University of Manitoba N2522: Critical Reflection on Learning

This assignment is a critical reflection on learning undertaken by a nursing student, focusing on concepts explored in the first five weeks of the course. The student delves into three key areas: oppression, human diversity (particularly racism), and cultural safety. For each concept, the student outlines their initial assumptions, the factors that shaped these assumptions, and how their understanding evolved through lectures and readings. The reflection examines how the student's perspectives on oppression shifted from a singular focus on oppressors to recognizing the interplay between the oppressed and the oppressor. Regarding racism, the student moves from viewing it as a rigid, skin-color-based classification to a more nuanced understanding of race as a social construct influenced by socioeconomic factors and geographic location. In the context of cultural safety, the student evolves from a focus on nurse-patient communication to recognizing the power dynamics and the need for self-reflection to address cultural inequities. The student concludes by discussing how these insights will inform their future nursing practice, emphasizing the impact of oppression on patient outcomes and the importance of cultural sensitivity and self-awareness in providing equitable care.

Running head: CLIENT AND CONTEXT: HUMAN DIVERSITY 1
Client and Context: Human Diversity
Student’s Name:
Institutional Affiliation:

CLIENT AND CONTEXT: HUMAN DIVERSITY
Client and Context: Human Diversity
Critical Reflection: Oppression
Ai)
In my initial assumption, I presumed oppression as a cruel or unjust exercise of
power against the disadvantaged in society. My original perception regarding oppression
aligned with the noble principle of dehumanization which describes oppression as the
enactment bottlenecks that weigh down human prosperity. Even though my initial
assumptions seemed synonymous with the concepts discussed in the first lecture, I felt
challenged by considering oppression as an exercise propagated by only the oppressors.
Contrastingly, the lecture typifies oppression as a process that encompasses the concerted
efforts of both the oppressed and the oppressors. Therefore, the ideas covered in class
challenges my original presumption of oppression as an exercise propagated by a single
powerful institution.
Aii)
In the class lectures, oppression has been labeled as an injustice perpetrated by
powerful and most privileged members of the society. Perhaps this is the only concept that
is synonymous with my earlier assumptions. Initially, I conceptualized oppression as an
exercise propagated by powerful institutions in society. My thinking was more inclined
towards the superiority of structural entities in society such as the government. This notion
has however been challenged by the lecture’s ideas of aligning oppression to the individual
attitude of both the oppressed and the oppressor.
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Aiii)
Ideologies, beliefs, and attitudes are the three significant factors that influenced my
original assumption. Ideology as a factor emanates from an individual and spreads in
society to ultimately become a prejudice. Through this assertion, I have come to realize that
oppression is a process ridden on the individual thoughts of the oppressor and the
oppressed. Therefore, I consider it wrong to term oppression as an exercise driven by a
single institution since its prevalence depends on how people affiliated to different social
groups react to the existing prejudice.
Moreover, attitude is another critical factor that has influenced my original
presumption of the term oppression. The way people react to the injustices in society
justifies their position and beliefs against those in power. The feeling of inferiority is borne
through the attitude that one develops when subjected to unfair conditions. Therefore, these
three factors of ideology, attitude, and beliefs have made me realize that oppression is a
process that is borne through the exploitation of individual weaknesses and not a one-sided
exercise, as indicated in my original assumption.
Aiv)
First, my original assumption of oppression has evolved by taking into account the
type of language used to describe inferior social groups. Initially, I had not considered that
language aggravates the shift from individual responsibility to societal structural
differences. For instance, if African Americans are described as being ‘vulnerable,’ it
undermines their societal status, which consequently provides room for oppressors to
propagate their selfish interests. This change has been motivated by the concept of
communication discussed in the lecture. The lecture identifies descriptive language as the
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main avenue through which oppressors use to gain a structural advantage by exploiting the
weaknesses of the less privileged in society.
Secondly, through the concepts covered in the lecture, my original assumption has
evolved through the incorporation of mental health in the whole process of oppression. I
have learned that the less privileged in the society are oppressed since they have been
mentally brainwashed into thinking that they are inferior to those who purport to be
superior. Notably, this change has been majorly influenced by the mental health outcomes
of oppression discussed in class. For instance, the lecture identifies spiritual and
psychological stresses as some of the health outcomes that the structural oppression process
premises.
