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Advancing Culturally Competent Care

A renewed focus on cultural awareness is helping nurses get a deeper understanding of patients’ needs in many communities. Which means better communication and better health outcomes for everyone.
Many parents across the U.S. struggle with challenging behaviors in their young children, and they may not be aware of the array of strategies that can help them deal with their children’s behavior. What if some of these behavioral issues could be addressed by affording parents access to parenting information that is not readily available in their communities? This question led three nurse researchers – Deborah Gross, DNSc, RN, FAAN, Christine Garvey, PhD, RN, and Wrenetha Julion, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN – to develop the Chicago Parent Program at the Rush University College of Nursing in Chicago, Ill.
2018-10-23T17:12:43.881Z
309 Articles
  • Image of stethoscope and globe
    In this episode of the Nursing Notes Live podcast, we speak with Johnson & Johnson Young Health Leaders Cara Cook and Joey Ryan. Cara Cook is an environmental nurse from the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environment, and Joey Ryan is a student nurse and the National Student Nurses' Association vice president. We discuss their passion for nursing and their experience attending the Global Citizen Festival in New York City.
    2017-10-11T04:00:00Z
  • Two nurses in scrubs rushing a gurney down a hospital corridor
    Why Lindsay Baumhofer, an RN at the ICU at Emory Hospital in Atlanta, believes her start as a surgical ICU nurse was a great way to launch her career.
    2018-08-22T15:16:15.818Z
  • Birds eye view of a flooded neighborhood with boats driving through the streets
    Mary Yoshino, FNP, wore an identification badge for years that told the world who she was and what she represented in the healthcare community. When she retired from being a nurse, Mary wasn’t sure what her next step would be, but she knew she wanted to continue to help people.
    2017-10-10T04:00:00Z
  • Young boy outside smiling at the camera
    At Johnson & Johnson, we believe every idea has the potential to transform lives. The world’s most pressing health challenges can’t be tackled alone—which is where CaringCrowd® comes in.
    2017-11-13T05:00:00Z
  • Image of female nurse smiling and speaking with a mother and child in an outdoor setting
    Together with partners around the world, Johnson & Johnson has been working to fight HIV for 25 years. Despite significant progress, UNAIDS estimates that there are still 36.7 million people living with HIV globally and 1.8 million people continue to contract the disease each year. Johnson & Johnson continues to work towards our goals of ensuring that every child is born HIV-free, that adolescent girls and young women have the tools they need to stay HIV-free, and that people living with HIV have access to the medicines they need.
    2017-11-13T05:00:00Z
  • Military nurses performing CPR on a medical dummy
    Within the armed forces, thousands of medics and corpsmen are trained to care for service members, Veterans, and their families in Department of Defense hospitals and clinics around the world. These individuals have experience and robust knowledge about medical care and patient safety both in the hospital and deployed setting.
    2017-11-28T05:00:00Z
  • Older female patient listening to a female nurse in scrubs
    November is National Diabetes Month, a time to bring attention and awareness to the millions of Americans living with diabetes.
    2017-11-13T05:00:00Z
  • Female nurse in scrubs going over paperwork with a female patient
    In this episode of Nursing Notes Live, we speak with Judith Aponte, PhD, RN, CDE. Judith is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN), and an associate professor at Hunter College School of Nursing, City University of New York. Judith specializes in researching diabetes in Hispanic men and women, who have a 50 percent chance of developing Type 2 diabetes in their lifetimes. We discuss her experiences as a nurse and certified diabetes educator.
    2017-11-30T05:00:00Z
  • Three small children smiling with their arms crossed in front of them on a bamboo stand
    In this episode of Nursing Notes live, we speak with Derek Fetzer, Director of CaringCrowd® at Johnson & Johnson. CaringCrowd® is a crowdfunding platform for global public health that enables individuals to make donations that, when pooled, can lead to big change. We discuss how the platform has enabled nurses and others to make a difference for patients in communities around the world.
