NURSING IS CULTURAL

The incorporation of culture is necessary for nursing practice and supplying ethical care. Individuals are shaped by race, imperialism, economics, and political and societal effects, meaning we must pay attention to our assumptions, stereotypes, false sense of knowing and our own beliefs in order to avoid marginalization. Nursing and culture is a topic I have primarily focused on in this course as I fail to pay attention to other’s cultural beliefs as I do not really have one of my own. In Canada, our hospitals are primarily run according to Western medical practices, however, cultures such as the indigenous, Muslim, and Chinese communities, all hold their own ideas of how well-being should be restored. In saying that, it should be kept in mind that there is much research to support the success Western medicine serves in healing health problems, but this should not exclude the idea of incorporating these other views of care (Browne et al., 2016). As someone with a weak cultural background, I struggle to acknowledge how to properly address the many different cultures and beliefs within them. Almutairi and colleagues (2017) have suggested that incorporating courses regarding these different cultures, can benefit new nurses in becoming more culturally competent. This study also mentions that training in foreign areas and participating in mission trips can give nurses an eye-opening perspective of how other communities run (Almutairi et al., 2017). I feel fortunate to attend a school that acknowledges these strategies as Trent now requires students to enroll in an Indigenous studies course, as well as provides their nurses with the opportunity to practice in Central America. Greene-Morton and Minkler (2019) highlight how applying the critical lenses can also contribute to culturally safe care as this allows for positions of power to be considered, introduces the idea of colonialism and feminism, and promotes the use of proper language when communicating with other individuals. By recognizing the many characteristics that divide populations, nurses are able to address these inequalities and eliminate any health disparities (Greene-Morton & Minkler, 2019). I will make it my duty to increase my awareness of the different cultures around me and provide these individuals with the safest care possible.

References

Almutairi, A. F., Adlan, A. A., & Nasim, M. (2017). Perceptions of the critical cultural competence of registered nurses in Canada. BMC Nursing, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-017-0242-2

Browne, A. J., Varcoe, C., Lavoie, J., Smye, V., Wong, S. T., Krause, M., Tu, D., Godwin, O., Khan, K., & Fridkin, A. (2016). Enhancing health care equity with Indigenous populations: evidence-based strategies from an ethnographic study. BMC Health Services Research, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-016-1707-9

Greene-Morton, E., & Minkler, M. (2019). Cultural Competence or Cultural Humility? Moving Beyond the Debate. Sage Journals, 21(1), 142–145. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839919884912