Cultural Competence in Nursing

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

Cultural competence is defined as possessing the skills and knowledge necessary to appreciate, respect, and work with individuals from different cultures. It is a concept that requires self-awareness, awareness and understanding of cultural differences, and the ability to adapt to clinical skills and practices as needed

Cultural competence can be defined as using the ability of one’s awareness, attitude, knowledge and skill to effectively interact with a patient’s many cultural differences. Madeline Leininger, a pioneer on transcultural nursing describes it this way; “a formal area of study and practice focused on comparative human-care differences and similarities of the beliefs, values and patterned lifeways of cultures to provide culturally congruent, meaningful, and beneficial health care to people” (Barker, 2009, p. 498). The importance of cultural diversity in healthcare allows for the delivery of appropriate cultural autonomy. Showing respect for others will lead to trust between nurse and

If you were in the desert or woods and bitten by a snake, where you go for help? A call to the local ambulance and a fast ride to the emergency room are not available to you. How would you know what potions to use and what would heal your wounds? This was the dilemma of the Native American People hundreds of years ago. How did they handle it? The medical traditions and customs have remained a mystery to us for hundreds of years. This paper will try to explore some of these customs and possibly uncover some of the mystery.

The Native American woman interviewed has a strong holistic approach when viewing medicine compared to Western civilization. Before seeking any medical attention she states she will first try teas, herbs and other supplements in soothing common ailments. She often bakes

You may not like how the Presidential election turned out, but the victory of the Democrats was won partly by focusing on going after the Hispanic vote. The Hispanic population who voted for President Obama put him over the top to win. Hispanics identified with Obama. Somehow, he made a connection with this culture. Nursing can use that lesson to improve cultural sensitivity and provide respectful care of our numerous cultures. Every American makes up this country regardless of heritage. This country was built from immigrants from all over the

Many Alaskan Natives and Native Indians, also known as American Indians, share the same or similar views on health and medicine. Their definition of “traditional medicine” incorporates medicine and religion, various chants and rituals, and being one with Earth (Broome, B., Broome, R., 2007). “In the United States we are challenged to think about health care from our tradition as a cultural melting pot. Therefore, we must address the large range of individual health care needs from populations living the inner-city and suburbia to those in rural environments.” (O 'Brien, Anslow, Begay, Pereira, & Sullivan, 2002). It is important for healthcare workers to understand the views of American Indians in order to integrate their traditional medicine as well as western medicine. Examining areas such as common health conditions, treatments, and attitudes towards health, natural and alternative health will lead to a better capability of providing culturally competent care.

Many oils and medicines come from leaves, roots, bark and other parts of nature. The settlers quickly came to see the benefits of these properties. The settlers in turn shared their medical knowledge with the Native Americans. The Indians had very little knowledge of anatomy and surgical procedures. While the combined knowledge was good, the Native Americans had been isolated from contagious disease until the arrival of the colonists and did not know how to cure these types of diseases.

These practices were similar to that of the Native Americans. As the black men and women were subjugated and confined into harsh labor on the Plantation in North America, they continue to practice domestic medicine, rituals and ceremonies which involved calling on supernatural forces to cure and heal the sick. African-Americans approached to health and healing was in the context of communal health. In curing for the sick, African-American healers drew healing powers from the understanding of spiritual vision from which the power of the ancestors played a central role. They incorporated ritual practices and ceremonies to gain knowledge, power, energy, and strength that enabled herb doctors to secure herb combinations to cure an ailing

Medical beliefs for Native Americans revolve around healing by spiritualistic means, and through remedies made with items that come from the earth. Most believe in an interconnectedness of everything between man, nature, and God. They hold healing ceremonies with prayer to help with their healing of diseases or ailments. “In some tribes/nations causes of illness were considered to be an "imbalance" between the spiritual, mental, physical, and social interactions of the individual and his family or clan” (Hendrix,

Consuming natural remedies to recover from ailments appeared to be a very significant and common practice amongst enslaved African Americans and Native Americans. In the article Indians, Europeans and the New World Disease, Calloway thoroughly describes how the native American people were accustomed to plant life, therefore used nature and wildlife to their advantage to create healing remedies. African American slaves also used plants to make tea. These means were extremely excellent precautions for preventing illnesses or for fighting one.

In order to heal a fractured, sprained or dislocated bone, the natives would form a padding of wet clay or rawhide to form a cast around the injury. This restricted movement, thus allowing the bone to heal properly. In another method, used by the Ojibwas, they washed the fractured arm with warm water, then greased it, applied a warm poultice of wild ginger and spikenard to ease the pain, covered it with cloth, and bound the arm with cedar splints (Vogel 215). This procedure resulted in a sling that allowed the broken bone to heal correctly. When someone broke a bone, it was crucial that the bone be able to heal properly as the injured person was needed to return to work as quickly as possible. Some Native Americans often used specific drugs to suppress ovulation and control the menstrual cycle (Vogel 5). This drug's success started researchers on the road that led to the pill, a common form of birth control today. This demonstrates that many of the needs of the people of the past are similar to the needs of the people today. In 1536, an Indian chief, Domagaia, treated an abundant disease, scurvy, by boiling the leaves and bark of a 'magical tree' and then placing the dregs upon the legs of the people that had been exposed (Morsette 5).

In Massachusetts, John Winthrop who was the governor merited the idea that if an individual cut their fingernails and placed them in a bag of linen thread then tieing it around the neck of a live eel in water that it would die and then the ailed person would instantly be alleviated and the disease would be carried away. Another idea that was formulated and believed to ease the pain of teething babies recommended that a necklace made of wolf teeth and tied around the babies necks should help. If a person was sick, the colonists believed that the sickness had been cast on by witches through spells. Actually, some doctors would even cut a vein and let some of the victim’s blood drain out. This was suppose to remedy the illness. However, these methods were so perilous and risky and often resulted in the death of the sick individual. These superstitious

In the early days there was no doctor, so there were wise men or women that knew of many good home remedies. Remedies were verbally told from person to person, one generation to the next. This wise men or women were looked up on. Now this people are not very trusted, now that there is education and there’s actual books that show a person what can be taken and what should not. Now in days not many people go to a healer, they rather just go to a real doctor. This was a very big deal since this group has always been very traditional and has always wanted to keep their culture and customs going, without any outsiders coming and interrupting them.

In every culture there is a different kind of cure or medicine. Some cultures use burning to cure many illnesses while others depend on herbs as a cure. When I was a kid, every time I say that something burns me, my grandmother then directly apply some Vaseline on the area, and the pain fades away. When I complain of a stomach ache, my grandmother again just puts Vicks all over my body very well to let the cold leave my body. Those are some examples of traditional medicines that my family used. An essay that caught my attention is “Navajo Sand Painting” in which they use sand painting as a cure.