Cultural Competency and Diversity - Essay Example

Cultural competency Nurses need to understand their own worldviews and those of the patients and avoid stereotypes and misapplication of scientific knowledge in order to be culturally competent. Cultural competence among the nurses refers to the extraction of information from a certain source and the application of that knowledge professionally (ACE, 2011). In nursing, cultural competence allows one to see the entire picture of the quality care and health outcomes. Cultural competency programs entail evaluation, continuous adaptation and reevaluation of the way things occur.

Cultural diversity in nursing tests the ability of the individual to care truly about the patients, demonstrate clinical proficiency and show cultural competence (Miller, 2008). Adapting different cultural beliefs and practices requires flexibility of the nurses and a respect for others’ point of view. Cultural competency calls for nurses to listen really to the patient and learn about the health beliefs of the patients and the illness (ACE, 2011). To provide a culturally appropriate care, a nurse needs to know and understand culturally influenced health behaviors.

In their training, the nurses learn how to respect the rights and dignity of clients at their disposal. However, as the world literally becomes small, the nurses do interact with individuals from the various cultures (ACE, 2011). Therefore, competency and respect for others are very necessary in the due course of their operation. Cultural diversity is prevalent in our society and this has a clear demonstration in the clients and the co-workers of the health care system. The beliefs of different persons about the medical health care may be difficult to understand.

Therefore, the nurses have to develop cultural competency that requires them to have awareness of the numerous belief systems that exist (Miller, 2008). Cultural sensitivity, which includes stereotyping, discrimination, and racism, may portray intention to offend someone else. The nurses should never assume any individual stance based on beliefs, cultural practice, or thoughtful manner. They should instead show respect for their clients irrespective of their personality or religious background.

Nurses should up hold a sensitive and effective communication whether verbally or non-verbally (ACE, 2011). Generally, cultural sensitivity and cultural competency are important parts of nursing that provide respect for others in the basic introductory course of nursing. Cultural sensitivity and competency contribute to the development of an effective nurse-client relationship but, unlike other cultural aspects of nursing, they remain forever. Beliefs about Health and Wellness The health and the wellness of an individual rely solely on the integrated effects of the mind.

This trait is set in the mind of the individual in the backdrop of the environment where the individual is brought up. The western culture disregards holism and considers wellness in terms of the modern medicine. This belief totally contrasts with that of most of the traditional cultures across the globe (Miller, 2008). Varied cultures may share remarkable similarities in their healing modalities, especially when considering the isolation of one another in the healing knowledge process. The world is experiencing a growing demand for wellness as the age of individual progresses.

Wellness is not just the absence of disease but comprises of teachings of the old ways where the individual balances the mind, body, and emotions. It means living in harmony with all aspects of one’s environment (ACE, 2011). It is having a sound cultural identification that is generally recognizable. Illness crops in when the balance of wholeness is broken. There are as many cultural beliefs about healing as the number of communities. This is because of the isolated cultural evolutionary process in the context for the need of health and wellness (Miller, 2008).

These beliefs have a remarkable degree of similarity in the principles of comparing the rich and the varied cultures in the global community. Traditionally, some shared values like giving equal importance to the parts and creating a pleasing wholeness are parts of the aboriginal culture. Some communities hold aboriginal importance to the connectedness of nature and the idea of healthy living. Most of the communities believe in complete connection between mental, physical, and the emotional elements of living (ACE, 2011).

The western medical practice tends to focus on physical health as the holistic approach to the medical treatment and ignore most of the commonly held beliefs on spirit and emotions. Cultural beliefs about health and wellness have connections with cultural diversity in the nursing field (ACE, 2011). Researches show that the diverse needs in the healthcare practices of the clients depend on the cultural beliefs of the same. The society expects the nursing to be culturally competent and flexible to handle the diverse cultural beliefs.

We can conclude that cultural beliefs and diversity are similar and operate together. The diversification of health care opportunities is proportionate to the number of the expected cultural beliefs. Valuing the diversity of the patient’s beliefs increases the effectiveness of nursing care of the center in question. Nurses should be culturally sensitive in the health care interventions for their clients. They should practice respect for others’ beliefs and points of view (Miller, 2008). Researches have also shown that respect for patient’s beliefs promotes their health and a healthy living too.

The nurses should also have respect over the patient’s disease prevention activities if at all they are effective (ACE, 2011). To enhance cultural diversity, nursing need to study the effects of culture on the psychology, emotion, and physique of the patient. Nursing care should have basis on a culturally informed nursing science. References ACE. (2011). Adult Education for Health and Wellness: New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Miller, C. (2008).

Nursing for Wellness in Older Adults. New York: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.