The solution to overcoming this barrier would be cultural competence training. Cultural competence training has shown great promise at improving the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of health professionals when it comes to working with diverse populations (Mareno, 2014). I find that it would be good for every organization to establish a generalized diversity training for all staff to take. This training could discuss that its okay to ask a patient about their cultural and how we as a care provider could better meet their needs. This training could also discuss the topic of being self-aware.
Ever since high school, I knew I wanted to work in the pathology field. I thought I wanted to be a pathologist. I talked to the career counselors at my school and expressed my interest. Fortunately for me, I was contacted not much after about an internship at Montefiore Medical Center. I would come to learn that Montefiore Medical Center is the teaching hospital of Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
At my physician office, the staff always dress and act professionally. I have been going to my physician since I was 6, I have even job shadowed my physician. I do not recall a time my physician or his staff has ever been unprofessional. They are always dressed in scrubs or business casual. As a medical assistant, you can ensure your professional appearance by a few steps: always wear scrubs
At Miller Children Hospital in Long Beach I have developed certain skills that are necessary in order to go into the Human Services Career. At Miller I have learned how to communicate with different people, learn how to take things not seriously, and how to not let my emotions get in the way of assisting children and family. When I go back and think about my first semester of internship I remember how difficult it was to open up to different people and build rapport with them. I remember being quite, nervous, and questioning my abilities in the Human Service career. Throughout my internship I have become more confident I am able to open up to people without being intimidated.
My dutie for my health science was HOSA. I was co president of HOSA and my duty was to lead the club and we did community service. We went to Monroe Middle School and conducted the Boys and Girls Club. My classmates and I went on different days throughout the week and taught them about different things. On Monday October 3rd the club was taught about reaching goals, on Tuesday October 4th they were taught about diversity, on Wednesday October 5th they were taught about being ready for the future, and on Thursday October 6th they were taught about personal characteristics.
When thinking about my personal philosophy of nursing the word diversity comes to mind. I myself come from a diverse background. Being Hispanic and living in different parts of the united states I have had the pleasure of experiencing different cultures. As a nurse, I have encountered diverse patient experiences. For example the Chinese elderly woman who would not take her medication or eat.
My capstone project is about the need for nurses to learn about cultural diversity, cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity. This has been a fascinating project to explore and I am learning about so many cultural beliefs. When a patient's cultural practice is understood competent patient care is rendered and health care disparities are eliminated. For example, in some cultures many people believe that illness and evil can be prevented by following strict religious codes, morals and practices.
For my Diverse Field Experience this semester, I spent fifteen hours at the Mclean County Juvenile Detention Center. This particular center was occupied by about 8-14 juveniles at a time, all depending on court dates and occupancy of other nearby detention centers. This center usually had 3 staff members working the shift every time I went, which was seven to nine on weekday afternoons. I was intrigued to go to at this time because I thought it would be the time of the day were the juveniles had no school work or other obligations to do while I was there. I wanted to see what they liked to do in the free time before bed, the only stipulation being mandatory snack time at eight pm.
Growing up in the Twin Cities, I've had the privilege of being exposed to many cultural individuals and their cultural values. I know that culture is a strong part of people's lives and influences their values, views, and many decisions they make in their everyday life. As a nurse, I've been able to connect with my diverse patients on a different level, and observe that this builds trust and shows that I care for them. I always remember to double check that my Somali and Amharic female patients are all right with visiting a male doctor when I am working with a male physician.
This necessitates attentive listening, the acceptance of prejudices, and the appreciation of cultural differences (Purnell, 2005). Many studies have emphasized the importance of cultural competence in improving healthcare outcomes for various groups, such as reducing health disparities and increasing patient satisfaction and the credibility of healthcare practitioners (Brach & Fraser, 2000; Betancourt et al., 2003; Beach et al., 2005; Thom et al., 2006). According to a study of community health center healthcare practitioners, those with higher levels of cultural competency were more likely to provide patient-centered care and have better patient outcomes (Sawrikar & Katz, 2014). Similarly, a systematic review emphasizes the importance of cultural competency in healthcare, arguing that in order to provide effective and equitable care, healthcare personnel must understand and respond to their patients' cultural, linguistic, and social demands (Dreachslin et al., 2012).
Q 5 – Explain how diversity impacts on practices and experiences on person behaviour, interpersonal relationships, perception and social expectations of others. A – Acknowledge similarities and differences that exist between yourself, co-workers and clients. Culture plays an important part in a person’s behaviour, thoughts and how they relate towards others. An individual's cultural perceptions and expectations will directly impact on the way they work with each client and their co-workers; a failure to recognise cultural differences may cause serious problems when they are dealing with others in the workplace.
Nursing, and everything that it entails, cannot be easily described in just one simple word or phrase. It goes beyond the meaning of a profession and the stereotypical definition of treating the ill. Nursing is the “protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (American Nurses Association, 2010, p. 1). Therefore, it is a career that requires dedication, passion, critical thinking, and knowledge. It demands commitment and an understanding of its core values and concepts, as well as the nurse’s own personal philosophy and principles.
Cultural competence for nurses is defined as the willingness or the desire to understand another person’s culture, the ability to learn about diverse cultural belief systems, and to work effectively as a healthcare professional. This includes, understanding the dynamics of a patient’s culture as it relates to their relationships, interactions, and understanding of overall health. Awareness of one’s own culture, along with the understanding of other cultures, and how this relates to nursing care is essential to improve outcomes for patients (Kardong-Edgren et al., 2010). In 2010, the United States Census revealed that 37% of the population considered themselves to be minorities, and by 2020 this demographic will increase by 40%.
Human development happens continuously throughout ones lifespan as we develop and change. Genes exemplify biological factors in human development. Some biological factors are visible, for example skin tone and hair color. Some biological factors are unobserved, for instance genetic abnormalities and risks for diseases. From a biopsychosocial perspective what one becomes is the product of genes, or biological forces.
My passion for healthcare lies with patient care. I enjoy taking care of patients and their family. I have chosen to become a family nurse practitioner because I can combine nursing and medicine to provide a higher level of care to my patients. As a nurse practitioner will be able to make an impact on my patient’s health through, health promotion, disease prevention, managing acute and chronic conditions and improving patient’s health (Wynne,