    2017-12-07T05:00:00Z
  • Birdseye view of flooded land next to a school track
    Nurses play a critical role in supporting disaster relief efforts. In this episode of Nursing Notes Live, we speak with New Jersey nurse, Teresa Weisneck, who volunteered during Hurricane Harvey in Texas. We talk about her experiences during this humanitarian relief mission to help people recovering from the devastation there in the aftermath of the hurricane and flooding that followed.
    2017-11-21T05:00:00Z
  • Happy holidays greeting card promo
    Throughout 2017, we had the privilege of interviewing dozens of nurses from around the world to gather advice, inspiring and unique stories, innovative ideas, and much more. Every Nursing Notes article and episode of the Nursing Notes Live podcast contributes something new and special, but here are just a few of our favorites...
    2017-12-15T05:00:00Z
  • Swing ride amusement ride in motion
    After working as an emergency room nurse for 10 years, Wendy Weirbach, BSN, RN, CEN, was looking for a change of pace. She went on to pursue a nursing position at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. She immediately fell in love with the job and decided she wanted to spend the remainder of her career at the theme park.
    2017-12-15T05:00:00Z
  • Two nurses in scrubs standing in corridor smiling at the camera
    Did you know that January is National Mentoring Month? By preparing young adults for college and careers, mentoring helps develop the future talent pipeline for skilled professions like nursing. Mentors are especially important for students from demographics that are underrepresented in the workforce.
    2018-01-17T05:00:00Z
  • Female nurse in scrubs smiling in scrubs with a clipboard in her arms
    The University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing BAMA-Latino Project is working to achieve the goal of a health workforce that mirrors the nation’s diverse population.
    2018-01-17T05:00:00Z
  • Teddybear with bandaids
    It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It’s Nurse Tobin from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, Ill. Since his first day on the job, Tobin Mathew, RN, BSN, has donned superhero apparel to help put a smile on his young patients’ faces.
    2017-12-13T05:00:00Z
  • Close up of blood pressure monitor
    For emergency nurses, providing critical care to patients with everything from mild colds to extreme injuries is an around-the-clock job 365 days of the year. We recently spoke with Sandeep Kaur, RN, to learn about the important role of emergency nurses during the holidays.
    2017-12-18T05:00:00Z
  • Two nurses in scrubs discussing and looking at a tablet
    Getting Real: Nursing Today
    For nurses at all points of their careers, a mentor is an invaluable resource. Whether they are aspiring to take on a new role, grow in their current role, or become a stronger leader, nurses can turn to their mentors for experience-based guidance and honest advice.
    2018-02-14T05:00:00Z
  • Student holding up and examining molecular model
    Since 1992, the Johnson & Johnson Bridge to Employment (BTE) program has been helping high school students in the United States prepare for careers in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Manufacturing & Design (STEM2D) sectors, including nursing. Twenty-six years later, BTE is an international program that operates in 18 countries through meaningful education experiences and authentic career preparation.
    2018-01-17T05:00:00Z
  • Female nurse in scrubs helping an elderly male patient up out of a chair
    What do a nurse, a handyman, and an occupational therapist have in common? Each plays an integral role in providing in-home health services to older adults through the Community Aging in Place — Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE) intervention. This multidisciplinary team approach aims to equip low-income older adults to live more comfortably and safely in their homes by letting patients set their own functional goals, like taking a bath or walking to church, while also improving their living environment though renovations like installing hand rails or lowering shelves.
    2018-01-31T05:00:00Z
  • Three nurses in scrubs discussing something as they walk down a corridor
    Since 2007, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing have partnered to sponsor the Johnson & Johnson/AACN Minority Nurse Faculty Scholars program. The program — which is currently accepting applications — aims to address faculty shortages in nursing schools and simultaneously expand the number and increase diversity among the nurse faculty population available to teach an increasingly diverse student body.
