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Diversity is one thing, I have come to accept and appreciate greatly in my life. I am 22 years old and was born in Ghana, West Africa. To me, I see myself as an African woman. Reasoning being that both my parents are Africans but from different tribes. I was brought up through the general Ghanaian way, but having my parents from different ethnic groups taught me how to adapt to different cultures and I believe that was where my experience with diversity began. The African continent do have some similarities in the cultures, but being brought up with the Ghanaian culture and norms has really helped me and shaped me to be the respectful and humbled woman I am today. Being a Christian born into the Presbyterian denomination, I do my very best …show more content…
to live my life according to what the Bible teaches us and always seek the face of God in prayers whenever I go through some difficulties. I am attracted to the opposite sex. I hope to one day have my own family, so that I can model what my culture and religion has taught me about being a good wife and a caring mother. Being a Christian woman is a sense of pride to me. My religion has also shaped me into being the woman I am today by guiding and directing me in certain areas of my life (spiritual life) and in some decisions that I take. As we have a car manual that contains everything one needs to know about a car to give it a long life span, so is how I see the Bible in my Christian walk. As a Christian woman, I see the Bible as my guide to live life to its fullest. Whether it’s in happy times or hard times I know everything happens accord to God’s purpose. Being part of this social identity group, has helped me in the way I relate to other people, how I present myself, how I act, even the way I think in my society and everywhere I found myself. There are some positive and negative aspect of belonging to this social group. Society in general, sees Christian women to be humble, submissive, caring, and holy. But if these characteristics are not seen in a woman who says she is a Christian, then people start to question their Christian religiosity. To me, with all these characteristics labelled on a Christian woman, I believe that doesn’t change us from being humans and there are times we wouldn’t leave to the standards as prefect Christian women. In my learning journey about issues of oppression, one thing I have come to notice in America is that ones’ skin color defines a person more than their personality. My family and I have been in some shops whereby we’ve been followed around by the sales-person. This sometimes make me curious about some types of shops I enter. But on the other hand, I do understand why some people what they do when they see people of color. It’s because of some past incidences associated with these group people, and with this stigma on us; we need to work extra harder to prove beyond our skin color that not all people of color are what society knows us to be. A research done by a group of scientists, suggests that African American women are at higher risk of facing domestic violence than European or American women (Williams, Wyatt, Myers, Green, Warda, 2008). In this same research, it stated that; “Other studies have shown that lack of financial stability among women of color places them in an abusive relationship” (Williams, 2008). I do know domestic violence are seen in all the race. An article titled, “Domestic Violence in the African American Community” showed the rate of domestic violence in African America families and White families. It showed that “ violence rate in African America families was 113 per 1,000 whereas in White families it was 30 per 1,000” (Williams , Oliver and Pope, 2008). But this domestic violence has greatly been seen among low-income women of color and I believe that shouldn’t be the case and has to stop. Because a woman of color isn’t financially sound shouldn’t put her in that kind of abusive situation. Sometimes I do think the reason why these group of women find themselves in abusive environment, is because they have been around such environment before and they think that is how it should be. Maybe that is their worldview of how a relationship or marriage should look like. I know one African American lady, who has been into three abusive relationships. I remember asking her one time why she keeps going back into such kind of relationships, and her answer was, she don’t know why she puts herself into that. She made a statement that made me think, people do make a product of their environment. She said, “Maybe is because that how my mom and dad’s relationship was and I saw my dad hitting my mom all the time but she never complained”. But why is there higher rates of domestic violence associated with African American men? It has been the same old story, of high poverty and unemployment rates among African American men (Under Pressure, 2009). We do see most African American men being unemployed twice times than a White men (Jones, 2014). How does it also feel, for a male to live in a society where “manhood” or “husband” is seen as the head and provider (Jones, 2014)? Some men being denied of these characteristics through poverty and unemployment try to take control of their women by abusing them physically. Also for some men, not being able to provide for their family makes them to vent their anger on their partners which later turns into violent. In America today, the most pertinent issues about diversity facing our society now is racism and gender inequality at workplace. What do we see when we turn on our televisions now a days, White cops shooting innocent Black males and Black males killing innocent White cops. As I said earlier, ones’ skin color defines them and has putting some type of label on them. To describe what I’m saying better. An article by John Blake, shows how race is seen in America today. “Psychologists staged an experiment with two photographs that produced a surprising result. They showed people a photograph of two white men fighting, one unarmed and another holding a knife. Then they showed another photograph, this one of a white man with a knife fighting an unarmed African-American man. When they asked people to identify the man who was armed in the first picture, most people picked the right one. Yet when they were asked the same question about the second photo, most people; black and white, incorrectly said the black man had the knife (Blake, 2014)”. Because of some ill-manners of some black people in the past, most people of color are suffering from the incidence of these few people from their group. Another thing we see in their society now, is gender inequalities at workplaces. Women in the same job position with men are not getting the same salary as the men do. Sometimes, women who do qualify for higher positions doesn’t get it because for their gender. Example of gender inequality can be seen with the FIFA World Cup for Women. The American Women Soccer Team, won the “FIFA WORLD CUP” but were paid less than the men who didn’t win the cup. As it was discussed in class, these issues by society and the society is “Us”. We the people in the society have brought about this problem, and it is up to us to find a way to solve it. I don’t believe there has been progress on issues with social justice. With America still facing some problems with diversity, not everyone is getting the equal economic, social and political opportunity. The reasoning being that goes back to the “skin color” issue. White people are seen as superior than colored people. Let’s take our prison system for instance, there are lots of black men are sent to jail than white men. And even with crime cases, we do see black people being judge and sent to jail quickly than white people. This should be looked into and handle properly. Diversity issues are also seen in healthcare system.
