Identify and discuss some possible consequences for patients if nurses are ethnocentric.

Discuss how nurses can use critical reflection to avoid ethnocentrism.

After the essay conclusion, but before the reference list, students will include their own critical reflection. Identify an event in either a work or education context. Using the Gibbs Cycle (or another appropriate reflection framework), reflect on how you displayed cultural sensitivity in your chosen event (200 words).

Cultural competency is based on the overall study and understanding of different cultures, ethnic backgrounds and race. Thus; it is important for developing a fully competent nurse, who seeks to provide the best care possible for the diversified patients. The modern community and societies has undergone different diversification, hence need to be fully aware and take care of patients comprehensively. Therefore, in order for one to be fully defined and given the authority of taking care of different patients or a person, she/he must be culturally competent. This is important in the modern community by offering different support systems and taking care of the medical and health systems.

As a result, it is therefore; important and essential for nurses to be culturally competent in offering their services and caring for patients. In order to be of assistance and provide clarity for different patients, nurses need to be competent due to diversification and globalization in the sector of nursing. This is necessary especially; according to the Australian rules and guidelines for nurses and midwifery, it states, “Nurses should fulfill their duties through focusing and reporting on different issues that can hinder appropriate nursing and caring of patients.”(Atkins,   2011, pg 34) Thus, it is therefore necessary for nurse to be on the forefront of providing the technical diversity through leadership, diversity and clarification of the nature caring nurses. Furthermore, cultural diversity offers nurses an edge of conducting and taking care of their patients from different backgrounds, race, ethnic differences and customs. For nurse to understand and support the beliefs of nursing, by putting their patients at the forefront, cultural competency is important in minimizing disparities and communication constraints. According to the Australian rules and guidelines for nurses and midwifery, one statement states that, “nurses should at the forefront of liaising with other based on patient health and care,” (Atkins,   2011, pg 34)  Therefore, the ability to conduct and measure support from others is necessary and important in supporting communication, while at the same time it makes their work easier during diagnosis and caring of patients.

As identified above, cultural diversity is necessary for nurse to be deemed competent in the field of nursing. But, if nurses are ethnocentric the results may be devastating not only to institution, but also to patients in general. Ethnocentric establishes a routine through which nurses make misjudgments and poor consultation regards their patients’ welfare. As a result, it is important and essential for nurses to be good decision makes when it comes to handling different patients (Staunton, 2013, pg 67). The inability to identify and monitor patients well enough will create a disorganized system that does not take care of its patients. Thus, it may result into misdiagnosis, wrong prescriptions and inadequate or excessive consumption of drugs, hence ignoring the doctors’ regulations. Another consequence is poor communication and disrespecting of self and others. This is a challenge that can affect the positivity, mental, psychological and physical development of patients. Some patients who come from different parts of the world, have various practices and beliefs, therefore, it is essential to take account into their beliefs and customs. Cultural incompetency nurses will result in stepping over the beliefs of different patients hence disrespecting their persons or customs (Kersey-Matusiak, 2013, pg 45). Thus, cultural competency is important in developing and offering different patients standard services and caring from nurses and their administrators.

In order to avoid the occurrence of incompetency in the nursing field, nurses need to have the ability of reflecting on personal cultural competency. This is a situation that is necessary in supporting and providing necessity for many nurses in the different cultural diversity regions.  Therefore, the most common action and strategy is developing the positive attitude for caring and supporting different patients. The positive attitude is necessary in creating the foundation and need of supporting different patients who have various beliefs, respect for others and practices. Sometimes a patient may refuse taking drugs, because their customs do not belief in drugs and medicine; thus, it is upon the positive attitude of the nurse can opt to make and defuse the negativity of the patient. As a result, apart from the positive attitude, an effective means of communication is also important in reducing and preventing ethnocentrism (Atkins,   2011, pg 134). Therefore, nurses need to have and develop an improved communication system that is essential in supporting and giving the nurses a means of communicating with the patient population. Consequently, the nurse community should learn about the ethical nature of respecting their persons and cultural indifferences.  The nature of learning is essential through monitoring and supporting the implementation of cultural diversification across boundaries of nursing, while taking care of patients.

Conclusion

Nurses are identified as the complimentary beings, who are patient and understands their patients. Therefore, it is important and essential for nurses to define the necessary competency needed by being culturally aware. The idea and concepts discussed from above offer nurses a means of conducting patience, diagnosis and caring of their patients. It is therefore; necessary and compulsory for nurses to be culturally aware and in order to value their patients with respect, proper communication and serve them with cultural awareness and positive attitudes.

Personal Reflection

Personally the experience of having different cultural differences in learning institutions has often caught up with fellow colleagues and me. Therefore, cultural difference cannot be hidden or avoided, but it is a context that defines the many actions of us. In school medical labs we are given different assignments such as studying anatomy, but some students cannot carry out these tasks due to differences. As a group working is important and essential in fulfilling our grades and courses. As a result, it makes some of us lose unnecessary marks due to incomplete works and tasks. The task was necessary for our grades improvement, but the students lacked the diversity of performing simple anatomy tasks (Kersey-Matusiak, 2013, pg 45). Therefore, it was important and necessary in defining the ideas and concepts that could be used to implement different cultural backgrounds. Finally, it was important to identify the possible solutions in order to diversify together as a group although having different cultural backgrounds. More so, it was necessary to support and offer different students the need of developing themselves as a cultural competent group and measure their ability for others. Thus, communication and positivity applied to the development of the group, resulting in the creation of diversity.

References

Atkins, K., Britton, B., & De, L. S. (2011). Ethics and law for Australian nurses. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kersey-Matusiak, G. (2013). Delivering culturally competent nursing care. New York, NY: Springer Pub. Co.

Staunton, P. J., & Chiarella, M. (2013). Law for nurses and midwives. Chatswood, N.S.W: Churchill Livingstone.