As we progress through the different theories, it seems that the theorists are finding their way back to the roots of nursing in different ways. During its origination, Nightingale, based the filed off the notion of providing adequate care. This care focused on the patient, their immediate environment, and community considering all aspects that can affect the patient’s health. However, over time nursing began to focus more on disease processes and appropriate treatments, slowly moving away from its core. With a new push to direct nursing back to its origin, these new theories are allowing nurses different routes to form a nurse-client interaction.
Currently I still believe my nursing practice more closely mirrors Neuman’s system model.
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I realize the importance for nurses and other healthcare professionals be educated on the different global cultures, as America is a global melting pot. Smith and Parker (2015) state the culture care theory “desires to discover unknown or little-known knowledge about cultures and their core values, beliefs, and needs” (p. 304). Within this theory fifteen orientational definitions have been defined. These definitions allow the nurse to break down the patient and nurse interaction regarding each person’s cultural differences, diversities, environment, worldview, and social structure. However, a disconnect often occurs between the professional (etic) and generic (emic) care definition. The professional care definition takes what we learned throughout our years of education to improve a patient’s health. The generic care definition uses the patient’s indigenous, traditional, and local folk knowledge to provide adequate assistance and support for healing. With the appropriate combination of the orientational definitions, patient’s will receive optimal
Nursing theories have been a fundamental tool used to explain, guide and improve the practice of nursing. Theorists have contributed enormously to the growth of nursing as a profession. The four grand theorists I chose are Virginia Henderson, Peplau, Myra Levine and Jean Watson. These theorists have contributed tremendously in the field of nursing through their theories, and research. One thing the theorists have in common is that they are patient centered. They are all concerned on ways we can improve our responsibility to the patients, their families and the environment. They have different ideas but they are all aiming towards achieving the same goal, which is patient satisfaction and safety. Their differences are in their areas of
Nurses have the responsibility of caring for a diverse group of people. These people come from different cultures, races, and religious backgrounds. Religion plays a major role in patient care and has for many years. Cultural competency is a major component of nursing practices. Understanding culture is imperative in knowing what is important to a patient and how to address his or her healthcare needs. Understanding culture is also important when determining what suggestions to make about interventions for treatment. Culture is defined as many people interacting and sharing with one another their patterns of behavior, beliefs and values (Burkhardt, G. & Nathaniel, A., 2014).
Cultural competence in nursing is imperative for effective patient care. A nurse must know his or her own values and beliefs as well as knowing about a patient cultural practices in relation to healthcare. Cultural competence is defined by some as: “the learned, shared and transmitted values, beliefs, norms and lifeways of a particular group that guides their thinking, decisions and actions.” Also it is noted that an important change to this definition is “the recognition of the dynamic,
Kristen M. Swanson’s Caring Theory is the solution in bridging the gap between nursing practice and theory. It offers an explanation of the links between patient well-being and the caring process (Tonges & Ray, 2011). Swanson explained that nurses should be able to demonstrate that they care about their patients, and that caring about their wellbeing is as important as their patients’ current medical problem (Tonges & Ray, 2011).