From patients not wanting people of color to deliver care to them and patients from different religion having difficulties with the value of care. Healthcare organizations are working tremendously to develop cultural competence in it facilities. An article titled “Why Diversity matters in Health Care?”, defines cultural competence as “the ability of systems to provide care to patients with diverse values, beliefs and behaviors, including the tailoring of delivery to meet patients’ social, cultural and linguistic needs.” Diversity is one important aspect in the healthcare system because different people from different backgrounds, cultures and religions all seek care one or the other. Having this change in the healthcare system will really help deliver the quality of care to all patients. Strengths-based practices that will be effective in helping with healthcare diversity, will be to respect the differences of patients’ cultures and background. Also staffs have to be culturally sensitive about everything associated with the patients’ social identity too. Even with domestic violence that goes on among African American women, a patient who has been abuse can come into the hospital and staff must show respect and treat them as
such. Coming from a different culture, I understand how it is to go to a healthcare facility where you don’t know or understand what really is going on because you not use to some kind of treatment of your belief isn’t in support of getting certain treating. As a healthcare administrator, my job is to see that my staff is providing the quality of care to all patients of diverse cultures. The way my differences will impact my healthcare career is to listen carefully to my patients needs and be will to have employees from different backgrounds and cultures to help promote the diversity needed at the workplace. To conclude, I will say that social identity has helped me to beware of my environment, the way I relate other people and treat them. I know we are all from different places and are brought up differently, so what might be good for me wouldn’t be for another person, but the only for different people to work together to me is teamwork. If I do respect the other persons’ point of view and communicate in a way that is not offensive, I believe the working environment will be comfortable and enjoying for everyone in the healthcare field. There are many unanswered issues in the healthcare field, and the recent one is the language barriers in the healthcare field. There aren’t enough medical translators in this field which is causing some medical errors in the delivery of care. I think healthcare organizations should use medical translators rather than patients’ family members who make error in translating what actually the doctor means to their family members. A phrase I always carry with me everywhere I go is, “do unto others, what you want them to do unto you”. And with this I believe showing respect and kindness to one another whether from different cultures, social identity or being it difference in gender.
Being culturally aware and knowledgeable is a must when working in any type of healthcare field. In our society today, we have an array of different cultures and making patients feel comfortable and at easy is our primary goal. Diversity training is something that is a must for each healthcare professional and should be the basis of our healthcare education.
Cultural competency is a very significant necessity in health care today and the lack of it in leadership and in the health workforce, is quite pressing. The lack of cultural competency can bring about dire consequences such as racial and ethnic disparities in health care. It may not be the sole reason for these disparities, but it certainly places a significant role. A patient and health care provider relationship is very significant and can make or break the quality of care that is given. The lack of cultural competency leads to poor communication which then leads to those of diverse backgrounds to feel either unheard or just plain misunderstood. As an East African
The healthcare workforce is suffering critically due to its lack in diversity. As healthcare organizations are growing and the number of patients is increasing, so is the diversity of the patients. There are more minority patients are the number of minorities increase in the United States. The need for minority employees is crucial in that they are needed to help assist patients who have the similar cultural, racial, and ethnic upbringings. There are many barriers in healthcare workforce that are keeping minorities from reaching their full potential to become employees in healthcare, particularly upper-level leadership positions; as patients continue to become more diverse, so does the need of employees.
Cultural Competence is important for many reasons. First, it can help develop culturally sensitive practices which can in turn help reduce barriers that affect treatment in health care settings. Second, it can help build understanding, which is critical in competence, in order wards knowing whom the person recognizes as a health care professional and whom they views as traditional healer, can aid the development of trust and improve the individual’s investment and participation in treatment. Third, our population in the United States is not only growing quickly but also changing, cultural competence will allow us as educators and healthcare workers keep up wi...
