Nursing and Cultural Safety Assessment 1

This article discusses nursing perspectives, cultural diversity, communication strategies, and more in Nursing and Cultural Safety Assessment 1. It also covers the impact of discrimination, trauma, and negative attitudes on marginalized groups such as asylum seekers. The article emphasizes the importance of culturally appropriate and safe practice in the Australian healthcare context.

Running head: NURSING AND CULTURAL SAFETY
Nursing and cultural safety (Assessment 1)
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Table of Contents
Assessment 1:..................................................................................................................................2
Question 1:...................................................................................................................................2
Question 2:...................................................................................................................................3
Question 3:...................................................................................................................................3
Question 4:...................................................................................................................................4
Question 5:...................................................................................................................................6
Question 6:...................................................................................................................................6
Question 7:...................................................................................................................................7
Question 8:...................................................................................................................................9
Question 9:...................................................................................................................................9
Question 10:...............................................................................................................................10
References:................................................................................................................................11

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Assessment 1:
Question 1:
a. In context of nursing perspectives, it is very important for the nursing professionals to
be very open-minded and inclusive of all cultural backgrounds and respectful
incorporation of all cultural perspectives in the practice scenario (Banks, 2015). As a
nursing professional myself, I had always been very open-minded and inclusive
regarding the different cultures. I would also like to mention the fact in this context
that my family also had a very open-minded perspective regarding cultural diversity.
As a result, I had also been taught the similar principles which has helped me develop
a culturally inclusive and respectful approach to diversity devoid of any disrespect or
bias directed to anyone.
b. Self-awareness can be defined as the ability present in a human being to be able to
understand the impacts of their actions and accordingly improve their decision
making (Forehand & Kotchick, 2016). On the other hand, social awareness can be
defined as the ability that helps a person comprehend and adequately respond to the
different needs of the rest of the members of the society. However, in context of the
social awareness I would like to mention that regardless of a very culturally
appropriate and unbiased upbringing, I still have a couple of limitations that have
restricted my ability to enhance my social and self-awareness. First and foremost, I
am an introvert which has restricted me from enhancing my social awareness. Along
with that, I lack the ability or apathy to use technology, which has also hindered me
from social awareness.

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c. In order to improve my self and social awareness I would require to engage myself in
different community engagement services and interaction session to help improve my
interacting abilities.
Question 2:
Diversity can be considered as one of the greatest concerns of the present day society and
the need for understanding the concept of diversity has become extremely imperative, especially
for the health and social care context (Gay, 2013). According to Markus (2014), diversity can be
defined as the understanding that each and every individual in the society is different and unique.
Hence, it can be mentioned that the concept of diversity requires us to not only acknowledge the
differences between different members of the society but also be able to recognize, accept and
respect the differences (Banks, 2015).
Question 3:
a. Political diversity can be considered as a framework that helps the population of a nation
in order to provide a representative governance that can impact the decision making
process and affect the livelihood (Duarte et al., 2015). A politically diverse framework in
the health industry will allow different positive policy decisions in the health context
b. Social diversity is a state that allows the community to be able to provide equal status to
all different by caste, class, religion, occupational pattern in a given territory. The impact
of social diversity is extreme on the personal and professional life. It has to be mentioned
that socially diverse community will have a very open and equal professional scenario
where each and every consumer is treated equally regardless of their social status (Inbar
& Lammers, 2012).

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c. Economic diversity can be defined as the diversity in the economic structures that relates
with the relative importance of the different economic activities for the aggregate output.
The impact of economic diversity ill have a very stabilizing impact of the financial status
of the population of the community (Nicita & Pagano, 2013).
d. Cultural diversity is by far one of the most impactful concepts within the construct of
diversity (Forehand & Kotchick, 2016). The impact of cultural diversity is optimal on
both personal and professional aspects of life. A culturally diverse workplace will have a
positive impact of cultural and self-awareness of the person and will also help overcome
any bias.
Question 4:
a.
Key area Examples
Disability e.g. physical
disability
Muscular dystrophy
Culture, race, ethnicity Aboriginal and Torres strait islanders
Religious or spiritual
beliefs
Islam
Gender, including
transgender
Gay men
Intersex
People with any hormonal, physiological or genetic traits that
are neither completely male nor female
Generational Different age groups such as elderly and youth
Sexual orientation and/or
sexual identity
Transgender
b. International: The international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights
(OHCHR, 2018)

