Nurses’ perceptions of their cultural competence in caring for diverse patient populations
Responses to classmates must consist of at least 350 words (not including the greeting and the references), do NOT repeat the same thing your classmate is saying, try to add something of value like a resource, educational information to give to patients, possible bad outcomes associated with the medicines discussed in the case, try to include a sample case you’ve seen at work and discuss how you feel about how that case was handled. Try to use supportive information such as current Tx guidelines, current research related to the treatment, anything that will enhance learning in the online classroom. Nurses must strive to provide culturally competent care as it is linked with improved patient outcomes and it assists the nurse to form a therapeutic relationship with the patient and her family (Marion, Douglas, Lavin, Gazaway, Thomas, & Bickford, 2016). Patients come from many different backgrounds, and for some patients their religious or cultural beliefs are very important to them (Marion et al., 2016). Even for those patients who are not particularly religious, familiar foods and practices can be a source of comfort to them (Marion et al., 2016). Although culturally competent care is important, many nurses state that they have received little or no formal educational training on providing culturally competent care (Hart & Mareno, 2016). A beginning step in order for a nurse to deliver culturally competent care is for the nurse to first assess her own beliefs, cultural background, and potential biases. I was raised Catholic by two Irish parents who did not graduate from high school. I grew up lower middle class. I attended a Jesuit high school, where one of my theology instructors had previously been a technical advisor for the film The Exorcist (Blatty & Friedkin, 1973); the character of the old priest played by Max von Sydow was based on him. The Jesuits at my high school valued multiculturalism and taught us about various comparative religions, and even took the class to nearby Jewish temples and Muslim mosques to observe ceremonies. I am agnostic, meaning that I can not definitively state whether there is a Higher Power or not, but I am appreciative of people with different religious or cultural beliefs. From childhood, I greatly enjoyed science fiction and often watched movies and television shows where people had to converse and interact with aliens, monsters, mutants, robots and time-travelers. This caused me to have an appreciation of “the Other,” and to realize that good “people” may look very different than myself or have different customs. I later joined the United States Air Force and traveled around the world, living in many different communities and meeting various people. In particular, I spent a few months in Saudi Arabia working with the Saudi police to solve crimes, and I became knowledgeable about Saudi practices. I also spent time in Turkey and Romania working with their officials to create treaties, which meant I had to had to know their customs and beliefs in order to be able to gain their trust and be able to persuade them. These experiences allowed me to be open-minded and familiar with different societies. However, in honesty, I am not without certain biases. I keep my biases from manifesting into overt behavior, but I know that there are certain types of people to whom I do not relate well. I try to be very logical and rational in my life, and I have been able to achieve a lot with that attitude. Thus, I tend to dislike people who are very emotional, and I grow annoyed by people who will not listen to facts and who have inelastic opinions. I strive to maintain a positive attitude and it has served me well; thus I tend to have little time for people who are negative or who choose to be hurtful to others. Also, in my own quiet way, I have often had to confront many of my fears and step outside of my comfort zone. My parents never graduated high school, so I was the first, and still only, member of my family to graduate high school, college, and law school. I was the only member of my family to ever serve in the military. I had to learn everything by myself, and sometimes by means of the hard way. Originating from lower middle class, I have been able to achieve a meaningful life for myself. Thus, I tend to have little patience for people who are not willing to at least try something, or who wish to proclaim themselves as victims. References Blatty, W. H. (Producer) & Friedkin, W. (Director). (1973). The Exorcist [Motion Picture]. United States, Warner Brothers Studio Hart, P. L. & Mareno, N. (2016). Nurses’ perceptions of their cultural competence in caring for diverse patient populations. Online Journal of Cultural Competence in Nursing and Healthcare, 6(No.1), 121-137. doi: 10.9730/ojccnh.org/v6n1a10 Marion, L, Douglas, M., Lavin, M., Gazaway, S., Thomas, L., & Bickford, C. (2016). Implementing the new ANA Standard 8: Culturally Congruent Practice. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 22(No. 1). doi: 0.3812/OJIN.Vol22No01PPT2
The post Nurses’ perceptions of their cultural competence in caring for diverse patient populations appeared first on nursing assignment tutor.
