Reflective Essay: Cultural Experience Analysis Using Gibbs Model

This reflective essay details a registered nurse's cultural experience within a hospital setting, utilizing the Gibbs Reflective Cycle to analyze the situation. The essay describes an incident involving an Aboriginal patient and the perceived lack of cultural awareness by healthcare professionals, particularly a physician. The nurse reflects on feelings of disappointment and the need for improved cultural safety policies and training. The evaluation highlights both negative aspects, such as the need for improved cross-cultural skills, and positive steps, like management's commitment to training. The analysis identifies systemic issues, including a lack of hospital policies promoting cultural safety, and the impact of professional attitudes on patient care. The conclusion emphasizes the nurse's role in promoting cultural safety and the importance of equal service provision. An action plan proposes training and culturally appropriate protocols. The essay underscores the need for healthcare organizations to develop strategies to enhance cultural awareness and improve the relationship between the hospital and its patients, especially those from diverse cultural backgrounds.

REFLECTIVE ESSAY

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Reflection of a particular cultural experience........................................................................3
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Reflective essay reflects the experience of the person, it includes the ideas, feelings
regarding a particular situation, opinions and views of the person in writing. Registered nurse is
responsible for providing care to the patients of the hospital, they helps to inform the patients
regarding the conditions related with health, also helps to provide emotional support to the
family members of the patients(McKinnon, 2016). The essay will outline the cultural experience
of registered nurse in the hospital with the help of Gibbs Model of reflection. Gibbs Model is one
of the famous model that can be used to evaluate the different stages of a particular experience of
the person.
MAIN BODY
Reflection of a particular cultural experience.
Gibbs Reflective Cycle-
It was developed in year 1988 by Graham Gibbs. The model helps to evaluate the
experience related with a particular situation. There are various stages of Gibbs Reflective Cycle
are as follows-
Description-
I have recently assigned the post of registered nurse in the hospital. Few days back, while
attending the patients in the ward of the hospital, a female patient has visited the hospital she
belongs to Aboriginal community of Australia. . At that time I and other professionals that are
working in the hospital are presented. The women was having labor pain. and she is waiting to
be examined by the physician that was working in the hospital. The physician was attending
other patients but not providing attention to the women patient. As the women belongs to
aboriginal community, the physician is not giving proper attention to the patient. I have
experienced that, the physician is not providing attention due to the cultural difference between
that women and other patients of the hospital.
Feelings-
During this incident I am feeling very disappointed because, the professionals that are
presented at that time are lacking in cultural awareness and cultural safety related with
Aboriginal peoples. I have felt that, the peoples that are working in the organization are required

to change their racist attitude and mentality towards Aboriginal peoples. I felt that, there is lack
of proper policies regarding the treatment of culturally diverse patients in the hospital.
Evaluation-
This was my first experience in which I have found that, the professionals such as
physician, medical doctor etc. that are involved in providing care to the patients should follow all
the principles as provided under Cultural Respect Framework(Gimenez, 2019). The negativity
thing I have experienced during the situation is that, the professionals that are responsible for
providing the facilities to patients that belongs to different cultures should improve their skills
and abilities related with cross- culture.
During the situation, I have made efforts to take the patient in another ward in which the women
can get necessary care she is required at the time of labour pain. I have requested the top
management of the hospital to take strict actions so that, behaviour of the professionals that are
working in the hospital can be improved. Positive thing is that, top management have decided to
develop policies in respect of providing training to physicians that will help to provide quality
care to patients, improving the cultural awareness of the professionals.
Analysis-
The situation I have experienced in the hospital has happened due to the lack of efforts of
top management people that are working in the organisation. There is no rules and regulations
are existing in the hospital for promoting cultural safety of the patients such as patients that
belongs to Aboriginal community. According to Danso, (2015) the attitude of professionals
while offering care services to the patients impacts the views of of the patient regarding their
own disease, their rejection and acceptance in respect of the treatment etc. I thought that, there is
a requirement of development of effective system in the hospital so that, there will be no
biasness among patients on the basis of their cultural differences. This will help to improve the
relationship between the organisation and Aboriginal patients. I have analysed that, healthcare
organisation must have strategy to recognize dimensions of Cultural Respect Framework such as
equity of outcomes for changing the behaviourist of professionals to assure cultural
safety(Cooper, L.D. and Wieckowski, 2017).
Conclusion-
From this situation I have experienced that, nurse plays a major role in promoting the
cultural safety and every professional that are working in the hospital should provide equal

services to all the patients and should not discriminate on the basis of culture or religion etc. I
have realised that physicians and other professionals including me also should make efforts to
improve the knowledge in respect of culture to influence the behaviour of the professionals
towards the patients.
Action plan-
I thought that, the hospital must develop and implement various programmes and
strategies such as necessary training should be provided to all the staff of the hospital. So that, it
will help to improve the cultural awareness, practises and behaviour of the professionals towards
the patients that belong to Aboriginal community(Al-Jubouri, A.H.H. and Al-Jubouri, 2019).
Healthcare organisation should implement culturally proper protocols that will help to improve
the relationship of the organization with the patients as well as with the community.
CONCLUSION
The above Report has outlined different terms such as reflective essay, Gibbs reflective
model etc. The essay has also described there should be no discrimination among patients of the
hospital on the basis of cultural difference. Further, the essay has described that, in according
with the dimensions of cultural respect framework the healthcare organisation should develop
programs and strategies for providing necessary training to the professionals. This will help to
improve the behaviour of professionals like physicians in respect of patients that are belonging to
different cultures. It has also explained that, organization must have protocols, strategy to
improve the relationship of the hospital with the patients.
REFERENCES
Books and Journals-
Al-Jubouri, A.H.H. and Al-Jubouri, M.H.M., 2019. The Effectiveness of Teaching in the Gibbs
Model in the Decision-Making to Solve the Environmental Problems among Students of
College of Education. Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development. 10(1).
pp.732-736.
Cooper, L.D. and Wieckowski, A.T., 2017. A structured approach to reflective practice training
in a clinical practicum. Training and Education in Professional Psychology. 11(4).p.252.
Danso, R., 2015. An integrated framework of critical cultural competence and anti-oppressive
practice for social justice social work research. Qualitative social work.14(4). pp.572-588.

Gimenez, J., 2019. Writing for nursing and midwifery students. Macmillan International Higher
Education.
Jacobson, J. and Jeffries, P.R., 2018. Nursing, trauma, and reflective writing. NAM Perspectives.
McKinnon, J., 2016. Reflection for Nursing Life: Principles, Process and Practice. Routledge.
Online-
Cultural Respect Framework. 2019. [Online] Available Through :
<https://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/indigenous-crf>