...Cultural Competency and Health Literacy Linda Seyram Agudu, RN-BSN State College of Florida Spring 2014 Cultural competency and health literacy “ To be culturally aware is to understand those aspects of the human condition that differentiate individuals and groups and to understand that these differences sometimes have a significant influence on their health and medical care” (Seidel, 2011). A definition of cultural competency in nursing: “The nurse becomes sensitive to the values, beliefs, lifestyle, and practices of the patient/client, and explores her/his own values, biases and prejudices. Unless the nurse goes through this process in a conscious, deliberate, and reflective manner there is always the risk of the nurse imposing her/his own cultural values during the encounter.” (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008). As cited in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Tool Kit of Resources for Cultural Competent Education for Baccalaureate Nurses, Madeleine Leininger's theory and the Sunrise Model that depicts her theory are perhaps the most well known in nursing literature on culture and health. “Leininger states that the theory of cultural care diversity and universality is holistic. Culture is the specific pattern of behavior that distinguishes any society from others and gives meaning to human expressions of care”. (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008). The Cultural Competence Health Practitioner Assessment (CCHPA)...
Words: 887 - Pages: 4
...Cultural Competency Cultural Competency is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals that enables effective work in cross-cultural situations (HHS, 2013). With the increasing population growth dealing with ethnic and racial communities, everybody have their own cultural traits and health profiles, this creates a challenge in the health care industry in the U.S. Cultural Competency is important to the health care industry because it’s the way patients and doctors talk about health concerns without cultural differences affecting the conversation but at the same time enhancing it. To sum it up, health care services that respect a patient’s health beliefs can bring positive health outcomes. In the health care industry knowing how to serve diverse people about health and wellness is both an ethical and business imperative. Cultural Competency has become more of a matter of national concern, so it’s important that physicians should be trained on how to care for diverse populations. Building cultural competency has several benefits for health care organizations. For instance it increases respect, increases creativity, increase participation from other cultural groups, increases trust, helps the overcome fear of mistakes, decrease unwanted surprises, and promotes equality and inclusion. Health care companies can demonstrate cultural competency by writing a mission statement that commits to cultural competence...
Words: 396 - Pages: 2
...According to the EYLF, cultural competence is the ability to understand, communicate with and effectively interact with people across cultures. For this to be effective, it requires and educator to commit to ongoing learning about the families and the broader community with which they belong. The expectation is that the educator then takes this knowledge gained and represents them (cultures) in a real and engaging way, through learning experiences and environments.( EYLF,2009. p6) It further states that for educators, it encompasses • Being aware of one’s own world view. Though introspection an educator needs to understand their own views on cultural identity, and if need be challenge their beliefs and value systems in order to be culturally...
Words: 251 - Pages: 2
...The Key to Successful Cultural Competency When working in the healthcare field one should consider cultural competency to be a vital asset with diverse populations in order for one to ensure proper communication, accuracy, and respect towards others. Communication is the key factor to understanding and identifying crucial information when one is in dire need of assistance. Accuracy is the key significance in establishing proper treatment for one to heal, and more importantly for one to heal with little or no complications that may be caused by certain harmful side effects. Respect is the key to treating others as one would expect to be treated. Moreover, proper communication, accuracy, and respect overall helps guide one to being culturally...
Words: 294 - Pages: 2
...Cultural competency is a "set of congruent practice skills, behaviors, attitudes and policies that come embedded in a system, agency, or among consumer providers and professionals" (Green & Reinckens, 2013). Cultural competency allows tasks to be carried out effectively in any setting and situation. A health care professional who is culturally competent provides good awareness and sensitivity to individuals are of different cultures. Health care workers face diversity on a daily whether it's in society or at work, our patients and co-workers. Nursing practice will have to adapt to the many belief systems that exist today, nurses that are aware of this will become culturally competent. Barriers to cultural sensitivity in the nursing profession...
Words: 317 - Pages: 2
...Cultural Competency Interview Paper Elizabeth Asch is one of two teachers in a community education preschool classroom in Michigan. She works with children from different socioeconomic statuses, different cultural backgrounds, and with different abilities and disabilities. Asch (personal communication, November 6, 2014) explained her job responsibilities include leading groups, creating lessons, helping the children progress in school, and home visits occasionally. She began working at daycare centers in high school, attended college for a few years, took a few years off to raise children, and then began looking for classroom jobs. The families that have attended her classroom are from both similar and diverse cultural backgrounds. She has had students from Hispanic, African American, Middle Eastern, Asian, and Caucasian families. There are rewards that accompany working with diverse families, Asch explains that she enjoys teaching the children about different cultures as well as learning about them from the children and parents. The students tell her stories about their families and their cultural practices, such as holidays, which she encourages them to tell. It is rewarding for her to be able to make connections with the students and their parents. A specific example that she always remembers is about an African American child from a lower SES who was in one of her classes who did not have the best life at home. He had problem behaviors and trust issues, but she was able...
