Cultural Sensitivity On The Part Of Nurses Towards Jewish People

The nursing profession has a long history of assessing and placing patient needs first when giving care. The tenets of nursing practice include meeting those needs using individualized care by collaborating with the patient, family, and health care team members. (American Nurses Association, 2010). The concept of transcultural nursing aligns with these tenets because it calls on nurses to provide patient-centered care by taking into account the patient’s background, beliefs, culture and values. In this paper, I will identify the factors that made it necessary to develop the transcultural nursing theory, describe the meaning of diversity and its relationship to the field of nursing, and explain three ways that I provide culturally sensitive care to my patients.

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

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

(London et al. 2003). In the Orthodox Jewish community, there are many strict cultural guidelines that the women must adhere to. Within the following paper I will provide examples that demonstrate why cultural competency is important in nursing.

Cultural safety is a concept that is integral to providing best care to patients in nursing practice. The CRNBC defines cultural safety as a process requiring RNs to reflect on their cultural identity, and develop their practice in a way that allows them to affirm the culture of their patients; cultural unsafety can be defined as any actions which demean, diminish, or disempower the cultural identity and well-being of people; this also addresses the dynamics of the power relationship between the Health Care Provider and the patient (p17). Although an environment of cultural safety is a standard that we are held to as nurses, this ideal is not always reached. In this paper I will discuss one such incidence, as well as some of the changes that will assist myself as a nurse, as well as others members of the healthcare team to create an environment of cultural safety.

Healing is accomplished through appropriate medical care but also through prayer, reciting of psalms, and visitation. The Misheberach, is a prayer for healing. It asks for “healing of the spirit and healing of the body” for all who are ill. This prayer is recited during the Torah service but also at an ill person’s bedside. Prayers and the reciting of psalms are not seen as asking for a cure. Instead they are “expressions of hope for whatever form healing may take” (James, M., 2009, p. 2). Visitation in the Jewish tradition is called ‘bikur cholim,’ in Hebrew. It is a religious obligation or “mitzvah.” The Jewish community is supposed to comfort and care for the sick and those who do this are considered messengers of God. “When we visit the sick, we take away a small piece of their illness” (James, M., 2009, p. 3).

The United States is a diverse accumulation of cultural backgrounds which can often set the stage for feelings of confusion, anger, mistrust, and a host of other emotions when dissimilar cultures disagree. Cultural competence in nursing can help eliminate these barriers and provide a platform for nursing to follow in the quest to understand a patient's culture and background. When a nurse takes the time to learn about a given culture prior to providing care, it conveys she respects the patient's right to their beliefs, customs, and culture. It does not necessarily mean the nurse agrees with their practices but

I consider myself to be a fairly traditional American white woman, with non-denominational Christian beliefs. My ethnicity is sort of a mixture of Irish, German, Native American and a few others, but my main cultural background is traditional American. I do not put a lot of emphasis on my ethnicity, because in my opinion and the opinion of many others as well, Caucasian American can be race and ethnicity. I celebrate traditional American holidays such as Christmas, Independence Day and Thanksgiving. I do eat traditional American foods, but I also love ethnic foods of all kinds. According to McKinney, James, Murray, Nelson and Ashwill (2013), “Belief in Jesus Christ as the son of God and the Messiah comprises the central core of Christianity” and “Study of biblical scripture; practicing faith, good works, and sacramental rites (e.g., baptism, communion, and others); and prayer are common among most Christian faiths” (p.44). I am non-denominational; however, I do believe this statement sums up the main core of my beliefs. I pray, I have been baptized, I believe in good deeds, and attending church. The only difference is that I do not believe that you must attend church or partake in communion to have a relationship with God; I believe that relationship is rather personal. Now in terms of American culture in the healthcare setting, Euromed Info Online indicates that Western industrialized societies such as the United States, which

In the world that we live in today, many people would find it difficult to imagine living in a world where medicine and treatment are not readily available. The replacement of religious explanations to medical and scientific explanations has become a means of social control. If a person is in pain, they can easily set up an appointment with a doctor and receive some sort of medical diagnosis. However, there are certain instances where a problem has not been medicalized, or recognized as a medical problem, and their issue will be dismissed completely. The movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest delves into the idea of medicalization and how it can be used for the good, or for the bad, in terms of the “sick role.” Medicalization in the

"Improperly managed physical symptoms" can add to physician error and end a life too early when an individuals suffering can be eased in other manners that could prolong life. Death is one of the most feared experiences a person will ever face. The suffering that is associated with death may outweigh the actual suffering the patient feels, and doctors may overlook this due to the façade the patient may play in order to exercise their "right to die".

Different religious groups have different believe system in the provision of the healthcare. The health personnel such as doctors and nurses should be aware of the religious beliefs of their patients for effectively delivering medical care. In provision of medical care, religious faith and beliefs of the patient is incorporated with the scientific medical care in offering a holistic medical to the patients. The medical personnel should take into the consideration the religious belief of the patient in the course of offering medical care to the patient. The

Current verbal communication for the Jewish culture is mostly in English, if they are from the United States. It is rare if they are from the U.S., but it is possible that some Jews may speak Hebrew, because that is the language in the Torah (Giger, 2013). They tend to be direct communicators, which means they would rather the nurses be direct as well (Giger, 2013). Their nonverbal communication tends to be expressive, like that of the Italians, with a lot of hand gestures (Giger, 2013). While communication within a culture is important for nurses to take note of, time-orientation is as well.

Jews understanding is those God is able to alleviate pain and completely cure it. Rebbetzins are always the first to be called for consent to have any medical attention, and if it is agreed upon then depending on the gender, the rabbi will deal with the male and the Rabbitzin will deal with the female. They are believed to rank next to God. Fridays on to Saturday are known as the holy days, Friday at sundown it starts and at sunset on Sundays it ends. If anyone becomes sick during Shabbat they must be left alone until Sunday after the holy days because in their religion these days are for God’s work and you would be getting in the way and going against his word if you were to do so. After the holy days are over any death or illness are now dealt with and or told to the families of the person

When entering a medical facility the last situation you ever hope to be faced with is whether or not to put yourself through medical treatment. Over the years treatment outcomes and survival rate have increase with difficult surgeries. However, for some individuals the quality of life is faced by the quantity of life that a lifesaving treatment may bring. This topic has been all through newspapers and spreads nationwide as individuals forego curative medical treatment because of religious beliefs.

My southern heritage has directly influenced the person I am today. I grew up in South Louisiana and I have lived there all 25 years of my life. My childhood was not easy, but I think those tough situations prepared me for life, and taught me the value of family. I attended a private, Christian school and I am so appreciative of my parent’s sacrifices that allowed me to receive that education. I would describe myself as a kind, hardworking individual who respects, cares for, and values others. I believe these attributes are a genuine reflection of my upbringing. My Christian faith is what motivates me each day and it is also what has inspired me to help others through a career in nursing.