    2018-02-27T05:00:00Z
  • Male and female nurse in full scrubs looking at an X-ray
    Getting Real: Nursing Today
    Ruben Rodriguez-Negrete, Jr., president of the Emporia Men’s Assembly of Nurses (EMAN), hopes to inspire future nurses and fuel positive conversation around men in the nursing profession.
    2018-04-19T04:00:00Z
  • Houses and palm trees city scape
    Pursuing advanced nursing education can be daunting at first, but hearing firsthand from a nurse who earned advanced degrees can help ease that fear. We sat down with Michelle Dynes, RN, MSN, Ph.D., nurse epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to discuss her nursing journey. Over the past 23 years, Dynes has earned her Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate degrees and found her passion in public health nursing.
    2018-08-24T19:27:55.727Z
  • Donate a Photo promo banner with smiling female nurse in scrubs
    Each year, the Foundation of the National Student Nurses’ Association (FNSNA) awards scholarships to students enrolled in nursing schools or pre-nursing programs. With this support, students can worry less about finances and focus more on gaining the knowledge and education they need to succeed as a nurse. Discover how you can help the Foundation of the National Student Nurses’ Association (FNSNA) fund up to 50 nursing school scholarships.
    2017-10-26T04:00:00Z
  • Image of two sets of hand clasped together
    In this episode of the Nursing Notes Live podcast, we talk to Marcus Henderson, BSN, and Ian McCurry, BSN, RN, recent graduates from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Marcus and Ian developed a project entitled, "Homeless Health and Nursing: Building Community Partnerships for a Healthier Future," to address health disparities facing homeless individuals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We discuss their project and their plans for the future as they continue their collaboration as co-founders and chief operations officers of Up and Running Healthcare Solutions.
    2017-11-01T04:00:00Z
  • People holding cotton swabs and smirking for the Give a Spit campaign
    Since 2011, Give a Spit About Cancer has mobilized more than 8,000 young people to change patient lives through registering to become a bone marrow donor. Last year, Johnson & Johnson teamed up with DoSomething.org and the Give a Spit About Cancer campaign to help amplify those efforts.
    2018-03-27T04:00:00Z
  • Close up of two pairs of hands clasped together
    Throughout his 30-year career in healthcare, Paul S. Hayes has provided the nursing community with leadership through a variety of projects focused on inclusion and community engagement.
    2018-03-27T04:00:00Z
  • Image of woman standing in front of screen with an image of a father in child, speaking to an audience
    Instigating positive change for patients throughout the world is part of what makes nurses a driving force in healthcare, and for Genevieve Handy, MSN, CPNP, being a catalyst for positive change has become a driving purpose in life. At the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) 66th Annual Convention plenary session presented by Johnson & Johnson earlier this month, Genevieve shared her story with thousands of student nurses in attendance and explained why nurses should be recognized as change makers—not just care takers.
    2018-04-25T04:00:00Z
  • Woman standing on stage presenting in front of a powerpoint
    When Jana Lauderdale, PhD, RN, FAAN, took the stage at the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) 66th Annual Convention plenary session presented by Johnson & Johnson, she introduced herself in a unique way: “I’m a Comanche Indian and I’m a nurse.” These descriptions shape Jana’s personal identity, but they also shape how she approaches and analyzes the world around her.
    2018-04-25T04:00:00Z
  • Nurses Change the World promo with male and female nurse in scrubs smiling
    Show your support for nurses and the profession with our custom “Nurses Change the World” Facebook Frame! Visit your Facebook page, click “update profile picture,” choose “add frame,” search for this frame from the options on the left, select the timing, and click “use as profile picture.” It’s as simple as that!
    2018-04-20T04:00:00Z
  • As the traditional role of a nurse continues to expand to help foster innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship, nurses with excellent clinical and administrative skills are in higher demand than ever before. One program that is helping future nurses build this valuable dual skillset is the Nursing and Health Care Management (NHCM) program at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), which aims to prepare student nurses to become transformative practitioners and leaders.
