduction

As awareness of transcultural health care has increased, so has

the use of the term cultural competence. For the beginning nursing
student, Giger and Davidhizar provide a clear, understandable
definition. They view cultural competence as a dynamic, fluid,
continuous process, whereby an individual, system, or health care
agency finds meaningful and useful care delivery strategies based on
knowledge of the cultural heritage, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of
those to whom they render
care. The culturally competent nurse has six topics to assess for the
client: (1) communication, (2) time, (3) space, (4) social organization,
(5) environmental control, and (6) biological variations. It is these
elements that make up Giger and Davidhizars transcultural
assessment model. The Giger and Davidhizars model will be described
in relation to the Mexican-American culture to put it into context.

Communication
Communication is a key component of each individual culture.
While some cultures may emphasize non-verbal communication, and
others express verbal communication, it is important to know which is
emphasized in each culture, as it is a vital part of the nursing
assessment. For the Mexican-American client, their voice quality is
strong, and resonant. Use of silence is usually infrequent and brief. The

use of nonverbal communication is dominant within this culture; hands

are used to exaggerate expression. Direct eye contact is used when
communicating. They are tactile in relationships, and usually accepts
touch without difficulty. Nursing implications for communicating with a
Mexican-American client would include the use of welcoming facial
expressions, sitting in front of the patient, and conversing directly to
the client. There are more than 50 dialects within the Mexican culture,
while the Spanish language makes up 66% of the foreign-languages
used in the United States. For this reason, it is also important for the
nurse to take this into consideration and make use of a translator when
necessary.
Time
Timeisveryimportantaspectofinterpersonalcommunication.Culturalgroupscanbe
past,present,orfutureoriented.Thoseindividualswhofocusonthepast,attemptto
providetraditionandhavelittlemotivationforformulatingfuturegoals10,13.Other
individualsarepresenttimeorientatedandifthepresenttaskisviewedasthemost
important,thepeopleintheculturetendtobeunappreciativeofthepastanddonotplan
forthefuture.Individualswithfuturetimeorientationplanandorganizepresentactivities
toachievefuturegoals.Preventivehealthcareneedssomefuturetimeorientation
becausepreventiveactionsaremotivatedbyafuturereward.Alsoculturesrelatetotime
intermsofclocktimevs.socialtime.Somegroupsrelateonthebasisofsocialtime.

Time is an imperative part of interpersonal communication. Different

cultural groups are either past, present, or future oriented. Those
people who concentrate on the past, endeavor to give custom and
have little inspiration for defining future objectives 10,13. Different
people are present-time orientated and if the present errand is seen as
the most vital, the individuals in the society have a tendency to be
unappreciative of the past and try not to anticipate what's to come.
People with future time introduction plan and sort out present
exercises to accomplish future objectives. Preventive

health awareness needs some future-time introduction

since preventive activities are persuaded by a

future prize. Additionally societies identify with time in

terms of clock time versus social time. A few gatherings

relate on the premise of social time.

Space
Social Organization
Environmental Control
Biological Variations

Conclusion