Words: 1216 - Pages: 5
...Cultural Competency Assessment BSHS/422 May 28, 2012 Professor Gaeraths Community based organization are created to assist individuals with services of almost any nature. This essay will discuss the National Association of Child Care Resources and how they provide for the community. It will allow for a brief history, population recognition, services, demographics, mission statements, budget and sources, and the staff/client construction. Our socioeconomic situation today has created hardships for families, individuals, and even communities as whole. With the assistance of such a program, we can explore the nature of the agency and how they provide cultural competency as they deliver much needed services. The National Association of Child Care, to include its supporting agencies is said to be the leader of democracy when it comes to providing services. The NACCRA assists approximately seven hundred bureaus, and these establishments are operated by both state and local authorities. Establishments of this nature afford our American households the opportunities of child care that they can manage. According to NACCRA, (NACCRA) it enhances the plans that increase the value and services of child care specialists, research protocols, and advocate child care policies that definitely influence the lives of children and families (NACCRA, 2011). In the year 1987 they began further cultivation of the already committed program in an effort to increase their...
Words: 1297 - Pages: 6
...A diverse student body enhances medical education by teaching students cultural competency. Moreover, building cultural competency from the start of medical training is key to preparing medical professionals to successfully serve multicultural communities. Immersing myself in an educational environment rich with diversity at the University of Colorado School of Medicine will be an invaluable experience for my peers and I to learn from our differing perspectives on disease and health. Equally important, growing up in a working class household will allow me to contribute to the diversity of the student body. Coping with financial struggles as I was growing up was difficult, however, working since early adolescence has shaped my career goals and...
Words: 1060 - Pages: 5
...Cultural Competency among Our Heroes Dana Smith NUR 531 June 22, 2015 Instructor: Donna Rose Cultural Competency Among Our Heroes Fear of the unknown. We as a people have the propensity to respond based on our fears due to lack of knowledge or information. We must realize that the effect of any given action (or lack thereof) does not change because we do not know. For example, if we never read the warning on a package of cigarettes and never had anyone to tell us that smoking cigarettes will lead to cancer, it does not stop cancer from taking root. Let’s say that we don’t watch the news and we are not internet surfers to know what’s going on around us and a comet is headed towards the earth. The earth is about to be destroyed. Our not knowing is not going to turn the comet in another direction nor stop it from coming and destroying planet earth. We will simply die, not knowing what or how it happened. So not knowing or being aware can cost a person to lose on a small scale and on a large scale (with the larger being your very life). Not knowing can be a roadblock to learning and intelligence. Being smart, competent and on top of your game leads to success in any given area. Incompetence or ignorance can lead to failure, death, poverty, and all kinds of damage spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and socially (in relationships). Some people think of incompetence as stupidity, or simply not caring about a particular thing. Many use...
Words: 2978 - Pages: 12
...Cultural competency is having the knowledge, abilities, and skills to deliver care congruent with the patient's cultural beliefs and practices. It also allows one the ability to understand, appreciate, and interact with persons from cultures and/or belief systems other than one's own. Being culturally competent allows nurses the ability to comprehend and focus on picture, while being able to provide patients with the best quality and continuity of care. Nurses must have the ability to learn and comprehend different cultures beliefs when it comes to healthcare. The different culture plays a huge role on how people seek for care, but most importantly how they react to the care received. Healthcare professionals should abstain from stereotyping...
Words: 420 - Pages: 2
...planning and interventions will be more effective if the patient’s cultural, values, and beliefs are understood and considered. In order for nurses to be competent, education and training needs to involve the following: ethnicity, language, culture, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic class. Cultural competency allows the patient and nurse to connect. Patients may be more comfortable in communicating and expressing themselves if the nurse speaks the same language as them. The nurse is able to address the patient and get a response therefore planning and interventions will be clearly understood by patient. It is important for the nurse and the health care organization to understand the culture of patients in order to provide cultural relevant treatment. For example, diet and nutrition is important and every culture has different foods of preference. A nurse may implement a nutrition plan for a diabetic patient based on the patient’s ethnic food groups or preference. The patient will most likely follow the diet if it is planed with foods that are familiar to them. When providing education and educational material it is important to educate in the language spoken and understood by patient. Patients will find the education more interesting and will be able to ask questions if needed. In order to deliver patient-centered care nurses must be culturally competent and be mindful of patients ethnic and cultural back ground. Communication will be better established benefiting...
