Nursing Cultural Competency, Coursework Example

Introduction

The Office of Minority Health (2014) provides resources regarding cultural competency that enable nurses to learn about different cultures and to recognize the value of this knowledge for the practice setting. Nurses must be provided with curricular tools and resources that will support their growth and maturity, and encourage them to be active communicators with nurses and patients from a variety of cultures (Office of Minority Health, 2014). With a specific patient population such as women who face psychiatric challenges, there are significant opportunities to improve their lives when there is a high degree of cultural knowledge that directly impacts behavior, using tools and resources that are available.

Analysis

Cultural competence requires a high level of awareness and understanding of diversity and its role in the practice environment, along with ideas and strategies that will have a positive impact on patient care quality (AACN, 2009). For a target population comprised of females with psychiatric concerns and comorbid acute and chronic illnesses, it is important to use cultural competency to educate nurses and other care providers in order to encourage open discussion and communication regarding specialized care and treatment for this group, as they are from a variety of cultural backgrounds and subsequent behavioral customs. Resources available from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2009) and the Office of Minority Health (2014) are designed to educate nursing students and prepare them to recognize specific nuances within the practice environment that will improve patient engagement and focus, along with acceptance of norms and customs that are not otherwise well understood. Nurses must be able to recognize patterns in behavior and critically reflect upon the challenges that female psychiatric patients face that are important to their growth and development, and the management of their illnesses. These resources will encourage nurses to recognize cultural differences and to determine how they impact the practice setting. The National CLAS Standards provide nurses with another level of information to support their knowledge base regarding language differences, customs, behaviors, and other culturally identifiable needs that may directly impact patient care, particularly for patients with psychiatric concerns (Office of Minority Health, 2014).

Conclusion

Nurses must demonstrate cultural competence in all areas of the practice setting so that they are active and valuable contributors to the healthcare system. This process requires nurses to recognize cultural diversity and to gain awareness and sensitivity of cultures that possess unique customs and identities. This is an important step in transforming nursing practice and in engaging individual nurses to be effective communicators and facilitators of high quality care and treatment.

References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2009). Establishing a culturally competent Master’s and Doctorally prepared nursing workforce. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/CulturalComp.pdf

Office of Minority Health (2014). Cultural and linguistic competency. Retrieved from http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=1&lvlid=6