OWN CULTURE
The country where I was born and raised has rich customs and traditions influenced by different cultures around the world. Among these shared cultures, I am accustomed to living a life anchored in the Catholic faith. I was brought up in a God-fearing home that believes in the power of prayer. The influence of my parents on my faith has a huge impact on the way I embrace life and its challenges.
Apart from faith and religion, family has become my source of strength. Members of my family have a very close relationship with one another – a characteristic common to a Filipino household. My parents have taught me the value of generosity and respect. They instilled in me that blessings are meant to be shared and that respect must
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My approach to providing care is similar to that of most Filipino nurses which is characterized as more patient-centered and family-centered with favorable regard to different behaviors, beliefs and traditions. This kind of approach seeks to address the health care needs of the patient without compromising one’s own culture.
NEW ZEALAND APPROACH TO CULTURALLY SAFE NURSING PRACTICE
New Zealand ensures the safety of its health consumers through the strong implementation of legislations, policies and programs. It observes certain rights of patients which are not usually favored in the country where I come from such as the right to refuse treatment and right to complain. In this regard, health care services are rendered not only based on the standards and regulations set by proper authorities but also on the health consumers’ insights on the kind of service that put some relevancy on their rights, beliefs and customs.
Patient-centered and family-centered care approaches are likewise practiced in New Zealand. The relation and cooperation between and among the patient, his family and the health care provider are essential in ensuring that the patient is free from danger by determining what is culturally safe for him.
New Zealand emphasizes the value of independence among health consumers to maximize their potentials and uphold their dignity. In an aged care facility, the residents are supported and encouraged to
“Health is influenced by culture and beliefs” (NRS-429V, 2011, p. 1). In order for the nurse to properly care for the patient, she must know and understand the patient’s culture. “Cultural care is a comprehensive model that includes the assessment of a client’s cultural needs, beliefs, and health care practices” (NRS-429V, 2011, p. 1). It is not enough to just know where the patient lives or where he came from. The nurse must embrace the concept of cultural competence and cultural awareness. This requires not only the awareness of the cultural beliefs and values of their patients, but also
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 safety and patient centred care are terms commonly used in the training of health care professionals. Each term focuses on best practice techniques while promoting a holistic manner of care for patients. As a concept, it enhances the professional and ethical role of health practitioners. Cultural safety and patient centred care are aspects which are crucial for health professionals who strive to deliver the highest level of quality care to all patients (Nguyen, 2008). This essay will analyse and demonstrate that cultural safety is patient centred care by using examples from practice. Through this it will discuss professional standards, science, health policies and health models.
As a Filipino-American nurse living in Los Angeles, California, this writer has been a witness and an active participant in the multifactorial influences/aspects that affect the Filipino-Americans, in health and illness. Being a grandmother of wonderful grandkids has brought me further exposure to the plight of elderly Filipino-Americans in the United States of America.
In order to deliver nursing care to different cultures, nurses are expected to understand and provide culturally competent health care to diverse individuals. Culturally competent care is tailored to the specific needs of each client, while incorporating the individual’s beliefs and values (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2006, p. 90). By being culturally competent, nurses are able to help improve health outcomes by using cultural knowledge and specific skills in selecting interventions that are specific to each client (Stanhope & Lancaster). Therefore, nurses “should perform a cultural assessment on every client with whom they interact with” (Stanhope &
The nursing profession is known for being a caring and compassionate career path that is loving and accepting of all individuals. The traits of many of us are based on our cultural background and therefore it is important to be culturally aware of different traditions and preferences pertaining to cultures that we directly interact with. Both taking into consideration the patient’s culture and recognizing the impact of one’s own personal beliefs are competencies that a nurse should demonstrate and are listed under the first standard of practice according to the American Nurses Association (ANA, 2015).