In order to deliver nursing care to different cultures, nurses are expected to understand and provide culturally competent health care to diverse individuals. Culturally competent care is tailored to the specific needs of each client, while incorporating the individual’s beliefs and values (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2006, p. 90). By being culturally competent, nurses are able to help improve health outcomes by using cultural knowledge and specific skills in selecting interventions that are specific to each client (Stanhope & Lancaster). Therefore, nurses “should perform a cultural assessment on every client with whom they interact with” (Stanhope &
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
My journey to nursing began with my personal healthcare experience, and has continued to evolve since entering the nursing program at State University. My personal philosophy of nursing is related my life experience and my personal philosophy of life. Using reflection-on-action, I have begun to understand the influences that have lead me to nursing. I discovered client and family centered care to be an important quality when I look at the influential nurses in my life. To develop a positive therapeutic nurse-client relationship, nurses must integrate all 5 dimensions of the therapeutic nurse-client relationship into their practice (CNO, 2006). When it comes to providing client-centered care, the dimensions of trust, empathy
Nursing theory is vital to the nursing profession because it provides a foundation and framework which is reflected in nurses’ caring ideals and practice (William, 2015). Theory provides an understanding of a nurse’s role within the healthcare system. The first nursing theory, formed by Nightingale, was observations of interventions that improved patient outcomes (Mackey & Bassendowski, 2016). Nurses can improve quality of care by implementing theory into their practice (Mackey & Bassendowski, 2016). This paper will discuss the importance of nursing theory, Florence Nightingale’s Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not, and the application of this theory in the nurse
Leininger (1988) defined nursing as a transcultural phenomenon requiring knowledge of different cultures to provide care that is congruent with the clients’ life ways, social structure, and environmental context. This definition from the founder of transcultural care would support applying a cultural sensitive nursing care in the clinical setting, and highly linked to her definition of transcultural nursing as a legitimate and formal area of study focused on culturally based care beliefs, values, and practices to help cultures or subcultures maintain or regain their health (wellbeing) and face disabilities or death in culturally congruent and beneficial caring ways (Leininger, 1970, 1978, 1995). Moreover Leininger summarized the process of applying transcultural care as providing care that fits with cultural beliefs and life ways. From a professional perspective, it refers to the use of emic (local cultural knowledge and life ways) in meaningful and tailored ways that fit with etic (largely professional outsiders’ knowledge), in other words care should be individualized according to patient’s culture to promote holistic and effective nursing care.
“Health is influenced by culture and beliefs” (NRS-429V, 2011, p. 1). In order for the nurse to properly care for the patient, she must know and understand the patient’s culture. “Cultural care is a comprehensive model that includes the assessment of a client’s cultural needs, beliefs, and health care practices” (NRS-429V, 2011, p. 1). It is not enough to just know where the patient lives or where he came from. The nurse must embrace the concept of cultural competence and cultural awareness. This requires not only the awareness of the cultural beliefs and values of their patients, but also
With the large increase multicultural population in the United States, nurses encounter patients with differences in healthcare beliefs, values and customs. To provide adequate nursing care, nurses must be aware of these differences. They must respect and acknowledge the patient’s culture. To do this, nurses need education on cultural competence to ensure patient satisfaction and better patient outcomes.
Though not presently practicing, my long term goal is to provide primary care to the underserved rural population in my home state of West Virginia. Due to health disparities, this population is plagued by preventable disease. West Virginia is commonly referred to as the fattest state in the country. Along with Mississippi, it ranks number one for obesity prevalence in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2013). Along with obesity comes commonly associated comorbidities. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and various cancers contribute to increased rates of mortality which are also significantly higher than those of the United States as a whole (West Virginia Bureau of Public Health, West Virginia Health and Human Resources, 2012). Rates of preventable disease among the state’s minorities as well as reported cases of obesity among youth are higher than national prevalence (West Virginia Bureau of Public Health, West Virginia Health and Human Resources, 2012).
Health in all cultures is an important aspect of life. A person’s cultural background, religion and/or beliefs, greatly influences a person’s health and their response to medical care (Spector, 2004). These diverse cultures guide decisions made in daily life; what food eaten, living arrangements made, medications taken and medical advice listened to. A nurse must be knowledgeable and respectful of these diverse cultures and understand their importance when providing care. This understanding helps to build a strong nurse/patient relationship, increasing patient compliance, which ensures positive outcomes are met. Patients who are satisfied
Leininger’s culture care theory described that culture is essential in competent nursing care. Leininger experienced what she describes as a culture shock and witnessed behavioral patterns that appeared to have a cultural basis. Leininger identified a lack of cultural and care knowledge as the missing link to nursing understanding of the many variations required in outpatient care to support compliance, healing, and wellness (Alligood & Tomey, 2010, p. 455).
The Culture Care Theory was selected because it is important for nurses to embrace, understand, and have an open-mind when it comes to assessing patients, understanding their cultural backgrounds, and creating treatment plans that will promote health amongst the patients. Being biased, judgmental, and narrow-minded are not indicative of the Culture Care Theory. Implementing the Culture Care Theory within the Master’s