University Nursing Reflective Essay: Cultural Impact on Care

This reflective essay, written by a nursing student, explores the profound influence of culture on thoughts and feelings within a healthcare context. The essay begins by defining culture and then delves into the author's personal cultural background, highlighting how it shapes their perceptions. The student recounts a specific incident involving a patient from a different cultural background, detailing their initial feelings and how these were influenced by pre-existing biases. The evaluation section analyzes the origins of these biases, linking them to societal norms and a lack of exposure to diverse cultures. The analysis further examines the importance of cultural competence in nursing, referencing studies and literature that emphasize the need for understanding and respecting different cultural values. The conclusion summarizes the impact of cultural perspectives on the student's ability to observe the uniqueness of other cultures. An action plan is outlined using the SMART goal framework to improve cultural understanding, and the essay concludes with a list of relevant references.

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

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Description.................................................................................................................................2
Feeling........................................................................................................................................2
Evaluation..................................................................................................................................2
Analysis......................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................3
Action Plan.................................................................................................................................3
Reference....................................................................................................................................4

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Introduction
Culture has a significant importance in nursing as it influences different behaviour of
a patient from a specific culture who requires care. This reflecting essay is focusing on how
culture can influence our thoughts and feelings.
Description
Culture refers to the values, behaviours and beliefs of a specific population which are
adequately learned can be transmitted via social norms and can connect past, present and
future of the population. I come from an Indian cultural background and as I am from the
northern part of India, it is an old perception that people with black coloured skin is not well
civilised like others. During my nursing training, I was instructed to provide oral care to an
African origin man. In this case, my cultural background affects my thought process
significantly.
Feeling
My feelings towards the incident are totally influenced by my cultural background.
The first thing which came to my mind when that the patient most probably carrying various
infectious disease. The second thing which came to my mind that, it is difficult for me to
communicate with him as I do not know about his language preferences. Thereafter, when I
started my work I understood that the patient can communicate in English and he came for a
vaccine. This incident challenges my thought process about the people with dark skin colour.
It was frustrating for me that I used to think that black skinned individuals are uncivilized.
Evaluation
In my culture, it is not common to interact with individuals who are having a dark
skin tone. Apart from that, the perception of ‘black is a not a good sign’ is present in different
cultures. This perception made me to think differently for the patient. People develop general
perceptions which have no logical base. Similarly, the perception that people from Africa are
not civilised is also has no logical base. Therefore, my perception towards to people who
have a different skin tone is completely wrong. As a nurse, it is important to respect values
and beliefs of different cultures (Giger, 2016).

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Analysis
An important factor which comes from this incident indicates that we are not ready to
accept different cultures. According to several studies, students from difference nursing
schools are not totally understood the concept of diversity (Young & Guo, 2016). It is
essential to understand different cultural background and respect their values and beliefs
(Holland, 2017). Several literatures also indicated that communication related issues due to
different languages are also found among nurses (Garone & Van de Craen, 2017). The patient
was like any other individual who comes to the hospital. However, feeling uncomfortable due
to the skin colour was not an appropriate behaviour from my side. People in my culture need
to understand the diversity among different cultures. According to me, every culture need to
be treated equally.
Conclusion
To conclude, my cultural perspectives restricted me to observe the uniqueness of
different other cultures. There are several cultures in the globe and each of those are unique
in their way. It is important to respect the values of each culture.
Action Plan
The action plan is described by SMART goal analysis
Specific (S) To understand the concept of diversity.
Measurable
(M)
To join in a cultural committee where representatives from different cultural
backgrounds will also participate.
Achievable
(A)
It can be achieved by interacting with people from different cultural background.
Realistic (R) The population here is consists of people from several cultures. Hence, it can be
achieved.
Time frame It can be achieved within a period of three months.

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Reference
Garone, A., & Van de Craen, P. (2017). The role of language skills and internationalization in
nursing degree programmes: A literature review. Nurse education today, 49, 140-144.
Giger, J. N. (2016). Transcultural Nursing-E-Book: Assessment and Intervention. Elsevier
Health Sciences.
Holland, K. (2017). Cultural awareness in nursing and health care: an introductory text.
Routledge.
Young, S., & Guo, K. L. (2016). Cultural diversity training: the necessity of cultural
competence for health care providers and in nursing practice. The health care
manager, 35(2), 94-102.