Christy, upon learning about the differences in her culture and the patient 's, could have begun by finding out more about the beliefs of the patient. This would have made it less frustrating to deal with Rose and her family, as she would have understood their cultural beliefs and practices, hence caring for the patient appropriately. In addition, …show more content…
I am of the opinion that we all need to be culturally competent, especially in the diverse word that we are living in today, so that human interaction can be comfortable. As a nurse, I recognize I am not as culturally skilled as I think I am. Although I am not as clueless as Christy, but I understand that I must improve my cultural proficiency, widening diversity to cultures that I have not come across yet, but I am likely to in the future, as well as the impact of cultural diversity on health (Anderson, 2014).
I have learned that it is imperative to learn as much as I can about a family or patient of different cultural background when I meet or treat them for the first time. Also, I should bear in mind that their beliefs and practices may differ from my own. Another point I have learned is to understand my patient’s explanatory model. I should try to understand my patient or his/her family members’ perception on illness. That is, their different ways of understanding illness (USDHHS, …show more content…
This can be achieved by analyzing demographic data to depict the composition of the local community and especially the organization’s patient population. Furthermore, organization can then conduct micro-targeting surveys to determine needs for the specific communities. Another vital approach to improving cultural competence is the embracement of community engagement. Organizations such as hospitals and health care systems can communicate the information gathered from community surveys to the members and leaders of each respective population. This information can be used to initiate and as a focal point for staff education on cultural competence (Health Research & Educational Trust,