Orientation
Cultural competence in the nursing workplace is the accommodation of patient dynamics in the workplace. It is crucial for nurses to understand the importance of cultural competence in the nursing workplace and adjust according to patient needs and requirements to provide optimum patient care. This is an important step towards the overall realization of a culturally safe environment.
Focus
The importance of cultural competence in the nursing workplace and how it can be implemented to realize a culturally safe environment.
Directions
Cultural competence is the ability of a nurse to interact freely with patients from diverse cultures. The concept of cultural competence in the nursing profession cannot be overemphasized because the nursing profession is care-driven, but more importantly, it involves the interaction of nurses with patients from various cultures. The concept of cultural competence is therefore crucial for all nurses because it empowers them to know how to handle patients from various cultures.
The nursing profession is characterized by racial ethnic and cultural disparities which often conflict with traditional nursing practices. As a result of the dynamics existing in the nursing profession, it is crucial for the concept of cultural competence to be integrated in the nursing profession to reduce healthcare disparities and improve the overall quality of healthcare.
The community that I hail from is a true representation of the cultural diversity that is evident in Australia. There are people from various cultures, including Italians, Aboriginals, Arabians and Greeks (among others) who bear different values, traditions, beliefs, histories and other factors which affect their health. In this regard, there is a strong need for cultural competency to be upheld in caring for patients hailing from these cultural backgrounds.
There are many policies and practices that can be implemented to improve cultural competence in the nursing workplace. For instance, valuing diversity, practicing cultural self-assessments and institutionalizing cultural knowledge, act towards entrenching cultural competence in the nursing workplace.
Scope
This paper focuses on the importance of cultural competence in the nursing workplace. Emphasis will be made on the provision of care when patients interact with nurses. This will be done while analyzing cultural competence in the nursing profession from the context of a nurse-patient framework. In explaining this relationship, this paper expounds on the characteristics of nursing and why the concept of cultural competence is crucial to this field. Also, this paper explains a range of policies or practices that can be adopted in the nursing profession to improve cultural competence. This will be analyzed in the context of Bundoora community which is a melting point of various cultures.
Introduction
Cultural competence is a special concept that touches on several aspects of the nursing profession. Though this paper conceptualizes cultural competence in the nursing profession, its application is not exclusive to this discipline. Cultural competence is the awareness of one’s culture, in a manner that improves the overall performance of one’s professional proficiency (Jeffreys 2006). The concepts of culture and competence have been analyzed as two different ideas, where culture is perceived to be the norms and practices of one group, while competence is perceived to be the understanding of one’s practice and its implications on other people (Jeffreys 2006). Eckermann, Dowd, Chong, Nixon and Gray (2006) extrapolate the concept of cultural competence to the nursing profession by stating that cultural competence has more to do with what one does; as opposed to how it is done. Here, they introduce the concept of cultural safety and explain that nurses are often in a position of power but cultural safety ensures that such power is effectively controlled. Emphasis is hereby made to the different ways in which a given task can be accomplished. This refers to the awareness of the cultural practices surrounding the nursing practice in multiple contexts. The relevance of employing the concept of cultural competence lies in Eckermann’s definition of the same concept because its application stems from the awareness of one’s cultural dynamics in a way that accommodates the dynamics of the nursing workplace (Eckermann et al. 2006). This paper analyzes cultural competence in the nursing profession from the context of a nurse-patient framework. In explaining this relationship, this paper expounds on the characteristics of nursing and why the concept of cultural competence is crucial to this field. Finally, this paper explains a range of policies or practices that can be adopted in the nursing profession to improve cultural competence. This analysis will be done systematically (Eckermann et al. 2006).
Cultural Competence in the Nursing Profession
Nursing is generally a social discipline that entails an intense interaction between nurses and patients. However, it is crucial to note that the nursing profession expects its practitioners to be sensitive to their patients’ needs, but more importantly, it does not discriminate who to receive nursing services. Nurses are also sourced from various cultural groups and therefore, the way they administer care to their patients may also vary according to their cultural dynamics. With such dynamics withstanding, it is important to employ the concept of cultural competence. This observation is supported by the trans-cultural nursing theory advanced by Madeleine Leininger (Andrews 2008). The trans-cultural theory is termed a profession and an area of general practice because it focuses on many areas of global cultures including the similarities and differences among various cultures. The trans-cultural theory proposes that, “Illness and wellness are shaped by various factors including perception and coping skills, as well as the social level of the patient” (Andrews 2008, p. 4). Here, the theory affirms that, the concept of cultural competence is a crucial part of the nursing profession.