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National: National aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Women’s alliance (NATSIWA ,
2018)
State: NSW community mental health strategy (Australian State and Territory policies,
plans and legislation, 2018)
Territory: Aged care diversity framework (Agedcare.health.gov.au., 2018)
Local: Mind diversity and inclusion framework (Mindaustralia.org.au, 2018)
c. The consequences of breaching the legislative requirement ranges from professional
demotions, monetary fine and even suspension and legal proceedings in severe cases.
d. While caring for a diverse client a care professional will have to be very careful regarding
the ethical and legal frameworks. Along with that, the care professional will need to be
very careful regarding respecting the dignity and cultural identity of the patient under
consideration (OHCHR, 2018).
e. Universal declaration of the human rights have been drafted by the representatives of the
various legal and cultural backgrounds belonging to each and every region of the world
that are proclaimed by the United Nations general assembly held in Paris on 10th of
December in 1948. It is a milestone document in the history of human rights stating
recognition of the dignity and of the equal and incontrovertible rights of all members of
the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world (Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, 2018).
f. Human needs can be any regular need expressed by any human being and besides human
rights represent the series of fundamental rights covering virtually every area of human
activity including civil and political rights.

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g. Al legal frameworks including international, national, state, territory, and local legal
frameworks along with the human rights protection policies are used in order to protect
the human rights in the workplace.
Question 5:
The Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship: This is one of
the most useful resources for the Australian people belonging to multicultural backgrounds to
find help regarding any sorts of discrimination faced by them.
Foundation house: This develops publications and resources that aids in enhancing the
comprehension of the needs expressed by the refugees and other marginalized groups among
different health professionals, government and the rest of the community
The Australian Human Rights Commission: This has also been previously known as the
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission which is an autonomous statutory
organization providing educational and public awareness and addressing discrimination and
human rights complaints for people belonging to the culturally diverse backgrounds (Australia's
human rights framework, 2018).
Question 6:
It has to be mentioned that there are various ways that help in improving the cross
cultural communication while working with the clients belonging to the various culture al
backgrounds. F a client that belongs to the CALD or culturally and linguistically diverse
background, one of greatest restrictions in the paths of effective communication is English
language proficiency or the lack thereof in the CALD families (Martin & Nakayama, 2013).
Along with that the cultural bias, lac of respectful approach and lack of co-operation from either

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or both parties can facilitate communication gap in the working scenario. Four strategies that the
worker can take the assistance of while attempting effective communication with the CALD
families includes:
Using constructing communication strategies involving use of body language and non-
verbal communication tricks to help the client understand the effort and be willing to co-operate
equally to the process of communication.
Use of respectful behaviour and body language towards the cultural background of the
client and help the client feel valued and respected with choice of tone, gesture and eye contact
(Kinloch & Metge, 2014).
Take the assistance of a language interpreter to help understand the issues of the client
and be able to serve him or her better.
Using short and simple sentences to help the client with limited English language
proficiency understand the content of the communication and repeat as many times as required to
aid the client with empathy and compassion (Martin & Nakayama, 2013).
Question 7:
Issues
Barriers experienced by
Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people
Impact of barriers on access
and engagement with care
services
Social Inequity faced by the aboriginals
and Torres strait Islanders (ATSI)
due to the social position or status
The social barriers are often
linked with bias and
discrimination depending on the
social position or status that the
ATSI community face while
attempting to access the care
services or any other community
engagement activities or services.

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This social isolation often
negatively impacts the help
seeing behaviour of the
community and is manifested as
reduced health status and life
expectancy of these communities
(McAdam, 2013)
Political Policy imposed restriction faced
by ATSI in the Australian coasts
The policy restrictions faced by
the ATSI by the Australian
Government, especially the
marginalized communities, has
forced them to be isolated in the
extremely impoverished living
conditions. The hardships faced
by these people has been reported
to have a significant detrimental
impact on their psychological
health (Martin & Nakayama,
2013).
Economic Low employability of the ATSI
individuals
The employment rate of the ATSI
community members is
remarkably low as compared to
the mainstream society of the
aboriginals. The impact of this
barrier has affected the lifestyle
and living conditions including
nutritional and health status of the
ATSI community members.
Cultural Bullying and discrimination faced
by the ATSI communities in the
public sectors
The cultural discrimination and
bullying of the ATSI is still
prevalent in all public sectors
including health care,
employment and in education.
The impact of these barriers has
extended towards affecting the
physical and mental health of the
ATSI communities, especially the
youth, resulting at high suicide

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and alcohol consumption rates
(Pickering & Weber, 2014)
Question 8:
a. A few special needs of the asylum seekers in the Australian coasts includes psychological
treatment and psychiatric therapeutic assistance helping them overcome the trauma of
leaving their homeland and staying in the detention centres. Along with that, for the
children that are asylum seekers, staying in the hardships of a detention centre often has a
detrimental impact on the nutrition status or growth and development of these children.
Hence, they especially require the attention of nutritionists and child welfare associations
so that they can be provided better living conditions along with psychotherapeutic
treatment (Pickering & Weber, 2014).
b. A few protective factors that I would incorporate into the care program for the
marginalized group of asylum seekers will include PTSD or post-traumatic stress
disorder treatment, psychotherapeutic aid, growth and development assessment for the
children and counselling consultation.
c. The impact of the discrimination, trauma exclusion and negative attitude is extreme on
the marginalized groups. They have often been found be dealing with acute physical and
psychological trauma before immigrating to the Australian coasts, and upon arrival the
discrimination, ill treatment and the experience of staying in the hardship-filled detention
centres often lead to several mental disorders including depression, personality disorder,
PTSD, and suicidal or self-harming tendencies (Phillips, 2013).