Cultural competence in health care provision refers to the capacity of health care systems to offer good care to patients and accommodate employees, who have diverse beliefs, behaviors, and values to meet their cultural, linguistic, and social needs. It comprises of policies, attitudes, and behaviors that integrate to form a system that can operate efficiently in cross cultural conditions. Healthcare organizations look at cultural competence from two major viewpoints. Firstly, it is a tool to enhance patient care from all backgrounds, social groups, languages, religions, and beliefs. Secondly, it is a tool that strategically attracts potential clients to their organizations and, hence, expands
By every individual accepting and acknowledging that we are all different then there will be mutual respect for each other’s cultural difference. When these differences are explored in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment, they are more than simply tolerating others but that through these differences are instead commended and embraced. People become aware of each other’s difference and uniqueness such as religion, sexual orientation, race, gender, age and beliefs. When this is embraced by the health care providers then there will be improved care.
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.
In order to provide a diverse healthcare environment, all employees in the healthcare system must understand the difference between culture and diversity. Naturally, culture and diversity mean the same thing. Culture, is certain behavioral characteristics that are learned and shared. Diversity is referred to a person who is of different racial background. Considering a population’s diversity and culture together helps establish culture in a healthcare
A job in health care requires nurses to have a broad knowledge base. Not only on health care in general, but diversity as well. We live in a world that is very diverse, where no two people are the same. As a nurse, it is important to understand what diversity, assumptions and ethnocentrism all mean. By having a good understanding of these three things, a nurse will be better able to provide culturally competent care to his or her patients, which is a huge part of nursing.
According to the Society for Human Resource Management diversity is: “A broad definition of diversity ranges from personality and work style to all of the visible dimensions of diversity such as race, age, ethnicity or gender, to secondary influences such as religion, socioeconomics and education, to work diversities such as management and union, functional level and classification or proximity/distance to headquarters.” Diversity is a huge factor that we are striving for in many occupations around the world, but healthcare is one of the main professions that is becoming more diverse. Not only does it have many positive effects, it is providing the patients and workers with a sense of respect for each other. The patients are able to have a nurse or occupational therapists that understand where they are coming from. They might have the same morals or they might be in a similar situation as the patient, so they will be able to relate with the patient and understand them during difficult times. More companies are relating diversity into the workforce. Therefore they are able to have a more successful business because of the many changes they are making to meet the needs of each individual.
Cultural competence is defined as "all of the strategies and practices need to work effectively with patients from diverse groups based on an understanding of their beliefs, values, and social milieu"(Dreachslin, Gilbert, & Malone, 2013). The United States currently has "glaring disparities in access to health care and levels of treatment quality experienced by different groups" (Dreachslin, Gilbert, & Malone, 2013). These disparities can be measured through comparison of reference groups to another groups health (Buchbinder & Shanks, 2017). Integrating cultural competence in health care, is meant to address these deficiencies in quality care. An organization that has properly integrated is "vigilant and addresses disparities in
In today’s society, it has been noted that the number of minority groups with diverse ethnic backgrounds is increasing, which calls for a more specified and skilled manner of delivering quality patient care. The impact that cultural and religious diversity plays in facilitating the access to adequate health care, may be dependent on many factors; nevertheless, culturally sensitive care may narrow the gap of health care disparities that affect minority groups. Hence, when culturally sensitive care is understood, it promotes the delivery of culturally competent care that is individualized and holistic; thus, geared to meet the specific needs of the patient. Additionally, when patient care is provided in this manner, it strengthens the health
As a nurse strive to provide culturally sensitive care, they must recognize how their client's and their perceptions are similiar as well as different. Nurse enhance their ability to provide client-centered care by reflecting on how their beliefs and values impact the nurse-patient relationship. To provide appropriate patient care, the nurse must understand her/his culture and that of the nurse profession. Cultural biases can be particularly difficult to identify when the nurse and client are of a similar cultural backgroup. When we recognize and know a culture, we will know what is right for our patient, and thus may impose our own values on the client by assuming our values are their values. Recognizing differences a present an opportunity not only to know the other, but also to help gain a greater sense of self. In this paper, I will explain more about diversity and cultural competence in case study.
Diversity is a value that shows respect for the differences and similarities of age, sex, culture, ethnicity, beliefs and much more. Having a diverse organization, helps notice the value in other people and also how to teach respect to people that might not know how. The world is filled with different cultures and people that might believe in different things as you, but that doesn’t mean you need to treat them any different. It is imperative for people to grasp diversity because it’ll help people how to engage with others in a respectful yet a hospitable way.
Nurses need to be skilled with the insight and knowledge to carry out culturally appropriate care. The application of cultural sensitivity starts with an awareness of one's own culture first and then they can look at the culture of other people. Nurses, based on their ability, should be self reflective about