Nursing Culture Groups - Essay Example

?CULTURES Arab Group Discussion 1. How should the nurse respond to Mrs. Nasser’s request? Explain your rationale First, it is important for the nurse to understand that her professionalism as a nurse transcends beyond her ability to give medical health to a patient. It also includes an ability to have a cordial and congenial atmosphere with clients and patients such that the clients and patients can have emotional health as well. Thee nurse should therefore respond by giving Mrs. Nasser enough room to express all her concerns so that after having all the substance of the concerns, she can strategies to address them one after the other. The rationale here is that when patients and clients are given enough room to express themselves, they co-operate better with nurses and nurses have the opportunity of giving them detailed healthcare. 2. Identify culturally congruent strategies that may be most effective in addressing the needs of Mrs. Nasser. Leininger (1995) has largely been associated with culturally congruent strategies with her concerns and introduction of trans-cultural nursing. Leininger (1991) identifies three culturally congruent strategies, all of which are application in the sense of the scenario presently at hand. i. Cultural preservation or maintenance: The first strategy at the disposal of the nurse as a way of ensuring cultural congruency is to take steps to ensure that the culture of Mrs. Nasser is unadulterated and kept intact. This is to say that she must take steps to maintain or preserve the culture of Mrs. Nasser. It is advised that the best way the nurse can do this without compromising on the fact that the little girl receives treatment after examination of her private part however is that she (the nurse) must do everything possible to assure Mrs. Nasser that she (the nurse) respects her culture so much and would love to ensure that her culture is not trampled upon. The nurse is therefore not to assume of a position of ruthlessness on Mrs. Nasser, lambasting her cultural beliefs and practices. ii. Cultural care accommodation or negotiation: After doing everything to proof to Mrs. Nasser that she (the nurse) is concerned about her complains and respects her viewpoint, the nurse must work on further to ensure the fact that there is a balance whereby the fact that the culture of Mrs. Nasser is being respected would not mean that the young Samia will not receive treatment, which can only be best administered after examination on her private part. To ensure this balance, Mrs. Nasser must resort to negotiation. The negotiations must be made on fair grounds such that the nurse must not be seen as taking an entrenched position. She must persuade Mrs. Nasser to come to the compromise willingly. iii. Cultural care re-patterning or restructuring: This should be the final step or strategy but it must not be taken for an act of eliminating the culture of Mrs. Nasser or indoctrinating her with the nurses’ own style of culture or what she deems as best. However, she can restructure Mrs. Nasser by pleading with her to be tolerant and flexible with her culture. She will allow Mrs. Nasser to enjoy the best of services whereas she goes; especially for her own good and welfare. 3. How might the nurse ensure that Mrs. Nasser’s concerns are addressed appropriately and that Samia has received the appropriate care? The concluding situation to achieve out of this whole situation should be a win-win affair. This is to say that as much as the concerns and cultural believes of Mrs. Nasser must be respected, it is also important that Mrs. Nasser’s daughter receives the needed care and treatment. Basing on the congruent strategy of negotiation, the nurse must be in a position to convince Mrs. Nasser to compromise for the examination to be carried out. The compromise will however not come easily and this is where the nurse has a lot of work to do. The nurse actually has a duty to explain herself clearly to Mrs. Nasser to win her heart. She must make Mrs. Nasser understand that the reason for the examination on the private part of her daughter is exclusively for medical purposes and nothing more. The nurse may even make room to win the trust of Mrs. Nasser further by allowing her to be present at the time of the examination since this is ethically permitted. Cuban Group Discussion 1 1. As a health-care provider, what are the typical Cuban communication patterns you need to be aware of in dealing with Mrs. Hernandez? Communication is an important aspect of the nursing practice. It becomes even more important when nurses have to communicate not just among themselves as professionals but must communicate with their clients and patients, who must understand the nurses as professionals from a layman point of view. Due to this, nurses must learn to make themselves understood through the use of the right and most appropriate communication mechanisms. Communication is therefore critical when it is done at the interpersonal relationship level. Even more critical is when nurses have to communicate with people from different cultural background. When this situation arises, the nurse does not just have to make the patient understand him or her as a professional from a layman point of view but that the nurse must do everything possible to ensure that the communication is appropriate from the judgment and perspective of the client or patient. With the instance of a Cuban, there are two important communications patterns to observe as a healthcare provider. These patterns are simpatia and personlismo. Simply put, these are communication patterns whereby Mrs. Hernandez as a Cuban would expert to observe characteristics such as courtesy, respect, and the absence of harsh criticism or confrontation in the nurse’s communication. She would also expert intimate interpersonal relationships over impersonal bureaucratic relationships. (Bernal, 1994). 