Culturally Competent Nursing Care
Culturally Competent Nursing Care
Denise Foss-Baker
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Culturally Competent Nursing Care The United States is a diverse accumulation of cultural backgrounds which can often set the stage for feelings of confusion, anger, mistrust, and a host of other emotions when dissimilar cultures disagree. Cultural competence in nursing can help eliminate these barriers and provide a platform for nursing to follow in the quest to understand a patient's culture and background. When a nurse takes the time to learn about a given culture prior to providing care, it conveys she respects the patient's right to their beliefs, customs, and culture. It does not necessarily mean the nurse agrees with their practices but it does show that she is willing to be open minded and deferential. It is the responsibility of the health care provider to take the time to educate themselves on the various cultures they may be exposed to in their work (Purnell & Paulanka, 2003).
Evidence of Culturally Incompetent Care
One act from the case study that exhibited cultural incompetence was the racial slur made by Connie when she referred to her clients as "This Mexican family". If she would have taken the time to review the baby's chart, she would have known that the family identified with the term Hispanic, not Mexican. Connie made a statement about the number of family members in the room and she gave the impression that the family was invading her work space unnecessarily.
Connie identified that the family was speaking Spanish then stated she could not get them to understand her. Her tone indicated that the family was at fault for the lack of communication even though Connie did not bother to engage an interpreter. Connie even went so far as to label the family's inability to understand her as noncompliance. She also proceeded to go about her task of putting in and intravenous (IV) line without establishing autonomy and getting informed consent from the
Denise Foss-Baker
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Culturally Competent Nursing Care The United States is a diverse accumulation of cultural backgrounds which can often set the stage for feelings of confusion, anger, mistrust, and a host of other emotions when dissimilar cultures disagree. Cultural competence in nursing can help eliminate these barriers and provide a platform for nursing to follow in the quest to understand a patient's culture and background. When a nurse takes the time to learn about a given culture prior to providing care, it conveys she respects the patient's right to their beliefs, customs, and culture. It does not necessarily mean the nurse agrees with their practices but it does show that she is willing to be open minded and deferential. It is the responsibility of the health care provider to take the time to educate themselves on the various cultures they may be exposed to in their work (Purnell & Paulanka, 2003).
Evidence of Culturally Incompetent Care
One act from the case study that exhibited cultural incompetence was the racial slur made by Connie when she referred to her clients as "This Mexican family". If she would have taken the time to review the baby's chart, she would have known that the family identified with the term Hispanic, not Mexican. Connie made a statement about the number of family members in the room and she gave the impression that the family was invading her work space unnecessarily.
Connie identified that the family was speaking Spanish then stated she could not get them to understand her. Her tone indicated that the family was at fault for the lack of communication even though Connie did not bother to engage an interpreter. Connie even went so far as to label the family's inability to understand her as noncompliance. She also proceeded to go about her task of putting in and intravenous (IV) line without establishing autonomy and getting informed consent from the
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