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Question 9:
The first cultural change that the Australian society has faced after the colonization
period is the dominance of the European cultural practices and the western living styles that has
influenced the living conditions and lifestyles of the many of native Australians (Hogbin, 2013).
The second potential change that the Australian society has faced includes the dominance
of English language as the operational language in the Australian communities which has also
promoted the westernization of the Australian societal practices.
The diverse input of the aboriginal and Torres Strait islander community is the third most
influential change in the cultural practices of Australia which has completely changes the social
identity of the ATSI community.
Question 10:
As per the standard of practice of an Enrolled nurse in the Australian health care context,
culturally appropriate and safe practice is one of the greatest requirements of the scope of
practice and professional responsibilities if an enrolled nurse. Furthermore, according to the
standard 4, the enrolled nurse is expected to prioritize the practicing in a manner that ensures that
the rights, privacy, respect, and dignity of the clients, regardless of their cultural backgrounds,
are upheld under all circumstances (Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2018). According to the
standard 2.4, the enrolled nurses are expected to provide care in a culturally safe manner as well.
Hence, as an enrolled nurse I would have to ensure care delivery in the most culturally safe and
appropriate manner while providing safe, effective and patient centred care to the patients.

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References:
Aged Care Diversity Framework | Ageing and Aged Care. (2018). Retrieved from
https://agedcare.health.gov.au/support-services/people-from-diverse-backgrounds/aged-
care-diversity-framework
Australian State and Territory policies, plans and legislation. (2018). Australian State and
Territory policies, plans and legislation. Retrieved from
http://www.mhima.org.au/framework/policies-plans-and-standards/australian-state-and-
territory-policies-plans-and-legislation
Australia's human rights framework. (2018). Australia's human rights framework Retrieved from
https://www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au/human-rights/the-charter/australian-
human-rights-framework
Banks, J. A. (2015). Cultural diversity and education. Routledge.
Duarte, J. L., Crawford, J. T., Stern, C., Haidt, J., Jussim, L., & Tetlock, P. E. (2015). Political
diversity will improve social psychological science 1. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 38.
Forehand, R., & Kotchick, B. A. (2016). Cultural Diversity: A Wake-Up Call for Parent
Training–Republished Article. Behavior therapy, 47(6), 981-992.
Gay, G. (2013). Teaching to and through cultural diversity. Curriculum Inquiry, 43(1), 48-70.
Hogbin, I. (2013). Transformation scene: the changing culture of a New Guinea village.
Routledge.
Inbar, Y., & Lammers, J. (2012). Political diversity in social and personality
psychology. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7(5), 496-503.

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Kinloch, P., & Metge, J. (2014). Talking past each other: problems of cross cultural
communication. Victoria University Press.
Markus, A. (2014). Attitudes to immigration and cultural diversity in Australia. Journal of
Sociology, 50(1), 10-22.
Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2013). Intercultural communication in contexts. New York:
NY: McGraw-Hill.
McAdam, J. (2013). Australia and asylum seekers.
Mindaustralia.org.au. (2018). Mind diversity and inclusion framework. [online] Available at:
https://www.mindaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/Mind_diversity_and_inclusion_frame
work.pdf [Accessed 25 Jul. 2018].
NATSIWA. (2018). Empowering Women to Advocate for Effective Policy. Retrieved from
http://natsiwa.org.au/
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia - Enrolled nurse standards for practice. (2018).
Retrieved from http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-
Statements/Professional-standards/enrolled-nurse-standards-for-practice.aspx
Nicita, A., & Pagano, U. (Eds.). (2013). The evolution of economic diversity. Routledge.
OHCHR | International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. (2018).
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Retrieved from
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CESCR.aspx

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Phillips, J. (2013). Asylum seekers and refugees: what are the facts?. Canberra: Department of
Parliamentary Services, Parliament of Australia.
Pickering, S., & Weber, L. (2014). New Deterrence Scripts in Australia's Rejuvenated Offshore
Detention Regime for Asylum Seekers. Law & Social Inquiry, 39(4), 1006-1026.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (2018). Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Retrieved from http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/