Nursing: Multicultural Skills, Essay Example

It is true that the work world is a dynamic place, and changes are occurring rapidly every day. Precisely, it is becoming more diverse, more technical, more global, and at the same time more dependent than ever on productive working relationships. It must be acknowledged that my career success depends more and more on building multicultural skills. These skills can be learnt through interaction; deliberate efforts to align personal cultural values with those of others in the work environment. Ultimately, it is openness towards realizing that out of cultural diversity cultural pluralism emerges.

In my career the world of work consists of interacting with clients/patients. During the past ten weeks my class was exposed to cultural diversity within the American society. Many theories related to this phenomenon were explored in helping student obtain necessary skills while interacting with people of diverse/different cultures. Theories help healthcare practitioners learn that a matured response to different cultures is making an effort to understand the individual or groups of individuals rather than being apprehensive.

Interacting with patients and clients first we learn their culture. Always there are areas of similarities and differences which could be identified. During the learning process similarities can be kept. Differences can be shared. Importantly, cultural pluralism emerges out of diversity. For example, in today’s America there is so much cultural diversity springing forth from diversities, which have foundations in Asian, Caribbean, Hispanic; African American and Caucasian American roots. Each has brought its uniqueness to this North American piece of the continent.

Today as we transverse the streets of New York; Bronx, Harlem, Brooklyn, Statin Island, Manhattan, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Alaska, Arizona and Texas among a few states and communities we witness this diversity and pluralism in the architecture, cuisine restaurants significant of the people inhabiting those parts of the country. No two communities are identical because inhabitants have brought their culture with them to the communities they have created. Hence, federal government in planning services must be open to these differences for appropriate interventions into their healthcare and other social services.

Therefore, as nurses it is imperative that we demonstrate a high degree of cultural competence when communicating with patients, clients as well as colleagues. How else could values be transferred if it is not within that particular cultural context? We learn these skills through practicing cultural competence in our daily communication with others because the world of work is a dynamic environment and we can be out of context if not culturally competent in an expanse of diversity and pluralism.

Interestingly, the learning experience from this course has prompted me into thinking how Native Americans could be so marginalized in a culturally plural society as United States of America. Geographically, they are pushed away from the main stream events of social life in the society. They have not been only isolated geographically, but culturally. This teaches me that cultural differences can either isolate or integrate depending on the perspective of the group. Due to conflicts between Native Americans and British colonists this group does not trust the American system. This stretches across healthcare. As such, it is difficult to penetrate this regarding healthcare, education/promotion programs. It is unacceptable. In my opinion as twenty-first century healthcare practitioners these are cultural boundaries we must cross if ever we are to build more productive working relationship.