As the pickup truck drove down the dusty road through the dense thick scrubs, those of us sitting on the open back of the truck cautiously avoided the thorns from the bushes as we made it back to the local clinic. I was in my third year of medical school and had just embarked on a medical mission trip to Nigeria. We had merely arrived at the clinic when a young woman who had just trekked one mile from a nearby village came in with her 11-month old infant. She appeared severely dehydrated, and was barely producing sufficient breastmilk. Her daughter also appeared malnourished and lethargic. As I held the baby in my arms and administered some homemade oral rehydration solution, I was intrigued at the sense of connection I shared with this baby …show more content…
Every encounter reminded me of the challenges and rewards of a family doctor. Over the next few weeks, we treated people of all ages. One lady was diagnosed with PCOS and was started on hormonal therapy, while some group of young adults were gathered in a separated room receiving a health talk on STD prevention. Reminiscing on my experience, I developed a growing desire to care for the underserved population. My medical training and life experience growing up, both contributed to my decision. To achieve this, I intend to be their advocate, guiding them on the right path to making informed decisions, listening to them, communicating effectively and breaking down complex medical concepts into simpler terminologies that they could …show more content…
Living in different regions of the world such as west africa, the caribbean and now the united states, I have great appreciation for different cultures. I have learned that each culture has its own language and meaning, and that being culturally sensitive to various body languages, tone or gestures can define how we view health, communicate and make health decisions. In my role as the lead student in my family medicine rotation, I was constantly in communication with the attending physicians and students, preparing rotation schedules, and assigning presentation topics. As I worked with my peers, I not only gained leadership skills but also interpersonal skills. This role showed me the importance of teamwork in
Cultural competency is a very significant necessity in health care today and the lack of it in leadership and in the health workforce, is quite pressing. The lack of cultural competency can bring about dire consequences such as racial and ethnic disparities in health care. It may not be the sole reason for these disparities, but it certainly places a significant role. A patient and health care provider relationship is very significant and can make or break the quality of care that is given. The lack of cultural competency leads to poor communication which then leads to those of diverse backgrounds to feel either unheard or just plain misunderstood. As an East African
Being culturally aware and knowledgeable is a must when working in any type of healthcare field. In our society today, we have an array of different cultures and making patients feel comfortable and at easy is our primary goal. Diversity training is something that is a must for each healthcare professional and should be the basis of our healthcare education.
As mention earlier that a Jennifer Deane was brave enough to speak out the truth of what she did during pregnancy. Jennifer told the class that she smoked a cigarette before going to check for her fetus (personal communication, March 28, 2016). As I mentioned about the risks of smoking earlier, in my Drugs and Behavior class, the professor also lecture us about the consequences of smoking and drinking alcohol while pregnant. In my Medical Sociology class, we watched a documentary on pregnant women in Africa, called Dead Mums Don’t Cry. This documentary was remarkable because it compared and contrasted the different point between Africa and the United Kingdom. As the reporter, Steve Bradshaw, stated in the documentary that many women died during their pregnancy because most of them were under age, but most of all it was because of the undeveloped medical materials that even the uncritical situations cannot be treated (Bradshaw & Quinn, 2005). Unlike in the film or the documentary where women can have C-section whenever the situation is critical, women in Africa cannot have that because often time they live far away and the hospital has limited
The goal of this lesson is to explore how we can improve communication to eliminate language barriers between healthcare providers and patients in our organization and to establish culturally and linguistically appropriate goals, that provide safe, equal, and quality care to all our clients regardless of race, ethnic, or socioeconomic status. At the end of this lesson we should be
Throughout the Think Culturally assignment, I realized the impact I will have as a healthcare provider. The scenarios that were provided throughout each course assignment gave me insight on the negative health outcomes that can occur when cultural competence is not present. In order to have cultural competence, I must acknowledge that some patient’s health beliefs will be different from my own. This can be distinguished by having open communication and asking pertinent questions. Treating patients that are not proficient in English, can become overwhelming. As a future nurse practitioner, I want to utilize all the necessary recourses to ensure my patient’s fully understand the plan of care and treatment regimen.
Going to a different country or area of the world can open up anybody’s eyes to see that culture makes a huge impact on the understanding and practices of healthcare that seem to be so common to other areas of the world. When a person lives in one country their whole life, that person may not realize how different the life they live is from someone in a foreign country. If a person is going to receive treatment from someone with a different cultural background, they should be expected to get treatment to respects their own culture. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences having such a diverse variety of students has their own cultural competency definition that states “effectively and comfortably communicate across cultures with patients of differing backgrounds, taking into account aspects of trust in order to adopt mutually acceptable objectives and measures”. In the book Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa by Katherine Dettwyler, the issue of culture and healthcare are greatly prevalent. Katherine Dettwyler herself goes to West Africa as an anthropologist and her horizons are broadened when during her research she comes in contact with how much culture has an impact on healthcare and everyday life.
