Strengths
The completed test shows that basic knowledge on the culture and cultural empathy are adequate. During the completion of the test, I felt that I can be an effective healthcare providing. This is because I have appropriate reaction towards taking care and mastering the needs of others. I was pleased to note that not only do I have a strong need to bring humanity to the profession; I also have the skills and character to ensure integration of the humanistic aspect of nursing. Adamson et al (2011) indicates that nursing requires need to demonstrate a high rate of empathy: that is the unconditional and full acceptance of the conditions under which the patients are. It is only through being empathetic that a nurse can be able to provide holistic care for the patients. Holistic care is not just about the right treatment and medication; it is also about improving the psychological and social state of the patient. In line with this, the high scores on questions measuring empathy proved that nursing is the right career path for me. Today’s patients present with a myriad of problems and diverse characteristics. A nurse must be fully empathetic to be able to cope with the different cases, races and even nature of patients.
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Weaknesses
Acknowledging culture affects all aspects of life: to be fully empathetic, nurses need to understand that culture and various aspects of it are responsible for influencing patients, their treatment and even recovery. I am expected to understand the role of family culture in treatment. However, I have noted that this is a singular place that I would require improvement. This is because I tend to focus more on the treatment and care of the patient, sometimes electing to ignore the cultural biases of the patient. I tend to forget that what works for one patient may not work for another.
Views of the aging process: Grant et al (2013) states that families often ignore seeking intervention for their parents and loved ones who are either terminally ill or suffering from one ailment or another. In some cases such ailments are often translated as part of the aging process. Dreher and McNaughton (2002) show that nurses are required to understand and in some cases acknowledge families that delay seeking treatment for this reason. However, he continues majority of the nurses cannot appreciate the traditions and norms behind this behavior. This is an area where am having difficulty. Often I have viewed these families as backward and in some cases even cruel. It is important to understand that their decision is not made out of cruelty but simply culture and norms.
Suggestions for improvement
The most important aspect of trans-cultural treatment is complete understanding of community demographics. When a patient for example is African American, nurses often have pre-occupations and misinformation based on this simple aspect. However, there is need to understand that depending on year of immigration, place of birth, schooling, working and even social circle; characteristics of black Americans differ greatly. Truong et al (2014 ) state that misconceptions with regard to gender, race and even social class are common. In his study, for example he found that patients seeking healthcare in public health institutions were often considered not to be wealthy. This includes upper class who visited the emergency wing. Training is vital in hospitals and health centers to ensure that staff understands cultural dynamics.
References
Adamson, Jean, Warfa, Nasir, & Bhui, Kamaldeep. (2011). A case study of organizational cultural competence in mental healthcare. (BioMed Central Ltd.) BioMed Central Ltd.
Dreher, M., & McNaughton, N. (January 01, 2002). Cultural competence in nursing: foundation or fallacy?. Nursing Outlook, 50, 5.)
Grant, J., Parry, Y., & Guerlin, P. (January 01, 2013). An investigation of culturally competent terminology in healthcare policy finds ambiguity and lack of definition. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 37, 3, 250-256.
Truong, Mandy, Paradies, Yin, & Priest, Naomi. (2014). Interventions to improve cultural competency in healthcare: a systematic review of reviews. (BioMed Central Ltd.) BioMed Central Ltd.
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