BackgroundCultural diversity is increasing globally, and it is a challenge for health care providers, especially nurses, to provide competent care to diverse populations. Nursing care should be individualised and based on the cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity of patients and their families [1]. According to historical evidence, the concept of cultural competence in the nursing profession could be drawn from the 19th century in the days of Florence Nightingale, who developed a growing concern for cultural needs in healthcare system delivery. This was evident when English nurses carried out health delivery services in India in the 1950s. They absorbed the cultural lifestyle of the Indian patients, resulting in the introduction of a transcultural nursing system as a major area of study for the practice of nursing by providing culturally appropriate care and love for their patients [2]. Cultural competence starts with the knowledge of understanding other people's cultural practices and

The Cultural Competence of nurses is an important aspect of effective health care. Cultural competency in nursing contributes to equity in health care for culturally diverse patients. Sri Lanka is a plural society and nurses will be serving patients from diverse cultures in their professional contexts. Components of cultural competence are cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skills, cultural encounters, and cultural desire. The purpose of the study on which this article is based was to investigate the level of cultural competence among third-year nursing students in two selected schools of nursing in Sri Lanka. The study was descriptive, cross-sectional, and was conducted in the schools of nursing in Jaffna and Kurunegala among all the schools of nursing. According to the results, all the components of cultural competence were at a moderate level. Based on this finding, the article suggests that cultural competency ought to be improved among student nurses. Moreover, the article suggests that training on components of cultural competence ought to be included in nursing education in Sri Lanka. This would ensure that nurses are equipped to provide culturally competent care. Such nurses would improve equity in health care and enhance patients' satisfaction.