Cultural Diversity Self Assessment: Cultural Competence Assessment In Nursing

Cultural Competence Assessment Cultural competence has a variety of definitions and, in health care, basically refers to the act of developing an awareness of yourself, your existence, your thoughts, and your environment and making sure that those elements do not unjustly affect the clients you serve (Giger, 2013). In this paper, I will share my total score and what I learned about myself after taking the Cultural Diversity Self Assessment (IllinoisCTE, n.d.), discuss two weaknesses or areas with lower scores, and review two strengths with higher scores. I will reflect on my findings and examine the impact that my strengths and weaknesses may have on my nursing care. In addition, I will discuss improving cultural competence and two strategies

I also liked being able to explore and think further about some of the statements in the assessment that I have not thought about for some time or do not think about frequently. In regards to the first weakness, I certainly have been stereotyped throughout my life, as I am sure all of us have in some way or another. I generally feel that people’s perceptions are what they are. They are entitled to think how they think, believe what they believe, and I am not one to take a lot of energy to try to change that or change how I am perceived. On the other hand, if I come across someone pretty negative and possibly even victimizing or bullying me, I am more apt to take action and will explore appropriate attempts at changing their perceptions. Otherwise, I put forth my best effort to accept people as they are with their own thoughts, values, and beliefs and try to find common ground, get along, and work together. The second weakness of my tendency to be “color blind” is something that is an eye opener for me. I have pretty much always basically felt that it was not negative to view someone without considering their culture. I am glad to have this brought to my attention in this course and I can work on it. The impact that these weaknesses could possibly have on my nursing care are that in taking lightly other’s perceptions of me, I

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