Cultural Diversity in Relation to Nursing in the USA - Research Paper Example

Cultural diversity affects the nursing profession in countless ways and nurses need to keep this in mind as they handle patients from different ethnic backgrounds. Nurses in the U.S. are faced by many challenges in their profession including cultural and ethical conflicts that are unique to their profession since they deal with clients at a personal level. Cultural diversity has emerged to be a problem resulting to the prompt formulation of principles and guidelines that govern the profession. The population is composed of a high number of minorities and those in the practice should be aware of this fact and act in accordance to cultural competence. Culture is diverse throughout the world and this has intrinsic importance for economic growth as well as social cohesion and peace. This refers to different human cultures or societies in a given region or globally. Cultural diversity can be described as multiculturalism within an organization of people stated by Rothstein-Fisch (2003). This is the way cultures of different societies and groups find away to express among each other. Cultural diversity is exemplified in various ways in which human heritage is expressed and transmitted through different expressions and also through means of technology for example electronic media, artistic creation and production. Cultural diversity has direct impact on nursing and other healthcare professions since one handles people from different backgrounds. It looks at the variability of approaches that are needed to provide proper care that entails an individuals beliefs, cultural values and practices that are sensitive to the their environment. The American Nurse Association (ANA) acknowledged the fact that cultural diversity was a challenge to the profession and devised cultural diversity programs to curb it. There has been continuous review on these programs as the profession is dynamic as there are so many changes in the population leading to formulation of new policies. The paper shall give an in-depth look at how cultural diversity relates to the nursing profession. Nurses face conflicts in cultural values and also face ethical conflicts in their daily activities. The nursing values in the US are embedded in the American system by placing emphasis on individualism and self-reliance as stated by Rothstein-Fisch (2003). In such a society the rights of an individual are more respected than those of the society at large. Most cultures practice collectiveness which contrasts with individualism that states that the rights of individuals supersede those of a group. Collectiveness states that the rights of a group exceed those of individuals in any given situation. Government sponsored medical care is an important element of collectiveness. Nurses in have to be aware of collectivism and other social ideas practiced in the world. Ethical issues arise when nurses in the US act under the mentality that their values have had profound influence on other countries globally. As stated by Rothstein-Fisch (2003) nurses in the US are considered to be pacesetters in the profession. The code of conduct governing nurses in the US is emulated in other countries worldwide. Individualism in the US can be compared to ethical principles of justice and autonomy which is concerned with individual’s right to make their own decisions which is known as self-determination. The principle of autonomy emphasizes on respect for others and it should be practiced in the profession. It is unethical for nurses to disregard decision making of culturally diverse people living in the US. Different members of any culture have varying levels of commitment to important values of the culture, any resistance to the values leads to conflicts. Countries that once had homogenous culture are increasingly becoming culturally diverse through increased transport and communication means and trade that have led to differing perspectives. Export of products including reading materials and technology may introduce a cultural imposition in their homeland. International students who have undergone westernized education introduce new perspectives in a country or in a particular profession. Globalization has led to increased cultural diversity and this has contributed to increased ethical conflicts and limited room for thought. Ethical conflicts arise when nurses are uncertain of what to do when faced with moral choices that are sensitive to a particular community. Ethics concerns actions that are considered to be right or wrong according to a specific culture and narrows down to moral reasoning. Nurses have to reflect on the values in the culture they practice, visit the place in order to acquire sufficient information about the culture. Jeffrey (2006) commented that nurses should practice cultural competence when handling clients from different ethnic backgrounds. In the U.S. there is a code of ethics that acts as a guide for nurses to carry out their responsibilities in consistency with the ethical obligations of the profession. Ethical issues occur within cultures and are cultural values that are in opposition. The other challenge facing the nursing practice is the constant change in the cultural and ethnic composition in the population. This affects the profession since the population is mainly composed of older adults from diverse backgrounds and these calls for transcultural nursing as explained by Miller (2008). Health disparities arise if there is no attention given to diversity and the quality of health care will diminish. Eliminating these disparities is the major goal set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (U.S. DHHS) and the America Nurse Association (ANA) as stipulated in the ANA (1991). This emphasizes on the principle that nurses are expected to be culturally diverse to accommodate the increasing prevalence of diversity in the U.S. The population is composed of the minority and according to the census report the number of the minority will increase in future calling for high levels of competence in the practice. We have identified that the ethical conflicts arising from the U.S. arise from individualism and the principles of autonomy and justice. There are other problems facing the practice including language barriers and discrimination as stated by Larry (1997) for the minority however, it is impossible to strive to attain uniformity in relation to ethics in the nursing practice across all cultures since they vary. The other major concern is that if there are ethical virtues and principles that can be applied worldwide. Cultural diversity is a major concern and ethical conflicts can be controlled by recognizing values and beliefs among different cultures and view them from historical, medical, cultural, spiritual and religious contexts. Nurses should learn the language, customs, beliefs and values of the cultural groups they are in contact with to improve their cultural competence. References American Nurse Association. (1991). Nursing Agenda for Health Care Reform.Washington DC. Jeffrey, M. R. (2006). Teaching cultural competence in nursing and health care: inquiry, action and innovation (pp. 21-24). Springer Publishing Company. Larry, L. N. (1997). Cultural diversity in the United States. Greenwood Publishing Group. Miller, C. A. (2008). Nursing for wellness in older adults. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Rothstein-Fisch, C. (2003). Bridging cultures: teacher education module . Routledge. 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