Nursing and culture

Nursing and Culture Type Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Step 1- Self-reflection Even though, there are numerous perceptions on what constitutes culture, the nursing profession is increasingly looking into the impact of culture in the profession. Before completion of the first and second tutorials, I did not give much thought to cultural influence, and its place in nursing. First, Australia is dominated by Anglo-Australian culture, and as such, one may assume that this represents Australia as a whole. Nonetheless, I now appreciate that there are different cultures that represent the nation, and one needs to appreciate this fact as a nurse, for effective health care provision. No matter a person’s origin, each one of us has a cultural aspect from the other. However, after the tutorials I came to understand different cultural perspectives through participating in group activities with my fellow students. Consequently, I found it worthwhile to understand cultural concepts are different depending on the worldview. For instance, some view culture in terms of cultural artifacts, dressing, and cuisines, while others look into social relations that include religious, language and kinship ties. I also learnt that a person’s perspectives are shaped by their physical surroundings and life experiences, and as such, one cannot dismiss the role of culture in the society. Surprisingly, I now question my preparedness in the nursing profession in view of a world characterized with divergent cultures. Nonetheless, I understand that for me to be an effective nurse in the future, it is necessary to reflect on my own culture, values, and attitude to ensure that I am culturally competent to treat all cultures equally in nursing practice. (Word count 260) Step 2 In my experience, preconceived notions can also affect the way nurses treat patients in either a positive way or negative way. For instance, in my nursing placement, a sick patient under my care in prison needed to be taken to hospital. My thoughts on how to treat patients are now different, as by that time I had a negative attitude towards such patients. However, I have now changed my attitude, and am more likely to be culturally sensitive to all patients regardless of their situations. (Word count 85) Step 3- readings The two readings focus on the role of cultural perspectives in shaping our opinion on health and illnesses in the nursing profession. The Australian mainstream culture typically identifies with the Anglo Australian culture, but in my experience, cultural diversity has gained more prominence in the nursing profession. Consequently, the need for a more inclusive culture in the country is necessary in dealing with health matters. In essence, the dominant Anglo Australian culture has a created the notion that being Australian is equivalent to identifying with this culture, and for the indigenous aboriginal people this view perpetuates inequality and inaccessibility to health services. According top Miller et al (2005), in many cases the schooling systems tends to focus on the dominant culture to the extent of leaving out the cultural impact of less populous indigenous people. Even though, the biomedical model has been a dominant feature in nursing, medical practitioners are increasingly looking into the sociological perspective of nursing (Willis & Elmer, 2007). The biomedicine discourse is purely scientific, and puts less emphasis on social factors in nursing practice. However, in my experience societal influences on personal choice makes the sociological perspective relevant in the contemporary world. Like in many western nations, nurses do little evaluation of patient social history. After reviewing the two readings , it is clear that health inequalities among different cultures are as a result of social constructs, which are then associated with social inequality. Nonetheless, discrimination in the society is not necessarily because of prejudice, but perpetuation of social inequality based on different cultures, race, and other differences. I now understand that health issues are not distinct from societal perspectives and social context. At the same time, popular media may misrepresent information on different cultures especially on indigenous Australians. Consequently, I believe that for the nursing profession, it is necessary to show compassionate care to all patients regardless of their situations. This notion , extends form the observation that health inequities among diverse people may be a s a result of distribution of power, which divides people on the basis of colour, race, national origin, gender and class. For nurses, it is also essential to be culturally competent and sensitive to all patients to avoid imposing our worldview on patients. Essentially, this approach ensures that nurses are competent enough when dealing with people of a different culture, leading to better quality outcomes for nursing care. Sociological perspectives now have a bigger impact on nursing, because people’s ideas on health and illnesses are manifested through societal values and attitudes. Thus, it is imperative to engage people of diverse cultures in the nursing profession to avoid both intentional and unintentional bias. The formulation of health policies in Australia mainly focuses on the Anglo- Australian culture, with these policies a reflection of the dominant discourse. However, integrating sociological perspectives in health care allows nurses to view health matters form a broader perspecti...