Culture Reflection in Nursing: Personal Experiences and Insights

This essay delves into the critical role of cultural competence in nursing, highlighting its significance in reducing health disparities and improving patient care. The author reflects on personal experiences, including interactions with patients of Italian descent, a gay patient, and a patient who had undergone female genital mutilation (FGM). These experiences underscore the challenges nurses face in providing culturally sensitive care and the importance of understanding diverse beliefs and practices. The essay emphasizes the need for nurses to develop cultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes through self-assessment, cross-cultural interactions, and continuous learning. It also references relevant literature to support the discussion on cultural competence, providing insights into how nurses can bridge health disparity gaps and build trustworthy relationships with patients from diverse backgrounds. The author stresses the need to integrate cultural considerations into nursing practices to ensure effective and respectful care for all patients. Additionally, the essay mentions how the author had to address a Muslim patient who could not remove her hijab due to cultural beliefs. The author emphasizes the importance of ongoing cultural sensitivity and awareness.

Running head: CULTURE REFLECTION IN NURSING 1
Culture reflection in nursing
Name
Institution

CULTURE REFLECTION IN NURSING 2
Culture reflection in nursing
Cultural competence is very essential in reducing health disparities as well as improving
the access to high quality healthcare which is responsive to the needs of the patients (Douglas et
al., 2014). Efforts to wipe out health incongruities must be educated by the impact of culture on
demeanors, practices, convictions, practices of the minority populaces and general wellbeing
arrangement creators. According to Amiri and Heydari(2017), cultural norms impacts lifestyle
and behaviors associated with risk factors for diseases. Healthcare practitioners should also
therefore deliver healthcare services and interventions that help close the health gap. In my
previous clinical experience in a nursing home, I took care of several clients from the Italian
descent who were the most dominant group. These people preferred the Italian cuisine to other
cuisine and in most cases, some of them declined to eat anything that is not Italian. I learnt that
to Italians, food goes beyond nourishment and they do not take lightly what comes between them
and their food. I also learnt how they value religion and the role it plays in their lives.
To understand their beliefs, I had to first evaluate my beliefs, values and experiences so
as to create the same level of self- awareness that the clients had. I then familiarized myself with
their culture and then involved the clients and their families in the healthcare practices by
empowering them. To incorporate their diets in the healthcare, I learnt some of the Italian cuisine
which helped me create a balance between my nursing practices and cultural practices. This
made the patients to be cooperative thereby creating a trustworthy relationship between me and
the patients. From that point I discovered that I ought not disregard social practices but rather
dependably comprehend the centrality these practices hold for the individuals from that culture.
I also faced challenges when working in a local hospital where I had to attend to a gay
patient. The patient wanted me to address him as a female after he revealed his sexual identity to

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me. I then started using a non-provocative language and this made him open up about the
problems he was facing.
Despite my experiences with different cultures, I have had hard time taking care of
patients who went through female genital mutilation (FGM). I once took care of a patient from
Africa who had gone through this process and she could not allow me assess her private parts
since it is a taboo according to their culture. Although the patient had serious vaginal infections,
she found it difficult to be undergo assessment even with a nurse of the same sex. This situation
was so challenging as I could not figure out what to do. My experience with a Muslim who could
not take off her hijab due to their cultural beliefs also left me feeling culturally incompetent.
However, ever since the above encounters, I have learnt the need to bridge the health disparity
gaps so as to remain culturally competent.
Cultural competencies in nursing are built upon the pillar of knowledge, skills and
attitudes. As medical attendants, it is essential for us to perceive the distinction in perspectives
and how a person's reasoning is affected by their way of life (Corbie-Smith, Hoover, & Dave,
2019). To expand our knowledge about unfamiliar cultures be better nurses if we get faced with
those cultures in the work place, we need to apply our knowledge of cultural competence into
practice. To give socially skilled care, medical attendants ought to use the social consideration
system that gives a manual for medical providers(College Nursing of Ontario, n.d). This includes
being culturally sensitive and knowledgeable. To be more knowledgeable about different
cultures, nurses should perform a cultural competence self-assessment so as to determine their
own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to working with people from different cultures.
Cultural awareness can be performed using cultural assessment tools so as to have an in-depth
exploration about your values and beliefs. Nurses should also directly engage in cross-cultural

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interactions with patients so as to be more culturally competent. This helps the nurses to explore
the beliefs and values of the patients hence building an effective relationship (Douglas et al.,
2014). Since cultural competence cannot be mastered, nurses should make this interaction an
ongoing process. Additionally, to improve cultural knowledge, skills and attitudes, nurses should
seek and obtain more information base by expanding their access to journal articles, internet
resources, workshop presentations, attending seminars and training. Due to the evolving cultures
and religions, it is important for nurses to ask patients of any beliefs and values they need to
know during the initial assessment of care.

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References
Amiri, R., &Heydari, A. (2017). Nurses' experiences of caring for patients with different cultures
in Mashhad, Iran. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research, 22(3), 232.
Douglas, M. K., Rosenkoetter, M., Pacquiao, D. F., Callister, L. C., Hattar-Pollara, M.,
Lauderdale, J., ... & Purnell, L. (2014). Guidelines for implementing culturally competent
nursing care. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 25(2), 109-121.
College Nursing of Ontario,. Regulation, legislation and By-laws. Retrieved on 25th march 2019
from http://www.cno.org/en/what-is-cno/regulation-and-legislation/
Corbie-Smith, G., Hoover, S. M., & Dave, G. (2019). Connecting Dots to Bridge the Health
Disparities Gap: Implementation of a Scalable Electronic Medical Record–Integrated
Community Referral Intervention at the Clinic Visit.