Human Diversity: Racism
Ai)
Human diversity is a topic that encompasses the interaction of people from different
socio-economic affiliations. Racism, in particular, is a concept that has increasingly become
dominant in human diversity. I always presume racism as the discrimination of people
based on their skin color. In my opinion, racial classifications remain constant across social
boundaries. The categorization of people based on their skin color is not fluid which implies
that the superior race will always be privileged in society. My original assumptions align
with the current racial disparities manifested in healthcare. Today, only the presumed
superior racial group is entitled to quality care while the inferior populations are struggling
to access even the essential health services. For instance, indigenous women in the
Saskatoon region are discriminated from accessing health services due to their skin color.
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With this example, I have always known racism as a rigid structure that thrives on the
prejudices describing the skin color.
Aii)
In my earlier assumptions, I presumed racism as a social inequity that is rigid and
based on the existing social norms. Even though I considered racism socially oriented, I had
not conceptualized various elements that make it a social construct. Despite my earlier
assumptions labeling racism as a rigid social inequity, I still considered the possibility of
change in the whole structural concept. Therefore, the ideas elicited in the lectures have
challenged and broadened my understanding of racism.
Aiii)
Experience and socioeconomic changes are the significant factors that have had a
massive impact on my general thinking. First, experience and time have made race a
flexible concept. Unlike in the past, racial identity has shifted from being constant across
social boundaries. For instance, a black person in the United States may be presumed white
in Africa. Moreover, with the heightened diversity in healthcare, experts from different
racial affiliations are gradually venturing into working together for better care in society. In
the process, they tend to understand each which consequently makes them less glued to
their prejudiced racial identity.
Socioeconomic change is another crucial factor that has influenced my original
assumption. Interracial marriages in particular, have imposed a shift on the
conceptualization of the privileges attached to different racial identities. When people from
different racial affiliations get married, they tend to live a life that does not perfectly align
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with their racial identity. For instance, a white man may not live according to the extreme
norms of his race when his wife faces discrimination in society.
Aiv)
My overall assumptions on the concept of race have evolved. With the help of the
information covered in the lecture, today, I consider racial identity a flexible idea. Contrary
to my earlier assumptions where I termed it rigid and subject to the pre-existing social
norms. For instance, today's emergence of complex medical situations has compelled
experts from different racial affiliations to work in unison for the common good. This
scenario contradicts the rigid prejudiced boundaries that have affected healthcare for
decades. The ideas gathered in class have been core in influencing my overall
conceptualization of the word race. The notion of race as a social construct has been
fundamental in shaping my thinking. Unlike in my earlier assumption where I considered
race a rigid concept that is only propagated through differences in skin color, the lecture
emphasized the importance of understanding race based on the pre-existing social norms.
With the changing dynamics in the social fabric, it is right to consider race as a rigid
concept.
Furthermore, I have embraced the concept of regional racism in my earlier
assumption. Through the information covered in the lecture, I have realized that the rigidity
of racial identity varies with the population and differences in geographical locations.
Therefore, my original assumption has evolved by taking into account the influence of
geographic location on the level of racial discrimination propagated in society. This is an
issue I had not considered in my earlier assumptions. The change in my line of thought was
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significantly influenced by the idea of systemic and interpersonal racism in the healthcare
system. The lecture explicitly describes the discrimination of non-indigenous people in
Canada against access to coronary angiography procedures. It is this notion that motivated
me to incorporate the idea of regional racism in my earlier assumption.
Cultural Safety
Ai)
The concept of cultural safety, as discussed in the lecture, challenges my original
assumption. Initially, I presumed cultural safety as a balance in the relationship between a
nurse and a patient. The balance in the power relationship mainly serves to create a
common ground through which both nurses and patients can enact culturally safer nursing
practices. In a culturally safer environment, patients are equally empowered to negotiate the
type of care that aligns with their cultural interests. In my understanding, cultural safety is a
process that thrives on good communication skills which are majorly motivated by
excellent personal, attitudinal, and cognitive skills. My original argument regarding the
concept of cultural safety is fundamentally etched on the cooperation between nurses and
patients affiliated with different cultures.
Aii)
Initially, I conceptualized cultural safety in the confinements of culture. My
assumption regarding this issue was limited to the power balance between nursing
professionals and clients. Moreover, I assumed that cultural safety could only be achieved
by eradicating communication impediments in the relationship between nursing experts and
their clients. Perhaps this is the only concept that is synonymous with the ideas covered in
the lecture. However, through the ideas postulated in the lecture, I have come to realize that
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cultural safety begins from one’s mentality towards the prejudiced concept of cultural
inequality. Therefore, the ideas I have learned in the course have played a significant role in
broadening my understanding of cultural safety.
