Culturally Competent Nursing

Awesome article. But I do have a bit of a rant. I am all for cultural diversity and I have no problem providing care for ANYONE. But I do have to get annoyed when some patients (or family) thinks I should automatically know their customs and beliefs about healthcare or most anything else and provide care in that way. I would much rather a pt. TELL me and be upfront about their beliefs so that I can try to work with it as much as possible. It may not be as much of a problem on the units as a pt's chart will likely reflect their religion, but out in the streets or in the ER it may not be known. Then we get complaints and accusations of abuse due to a certain procedure or med. that we didn't know was against a pt's beliefs. It really gets aggravating when you're accosted by a mob of angry people accusing you of being insensitive or humiliating their family member. We've had it happen several times with pt's with an altered mental status. How the heck were we supposed to know?

for crying out loud, this is old school bullshiit, In New Zealand we're hammered with this cultural sensitivity bullshiit. I don't need to be told how to be culturally aware about my patients. If you treat people with respect, be aware that people have different values and ways of dealing with illness, and not be afraid to ask when unsure of something, plus being open to new ideas, there's no bloody problem.
In New Zealand to graduate we had to spend a night on a Marae (traditional maori village) where we were told how racist the health system was, as well as the legal system. In fact we were told the Maori should have a sepearte maori health system. Talk about reverse racism!!!
And yes, I've heard the story about too many relatives, refuses certain meds etc. Well, in an ideal world i'd love to have as many relatives as i'd like when i'm sick. We try to be accomadiing. Being seen to try is almost as important as acutally doing something extra and nice.

cultural differences is what makes us unique. it gives life flavor and spice. first of all we are all different to begin with. being aware of others cultures and differences allows us to give better quality health care. we can also learn from them and expand our already diverse knowledge. many times someone from another culture or belief can show us better ways to provide the care they may need. it should not matter gender sexual preference color or country of birth. after all we are all unique and special we are human. bourdony

The diversity of the people that we care for is one of the most beautiful things about our profession. Just by going to work every day you can open your eyes to all sorts of cultural differences.

Excellent article. In my OB class, one of the projects my students have to do is a cultural presentation. They have to research and do an inservice on the cultural beliefs regarding pregnancy, labor, post partum recovery, and neonatal care for a cultural group of their choice. I allow the students wide latitude in how they do their presentations, and encourage them to be inventive. They're lots of fun. Often the students will do skits, wear costumes, bring food, or cultural articles to enhance their presentations.

good article