3. Would you encourage Mrs. Hernandez to go to the botanica to purchase some herbs? How would you approach her desire to use herbs instead of the prescribed oral hypoglycemic agent? Without any attempts to look down on the choice taken by Mrs. Hernandez to use herbs, cautious steps will be taken to win her away from her decision to go to the botanica. To make this move succeed, there should be no attempt to indoctrinate Mrs. Hernandez to readily agree to use the prescribed oral hypoglycemic agent without explaining things closely to her. There should also not be any move to chastise the cultural belief of Mrs. Hernandez, which is very much rooted in the use of herbs instead of prescribed health centre medications. So even though Mrs. Hernandez will be encouraged to use the prescribed oral hypoglycemic agent, it would be done in a spirit of compromise and careful discourse. From her scenario, it can even be established that once Mrs. Hernandez agrees to go by the stipulated medical prescription, not only would she be benefiting as a person but also her family as well as it would help in preventing the continuation of the disease in the ranks of the family. This understanding is indeed a very good point to use in convincing Mrs. Hernandez to rescind her decision to go to the botanica. 4. Discuss some common folk practices that Cuban families may use to maintain health or cure common ailments. Cubans have a long history of the use of herbs in healing common ailments. This practice is commonly referred to as the folk practice of health care. There is very little research to doubt the authenticity of these herbal substitutes though many are the concerns that orthodox health professionals have raised on the issue. Particularly for the treatment of hypertension, which has been diagnosed of Mrs. Hernandez, she is most likely to resort to the use of Ocimum sanctums. Hibiscus sabdarifa may also be used in this same regard and for this same purpose.it must be reiterated that folk practices are not limited to the use of herbal medicines alone but for the fact that Mrs. Hernandex mentioned in particular the going to the botanica, it is very much likely that she would use herbal medicine such as the one mentioned. Mrs. Hernandez is still admonished to rely on orthodox medicine since most herbal medicines are ill-researched with reference to issues such as their expiring dates, storage process and dosage administration. Haitian Group Discussion 1 1. What are Haitain view of homosexuality? Without missing any words, there is negative attitude towards homosexuality in Haiti. This means that a typical Haitian views homosexuality as something very bad and out of order. There seem to be one major reason pointing to this way of thinking when existing literature are critically searched. The reason can be traced to the fact that human beings were created in two sex – male and female. Indeed, humans also have a mandate just as all other living things to reproduce. Certainly, the practice and ‘task’ of reproduction (procreation for that matter) cannot go on if humans engage in same-sex relationship. They therefore have a conclusive idea that humans were created to be heterosexual. As much as possible, Haitians try to speak against homosexuality and discourage its practice. The practice is spoken against at all levels of Haitian living-hood. For instance right from the legislative level to the ordinary citizenry, no one seems to have any open appreciation for the practice. This not withstanding, homosexuality is not exclusively absent in the Haitian community. There are people who practice homosexuality in secret. Well, the practice has not been declared illegal just that it is simply frowned upon. This perhaps may account for why some people do it but secretly. Even with the few people who try to go open about their homosexual status, their rights as citizens are still protected and not abused. Many are those who therefore believe that if the legislature could come clear to former ban the practice, then no mercy should be shown on people who practice it and are exposed. 2. If Ronald’s parents were to learn of his HIV positive status, how might they react if they are religious and traditional? For Ronald’s parents to hear of the HIV status of their son, it is very much likely that they will be highly disappointed in him from the go. Judging from a religious point of view however, they would be more disappointed in the fact that Ronald was a homosexual and that was the cause of his contraction of the disease than the mere fact that he has contracted HIV. This is because Christianity frowns on homosexuality just as the Haitian community in general. Just as the Haitian community, Christians are of the view that God mandates humans to give birth to fill the surface if the earth and this cannot be done if all humans were homosexuals. But for the mere fact that Ronald has HIV, not much disappointment could be