Cultural Assessment In Nursing

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Introduction What is culture and what does it mean to be culturally competent? How does being culturally aware apply to nursing? How can I become a nurse who is culturally sensitive to work with patients who expect care that fits their cultural needs? As you begin your general practice as a nurse, these are all questions you may ask yourself and they are indeed questions that should concern you. After all, culturally adequate care is fundamental to incorporate into your practice.
Nursing is…and we do… The nursing profession is known for being a caring and compassionate career path that is loving and accepting of all individuals. The traits of many of us are based on our cultural background and therefore it is important to be culturally …show more content…

185). It was developed in 1988 and ever since has laid out a foundational framework for nurses to use in order to more completely assess culturally diverse patients. Our goal as nurses is to provide patient-centered care which in essence is culturally competent care (Galanti, 2008, p. 2). This model is made up of six different chapters, each representing a commonality found amongst all cultural groups throughout the world (Giger & Davidhizar, 2002, p. 185). For a complete cultural assessment it is important to use each of these variables to ensure not missing any important information. …show more content…

There may be words in the same language which do not necessarily mean the same thing; there is more than one definition for them (Galanti, 2008, p. 28). Another instance of miscommunication occurs when there is a word that exits in more than one language and that has a different meaning in each language. One may be referring to one thing while the other interprets the usage of the word under their own understanding of the definition (Galanti, 2008, p. 29). Communication Styles The way that people deliver the words that come out of their mouth varies from culture to culture. Formal communication serves the purpose of distinction of a higher social status or as a sign of respect due to age (Galanti, 2008, p. 32). It is important to recognize the need for formal communication since not using it when necessary can lead to patients as well as nurses not communicating effectively with one another.

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