Perceived Challenges and Barriers to Implementing Transcultural Training in Nursing Education: A Qualitative Study from Karachi, Pakistan

Purpose: This is a qualitative explanatory research undertaken to investigate the problems and challenges for the implementation of transcultural nursing education in Karachi, a big city that has a high degree of ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity in Pakistan. Materials and Methods: The research was conducted on the basis of semi-structured interviews with student nurses and educators, supported by clinical observations and thematic analysis using NVivo software, demonstrates that there are a number of unresolved barriers to successful implementation of cultural competence in nursing education. Findings: The lack of institutional support and administrative commitment are the most crucial barriers, cultural misunderstandings, and different levels of preparedness between students and educators, discontinuity and non-standardization of the curriculum, the absence of faculty education and cultural awareness in transcultural nursing, and language barriers that impede the positive communication with patients. Findings have indicated that cultural competence has in most cases become a marginal topic in the nursing education rather than being among the fundamentals of the nursing education and most of graduates are ill equipped to provide culturally competent care in various clinical settings. Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: The article demonstrates the need to make changes on a systemic level, such as better resource allocation, an all-encompassing faculty development program, a course in transcultural nursing and an experience of language acquisition and cultural immersion. These barriers need to be overcome to enable nursing professionals to deliver equitable, respectful, and effective nursing services to the patients of Karachi who are multicultural, thus improving patient satisfaction and health outcomes in Pakistan.