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Competent Culture In Nursing

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Everywhere we go there are people with different views and beliefs; this all comes from their cultural background. We are not born with a culture; we are raised up in a culture and learn the culture in which the society we live. There are many different cultures in the world. To provide competent nursing care, you must have a general understanding of different people’s views and beliefs from their cultures. A nurse must want to learn about other cultures to become a competent nurse. There are verbal and nonverbal cues for different cultures and nurses need to be able to pick up on these. Providers often use something called the LEARN model when giving care to patients of different cultures. LEARN stands for: listen, explain, acknowledge, …show more content…

Culture is a way of life for a group of people. It includes the behaviors, beliefs, values, traditions, and symbols that the group accepts, generally without thinking about them (Lewis, 2017, p. 21). Values are the sets of rules by which individuals, families, groups, and communities live (Lewis, 2017, p. 21). Acculturation is the lifelong process of incorporating cultural aspects of the contexts in which a person grows, lives, works, and ages (Lewis, 2017, p. 22). Stereotyping refers to an overgeneralized viewpoint that members of a specific culture, race, or ethnic group are alike and share the same values and beliefs (Lewis, 2017, p. 23). Cultural competence is the ability to understand, appreciate, and work with individuals from cultures other than your own (Lewis, 2017, p. 23). Ethnocentrism refers to the belief that one’s own culture and worldview are superior to those of others from different cultural, ethnic, or racial backgrounds (Lewis, 2017, p. …show more content…

One of the first steps in reducing healthcare disparities and providing culturally competent care is assessing your cultural background, values, and beliefs. To be culturally competent, you must have cultural awareness, knowledge, skill, and encounter. Learning basic information about the predominant cultures in your area will help you to develop cultural competence. Some cultural beliefs and practices may affect the way an assessment is performed. One key concept to remember is to not make assumptions about any person based on your general understanding of their culture. Reading research studies about cultures can help to develop cultural competence, also. Culture is constantly changing so you must continually learn.
When reflecting on my culture, my whole life I have been raised in a Christian home. Even still today whenever I can I want to be in church. My missionary Baptist background has influenced me in my nursing care every day; part of my religion is wanting to help everyone you can. This has helped me in my nursing care because I want to help as many patients as I can. I want to make a difference in someone’s

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