Culturally Competent Health Practitioner - Coursework Example

Identify and discuss the particular issues you need to address to become a culturally competent practitioner in the Australian health care system. Introduction The health care system of Australia is maintained on the level of the federal government as well as at the level of the six state governments. The public sector as well as the private sector, both contributes to the health care system of the country. The government has funded and developed a universal health care program, Medicare. The institute gets around seventy percent funding from the public sector for patients’ care while the rest is compensated by individual pays or insurances. Added to this are the numerous private hospitals and clinics working for the citizens and maintaining the highest level of competency. Since there is an increased contribution by the private sector in the Australian health care system, correspondingly there is an increase in the private regulatory authorities in addition to the government authorities for the monitoring and the overview of the practices of healthcare. Nursing and Midwifery Council: Role and Functioning in Australian Health Care System The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC) Incorporated were established in 1992 with a view to regularizing and monitoring the nursing and midwifery practices. The ANMC role is quite critical in Australian health care system; ANMC develops standards for regularized nursing and midwifery practices. ANMC operates amongst all the Australian states and also it involves regional Nursing and Midwifery Regulatory Authorities (NMRA) for forming standards. The standards given by ANMC are applicable for all the segments of population and their major aim is to ensure equality of delivery of quality health services for all (Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2006). The ANMC has also undertaken to regularly monitor the services being rendered by health practitioners, be they beginners, professionals, or in the middle of their careers. The individuals of the health sector have to maintain a balance at their professions and have to be up to the standards set by the ANMC at all times as their conduct is being continuously monitored and checked. The presence of this regulatory authority also helps in maintain a unified standard through out the country. Since the authority of ANMC and its standards are applicable to all public and private health institutes, so both the public and private sectors have to maintain the code that has been set down by the ANMC. National Competency Standards: An Overview The Australian nursing and midwifery council formed many standards to regularize the work of health care practitioners especially for nurses and midwives. Apart from creating the standards, the council is also involved in reviewing the existing standards to remove any discrepancies and also to improve the standards in accordance with latest trends and events. Few professional standards by ANMC include: RN Competency standards, EN Competency Standards, Midwifery Competency standards and Code of Ethics for Nurses etc. The national competency standards target the registered nurses and it gives us the main standards through which our performance and competency is assessed and measured. The Council also provides a criterion for obtaining a license. Therefore in order to get the license for practising and to continue in the field it is very important for me to understand and follow the framework given by the competency standards (National Competency Standards for Registered Nurses, January 2006). The Nurses and Mid-wives who have been registered should have a complete understanding of the laws that govern the health sector. They should be able to assess the plans and understand the medical practices. In addition to being able to courageously face challenging situations, they should also be able to differentiate between a right procedure and a wrong one. They should be competent enough to understand their own duties and should be learned and confident to the level that they could make decision in the absence of their seniors, but within their medical jurisdiction. The registered nurses should be able to do a complete assessment of their professional domains as explained (National Competency Standards for Registered Nurses, January 2006). They should be able to coordinate between the different departments for the best services that could be provided to the patients. The nurses and midwives should have the ability of critical assessments and analytical thinking so that they could care for the patients according to the evidence-based practices. The should also be competent in therapeutic practices so that they have a friendly communication with all the groups and should be able to utilize this for the best medical practices. Australia: A Cross Cultural Society Australia is a country that is harbouring people from many different nations with different cultures, belief systems as well as values. The majority of the population of Australia is of British or Irish descent but after the World War I, the government launched an ambitious immigration plan. In the year 2008-09, alone, Australia has allowed an immigration of three hundred thousand people. This has in turn given rise to a population that has shows a great diversity of culture, attitudes and beliefs. The Australian society is an emerging and evolving society that is as yet coming to grips with its diversity and trans-cultural aspects. “The cultural diversity of Australia is considered to be a strength that will assist this nation to take advantage of, and meet the challenges that come with participating in the rapidly changing ‘global village'. (2008, Griffiths, Daly)” In this introduction of the article, the efforts of the government at the federal and state level to bring about harmony and equity amongst the diverse population of Australia have been emphasised. When the cultural diversity of the minority factions is realized and respected, and when the majority of the population has overcome its bias or neutrality, the cultural diversity that has developed in Australia over the years will be truly celebrated and benefited from. Cultural Competence The National Council for Cultural Competence has recognized a wide-ranging