Introduction: The purposes of this mini study were to identify and describe the culture care beliefs and practices of Ethiopian immigrants in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States and to advance the science of transcultural nursing.
Methodology: Leininger's theory of culture care diversity and universality guided the research and was the framework for the design of this qualitative ethnonursing mini study. Data were collected from 15 participants through in-depth interviews.
Results: Five themes and 14 care patterns merged from the data, including preserving cultural heritage, supporting family and friends, importance of religion and prayer, valuing freedom, cultural caring, and therapeutic communication.
Discussion: Participants valued health care and medical technology in the United States. They wanted nurses to inquire about their culture, language preference, food and dietary practices, and family dynamics. Perceived lack of caring by nurses and unavailability of interpreters in health care settings negatively affected access to care.
Keywords: Ethiopian immigrants; Leininger; ethnonursing; health disparities; immigrant health; nursing and anthropology; qualitative; transcultural health.