Essay On The Importance Of Cultural Competency

The reasons why it is crucial for nurses to be culturally competent is because of the challenges that nurses face to provide care for a culturally diverse population, due to the rise of the diversity of people in the United States. Every day nurses encounter a variety of people that are culturally diverse such as family composition, ethnicity, race, and religion. Being culturally competent, helps the nurse provide effective and comprehensive healthcare to all patients. Having cultural competency is being open-minded about the disparities that exist, having knowledge and understanding that those differences exist per that culture that the nurse is dealing with in particular. When a nurse does not know the patient’s background or cultural information,

For example, a patient comes into the hospital without understanding or speaking any English; communication becomes a barrier and a frustrating experience for the patient, which could result in the patient suffering due to not getting the help that he/she needs. To overcome this barrier, the nurse must be aware of the patient’s background and seek assistance, such as a translator in this situation. A nurse must be aware of some specific racial and ethnic groups that are at risk of certain diseases and conditions, having this knowledge allows the nurse to promote self-care to patients. The ultimate goal of transcultural nursing is to develop an understanding of cultures in order to improve providing complete care to patients.

To provide adequate care, the nurse must strive to achieve cultural competency which includes; first and foremost the nurse needs to understand his/her own values, beliefs and practices and those of the patient. Second, the nurse must acquire information about the patient’s cultural background and third, the nurse must be respectful and accepting of the differences in the patient’s culture. Understanding the patient’s social, religious, and spiritual background will allow the nurse to respect patient’s cultural beliefs and practices despite any personal