A nurse is a specialist with a medical education in the field of nursing, who is a specialist and a member of the medical staff. A nurse plays an essential role in every medical institution, which performs a large number of functions. These functions include the implementation of therapeutic and diagnostic measures, the organization of their work, and the culture of patient service. The nurse needs to take into account cultural diversity and respect them. This essay aims to determine the cultural competence of a nurse to identify the relationship between cultural competence and diversity.
Cultural competence in nursing is the ability of nurses to provide patients with high-quality medical care while considering cultural awareness of their race, cultural values, and beliefs. Nurses play a key role in determining the nature of interactions and experiences of patients when receiving medical care (Jongen et al., 2018). Since nurses must assist people of different nationalities, cultural biases, and values, they must be prepared for diversity. This means that a nurse should strive to provide high-quality medical care and provide maximum care for patients and their family members. The nurse’s actions should not be based on prejudices about the race and culture of a particular patient. Moreover, the nurse must consider the cultural and racial characteristics of a particular patient in her work and care so that the treatment takes place in a comfortable environment and contributes to a speedy recovery.
During my work as a nurse, a black man and a Muslim woman were admitted for treatment. I provided them with the most comfortable stay in the clinic, taking into account their cultural requirements. My goal in working with them was to monitor compliance with all sanitary standards, and they have also prescribed treatment, taking into account their characteristics. For example, the family of a black man asked to take into account his allergy to certain drugs, and a Muslim woman asked to appoint female doctors for her.
In conclusion, the main task of a nurse is to ensure the most comfortable stay of patients in the clinic. This is necessary to minimize stress and maximize the recovery of patients and eliminate further complications after the course of treatment. For these goals to be implemented, it is essential to take into account cultural and racial diversity, as well as to ensure an individual approach to each patient.
Reference
Jongen, C., McCalman, J. & Bainbridge, R. (2018). Health workforce cultural competency interventions: a systematic scoping review. BMC Health Services Research, 18(232), 1-15.