definition of Cultural Competence: “Cultural competence is a set of congruent behaviours, attitudes and policies that come together in a system, agency or among professionals and enable that system, agency or those professionals to work effectively in cross cultural situations” (Cross et al. 1989). Observed and identified at the level of individuals where it matters, the term implies “The ability to identify and challenge one’s cultural assumptions, one’s values and beliefs. It is about developing empathy and connected knowledge, the ability to see the world through another’s eyes, or, at the very least, to recognize that others may view the world through different cultural lenses (Fitzgerald 2000).” The implications of cultural competence are important for any profession, but for the health practitioners, the term takes a completely different perspective. The paradigm of individuals in general does not actually cause anything more than a general hurt but the health practitioners are the givers and saviours of life. It is of utmost importance that they understand the standards of equity and neutral as well as empathetic attitude to all their patients. Since the nurses or mid-wives are in a more close proximity, their need for this understanding and its execution is of paramount importance. For sustainable and constant developments in this regard, it is important that all involved, from patients to health practitioners, remain in constant collaboration on the subject and work for the required goals. National Competency Standards to Ensure Cultural Competence As a nurse I might encounter different type of patients while working in clinics and hospitals. All these patients come from different backgrounds and belong to various parts of society; they can be divided on the basis of race, religion, culture, age gender, social class and sexual preferences. My duty is therefore to cater to the needs of each and every individual patient (as well as his or her family and friends), and maintain certain health care standards while doing so. This is definitely not an easy task and I understand that in order to become an effective nurse I need to train as well as familiarize myself with current practices, health standards and code of ethics devised by Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council. Another key ingredient in improving this skill is the experience I will acquire and enrich during the course of my career. With this valuable experience I can help improve and review current standards as well. After registration as a nurse I would be required to practice according the national competency standards as my performance will be continuously measured on the basis of these standards, and the acquisition and renewal of my nursing practicing license will depend on this assessment. I have provided a thorough definition of Cultural Competence and also emphasized the significance it holds for people belonging to my profession i.e. nursing. The national competency standards also include sections dealing with cultural competence. The key standards I need to adopt to achieve cultural competence are standard: “Practices within a Professional and Ethical Nursing Framework” and its subsections and also standard: “Establishes, maintains and appropriately concludes therapeutic Framework” and its consequent sub-sections. The detail of these standards and my perspective on them is given below. Competency Standard 2: “Practices within a Professional and Ethical Nursing Framework” This standard measures the fact that whether I am practicing in accordance with the nursing profession’s codes of ethics and conducts or not. While keeping in mind cultural competence this standard (sub section 2.1) gives me guidelines so that I: “accept individual groups regardless of their race, culture, religion, age, gender, sexual preference, physical or mental state. ensure that personal values and attitudes are not imposed on others conduct assessments that are sensitive to the needs of individuals/groups recognize and accepts the rights of others maintain an effective process of care when confronted by differing values, beliefs and biases seek assistance to resolve situations involving moral conflict identify and attempts to overcome factors which may constrain ethical decisions in consultation with the health care team (ANMC National Competency Standards for the Registered Nurses, 2006)” In another clause of competency standard 2 few clear indications for nurses are provided as to how they can preserve the “cultural values, dignity, beliefs, and other rights of individuals and groups”. In order to accomplish this I should: demonstrate respect for individual/group common and legal rights in relation to health care identify and adheres to strategies to promote and protect individual/group rights consider individual/group preferences when providing care clarify individual/group requests to change and/or refuse care with relevant members of the health care team advocate for individuals/groups when rights are overlooked and/or compromised accept individuals/groups to whom care is provided regardless of race, culture, religion, age, gender, sexual preference, physical or mental state ensure that personal values and attitudes are not imposed on others undertake assessments which are sensitive to the needs of individuals/groups recognize and accepts the rights of others maintain an effective process of care when confronted by differing values, beliefs and biases provide appropriate information within the nurse’s scope of practice to individuals/groups consult relevant members of the health care team when require question and/or clarifies orders and decisions that are unclear, not understood or questionable question and/or clarifies interventions that appear inappropriate with relevant members of the health care team (ANMC National Competency Standards for the Registered Nurses, 2006) By preparing my self to be tested against competency standard 2.4 which is designed to check my capabilities to support patients (individually or in a group), and other stakeholders like fellow employees etc, I am enhancing my skills to: identify when resources are insufficient to meet care needs of individuals/groups communicate skill mix requirements to meet care needs of individuals/groups to management protect the rights of individuals