Cultural Diversity and Awareness in the American Healthcare System

The healthcare system within America reflects increasing numbers of cultural diversity and awareness. According to Holloway (2004), cultural awareness is defined as the deliberate, cognitive process by which health care providers become appreciative of and sensitive to the values, beliefs, practices, and problem solving strategies of the clients’ cultures. Cultural awareness include an examination of one’s personal biases. In order to understand cultural diversity, individuals must strive to acknowledge the prejudices they may already hold toward different cultures. On the other hand, cultural competence is a process through which health professionals can integrate their knowledge and skills to improve culturally effective interactions with clients (Tjale & Villiers, 2004).

According to Dreachslin, Gilbert, and Malone (2013), the hallmark of cultural competence rests on the healthcare providers’ readiness for personal growth and willingness to engage in self reflections, including acknowledging their own personal implicit and explicit biases. individual bias consists of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that reinforce the presumed superiority of the majority and inferiority of the minority. Self awareness can be use as a guide to understand an individual’s hidden and exposed gifts and challenges. Self awareness is a critical component of cultural competence (Rani, 2007).

I was once involved in a care of an Autistic teenager who brought in to the Emergency Department for sustaining fever and increased of irritability for three days. After several diagnostic testings, he was diagnosed with Appendicitis, and had to go for emergency surgery. The surgery team performed Exploratory Laparotomy. Coming back from the Operating Room, p...

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...better regardless his ability to communicate his needs verbally.

Issues of culture are often controversial. LaBorde (2010) has noted that culture is always a factor in conflict. Ironically, conflict can provide nurses with an excellent opportunity for developing compassion that will lead nurses unto a place of meeting in which there is a deep respect for differences and equally intentional openness to the possibility of connection. Healthcare practitioners are confronted in a daily basis with the practical manifestation of these issues. In particular, nurses are more confronted by cultural issues than the other healthcare providers because nurses spend majority of their time with patients. However, some nurses are reluctant to confront and discuss the cultural issues because of lack of knowledge in dealing with patients of diverse cultures (Tjale & Villiers, 2004).