Reflection on Clinical Experience with an Aboriginal Patient

This paper presents a reflection on a clinical experience with an aboriginal patient, discussing the importance of cultural competence and building a positive therapeutic relationship.

Running head: REFLECTION
REFLECTION
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1REFLECTION
Introduction:
According to Antonsen, (2017), reflective practice is an integral aspect of the nursing
profession as it assists care professionals to introspect upon their clinical experiences and
accordingly identify the strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of reflective practice is to
help care professionals to adapt measures so that they can work on the identified weaknesses
and improve their scope of practice (Bulman & Schutz, 2013; Johns, 2017). This paper would
present a reflection in relation to a clinical experience with an aboriginal patient.
Description:
Emma was a 45 year old, aboriginal woman who was presented to the outpatient
clinic by her husband John. Emma complained of excessive abdominal pain and also
experienced increased shortness of breath. I was in charge of taking care of Emma before
admitting her to the care unit. I introduced myself to Emma and told her that in order to start
with the treatment process, I would need to conduct a set of vital assessment and an
abdominal assessment. I also mentioned that, the physician would then assess the data and
then devise an intervention plan. While I was communicating with Emma, I could see that
she avoided eye contact and also did not participate in the conversation and only nodded her
head.
Feelings:
While interacting with Emma, I could feel that something was wrong. It felt as though
there was a communication barrier that interrupted the flow of conversation. I started to think
that maybe because of her pain or because of the hospital environment she felt
uncomfortable. Before conducting the assessment, I asked Emma if she was fine with me
doing the assessment to which she nodded in agreement. I presumed my assumption was
correct and went ahead with the assessment.

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Evaluation:
Upon closely evaluating the clinical scenario, I feel that the overall the experience
was both positive as well as negative. The experience was positive as I was able to conduct
the assessment with clarity and was able to correctly document the findings. On the other
hand, the experience was negative as I had failed to exhibit cultural competence while
treating the patient. As an effective care professional, on being aware about the cultural
background of the patient, I should have asked the patient that whether or not she would
prefer an aboriginal RN for the assessment procedure (Moon, 2013). I should have taken note
of the responses and the body language of the patient. Clearly, she did not participate verbally
in the conversation and only nodded her head. I should have considered the possibility that
because of her different cultural background, she felt uncomfortable in my presence.
Analysis:
On the basis of the clinical experience, I have now realized that while dealing with an
aboriginal patient or a patient who belongs to a diverse cultural origin, it is extremely
important to pay attention to their body language and quality of responses (Kirmayer, 2013).
Further, as a care professional, I should also ensure that the patient is comfortable and should
be able to build a strong therapeutic relationship with the patient (Laverty et al., 2017). I
believe building a positive rapport with the patient would help in achieving positive outcome.
Conclusion:
Therefore, to conclude, I feel that the access to healthcare facilities is significantly
low for the Aboriginal and Torres Islander community members. The primary reason for the
same is cultural incompetence and lack of building a positive therapeutic relationship. Care
professionals must critically acknowledge the dark history of the aboriginal community
members and render care services in order to act in the best interest of the patients. Care

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professionals must specifically ensure that they are able to render an effective and a culturally
safe care that promotes positive recovery.
Action Plan:
Therefore, on the basis of my clinical experience, I have realized that I am unable to
communicate effectively with a patient who belongs to a diverse cultural origin. In addition
to this, I feel I am unable to render a culturally safe care. Therefore, in order to improve my
scope of practice while dealing with aboriginal and Torres Islander patients, I would need to
work on my communication skills and cultural competence. I would do this by browsing
through informative sources on the internet and access journals on effective communication
and cultural competence in order to develop a better understanding about these aspects.
Further, I would also attend workshops on effective communication and would read the
NSQHS Quality document available online, in order to develop a better understanding in
relation to cultural safety and cultural competence.

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References:
Antonsen, S. (2017). Safety culture: theory, method and improvement. CRC Press.P.90
Bulman, C., & Schutz, S. (Eds.). (2013). Reflective practice in nursing. John Wiley &
Sons.P.88
Johns, C. (Ed.). (2017). Becoming a reflective practitioner. John Wiley & Sons.
Kirmayer, L. J. (2013). Embracing uncertainty as a path to competence: Cultural safety,
empathy, and alterity in clinical training. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry, 37(2),
365-372.
Laverty, M., McDermott, D. R., & Calma, T. (2017). Embedding cultural safety in
Australia’s main health care standards. The Medical journal of Australia, 207(1), 15-
16.
Moon, J. A. (2013). Reflection in learning and professional development: Theory and
practice. Routledge.P.70