Reflections on a conversation with a curandera.

A curandera is recognized as a "culture or folk practitioner" in Latino cultures. Is the role of a curandera relevant to teaching transcultural nursing care in today's health care environment? Preconceived ideas of both Latino and non-Latino people have influenced how nurses and physicians view the role of the curandera. This article describes the lessons learned by the author and serves as encouragement for other nurses to be willing to incorporate the cultural practices of the curandera into modern health care.