    2018-08-28T14:01:35Z
  • Female woman in scrubs listening to the heartbeat of a newborn baby in the NICU
    Working across many treatment settings, and with a strong emphasis on patient education and disease prevention, nurses bring their technical knowledge, innovation, creativity, and healing touch to bear every day to significantly improve patient health. As healthcare providers who typically spend the greatest amount of time with patients, nurses bring their innovation to patient care every day.
    2018-05-03T04:00:00Z
  • Boasting a wide-ranging scope of practice and significant presence in patient care, nurses make up the largest percentage of the nation’s healthcare workforce. The demand for nurses continues to grow; however, an estimated 17.5 percent of nurses leave their first nursing job within the first year, often due to a lack of development programs in place to help recent nursing graduates navigate the transition between academic and clinical settings.
    2018-08-28T14:15:03Z
  • There are many factors that influence the path nurses take not only as professionals, but also as individuals, in pursuit of a way to make a difference in the things they believe in. As a nurse researcher, educator, and leader of the recent National League for Nursing (NLN) "Diversity & Inclusion: Facilitating Race-Related Discourse that Matters" workshop, Kenya V. Beard, EdD, AGACNP-BC, NP-C, CNE, ANEF, FAAN, demonstrates the many reasons why nurses should work to influence and inspire change in policy and practice.
    2018-08-09T14:51:20Z
  • When a baby is born, nurses are among the child’s first caretakers. Nurses are there with expecting parents as they prepare for birth, and remain with the new family to establish and optimize everyday routines for both parents and baby. In order for nurses to prepare for this important role, organizations such as the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) provide educational, professional, and clinical resources to help nurses working in women's health, obstetrics, and neonatal nursing continue their education and remain up-to-date on emerging best practices.
    2018-07-23T15:28:24Z
  • Following the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, the TOMODACHI J&J Disaster Nursing Training Program has worked to support the reconstruction of affected areas by providing educational programs for Japanese nursing students interested in further developing their skills in disaster medicine. Launched in 2015, the program has successfully provided learning opportunities for a total of 28 nursing students and is scheduled to continue through the year 2020.
    2018-08-14T14:31:52Z
  • Healthcare delivery — particularly in operating rooms across the country — changes rapidly each year, requiring nurses to innovate solutions for patients that are both effective and practical for the operating room (OR) team to implement. To help provide OR nurses with the skills needed to achieve this, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses’ (AORN) created the Nurse Executive Leadership Seminar (NELS) series.
    2018-06-12T17:43:22Z
  • As the healthcare system in the United States continues to evolve, nurses are continuing to play a larger role in providing comprehensive healthcare to patients in vulnerable areas. Not only are organizations like Family Practice and Counseling Network (FPCN) working to make care available to those in low-income and underserved communities, they’re also working to ensure that care takes into consideration a patient’s complete wellness and gives them access to knowledgeable experts so they can thrive.
    2018-07-09T17:13:04Z
  • Through bravery, compassion, and ingenuity, front line health workers, including nurses, increase access to essential care for millions of people every day. Despite the long strides made in recent years to help recruit, educate, and foster leadership, there are still not enough front line health workers. Additionally, those that exist are in need of more training and resources, while communities around the world continue to suffer from a lack of access to essential health services.
    2018-09-12T17:52:13Z
  • Throughout history, nurses have played an outsized role in interacting with patients, with critical roles in prevention, education, treatment, and recovery. Supporting nurses has been at the heart of our work at Johnson & Johnson since 1897, from employment to platforms, partnerships, training, and scholarships. Today, we work to change the trajectory of human health and firmly believe that nurses — 3.2 million strong in the United States — are the backbone of our healthcare system.
    2018-09-12T18:10:46Z
  • At the center of reinventing healthcare protocols, treatment approaches, devices, and more, you’ll discover a nurse. Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system, and they have the insight, resourcefulness, and experience to innovate and help address critical health challenges that face our communities.