and groups and facilitates informed decisions identify and explains policies/practices which infringe on the rights of individuals or groups clarify policies, procedures and guidelines when rights of individuals or groups are compromise recommend changes to policies, procedures and guidelines when rights are compromised (ANMC National Competency Standards for the Registered Nurses, 2006) After a through study of the above related standards it is easy for me to understand the challenges that I might face while carrying out my work responsibilities. My skills and work practices will be measured on the basis of above mentioned criteria and afterwards decision to renew my nursing license will be made. The above mentioned standards are not just assessment criteria but also tools that will aid me in making critical decisions and providing effective health care and administrative services. Competency Standard 9: "Establishes, maintains and appropriately concludes therapeutic relationships" This standard also relates to the interrelationship between different communities and the health practitioners. As nurse, I am required to promote the feelings of the integrity and respect of the groups and individuals. The nurses should also maintain their therapeutic relations and should be able to indentify and achieve gals in this regard. Also the nurses are required to collaborate with the different communities and advise them about the best health practices. The nurses are also required to collaborate with the communities and asses their different psychological approaches and treat them accordingly with it. Measures to bring about Improvement Some one seventy five million people, including fifteen million refugees, live outside the country of their birth according to the United Nations survey (ed. Papadopoulos, 2006). There is an array of problems related to the resultant multi-cultural health care system that is being faced by the health practitioners all over the globe. The problem faced by Australia is unique in the sense that the population migrated to Australia is a part of the nation. In order to treat them, it becomes imperative to understand their cultural background, belief systems, moral and social values. In order to develop a culture where the different backgrounds and nationalities will not be taken into regard before providing medical care, the health practitioners should make sure that the all communities have complete access to the health care facilities, the communities might be gathered in one particular area, and as statistics show, a community may be a part of the lower strata of the society. This also holds true for the social classes that are defined as lower-middle classes or the poor of the society. Not having access to basic health care will lead to discrimination in the imparting of the health care facilities. Further there should be equity; equal treatment of all the patients by all the health practitioners involved. Facilities, advice as well as social conduct should be same with the members of different communities. Catering to people from different cultural backgrounds also means that there will be a need to develop different procedures. The psychological treatment is as important as the physical treatment and the patients may be tuned to and trained according to their backgrounds. Keeping all the different types of people onboard while administering the practices of health, is the basic and most important necessity. Although it is of greatest importance that as a nurse, all individuals do not have the innate bias and prejudice, however another important factor is that even without bias, there might be some practices and traditions that are not understandable to me, and I should make it a point to be understanding and sympathetic at that particular time when I am confronted with customs that are different from mine. It should be made sure on individual levels of the health practitioners as well as on collective level that the development and progress procedures always include input from minority communities with various background so that the future policies as well as future personal conducts are based on a broad horizon. Conclusion Health is the foundation of growth for any society and the progress that will be the basis of all ensuing progress. A healthy society will produce healthy individuals, who will be able to show marked development in the fields of humanities, arts, science and technology, as well as all other social sectors. The attitudes in the health sector will also go a long way in creating harmony and synchronization in the society. When minority communities will be treated with respect and empathy here, they will gain a confidence and become more productive members of society. In addition, the humanitarian aspect of the health sector is the most important one that should be always kept foremost. The standards set by the authorities for the health practitioners should be continuously monitored by each individual so that the standard is completely complied with. At the same time, the room for improvement should be monitored by all stakeholders, patients, doctors, nurses and administration. Continuous meetings and collaborations between them and vigilance in this regard will keep the standards maintained in this regard. References: Griffiths and Daly, Y 2008, “Towards a Culturally Competent Nurse Workforce”, Contemporary Nurse, vol. 28/1-2. Available from: http://www.contemporarynurse.com/archives/vol/28/issue/1-2/article/2333/towards-a-culturally-competent-nurse-workforce Cross, T., Bazron, B., Dennis, K., Issacs, M., 1989, Towards a culturally competent system of care Volume 1, Washington DC: Georgetown University Child Development Centre, CASSP Technical Assistance Center. Fitzgerald, M.H. (2000) ‘Establishing cultural competency for mental health professionals’, in V. Skultans & J. Cox (Eds.) Anthropological approaches to psychological medicine: 184-200. London: Jessica Kingsley Papadopoulos, Irena (ed.) 2006, Transcultural Health and Social Care: Development of Culturally Competent Practitioners, Elsevier Health Sciences, USA. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2006, National Competency Standards for Registered Nurse. Available from: [January 2006] Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2006, Available from: Read More