It also affirms that, “Culture influences all spheres of human life. It defines health, illness, and the search for relief from disease or distress” (Andrews 2008, p. 4). The trans-cultural theory disseminates the importance of cultural competence by explaining that, cultural knowledge is a crucial component of the healthcare practice. For instance, several studies have shown that the cultural backgrounds of various groups are likely to influence the decision of seeking modern healthcare treatment (or not). The trans-cultural theory therefore proposes that, nurses need to be very flexible in the way they handle patients, especially if they work in environments that are characterized by population groups coming from different cultural backgrounds. This fact prompted Madeleine Leininger (through the trans-cultural theory) to affirm that, healthcare institutions need to adopt policies and procedures that are flexible enough to accommodate the dynamics of the various population groups they cater for (Leininger 2006). The inclusion of ‘culture’ in this analysis ensures that the varied forms of treatment are combined into one acceptable form because culture aligns varied personal opinions into an acceptable norm or practice (Papadopoulos 2006).
From the above understanding, several nurses are required to meet the needs of patients coming from different cultural backgrounds (Boyd-Seale 2008, p. 5). Australia is home to various ethnic groups such as the aboriginal communities who have a different cultural framework from the conventional Australian people (May 1999, p. 2). The community where I work (Bundoora) is also a reflection of the above dynamics because it is characterized by people from various nationalities, religions, income groups, educational backgrounds and the likes. For instance, the Bundoora community is mainly comprised of Australians, but almost in equal proportion, it is comprised of people born overseas (ABS 2008). Majority of the population hails from Australia but there are inhabitants who hail from Italy, China, Greece, Former Yugoslavian republic of Macedonia and England (in the same sequence of dominance). These groups of people identify with different cultures. Bundoora is also comprised of people speaking different nationalities. English is the most widely spoken language, followed by Italian, Greek, Macedonian, Mandarin and Arabic, in that order (ABS 2008). These language groups also symbolize the cultural dynamics that exist in the community. The religious diversity that exists in the community is also another indication of the cultural dynamism of the community because a majority of the population is catholic but a sizeable number of the population also professes the Eastern orthodox, Anglican and uniting church religions (ABS 2008). A sizeable number of the population does not profess any religion as well. Comprehensively, we can see that, there is a rich cultural diversity of the population which requires a dynamic cultural understanding of the community. This dynamism is also reflected in the number of patients seeking healthcare services (these are only a few examples) (Boyd-Seale 2008, p. 5).
Policies and Practices That Support Cultural Competence in Nursing
There are several policies and practices that can be implemented in the nursing or clinical workplace to uphold cultural competence. The first policy that can be implemented is valuing diversity (Dana 2008, p. 2). Healthcare institutions may employ this principle in their organizations to increase tolerance among their nursing staff and encourage them to learn and understand other people’s culture and how it applies to the nursing profession. Most nurses are sometimes not culturally competent because they do not understand other people’s culture and therefore, they do not act in an appropriate manner. A culture that values patient dynamics would therefore encourage nurses to be culturally competent (Eckermann et al. 2006). Secondly, healthcare institutions can institutionalize the practice of cultural self-assessments to determine where individual nurses stand, regarding cultural competence. Cultural self-assessments would ensure individual nurses who are lacking in this regard may get extra effort to improve their level of cultural competence (Daniels 2004).
However, this practice is mainly aimed at introducing a sense of awareness to individual nurses about the importance of cultural competence. Thirdly, healthcare institutions can institutionalize cultural knowledge as part of the professional nursing proficiency entry requirements. This policy will act as an extra body of knowledge to the already existing body of knowledge regarding cultural proficiency. This body of knowledge acts as a resource for nurses who want to improve their level of cultural proficiency (Daniels 2004). Healthcare institutions may also develop a sense of consciousness, which is inherent of the dynamics that exist if two or more cultures interact within the nursing workplace. This awareness exposes nurses to the reactions of different patients whenever they are exposed to certain dynamics (Daniels 2004). On the flip side, this practice makes nurses aware of what reactions to expect if patients’ cultural needs are ignored. This practice therefore ensures that, nurses are conscious of what to expect if they pay attention (or not) to the cultural needs of their patients. This practice is also an integral part of cultural competence because a culturally proficient nurse is bound to understand the implications of cultural dynamics on the nursing practice.
Conclusion
Cultural competence is an integral component of the nursing profession because it defines the awareness of one’s culture and how it affects other people’s culture (including how the reverse works). The importance of cultural competence in the nursing profession cannot be underestimated because nursing is primarily a ‘care-driven’ profession which requires nurses to be sensitive to patients’ culture. In this regard, institutions need to adopt practices and policies that support a culture of cultural competence based on a culture of accommodating patient dynamics or cultural dynamics in the nursing workplace. This practice also needs to be supported by a culture that upholds proficiency standards in the nursing profession. In other words, before nurses are finally allowed to work in a given institution, they need to be taken through an in-house training program that ensures they uphold cultural competence in their nursing practice. These practices are bound to inculcate a culture of nursing proficiency in the workplace (Eckermann et al. 2006).
References
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