Words: 292 - Pages: 2
...Integration Paper Cultural Concepts Introduction Eight Strangers With Nothing in Common, Except Each Other It was Saturday morning February 4, 2012 the first day of Managing in a Diverse and Global World. Ironically, the class of eight students metaphorically resembled the 1985 John Hughes movie the Breakfast Club “five strangers with nothing in common, except each other” about high school students from completely different backgrounds serving Saturday morning detention and their quest to connect on some level as equals. In a graduate class that will focus on cultural diversity in business our classroom was comprised of eight students that resembled just that. The differences were visibly apparent to everyone immediately. We represented more than 5 countries and spanned multiple continents. The three Americans in the classroom were cross sections of American culture; an African American female working in the private sector, a Caucasian American female working in the government sector, and a Caucasian American male working in the non-profit sector. The next seven weeks showed promise for revealing and stimulating conversation that centered on our individual perspectives and approaches in life and business each one of us equally contributing our narrow perspective of the world. All sharing our ideas, our ideals, and our idiosyncrasies. The first day immediately revealed how much I did not know about other cultures. I was very unaware of the breadth of differences...
Words: 2981 - Pages: 12
...When I resonate on the thought of cultural competence, there is more than the word “cultural.” The idea of multicultural comes to my mind because of the diverse society we live in. There are many different areas of cultural values and beliefs that as counselors we should be aware of, therefore, the word “Multicultural” includes everyone: race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, and even age. According to Sue & Sue, p. 48, (2013), they define cultural competence as a helping professional who is aware of ones one assumptions, values beliefs, understands the worldview of culturally diversity. According to Dr. Sue he states Cultural competence is a complex topic and a difficult concept to apply a definition to (Laureate Education, Inc., 2012g). Although I do agree, as a future counselor, I define cultural competence as any and all aspects that involves the...
Words: 418 - Pages: 2
...Cultural Competency Community Agency: The American Red Cross Linda Rahnn BSHS 422/ Cultural Diversity and Special Populations May 11, 2013 The American Red Cross serves our nation as one of the most premier humanitarian organizations around the world for helping people in crisis. Depending on the public’s contributions such as blood, time and money to support the resources needed to help the people in need. The Red Cross organization was founded by Clara Barton in Washington, D.C., May 21, 1881, inspired by the Global network after in Europe after the Civil War. Barton led the Red Cross for over 23 years, conducting the very first relief effort overseas aiding the U.S. military during the Spanish American War. The Red Cross has also implemented programs such as training for nutrition education and accident prevention. Other programs include home care, service to veterans and relief during major disasters among many other programs today. The Red Cross organization today includes supporter, volunteers and employees serving the U.S. in five critical areas that include (1) People affected in disaster crisis. (2) Support for the families of the military, (3) Blood collection and distributing, (4) Health and safety training, (5) International relief and developing. The Red Cross organization has achieved excellence in Corporate Governance with its principles founded in the Congressional Charter of the American Red Cross...
Words: 1285 - Pages: 6
...Cultural and Cultural Competency in Health Promotion Rosa Diaz Grand Canyon University Family-Centered Health Promotion NUR-429V Geri Chesebrough April 22, 2012 According to Cultural Diversity in Nursing, cultural competence is “obtaining cultural information and then applying that knowledge. This cultural awareness allows you to see the entire picture and improves the quality of care and health outcomes”. With today’s diverse society, to better serve the people, healthcare providers need to respect and acknowledge people’s views in healthcare. The perception of illness and disease and their causes varies by cultures. Healthcare professionals must possess the ability to communicate and understand health behaviors that are influenced by culture. In this essay three families of different origin: Japanese, Filipino, and Hispanic, were interviewed and each explained their beliefs in health maintenance, protection, and restoration of their own health. All cultures approach health care management by their cultures own worldly views. The usefulness of a heritage assessment tool is to identify the needs of a person as a whole. This can be an effective way to gain insight and help determine a course of action most beneficial for that particular person. Part of the assessment tool that is useful in identifying particular characteristics of a person is the origin of birth of the persons’ parents, identifying their ethnicity, which can allow for considerations such as genetic...
Words: 1497 - Pages: 6