Who is the person the nurse is caring for? Where is that person from? Does this person speak English, or understand what the caregiver is saying? What is this person’s cultural background? What are the health beliefs of this person, what are their illness beliefs and practices? These questions are answered differently depending upon the person and their heritage. As healthcare providers it is important to have a broad knowledge base in regards to different cultures and people’s practices to deliver effective health care. In 2006, the population of
the undeniably assorted, multicultural population in the United States is putting forth new difficulties in the arrangement of cultural care by nurses in general. An immediate relationship exists between a patients way of life and their well being; of the numerous factors known to impact health beliefs and practices, culture is a standout amongst the most compelling. In the event that the arrangement of the most ideal care to all patients is the objective, nurses must have aptitude and ability in the conveyance of culturally proper and cultivation equipped nursing care. Each nurse must play a dynamic part in getting a data base whereupon to build up a social competency. The capacity to convey nursing care that will permit powerful communications
Being able to provide culturally competent care is a lifelong skill that improves a human life (Leininger, 1988). Learning about cultural difference as well as talking to the patient in order to learn more about his or her believe in practice may help provide cultural care. Caring for different cultures give the nurse a chance to learn about that patient’s cultures and values. The nursing care provider must provide trust, advocacy and privacy to the patient. Promoting health, wellness, preventing illness, and assisting in the healing and recovery process is the end result for every culturally sensitive nurse (Leininger, 2000).
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.
Today when people move across continents with the help of technology their culture and heritage moves along with them. Almost each and every continent is populated with people from different nations who have diverse traditions and cultures. Thus knowledge of health traditions and culture plays a vital role in nursing. People from different cultures have a unique view on health and illness. Culture-specific care is a vital skill to the modern nurse, as the United States continues to consist of many immigrants who have become assimilated into one culture. I interviewed three families of different cultures: - Indian (my culture), Hispanic and Chinese. Let us see the differences in health traditions between these cultures.
Nursing theory is foundational to nursing practice; however, there exists a reciprocal relationship between practice and theory. Through examining nursing theory, the nurse can make better-informed decisions about the patient’s care. In addition, the theory will influence the care for future patients as well. One theorist that changed the landscape of nursing is Madeleine Leininger. Her culture care theory changed the dialogue of healthcare regarding care. This paper will discuss the importance of theory in nursing theory. Next, a summary of Leininger’s theory will precede a discussion about how the theory will be applied in a nursing context. Finally, the correlation between Leininger’s theory and the practice of a nurse practitioner will ensue. Her culture care theory will inform the practice of a nurse practitioner and how culturally competent care will be given.
The premise of Madeleine Leininger ‘s Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality is that one must regard his or her patient both holistically and with respect to the patient’s given cultural background. Leininger aims to establish a nurse-patient relationship in which communication and collaboration are culturally congruent. Via such interactions, a nurse can hypothetically deliver individualized, culturally competent care. However, while Leininger’s theory has many benefits and clear applicability in a multicultural society, its execution may fall short due to the predominating social norms and values held by larger society.
In our lives, we have to make important choices, and sometimes our choices determine our happiness or sadness. As a Filipino, our families tell us to do well in school and to not make bad choices because they want us to be successful and to have ethical morals. Growing up as a Catholic, I was taught to be obedient and respectful to my family which has shaped who I am today. Yet, I too made some mistakes, and I learned from the consequences. From my failures, I learned to not belittle myself, but to grow.
This encounter referred to as biculturalism, is an important aspect of cultural safety. This means that the interaction between a nurse and a patient is always considered bicultural as this involves the nurse’s culture and that of the patient’s. In this contact there is hidden power structure and a dominant culture (Henderson, 2003; Jarvis, 2012; Papps & Ramsden, 1996). As stated earlier, in New Zealand the colonisation British enabled them to dominate over all aspects of New Zealand’s way of life and culture, hence in the health care setting, the non-Maori culture prevails. As a culturally safe practice, nurses should learn to respect and acknowledge the culture of the care recipient whether it similar or different from them. Recipients of cares should be encouraged to participate and utilize their culture in managing their health and treatment (Papps & Ramsden, 1996). The nurse’s self awareness of one’s culture while acknowledging and respecting another’s is a fundamental requirement in order to practice cultural safety in nursing (Papps & Ramsden, 1996; Polaschek, 1998; Robinson et al., 1996).