Nursing: Cultural Diversity Among Nurses

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

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.

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

The concept of diversity is one that individuals may not think of when they think of nursing. Diversity is a major component to nursing and the care that is provided to patients. In this concept analysis, antecedent, attributes and consequences of diversity are identified. The following antecedents are: race, social economy, knowledge, gender, and education level. The attributes of diversity are individual, variety, perception, difference and civilization. The consequences of diversity are as follows; acceptance, decision making, cultural competency qualifications, respect, degrading, trusts

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,

Paige I agree with you, the ethnically diverse nurses separate themselves to find comfort and understanding. The organizations that they join have other members who share the same beliefs and culture. People do not like feeling uncomfortable and this is what the ethnically diverse nurses are trying to avoid. They may have had a bad experience that has made them feel a certain away about join an organization that is predominately white. There should be more communication between the organizations because as unity nurses are stronger and it will help out when it comes to the influences that they have on health policies.

Diversity based on ethnic background, religion, race, and language is rising each day. Due to globalization multiculturalism is increasing. The healthcare providers are responsible for practicing according to the different culture. Since nurses are the main advocates for their patient they should provide maximum holistic and culturally competent care to their clients. Nurses should take of the patients as the patients want to be treated. In order to provide best quality of care, nurses should be educated in cultural competence. Adapting to different cultural beliefs and practices requires flexibility and a respect for others view points. According to the textbook, cultural competence is having “the attitude, knowledge, and skills necessary for providing quality care to diverse population.” Cultural competent nurses have the ability to work effectively across cultures. The main aim of the nurses is to provide patient-centered care with an emphasis on the patients’ specific needs that are formed by their culture.

Describe a challenging, diversity-related situation that you have faced, and likely will continue to face in your nursing career. What made this situation challenging?

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.

The Triangle of Nursing: Compassion, Holistic Care, and Cultural Competence Making a personal theory for nursing is a major part of the nursing development. From being a new graduate nurse to becoming an experienced nurse, theories will change. Each time the theory changes, the knowledge of the nurse also changes. The nurse grows with their theory. As a new graduate nurse, my theory involves a triangle of care.

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.

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.

Nowadays, nurses not only need to know how to care of their patients, but they also must be able to care of patients from other cultures with many beliefs and values. Cultural views of individual influence the patient’s perception and decision of health and health care (Creasia & Parker, 2007). In order to care for people across different languages and cultures, nurses need to develop cultural sensitivity, knowledge, and skills.

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

Nurses must use their awareness of cultural differences to provide culturally appropriate care. It allows us to act as a good patient advocate and performing accurate nursing assessments. Cultural awareness, sensitivity and competence show a very important role in nursing practice. As this population getting larger every single day it gets more important to be able to deliver the best hospital experience. We must gain baseline knowledge about this group even if unique differences may exist within the culture to deliver distinctive culturally competent care. Some of the issues and concerns in giving health care may vary from getting adequate information to communicated proposed behavioral change by a patient. Thus we need to consider