The Interviewee 's First Impression Of Nursing

The interviewee was born in Saigon, Vietnam. She is the eldest of a total of five siblings, two sisters and three brothers. She was raised in a very poor and underprivileged neighborhood, where providing food for the family was an everyday struggle. At the age of thirteen, the interviewee was sponsored to North Carolina, United States in hopes for a better lifestyle.

The interviewee describes her first impression of the United States as “heaven-like.” She states, “There is so much food to eat. Everywhere is so clean and everyone is so kind. They say hi to me even though I don’t know them.” Unlike the streets in America, the sidewalks in Vietnam are unsanitary and filled with homeless people.

The interviewee states that she is grateful for healthcare in America. She was surprised that the U.S. provided free health care for low-income children. When she first arrived to America, she was able to receive free dental cleaning, physical exams and immunizations.

The interviewee’s first impression of nursing was that the nurses in America are “very caring, friendly, and professional.” They discuss their plan of care with the patient before they actually carry out the procedure. The interviewee states, “Nurses in Vietnam are mean and do not communicate with patient. Nurses in America are very informative. They slowly explain things to me before they do anything. They tell me if something will hurt or sting. They don’t do that in Vietnam.”

If I were to provide my client with culturally competent nursing care, I would begin by conducting a cultural assessment to “implement culturally congruent and safe nursing care” (Potter and Perry, 2013, p. 107). A cultural assessment includes collecting census data, asking questions, and establishing re...

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... different language than Chinese. By taking the time to educate myself about my client’s culture, I can provide more thorough care for my client. Patient care can be run much more smoothly if the nurse is educated about the client’s preferences. The patient might not be making eye contact because she believes it is disrespectful. She may also be more private and does not like to disclose personal information. Culture plays a big role in the type of care that a patient receives. It determines how comfortable a patient is with certain things, which can speed up their healing process. There are many things to cultural considerations when caring for a patient. This includes their language, religion, family, and the client’s values. A nurse must consider all of the patient’s preferences and beliefs in order to provide their client with the best culturally competent care.