    2018-09-12T18:34:12Z
  • According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)1, more than 500,000 people who work in the operating room – including many who are perioperative nurses – are exposed to surgical smoke each year. Surgical smoke is the by-product of surgical procedures in which an electric device is used to ablate, cut, coagulate, desiccate, fulgurate, or vaporize tissue, and can decrease site visibility and impact air quality in the operating room. In fact, the American Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) estimates being in an operating room for just one day has the potential to expose operating staff to surgical smoke that is equivalent to smoking 27 to 30 unfiltered cigarettes2.
    2018-11-12T15:01:48.283Z
  • Many parents across the U.S. struggle with challenging behaviors in their young children, and they may not be aware of the array of strategies that can help them deal with their children’s behavior. What if some of these behavioral issues could be addressed by affording parents access to parenting information that is not readily available in their communities? This question led three nurse researchers – Deborah Gross, DNSc, RN, FAAN, Christine Garvey, PhD, RN, and Wrenetha Julion, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN – to develop the Chicago Parent Program at the Rush University College of Nursing in Chicago, Ill.
    2018-10-23T17:12:43.881Z
  • In 2015, Janie Harvey Garner, RN, encountered public criticism of a Miss America contestant and fellow nurse who delivered her monologue wearing scrubs and a “doctor’s stethoscope.” Feeling frustrated and misrepresented after hearing the comments minimizing nurses’ roles in healthcare delivery, Janie created the Show Me Your Stethoscope Facebook group to reinforce the essential role of nursing – effectively creating one of the largest nursing organizations in the United States.
    2018-10-24T18:37:14.038Z
  • Lori Lioce, DNP, FNP-BC, CHSOS, CHSE, FAANP, began her career as a dental hygienist. As she learned more and more about each of her patients and their overall health, she decided to make a change – she went back to school to become a nurse with the goal of improving health outcomes for as many patients as possible.
    2018-11-13T16:47:35.977Z
  • According to research by the Health Professionals for Diversity (HPD) Coalition, minority patients are impacted disproportionately by treatable, curable, or preventable diseases. Even when controlling for access-related factors, such as insurance status and income, some racial and ethnic minority groups are still more likely to receive lower-quality healthcare. As the links between these disparities and racial and ethnic minority populations continue to drive research in culturally competent care, educational initiatives that create a constant awareness of such disparities among healthcare providers are key to helping close the gap in the level of care provided in diverse communities around the country.
    2018-11-21T15:03:00.920Z
  • Sheri Sawchuk, DNP, APRN, NP-C, CNE, fell into nursing by providence – she attended an informational session for a local nursing program after driving a friend there and ultimately enrolled in classes herself for the following semester. In 2013, Sheri first learned of the Global Health Education Program (GHEP) at Chamberlain University from the program’s founder, Susan Fletcher, EdD, MSN, BSN. Today, after finding her passion at the intersection of nursing, education, and global health, and with 15 years of international relief work under her belt, Sheri leads nursing students on international GHEP trips to help up-and-coming nurses identify their nursing passions.
    2018-12-10T16:09:52.301Z
  • With over 36 million people living with HIV globally and over one million new infections each year, the disease remains one of the greatest global health threats of our time. In an effort to combat this ongoing public health crisis, Johnson & Johnson is committed to continued innovation in the fields of prevention, treatment, and cure; in fact, Johnson & Johnson has a 25-year legacy in its work around HIV.
    2018-12-10T16:20:42.466Z
  • Unique approaches to care and research are not always accepted at first, and nurse innovators everywhere often overcome many obstacles to obtain the resources and credibility needed to implement life-changing ideas and programs. This is true for Antonia M. Villarruel, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor and the Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing at The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing), who developed the successful ¡Cuídate! or “Take Care of Yourself” program.
