Essay On Cultural Competence In Nursing

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Cultural Competence in Nursing Hannah S. Hinkle West Virginia University of Parkersburg Cultural Competence in Nursing Providing culturally competent care is a vital responsibility of a nurse’s role in healthcare. “Culturally competent care means conveying acceptance of the patient’s health beliefs while sharing information, encouraging self-efficiency, and strengthening the patients coping resources” (Giddens, 2013). Competence is achieved through and ongoing process of understanding another culture and learning to accept and respect the differences. A nurse must have the desire to learn about specific cultures and how to better communicate with people of different cultures. Cultures differ on things such as family …show more content…

Cultural awareness is defined as, “an in-depth self-examination of ones own background, recognizing biases, prejudices, and assumptions about other people” (Potter, Perry, Stockert, & Hall, 2013). Having biases can cause a person to act of have certain feelings towards a group of people without realizing it. To a person that does not understand a certain group or culture, some rituals may be observed as superstitious or odd, but to the participant that ritual may be of high importance or a way of healing (Ferweda, 2016). Understanding these practices and learning about why they are performed is a good way to prevent biased views. People from racially and diverse groups suffer with increased rates of illness and disabilities due to lack of healthcare access and education compared to other populations (Loftin, C., Hartin, V., Branson, M., & Reyes, H., 2013). One of the essential interventions to reverse this is education for nurses about how to achieve culturally competent care in the nursing profession (Loftin, C., Hartin, V., Branson, M., & Reyes, H., …show more content…

There are cultures that have very different views on things such as family dynamics and health care than what I’m used to. For example, there are some cultures that do not believe in seeking healthcare when they are ill or receiving medications or blood if needed. However, my family always believed in taking us to the doctor and taking medications when we were ill. There are also some cultures that have very large families that they are very close to however I always had a small close-knit family. I am able to see how these different scenarios could affect the nursing care provided by assuming that other people and families have the same beliefs that my family had growing up. However, this is why it is important to ask questions and do research about a particular culture before making assumptions. I also believe it is very important to avoid assuming that all cultures are the same just because they are of a certain culture or ethnicity. Beliefs and rituals can differ amongst people of the same community. Therefore, it is essential to get to know your patients and have an understanding of their beliefs as an

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