Two significant moments in my professional life that relate to cultural learning
Cultural learning involves shedding off implicit assumptions regarding people from different cultural backgrounds from my own ( Abrishami, 2018) . In my professional life, I have encountered scenarios that taught me the need for cultural sensitivity. During my clinical placement, I unknowingly uncovered a Muslim patient’s head while administering an ear drop. However, the patient became visibly uncomfortable and even outraged because I had removed the hijab without her consent. Upon enquiry, I came to learn that in the Islamic culture, privacy and modesty are held in high regard. Therefore, clinical examinations and procedures should be sensitive to these unique preferences.
Another incident that fostered cultural learning was an experience I had with a transgender patient. In one of the healthcare facilities where I had volunteered during the holiday, one patient visited the hospital for seeking consultation services. After offering the intake form, the patient was reluctant to fill out details under the gender section. I was obviously concerned as the document needed to be fully completed before being submitted. After further probing, the patient disclosed that the form only had the Male and Female tick boxes, and that they were transgender. It was at this point that I realized the need for an updated form with inclusive language that considers individuals with different sexual orientations.
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Something in this course that impacted you.
The course content on cultural competence has had a significant impact my worldview. Learning about cultural competency has transformed my attitude towards care in an increasingly multicultural healthcare sector. According to Abrishami (2018) , transcultural nursing is essential in offering care that reduces health disparities while respecting diversity. Presently, I have developed the capacity to be sensitive to patients’ beliefs and needs. The study material has also allowed me to appreciate the fact that whereas we are all products of our environments, we are all individuals with unique expectations. Through this understanding, Kumar et al., (2019) observe that healthcare providers can shun stereotypes and other cultural learning pitfalls.
Stereotypes or biases might you have regarding sociocultural influences on health
After a self-evaluation, I have discovered that I hold some stereotypes that could be hampering my efforts of becoming a culturally competent healthcare professional. In my cultural awareness class, I was taught that my background and the characteristics of my patients should be disregarded when making clinical decisions. In reality though, nurses and physicians are susceptible to these unconscious biases ( Yakar & Alpar, 2018). For instance, I have previously used the English language to communicate even among clients from non-English speaking backgrounds. The lack of English proficiency among some of the patients, therefore, negatively affects my ability to create a successful patient-provider relationship. Consequently, this has an adverse impact on their trust and confidence in the care system. Because of my implicit bias that all patients can understand the English language, it becomes challenging for me to honor the patients’ preferences especially when cultural differences exist concerning their perceptions of disease and wellness.
Two specific actions you will take from here forward to enhance your cultural competence
One of the actions I will take to improve my cultural competence is to become a multilingual professional by enrolling in different language classes. The use of family members as interpreters has proved counterproductive as some of them lack the knowledge to effectively translate technical medical terminology ( Kumar et al., 2019) . The acquisition of multilingual proficiency will allow me to not only overcome language barrier but also facilitate appropriate and effective care for all the patients. The second action will entail a deliberate engagement in cross-cultural interactions with patients. Abrishami (2018) argues that the understanding that each patient is a unique individual can aid healthcare providers to be culturally competent. Thus, I will strive to explore patients’ attitudes, values and expectations at every opportunity available.
References
Abrishami, D. (2018). The need for cultural competency in health care. Radiologic technology , 89 (5), 441-448.
Kumar, R., Bhattacharya, S., Sharma, N., & Thiyagarajan, A. (2019). Cultural competence in family practice and primary care setting. Journal of family medicine and primary care , 8 (1), 1.
Yakar, H. K., & Alpar, S. E. (2018). Intercultural communication competence of nurses providing care for patients from different cultures. International Journal of Caring Sciences , 11(3), 1743-1755.