expressed because HIV is not acquired exclusively by people who are involved in evil or bad practices or deeds. It is common knowledge that HIV is a blood transfused disease and that the transfusion could take place through the reckless exchange of blood that may not be sinful such as the sharing of sharp objects. Again, as traditional or religious people, the family must have learnt about having compassion for the needy and sick and so they will be obliged to do so. 3. Identify three culturally congruent strategies to address in designing HIV-prevention practices in the haitain community? The three cultural congruent strategies outlined by Leininger (1995) can best be applied in this situation. These are Cultural preservation or maintenance, Cultural care accommodation or negotiation and Cultural care re-patterning or restructuring. Through these strategies, the intervention on preventing HIV practices would be embrace methodologies that are used in the Western World but not commonly used in Haiti but have proven to prevent HIV. Some of these may include the use of condom during sexual intercourse. This is particularly mentioned because many are those in Haiti who for religious and traditional reasons frown on the use of condoms and other contraceptives. Jewish Group Discussion 1 1. How do you feel about Lisa’s request? Lisa’s request is not out of order especially as the hospital is not a religious hospital, where her request could be said to be violating particular religious rules of the hospital. As a general hospital, it is expected that there would be religious diversity and religious tolerance. This is not to say that every one should have the freedom to do whatever they want even if their acts go against the successful running of the hospital and affects the work output of the hospital. Clearly, there are religious practices that would not affect work output in any way and this is considered to be one. This stand is taken because Lisa is prepared to make up for the time she might not use because of Sabbath. If Lisa was asking for exempt or leave that would never be catered for again, that is when she would have been said to be abusing the others. Sight must not be lost of the fact that she is paid according to the hours she works and not the specific days for which she works. 2. How might this request be honored? As indicated earlier, Lisa’s request can be honored by allowing her to make up for the time she will not be at work. Indeed religious tolerance is the issue here but work out but the productivity are equally important. The fact that Lisa is in a high risk profession, which has to do with saving lives, she has very limited options than to accepting to make up for every thing but of time she absents herself from work for the sake of Sabbath. Lisa should therefore sit down with her superiors and humbly accept to either work extra hours on days that may not be Sabbath or change her working days that are Sabbath to days that she may originally be off. More to all this, it there must be a strict regulatory system to ensure that Lisa actually wakes up to the days she misses and tat she does not takethe previous working time of her clients for granted. Lisa should therefore get her request through with official permission letter to the board of the hospital. 3. Was the superior culturally competent in this situation? From every indication, Lisa’s superior did not show cultural maturity or cultural competence with the current issue at hand. This strong stand is taken because of his seemingly intolerant attitude towards cultural diversity and cultural difference. I have often said that if any of us were born into the other cultural setting or born into the other religion; we would have become followers of it. This is why we must always put ourselves in the shoes of other people and respect them regardless of their cultural or religious difference. There is no denying the fact that if the superior was in Lisa’s shoes, he would have wanted the favor to be done for him. A lot of cultural incompetence was shown even if reference to the approach used by the superior in refusing Lisa the offer. If for nothing at all, he should have applied the cultural congruent strategy of compromise. 4. If Lisa were to discuss the issue at a team meeting, how could she present her concerns? At a team or group meeting, Lisa would have a task of convincing all gathered of reasons why she deserves the request she has made. This is because that would be a bigger platform with even more dividing and transverse opinions. It is admonished that Lisa applies the cultural congruent strategies to convince the whole meeting to see eye in eye with her. This could be done explaining all these steps of the strategies particularly the part that admonishes health professionals to be compromising when it comes to cultural differences. She could also present her concern in a more appealing manner by explaining to them why she would not be cheating them because she would make it up for the days she would not be at work for the sake of Sabbath. REFERENCE LIST Bernal, G. (1994). Cuban families. In M. Uriarte-Gaston & J. Canas- Martinez (Eds.). Cubans in the United States (pp. 135–156). Boston: Center for the Study of the Cuban Community. Leininger J. (1995). Trans-cultural Nursing. Accessed February 5, 2012 from http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/transcultural_nursing.html Read More