Attributional theory applied to a baccalaureate nursing community experience.

This study reports on the effectiveness of the attributional approach for evaluating outcomes of bicultural nurse-client interactions. Data for retrospective analysis were drawn from junior baccalaureate nursing students' (N = 16) self-evaluations of a one-to-one experience with a low-income, elderly, minority, urban resident. This data collection site, a wellness center in the resident/participant's high-rise apartment building, was ideal because of the relative control of variables that tend to raise caregiver anxiety and confound outcomes of nurse-client bicultural interactions in community-based settings. Faculty found the attributional tool to have major advantages involving the students' preconceived ideas and plans for person growth. Multicultural population trends and expanding community-based nursing practice needs make it imperative that barriers in bicultural situations be addressed.