Cultural Competency and Cultural Humility in Nursing Practice - Essay Example

? Cultural Competency and Cultural Humility in Nursing Practice Cultural Competency and Cultural Humility in Nursing Practice Culture is a diverse aspect in many regions across the globe. Different people are affiliated to a particular culture, race and ethnic diversity, and they maintain such. Since many people have undying respect for their culture it is almost impossible to change their cultural outlook. This has led to development of critical issues especially in the nursing profession. Nurses and physicians tend to encounter cultural diversity on a daily basis in the course of their working. Therefore, they have to ensure that the cultural, racial and ethnic diversity does not jeopardize their working criterion (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008). Similarly, the ethnic and cultural diversity should not affect the quality of their services. This calls for undivided attention from the nurses in getting to know the cultural affiliations better. This will ensure the nurses give unparalleled services to the people that need them. In essence, the nurses have to slot various approaches in giving equal services to the people from different cultural affiliations. This will ensure the nursing profession is offering top notch services that are not affected in any way. However, if nurses do not create a perfect approach in serving people from different cultures, they will not be in a position to give the best services to the different ethnic and cultural groups that need these services. The first preparation for the nurses and practitioners is initiated by the institution and governing bodies to ensure the services that are offered in the institutions are not jeopardized. This has been the situation in many institutions as they look for better ways to prepare the nurses and medical practitioners on how to serve the people that need these services (Anderson, Calvillo and Fongwa, 2007). Though they could be coming from different cultural groups, the nurses and medical practitioners should be able to serve all these people without any problem. As such, many institutions have been tirelessly working on this issue to ensure the nurses are well prepared to deal with patients from different cultural and ethnic groups (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008). With such preparations, most of the institutions are prepared to give the best services dispute the presence of different cultural and ethnic groups. In many instances, most of the institutions have incepted the idea of multicultural training of the physicians, nurses and medical practitioners. This approach has yielded substantial results to the nursing profession in reflection from the results. The multicultural training has been influential in changing nursing profession perspective to different ethnic and cultural groups. Many people have come up with models that try to explain the need for cultural humility and cultural competence in the nursing sector. Some of these models are explicit in their statements while other models bank on the basics of cultural competence. Therefore, for a nursing institution to achieve the best, it has to use a model that will ensure all the vital aspects are put into consideration (Tervalon and Garcia, 1998). The most prevalent model among the cultural care models is the self reflection and lifelong learner model. This is a model that has been used a number of times in the nursing profession to ensure people from different cultural affiliations are having the best services (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008). In many instances, there is need for the nurses to understand that the people they are serving are from different cultural affiliations. Therefore, they will have to ensure they give all the people high class services despite their difference in cultural affiliations. With such actions, it is likely that the nursing profession will be recording an improvement over time. The first aspect in this model is to have knowledge of all health beliefs and many other practices that are critically important. Different cultural affiliations have different health belief and they encounter these practices in their day to day life. They are closely connected to these beliefs and may not leave such beliefs. In some instances, the people have physical cultural practices that can never be changed. For instance, some cultural affiliations have a belief in a healing practice, which may include a cut on the body parts. This leaves a scar on the body. This scar will be present on the body for a long time and at times, the scars are permanent. Nurses should have an understanding of such practices as they are considered acceptable by the communities (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008). In many instances, the culture is transferred from one generation to another for continuity. Since there is continuity in these practices, it is virtually impossible to try and stop such a culture. Therefore, in making a positive approach to such, nurses, physicians and medical practitioners should consider these as acceptable practices that are respected by the different cultural affiliations. The other aspect that is openly expressed in this model is that nurses should not have stereotype behaviors while attending to patients from different cultural affiliations. Different cultures are known to have certain behaviors that are widely known. Such behaviors are often connected to other activities that could happen to a person. Since nurses are human beings, they are also exposed to such prevailing stereotypes. However, stereotype is something that should not be used in judging a person’s state of health. This will jeopardize the treatment that will be offered to the patient. Stereotype and propaganda are closely connected in that they do not give the truth about a person’s culture and ethnic group. Using such aspects in making decisions is likely to affect the way a person will be treated in the nursing institution (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008). For instance, there is a stereotype that a certain community is fond of wailing and exaggerating pain. If this information is spread in the nursing institution, it could be detrimental when a patient from the same culture visits the nursing institution. The patient could be writhing in pain due to injuries, but since there is a prevailing stereotype that the same ethnic group exaggerates pain, then the nurses will have little to do on the patient. This is due to the precedent information they have, which changes the approach they will use in attending to such a patient. However, if a different patient comes and is wailing in the same manner, the nurses are likely to attend to the patient with urgency. This is virtually affects the way nurses attend to different people. Reflection on this aspect ensures nurses attend to different patient from different ethnic groups with the same urgency (Anderson, Calvillo and Fongwa, 2007). Therefore, this model explains that using propagated information that is spread about a cultural group should not be used in judging a patients case. Another aspect on this model is the sensitivity to different cultures and their practices. A nurse or medical practitioner should be sensitive to a person’s culture and avoid any actions that could spark conflicts. In making this practical, this is an aspect that should be included n the learning practice (Clark, 2007). When the nurses have this in their curriculum, they are likely to have a better understanding and will serve all the patients with the respect they deserve (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008). For instance, some cultural groups have ardent practices in their dressing. Therefore, they will maintain their dress code even when they are in the nursing institution. A nurse that does not have ample knowledge about this practice is likely to differ with the patient. For instance, some cultural affiliations have a practice where most of the people have to wear clothes that cover most of their body parts. This could irritate some nurses as they do not feel the need. With such a notion, they are not likely to serve such patients with utter respect. However, inclusion of such instances in their learning experience ensures they are prepared to tackle such situation. A prevalent aspect in this model is the issue of self consciousness. This is a constructive process which the nurses have to reflect on their own health. In this practice, the nurses have to go into deep and conscious thinking about their own culture and the different cultural practices. They have to find a multidimensional differences and how they differ from other cultures. This is a step of cultivating self awareness of the nurses and their culture. This brings the nurses to a better understanding of the whole issue of multicultural dimension in cultures (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008). Since they have noted there is a difference in the cultural affiliations, they will accord better treatment to any person from a different culture. In essence, this is an aspect that is directed towards recognition and respect for other people from other cultures. Different people have cultural priorities that they cherish and are not in any way leaving such practices. Therefore, the nurses have to respect their decision to respect such practices. To make this a successful approach in the nursing profession, there should be reliance on cultural humility. Cultural humility is openly stated as the pride a clinician or nurse has towards the personal cultural affiliation. Nurses in the nursing profession have to consider their culture, their beliefs and practice (Anderson, Calvillo and Fongwa, 2007). This will prepare the nurses in attending to different people while in the profession. However, the nurses and clinicians are advised not to take their cultural belies and practice as universal practices. Taking their cultural practices as universal practices jeopardizes the manner in which they serve their patients. Secondly, cultural humility is vital in nursing since it is a way of ensuring nurses and clinicians get to know about different cultures (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008). Though they have to gather vast information about different cultures, it is prudent to learn from the patient. This will ensure the patient is served according to their culture and according to the way the patient wants. Lastly the nurses should be aware that certain traits are only applicable to certain cultural groups. Therefore, some activities should only apply to some patients who are in line with the activities. However, performing such activities to everyone is not acceptable. In conclusion, the nursing profession needs cultural humility in offering unsurpassed care to the patients. Patients from different cultural affiliations and ethnicity have different practices and beliefs. Therefore, their beliefs and practices should be respected to the latter. This issue demands for utter vigilance on the side of nurses and practitioners to ensure the patients are dully respected. This will ensure the patients are comfortable with all the services that are given by the institution. References American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008). Cultural competency in baccalaureate nursing education. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/leading-initiatives/education-resources/competency.pdf Anderson, N. L., Calvillo, E. R., & Fongwa, M. O. (January 2007). Community-based approaches to strengthen cultural competency in nursing education and practice. New York: Sage Publications. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, Supplement to vol. 18 no. 1. CLARK, L. (2007). Commentary on “community-based approaches to strengthen cultural competence in nursing education and practice” New York. J Transcult Nurs 2007 18: 60S. Tervalon, M. & Garcia, M. (May 1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence. Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved. May 1998; 9, 2; Read More