Diversity Issues In Nursing

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 nurse also recognizes that health care is provided to culturally diverse populations in this country and in all parts of the world. In providing care, the nurse should avoid imposition of the nurse’s own cultural values

The face of nursing has evolved and changed since it’s inception. Today’s nurse is faced with cultural, ethical and technological issues that didn’t exist even twenty years ago. As such, nurses have had to continuously evolve to continue to provide the quality, selfless care that patients have always relied on them for, and expected, since the very beginning of nursing. From pediatrics to gerontology, nurses are serving a culturally, religiously and financially diverse population with challenging needs. In the face of this, nursing itself is becoming ever more diverse in it’s culture and skill set, which is helping the profession stay in the race, and continue to advance the practice of nursing.

Meadus and J. Creina Twomey. They both have a PhDs, they are also Both RNs. Robert J. Meadus is an associate professor while J. Creina Twomney is an assistant professor. They are both credible sources because they are both Register Nurses and also they both have a PhD. They both work for the School of Nursing, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. They are biased because they are both males who are also nurses. They feel that more males should be accepted into nursing universities. The article informs the reader that in many countries such as the Unites states, Canada, Ireland the percentage of male nurses is relatively small compare to those of female nurses. The article also discusses the research done on males to see their experience as students in a nursing school. The main point of the article is that nursing schools should re-evaluate how they teach and promote the nursing career. They have to do so in a way to provide gender neutrality for both male and female students. “Nursing is predominantly a female-concentrated occupation. Mackintosh (1997) states that despite men being “pioneers” within the profession, they are considered an “anomaly” for choosing a career outside the boundaries for men in non-traditional occupations.” ( Meadus &

We live in a very diverse nation and overcoming challenges related to cultural beliefs and preferences is a very common obstacle for health care workers today. In an article in The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing cultural diversity is defined as being more than just race,

An increase in knowledge regarding gender-related issues has led to necessary changes needed within healthcare systems. Providers are now expected to understand and deliver care that meets the specific needs of these patients, regardless of age or gender identification. This new change in culture can be extended to community care settings as well as hospitals. If a healthcare provider does not respect the values and beliefs of patients from different cultures, claims of discrimination can be made. This has the potential to result in legal action taken against the provider (Andrews & Boyle,

The concept of cultural diversity is very near and dear to my heart, especially since I am of a mixture of races. Growing up in a Cuban/Jamaican household has definitely posed challenges for me throughout my life journey. Now, as a nurse I have a better understand on how cultural diversity can play a huge part in patient care. As the world is changing and people are marrying cultures together, it is imperative that we become sensitive to the needs of others in a world of diverse backgrounds.

Male nurses are not typically encouraged by the society we live in today. Men are not in favor of being called nurses and maybe would have a bit more encouragement if the caregiver word would simply be changed from ‘nurse’ to ‘medic’ (Gorgos). Just the change in title can make a positive difference to both men and women in the nursing field. Men and women enter the nursing career with the same goals and interests; but are still yet separated by the name ‘nurse’ and ‘male nurse’ (Kouta). Eddie Hebert a 35-year nursing veteran claims that the caregiver one usually pictures a white woman. This image is being projected into the American public. He believes that, “Caregiving is not feminine; it's universal.” The lack of men in nursing though is, “a result of cultural stereotypes and image” (Gorgos). On the

In my counseling the older adult class we discussed in great detail the different types of culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc. and how it affects the way we as health care providers of helpers should approach a person. I’ve learned in my ongoing time here at CMC that there are all kinds of diversity within the healthcare field, amongst the doctors, case managers, nurse practitioners, registered nurses and others caregivers. There is also a lot of diversity within the patients’ in the hospital. Some patients’ come from within the community and some may just be visiting or coming from surrounding communities. Along with the difference in community and backgrounds that the patients’ come from they also vary by illness or healthcare need. At first it is hard to realize the difference among those that come

The care needs of patients continue to change, as the United States population becomes more diverse. Nurses will be required to be more knowledgeable and respectful of the differences in cultural and religious beliefs as this diversity continues. The American Nurses Association (ANA) states, “knowledge of cultural diversity is vital at all levels of nursing practice…nurses need to understand: how cultural group groups define health and illness; what cultural groups do to maintain wellness; what cultural groups believe to be the causes of illness; and how healers cure and care

Cultural competence is not a new anomaly in nursing. Cultural competence is the ability to provide essential care to patients with backgrounds and belief systems different from our own. Being culturally sensitive is an important part of nursing practice and most employers of nurses usually have diversity training to help facilitate awareness at their healthcare facility. Diversity is prevalent in our society and we only need to look around at the peers we work with and the patients we care for to clearly understand this fact. Cultural differences and the lack of self-awareness about our own attitudes, beliefs, and biases, can negatively affect the nurse-patient communication, the patient’s quality of care, and their health outcome. The

some advancement has been made. For instance, in 2011, among nursing understudies from minority groups, 26.8% were enlisted in Bachelor of Science in nursing programs, 26.1% in Master’s nursing programs and 23.3% were in centered doctoral nursing programs (Phillips & Malone, 2014). For instance, activities to expand the nursing workforce ought to incorporate a strong and quantifiable vital arrangement for enrolling and keeping racial/ethnic minority people in nursing programs. In addition, late discoveries uncovered that 12.6% of full-time nursing school staff originate from minority groups, and around 6.2% are male. The predetermined number of minority nurses working to fill in as role models and tutors makes an extra obstruction to the fruitful

In a field that was originally once considered a masculine career for men, has now been revamped as a feminine profession. An example of early documentation of men’s role in nursing dated back in 1095 where St. Antonines took care of those with erysipelas and the mentally ill. As the establishment of nursing profession progressed, perceptions of what the public view nurses as began to shift into a female-dominated occupation. Even in the current modern era, there is still a trend shared by all countries that indicate a shortage of male nurses. “Over the years, the portion of male nurses has increased, but they still comprise only 5 to 15 percent of the nursing workforce in the western world” (Ashkenazi et al., 2017, p 162). There are many factors that possibly contributed to this barrier that prevents men from entering the nursing profession such as stereotypes, gender biased nursing curriculums, long-lasting historical trends in nursing, and social perceptions.

The number of male Nurses in the United States decreased from 13% in the 1890’s to 1-2% in the 1940’s. Although male Nursing hit its lowest point in the 1940’s, it is now only approaching 10% of all nurses. While men are no longer restricted to mental hospitals, there is still some gender division in nursing. Men nurses are more common in intensive care units (ICU’s), emergency departments and operating rooms, and less common in pediatrics and obstetric nursing. If the shortages in male nurses in the United States is to be successfully addressed, men will need to be recruited into the occupation of nursing.