I realize that understanding of the culture that the people I work with are the key to successful intervention and outcome. Being sensitive to individual’s culture and acquire adequate knowledge about their cultural background enhance the productivity of the interaction I may have with a client that could be family, individual, community or organization. Understanding of one’s cultural background could also prevent and minimize employing biases which potentially harm the clients I work with. In view of this, I have learned that before I engaged in any activities with individual or group I should take the time to understand the cultural backroad of the person to get insight on what is acceptable and not in that culture. Furthermore, I have learned to identify and utilize one’s strength as a tool to aid the change processes the client and I desire for. Due to the dynamic nature of people’s culture updating myself to the emerging changes in a different culture would be one of the area of continued learning I am focusing. For instance, in the contemporary US society, I can see how the immigration brought several people with diverse culture to the US general population structure. Considering this I have been convinced to be knowledgeable and culturally competent to effectively address the needs of people I will work with in different setting.
Cultural Competence is important for many reasons. First, it can help develop culturally sensitive practices which can in turn help reduce barriers that affect treatment in health care settings. Second, it can help build understanding, which is critical in competence, in order wards knowing whom the person recognizes as a health care professional and whom they views as traditional healer, can aid the development of trust and improve the individual’s investment and participation in treatment. Third, our population in the United States is not only growing quickly but also changing, cultural competence will allow us as educators and healthcare workers keep up wi...
I will make a conscious effort to be continually aware of my thoughts and interactions and be sure that I am staying up to date with my knowledge and skills that pertain to cultural competence. The facility where I work requires a yearly cultural competence class that is mandatory and quite helpful. Also, due to the nature of the environment and our facility being one of the top places in the nation that people go for health care, there are numerous opportunities for me to interact with international folks daily, which keep me on my toes. I will additionally make the most of this course, the assignments, and the textbook and strive to do well so as to gain increased insight and understanding that will help in my day-to-day nursing
“Cultural awareness is the foundation of communication and it involves the ability of standing back from ourselves and becoming aware of our cultural values, beliefs and perceptions (Quappe, 2007). It is important to be aware of what culture your patient is from because than the nurse can give the patient and family the care that is not offensive o their beliefs. Cultural sensitivity Cultural sensitivity is experienced when neutral language–both verbal and nonverbal–is used in a way that reflects sensitivity and appreciation for the diversity of another. It is conveyed when words, phrases, categorizations, etc. are intentionally avoided, especially when referring to any individual who may interpret them as impolite or offensive (Giger, 2006). Being sensitivity to ones cultural is imperative, this allows the patient and or family to feel more comfortable and have their personal beliefs be respected. Different forms of cultural sensitivity include choice of words and language used while talking to a patient, the use of space while communicating, as well as who in the family to talk to and how to address patients and family. Cultural competence is a combination of the skills, knowledge and attitudes that are needed to deliver the proper excellent care to a diverse population. Cultural competence is relevant in order to be able to give
Communication and collaboration are an integral part of interprofessional health care teams. There could be possible barriers to communication and collaboration that could affect the entire team’s success. Personal values and expectation, personality differences, culture and ethnicity, and gender could affect how some individuals respond according to a patient’s care or needs(O’Daniel, 2008). For example, if someone comes from a background where they refrain from being assertive or challenging opinions openly, it could be difficult for that person to speak up if they think differently from the other team members. The differences in language and jargon can also be an obstacle to teams especially if members are not familiar with a specific type
I hope to impact this professional with my knowledge and expertise. I am now in school again to further my knowledge of this profession. It may seem old for some. However, for me learning has no age and boundaries as I continued to gain more knowledge and perhaps someday I can be a mentor for my peers. I hope to someday work In Risk management where I can continue to fight and argue the rights of my patients and peers whom all deserve a sense of dignity and self-worth. My contribution to this profession includes providing and promoting care with a holistic approach that is inclusive of the mind, body, spiritual belief practices because the patients I see as being more than just another patient in need of my care. The patients are like you and I and perhaps wants the same as I want for them. I’m sure with my great sense of enthusiasm that I may accomplish something here because my day will never end until I make an unmistakable stamp on a profession I always wanted to practice since that little girl whose heart was touched by the many caring professionals that provided care to my mom. Sound like I’m on a mission that indeed I
Cultural competence can be defined as using the ability of one’s awareness, attitude, knowledge and skill to effectively interact with a patient’s many cultural differences. Madeline Leininger, a pioneer on transcultural nursing describes it this way; “a formal area of study and practice focused on comparative human-care differences and similarities of the beliefs, values and patterned lifeways of cultures to provide culturally congruent, meaningful, and beneficial health care to people” (Barker, 2009, p. 498). The importance of cultural diversity in healthcare allows for the delivery of appropriate cultural autonomy. Showing respect for others will lead to trust between nurse and patient which in turn improves healing and health.
Because of the growing diversity due to the influx of immigrants and refugees in the United States, there is an increase in varying cultures present at a workplace and thus an increased need to learn each other’s culture. Aspects like holidays and color can have a huge impact on people of different cultures. For example, in most of the Asian cultures, the color white symbolizes death and mourning whereas it symbolizes winter, snow, images of purity and innocence, and brides in the wedding dress in the western countries. The majority of the Eastern countries have different holidays and they even celebrate those on different days than in the western countries. If these differences are not taken into considerations, it causes miscommunication, frustration, and failure of expected organizational outcomes and the same rule applies in a health care environment as well.
Buckley, Thomas B,R.Ph, M.P.H. (2012). Cultural Competency: How to Communicate Effectively Across Cultural Boundaries. Drug Topics, 156(7), 24-33.