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
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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.
The term culture is defined as “the thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values, and institutions of racial, ethnic, religious, or social groups” (Potter & Perry, 2013). With the increase of culturally diverse populations in the United States, it is important for nurses to practice cultural competence. Cultural competence is the ability to acquire specific behaviors, skills, attitudes, and policies in a system that permits “effective work in a cross-cultural setting” (OMH, 2013). Being culturally competent is essential because nurses who acknowledges and respects a patient’s health beliefs and practices are more likely to have positive health outcomes (OMH, 2012). Every culture has certain views and attitudes concerning health. The Jewish (also referred to as Jews), in particular, have intriguing health practices and beliefs that health care providers need to be aware of.
Nurses have the obligation to be culturally competent and to provide culturally congruent patient care practices. This is importance to nursing profession and the practice implications of culturally competent care have been supported through evidence-based data. It is important to note that care is the foundation of nursing practice; and the practice
Culture, as define by Giddens, is a “pattern of shared attitudes, beliefs, self-definitions, norms, roles, and values that can occur among those who speak a particular language, or live in a defined geographical region.” (Giddens, 2013, p. 29) When constructing a nursing care plan it is important to understand the patients’ cultural background to fully understand how to care for them. Depending on what culture the individual identifies with, will direct the nurse to which nursing interventions need implemented in regards to certain aspects of care including health care practices and beliefs, how the patient views developmental and family roles, how communication occurs between patient and provider and possibly if that patient has any health
This discussion board post is discussing cultural background of nurses and the delivery of nursing care. I will give my definition of diversity, and provide some benefits of having a diverse health care workforce. Then I will provide some barriers to having a diverse health care workforce. Lastly, I will describe how my diverse cultural background affects the care I provide.
According to Andrews & Boyle (2016), the first step is for the nurse to do a self-assessment of themselves in order to identify their beliefs toward people with different backgrounds, which will provide clarification of possible unknown behaviors. The second step is to set a goal between the patient and those involved with the patient’s care. Step three involves developing a care plan that will include all cultural factors involving the patients care. Step four is implementation of the care plan by the healthcare team and those involved with the patient’s care. Step five is the last step and evaluates the care plan to make sure that the quality of care is acceptable and is based off scientific evidence and best practices. If there are any changes or adjustments that need to be made with the patient’s care, modification will be done to the care plan and these steps should be repeated (Andrews & Boyle,
The self-assessment has demonstrated that I am able to deliver culturally congruent nursing care due to my critical reflection, knowledge of cultures and cross-cultural communication abilities. I am able to avoid prejudices, stereotypes and biases that may hinder the delivery of culturally competent care due to my understanding and respect for different cultures. In addition, I am able to form trustful relationships with clients and understand their personal perceptions towards the available treatment alternatives (Cowen & Moorhead,
Nursing is a field of work that so many people find themselves fascinated with, as well as harboring a degree of respect. We look to nurses with a sense of admiration and reverence, and look to them for security in times of need. What makes nursing such a desirable and enthralling field to other people? Despite the fact that doctors are normally under the spotlight, nursing is of profound importance in American culture. Nurses provide comfort and security, as well as a knowledge of medical aid. The field of nursing has the benefit of coming from a field that is ancient, yet timeless and has blossomed throughout history to make a large impact on our culture today.
A nurse must have the desire to learn about specific cultures and how to better communicate with people of different cultures. Cultures differ on things such as family
I started my Nursing career in India and then I came to the United States and became an RN. I entered Nursing with the thinking that Nursing is a profession that will always allow me to have a job and all my patients will get better. However, from my experiences I understood that Nursing is more than just giving medications, and it requires clinical competence, cultural sensitivity, ethics, caring for others, and life-long learning about others and the evolving field of medicine. Florence Nightingale once said:
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.
As a nurse strive to provide culturally sensitive care, they must recognize how their client's and their perceptions are similiar as well as different. Nurse enhance their ability to provide client-centered care by reflecting on how their beliefs and values impact the nurse-patient relationship. To provide appropriate patient care, the nurse must understand her/his culture and that of the nurse profession. Cultural biases can be particularly difficult to identify when the nurse and client are of a similar cultural backgroup. When we recognize and know a culture, we will know what is right for our patient, and thus may impose our own values on the client by assuming our values are their values. Recognizing differences a present an opportunity not only to know the other, but also to help gain a greater sense of self. In this paper, I will explain more about diversity and cultural competence in case study.
Miller, Leininger, Leuning, Pacquiao, Andrews, and Ludwig-Beyer, (2008) support that the skill of cultural competency in nursing is the ability to gather relevant cultural data on the presenting problem of the patient. This cultural assessment is defined as a "...
This assignment will look at the impact of culture in professional practice and how it will affect patients and their needs in nursing. ‘Culture’ refers to the ways in which people in a given society live together and how they communicate with each other (Hendry,2008). The aspects of culture this assignment will look at are religion, language and gender and how nurses develop cultural competency and cultural sensitivity towards their patients.
Characteristics can be as diverse as ethnic background, language spoken, gender status, physical appearance, race, and religion to name a few. Migration from various countries is creating a diverse population with different cultures and languages within the United States. Due to these cultural differences and lack of knowledge, disparities are increasing. Studies have shown that both language barriers and lack of cultural customs can hinder the services provided to the patient by the healthcare worker (Renzaho, Romios, Crock, & Sonderlund, 2013). This study provided a positive outcome when communication and cultural mutual understanding took place and patients had a more positive health outcome. It is very important that nurses are diversified in various cultures in order to better care for our patients. According to Mareno and Hart (2014), cultural competency has become one of the core values being taught in nursing programs. Their study showed that the perceived level of cultural awareness and skills among the nurses provided was low. Awareness and knowledge levels increased with higher education. It was highly recommended that self-awareness exercises be incorporated into the nursing course and continued to be addressed during the remaining curriculum until
for nurses to be aware of the diverse needs of many differing cultures. Learning and