    2018-12-10T16:02:46.134Z
  • Nurses Rise to the Challenge Every Day
    2022-05-02T16:00:18.297Z
  • Female nurse helping young male diabetes patient take his blood sugar
    James A. Fain, Ph.D., RN, BC-ADM, FAAN, associate dean for academic affairs at the Graduate School of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Mass. Fain is editor-in-chief of The Diabetes Educator, and his professional memberships include the American Association of Diabetes Educators, the American Diabetes Association, the American Nurses Association and Sigma Theta Tau International. He is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.
    2016-01-26T05:00:00Z
  • Female nurse in scrubs walking outside with clipboard in hand
    In 1990, the prevalence of obesity in the United States was less than 15 percent of the nation’s population, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Current data from the CDC and The Journal of American Medicine (JAMA)report that more than one-third of (34.9 percent or 78.6 million) adults in the U.S. are obese.
    2016-01-26T05:00:00Z
  • Male nurse in scrubs smiling at camera
    Did you know that nearly 11 percent of all nurses are men? Men have always played a big role in nursing, going all the way back to the first nursing school, in India in 250 B.C. While men are currently among the minority in the nursing profession, the number of male nurses in today’s workforce has dramatically increased from 2.7 percent in the 1970s.
    2016-01-26T05:00:00Z
  • Nursing students in scrubs looking at a skeleton and talking
    The Institute of Pediatric Nursing (IPN) recently published an executive summary of findings from a 2013 survey that showcase the enduring importance of residency programs in helping prepare student nurses for a career in nursing.
    2016-01-26T05:00:00Z
  • Four nurses in scrubs smiling at the camera
    Are you a nursing student? A current nurse going back to school for an advanced degree? DiscoverNursing.com, the Campaign’s comprehensive website, is proud to host a nursing scholarship database with information about more than 370 nursing scholarships.
    2016-01-26T05:00:00Z
  • Brick fire department with EMS vehicle and Firetruck in garage
    “The services I provide positively impact the Fire Department and make it stronger,” said John Modrzejewski, FNP-C. “Now we have another resource to quickly and effectively care for patients.”
    2016-02-22T05:00:00Z
  • Cartoon graphic of human head with gears in place of brain
    The most exciting milestone I have witnessed in mental health nursing over the past few years is the continued acceptance of mentally ill patients and the growing popularity and success of anti-stigma campaigns. These types of initiatives help encourage individuals to seek mental healthcare sooner and discuss their mental health symptoms.
    2016-03-04T05:00:00Z
  • Female nurse in scrubs listening to young female's heartbeat as she sits next to her father
    Read why Peter Fasolo, worldwide vice president, Human Resources at Johnson & Johnson, thinks that after fourteen years, the Johnson & Johnson's Campaign for Nursing's Future is still as important as ever.
    2016-02-23T05:00:00Z
  • Female nurse in scrubs holding tablet speaking to female patient laying in hospital bed
    Some healthcare organizations today provide nurses with apps to use on hospital-issued mobile devices to help easily document, retrieve and communicate patient information at the point-of-care.
    2016-04-13T04:00:00Z
  • City skyline and views of the suburbs
    The Johnson & Johnson Medical Device Companies were proud to be the solo Platinum Sponsor for the recent Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN)’s 63rd Surgical Conference & Expo held earlier this month in Anaheim, Calif. Along with the sponsorship which brought together a unified presence from several Johnson & Johnson companies including ASP, DePuy Synthes and ETHICON, Sandra Humbles, VP, Global Education Solutions, Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices, kicked off the 2016 meeting by providing the welcoming address.
    2016-04-13T04:00:00Z
  • Female nurse in scrubs listening to the heartbeat of a young female patient seated next to her father
    National Nurses Week (May 6-12) is right around the corner, and in celebration of the nursing profession, the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future is collecting nurse stories from patients across the U.S. and beyond. Help us share the powerful stories which exist after a nurse has had an effect on your life or those your care about!
    2016-04-15T04:00:00Z
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