Service Learning Reflection Essay

Cultural competency can be described as the ability to interact with different cultures in a positive manner. Many cultural differences can become apparent in a number of situations. According to Fadiman, doctors have a moral duty to save lives even if they don’t agree with the values or beliefs of someone else’s culture (1997). This paper will address the topic of cultural competency, with a concentration on the importance of cultural competency in the medical field. It is hard to imagine how frustrating it may be to come across a patient that resists a professional’s opinion because they have solid beliefs or do not understand what doctors are attempting to convey.

Humans are complex and diverse beings that belong to different cultures, speak different languages, and have different perspectives on the world they live in. When cultures collide, it can be difficult to empathize and respect the differences that exist. Cultural sensitivity is, “The ability to be appropriately responsive to the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of groups of people that share a common and distinctive racial, national, religious, linguistic or cultural heritage” (Arnold & Boggs, 2016, p. 119). Cultural sensitivity and effective communication, especially in the health care setting, are essential to bridging cultures and creating a common understanding.

It is crucial that we understand ourselves, our culture and our world, but it is at the same time crucial that we are open to new philosophies, opinions and ideas. No one culture, race, or group, is superior, and it is not until we have an understanding of this that we are truly able to flourish as a society. “… the culture of biomedicine is equally powerful. If you can’t see that your own culture has its own set of interests, emotions, and biases, how can you expect to deal successfully with someone else’s culture” (Fadmin, 1997, 261) It is critical to understand the value of your culture, in each culture we have different interests, ideas, and values, things that are important to us.

My capstone project is about the need for nurses to learn about cultural diversity, cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity. This has been a fascinating project to explore and I am learning about so many cultural beliefs. When a patient's cultural practice is understood competent patient care is rendered and health care disparities are eliminated. For example, in some cultures many people believe that illness and evil can be prevented by following strict religious codes, morals and practices.

In a culturally diverse country like the United States, healthcare professionals such as nurses will work with people of different cultural backgrounds who have different view of health and illness. Mcgoldrick, Giordano & Preto (2006) concluded that a sense of well-being in terms of physical and mental health within a societal context is strongly affected by cultural identity. Shared values, behaviors, beliefs and ethno-cultural attitudes of a community influence life experiences and decision we make (Yolanda & Griselda, 2006). With this in mind, it is essential for the nurses recognize the importance patients’ cultural values rooted in their health seeking behaviors. Culture Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines culture as a

Individual cultures and belief must be recognized and respected. Cultural understanding is the extensive logic to be cognizance, attentive and application of information and knowledge associated with ethnicity, culture, gender, or sexual coordination in clarifying and appreciative circumstances and reactions of individuals in their environment. Critical assessment on each of the patient individually is very important and cultural assumptions concerning patient 's beliefs or health practices should be avoid. Several areas should be considered when assessing cultural beliefs of patients, such as individual insight of illness and management, the social organization comprising family, communication activities, pain expression, general health care beliefs, previous experience with care, and language. Cultural practices associated with nonverbal communication in the course of conversation are very important.

1. Describe three possible interventions to address the potential negative consequences of general healthcare quality improvement programs (eg. pay for performance and quality reporting) on racial and ethnic healthcare disparities. Reference: • Robin M. Weinick and Romana Hasnain-Wynia. Quality Improvement Efforts Under Health Reform: How To Ensure That They Help Reduce Disparities --Not

Through this program I hope to learn the fundamentals of community based research, how to advocate for health policy, a most importantly how to educate communities on health. I believe that is the most rewarding thing I can get out of this program. Having the ability, the power, to change someone’s life, by just giving him or her basic health care knowledge is so empowering. Knowing that I changed that life, that because of me hopefully their health will better instead of worsen. Through this program I hope to learn from the community, to learn their experiences, which will allow me to be even more conscious of the disparities they are forced to face, hence causing me to ponder “how can this issue be fixed?”, “what policy can be implemented”?.

My goals for this course is to gain a better understanding regarding health care initiatives and health promotion. Take the practical information, tools and incorporate into everyday practice. Since I have been working associate degree nurse (ADN) for 21 years. The topic for my first paper was "Why BSN are better nurses than ADN nurse" my first thought is their not. I took away after research that ADN focuses more on the task at hand and BSN have a better understanding of theory and

If nurses lack of understanding regarding community demographics and cultural differences, they can have unintentional bias, and stereotype patients due to a lack of awareness of the cultural demographics of the community they serve (Camphinha-Bacote, 2011). Cultural competence is the understanding of different cultures and how that impacts the provision of patient care. Cultural competence in nursing is defined as one willingness or the desire to understand a patient’s culture, the ability to learn about a defined cultures belief system, and to work effectively as a healthcare provider understanding the dynamics of the patient’s culture as it relates to their relationships and care (Kardong-Edgren et Al.,

This culture and the Australian Aboriginal culture have more similarities than differences regarding their cultural values and beliefs. One of the major similarity was the importance of transferring culture from generations through connecting culture in all aspects of life, such as traditional dances, where participation in such cultural traditions expressed one 's identity. In both these cultures, there are mainly three ways cultural wisdom have been passed onto younger generations, which are through family, society, and school. One such knowledge is the importance and benefits of a healthy lifestyle, emphasized through an individual 's diet and exercise (Crowe, Stanley, Probst & McMahon, 2017). These cultural values and traditions help

Cultural competency: Indians Culture competency is defined as one has the knowledge, the abilities and the skill to deliver care congruent with the patient’s cultural beliefs and practices (Purnell, 2013). As a nurse or a health care provider, increasing ones consciousness of culture diversity improves the possibilities for health care practitioners to provide competent care (Purnell, 2013). Nurses and all health care providers should be aware of other cultures to provide the best care that they can for that individual. Developing a relationship with diverse cultural groups involves good interpersonal skills and the application of knowledge and techniques learned from the physical, biological, and social sciences as well as the humanities (Purnell, 2013). I am choosing to select the Indian culture for my first assignment.

Nurses must develop cultural competency to effectively and accurately assess, develop, and implement nursing interventions designed

Over the past four months, this course has been one of the most eye-opening experiences I have had during my first year of college. Although I have always realized the importance of being culturally competent in daily life, specifically healthcare, I was unaware of the many ways that cultural competence can be obtained. This class gave me the opportunity to view situations from a different perspective, especially through the weekly discussion boards and peer responses. Learning from classmate can teach more valuable lessons than listening to boring lectures or reading hundreds of pages in a textbook because it is easier to relate to experience rather than hypothetical situations. For example, one of the discussion boards asked us to detail

Community service does not only have a profound impact on our community, but the impact it has on the individual people is even greater. The concept of community service has always been something that I grew up with, and now that I am older I better understand how important community service is for society. I have participated in community service activities. Starting in elementary school, I helped feed the homeless and rescue animals. Even with my wide range of volunteer experience, it was difficult to find an activity that would be meaningful and fulfill my thirty-hour obligation for my senior project.