Personal Narrative: My Nursing Journey And My Position On Human Diversity

During my volunteer hours I learned a lot about my own community I that I have not been able to experience. For example I have never been able to participate in so many writing programs and workshops in my local high school, this is because I also did not attend my own local high school because my mother did not allow me to instead, she asked me to attend a charter school. By partnering with LA826, I was able to attend different writing workshops where I would help different high school student write essay, cover letters, and personal statements. Furthermore I believed that most of my activities consisted of just being able to listen to some of the students.

We live in a world where the human race seems to be disconnected. Nowadays it feels that there are not enough people helping each other. I don’t treat life like a competition I look at it and I ask myself how may I help? What may I do to make this world a more suitable place for all to live a comfortable and peaceful life? I yearn to come forward and fulfill my role and contribute to our society in any way possible. Nursing is my calling for helping others. It sounds cliché, this I know, but it’s what I desire and what I decided to do with my body, mind, and soul.

My career commitment as a nurse has grown tremendously over the past three years; through my daily experiences as a Medical Assistant. I have devoted my time as a full time student and employee of the health care profession. Both of these occupations have helped shape me into the person I want to be for as long as time allows. Daily I witness these community role models that posses abilities such as problem solving skills, promotion and protection of an individual’s advocacy all tied in with compassion to meet the health care needs of an individual.

Communication is life long learning skills for nurses. Communication can be in different forms. It can be verbal or non verbal. Communication is important

When nurses are open minded they can understand how their own cultural beliefs can influence their understanding of other’s beliefs. As described by Levi, “we need to realize that we are likely to have biases about how others should behave based on our own cultural norms,” (p. 97). By using cultural humility nurses can continue to build on what they do know about a culture and reflect on how their own beliefs effect how they interact with patients of this culture. We must take ownership of our interactions with others while being aware of how we view cultural differences. “The essential aspect is to become aware of our own values, so that we can better understand the values of another,” (Roux and Halstead, p. 324). Nurses must be able to reflect on their own beliefs to realize how they view other cultures views. They must be able to set aside their own views to be able

Nurses may not always understand diverse practices that their patients follow, but it is their duty to provide care that is compatible with their patient’s belief system, otherwise care may be altered. Nardi et al. (2012) found that educational tools are a key factor in improving a nurse’s perception of diversity, and helps them establish more positive patient outcomes by developing knowledge of different cultural practices. Nurses must show genuine concern for their patient, therefore allowing patients to explain their cultural beliefs can aid nurses in learning more about diverse practices, thus showing respect for another ones

A volunteering experience that holds a lot of meaning to me was being able to participate in a FCCLA Students Taking Action with Recognition (STAR) Event called Advocacy. As part of my class assignment, my partner and I first had to research a need in our community, state, or throughout our nation and then “advocate it”, or make it know, as well as find a solution. Our research quickly showed that Texas was ranked fourth in the nation for the number of children living in poverty and our own county was ranked 116th out of 264 counties in Texas for the number of children living in conditions below the Federal Poverty Level. This project went from being a class assignment, to a volunteer experience that positively influenced and changed my life in so many ways.

As a member in multiple volunteer groups, I not only wanted to help, but to also understand the people I worked with. Whether this meant writing holiday cards in Spanish, teaching robotics to elementary students, or performing at food kitchens and senior homes, I strove to comprehend their experiences and environments - to broaden my views of the world. At Penn, I plan to broaden my perspectives by participating in pre-health organizations like Penn Pre-Medical Association and volunteering through opportunities found at the Civic House or the Netter Center for Community

Nurses provide compassionate care to unfamiliar faces every day; it's not simply a career, but a vocation. It is the route I want to follow and I aspire to possess the skills, that I have observed nurses display during my time as a health care assistant. Studying Access to nursing has enabled me to understand the value of working with people of different age, background and abilities. I have found that my independent studying skills has drastically improved in my role of healthcare professionals unit.

Hence, I knew that my aspirations of becoming a nurse, a Black male nurse will be inevitable. That there will be a reflection of me in all careers, that is diverse with distinct personalities. That children who are growing up, can be inspired to become someone that looks just like them. That they won’t be afraid to ask the tough questions, as they seen throughout their life, someone who understand the state in which they’re in. That when they are older, they too, can provoke change in the community and transform the healthcare

Q: Why have you chosen to volunteer? What do you hope to gain from the experience?

Given the diverse nature of my community, I had the opportunity to volunteer with people from a variety of racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. For instance, I mentored a fourth grader who was experiencing behavioral problems in the classroom, having trouble with his schoolwork and

Good communication skill is very important for us as future leaders in nursing. Good communication will develop trust! Whether we are talking to patients, doctors, family members or other nurses, we should be mindful of how we communicate to each other. Listen first, and respond directly and truthfully. If we cannot answer a question, say so.

As a new graduate nurse, I can make an impact in my society by being my patients advocate and a responsible collaborative member of a health care team that provides patient centered care that encourages patient involvement in the plan of care to increase a likelihood of compliance and to maintain his or her sense of control.

Diversity means having a range of people with various racial, ethnic, language, age, socioeconomic, cultural backgrounds, lifestyles, religious, sexual orientation’ disability and beliefs in the same environment. Educating patients with diverse culture is not an easy task for nurses; however, for learning to be effective, nurses should have the right attitude, respect for each other’s culture and be able to communicate. “Without an understanding of the unique meaning existing for the individual, the problem of helping effectively is almost insurmountable” (Guild, 2001). The nurse having these attributes, understanding her own culture and that of her patient will result to a great patient-nurse relationship where trust will follow. Once there