Transcultural Nursing Essay

Cultural Diversity and Its Influences on Nursing Practice Transcultural nursing is a term used by Madeline Leininger to describe the blending of nursing and anthropology (Andrews & Boyle, 2016). The goal of transcultural nursing is to be able to provide cultural specific nursing care for individuals and families of different cultures. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the eight reasons why transcultural nursing is necessary. I will describe the meaning of cultural diversity and its relationship to nursing. I will also explain how I personally provide culturally sensitive care to my patients.

Transcultural Nursing as a Necessary Specialty Madeleine Leininger recognized the importance of transcultural care of patients in the mid

There are eight reasons why Leininger believed transcultural nursing is a necessity. The first reason is there is a marked increase in the migration of people within and between countries worldwide. America is known as the melting pot, one in five immigrants migrate to the Unites States (Connor, Cohn, & Gonzales-Barrera, 2013). With that being said, as nurses there is a high possibility that our patient’s are of a different culture than our own. Leininger’s second reason is that there is a rise in multicultural identities, meaning that people expect health care providers and nurses to know and understand their personal cultural beliefs. The third reason is that the use of technology may interfere with the cultural values, beliefs, and practices of the patients receiving care. Another reason why transcultural nursing is necessary is because of cultural conflicts that may occur as different cultures

The fist way I provide culturally sensitive care to my patient’s is completing a cultural assessment during my first interaction with my patient. This may include how they would like me to address them, their diet preferences, and how they would like me to perform my nursing care. For example, I have had a patient who was of Asian culture, who was very uncomfortable when I asked to assess his Foley catheter. Therefore, I asked a male nurse to assist me to meet my patient’s cultural needs and comfort needs. Another way I provide cultural care is allowing my patients to perform their religious or cultural rituals. I have had a patient who was at the end of life who was of the Indian descent. The patient’s family performed rituals; which included prayers, candle lighting, and after the passing of the patient the family wished to be perform postmortem care. The last way I provide culturally sensitive care to my patients is using my resources to be better informed on the culture of the patients. For example, I have had patients from Nepal. Because of this, I have educated myself on their cultural beliefs including the usual diet, the belief that the husband is to make the decisions, and that they prefer providers of the same gender. Overall, it is imperative to provide cultural specific care to our patients by assessing their cultural differences and needs.

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