Aiii)
Self-understanding and power imbalances are the two significant factors that have
influenced my original assumption. Firstly, cultural diversity begins through self-
understanding. The main aim of cultural diversity is to create a platform that is free of
racism and discrimination. However, this environment can only be formed when concerned
individuals reflect and adjust their behaviors.
The imbalance of power in healthcare is another critical factor that remained
fundamental in influencing my thinking. In my original assumption, I acknowledged
cultural safety as the process of establishing a balanced power relationship between a nurse
and a patient. However, my original argument was inclined towards cultural sensitivity and
not the authority that a nurse has over the patient.
Aiv)
My original assumption was confined to the sensitivity of culture in the provision of
care. However, with the knowledge gained in class, I can now consider cultural safety a
broad concept that mainly focuses on understanding the legitimacy of the power differences
between a nurse and patient. The new information has challenged my thinking into realizing
that cultural diversity goes beyond the confinements of cultural awareness.
Also, my initial assumption has evolved by taking into account the concept of self-
reflection in the whole process of addressing cultural inequities. I now consider self-
reflection a significant pillar in cultural diversity. Notably, the creation of an environment
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that is devoid of racism and discrimination begins from an individual’s mindset. This is
something that has challenged my original conceptualization of cultural diversity.
The change in my line of thought was majorly influenced by the socio-cultural
inequities propagated by indigenous health providers in Canada. The lesson explicitly
describes how nurses actively participated in cultural genocide and medical neocolonialism.
With this knowledge, I have come to realize that cultural diversity only exists if individual
nurses are ready to reflect and change their behaviors for the common good.
Part B: Critical Reflection
a)
In this section, I will choose critical reflection as the topic whose concepts may have
an impact on my future practice as a nurse. In this topic, I have learned that both physical
and mental health challenges are consequences of oppression. Since it is my responsibility
as a future nurse to promote healthy living conditions in society, oppression serves as an
impediment to such efforts. The structural mechanism of oppression may create an
unfriendly environment, which may consequently affect my ability to reap better outcomes
from my patients. In the process, my overall nursing practice will be negatively affected.
Moreover, I have learned that oppression being an idea in the main topic of critical
reflection is usually associated with subordination and violation of the existing standards of
practice. If this scenario occurs in healthcare, then nurses may be compelled into violating
the current medical procedures for the selfish interests of the oppressors. With such
conditions in place, my future practice will be affected since I will have to engage in
practices that contradict the nursing code of conduct.
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b)
The noble idea of oppression in critical reflection is a fundamental concept that I
need to focus on learning more. Neutralizing the oppression forces, in particular, is
something I still need to learn. Even though the lecture explicitly describes oppression as
the outcome of power and privilege, it is difficult to understand how prejudices can be
neutralized in the society. As discussed in the lecture, oppression can be offset by working
against individual privileges. But how can the largest population of the less disadvantaged
rise against the privileges that they identify with? This is a significant concern that needs a
more in-depth understanding.
c)
For continued learning of this issue, I will seek to take part in the conferences,
sensitization campaigns, and meetings that are associated with fighting oppression and
overall critical reflection in nursing practice. Through participation in such forums, I can
get informed on the new concepts that are aligned with abuse.
I will also focus on reading materials that provide a more in-depth understanding of
this whole issue of critical reflection in nursing. By going through the ideas of different
authors, I will have an opportunity to study the history, trends, and possible solutions to
varying types of abuse in society. Lastly, I will indulge myself in interviewing and visiting
people who have been subjected to various kinds of oppression in society. In the process, I
will have a chance to continue learning about the issue.
Part C
“I am a lion.” Having undertaken this course, I see myself as a changed person who
is ready to fight against oppression, racism, cultural inequities regardless of the pre-existing
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prejudices. The metaphor typifies my new character to that of a lion. Also, the metaphor
describes the magnitude of bravery I have gained through undertaking the nursing course.
By typifying my courage to that of a lion, implies that I am well equipped with the
knowledge and the right mindset to break the chains of social injustices that undermine
nursing practice in society. The metaphor can best be represented in the picture as shown
below.
https://images.app.goo.gl/nAumv3fAQW1skQvP8
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