Cultural competence is defined in the Siegen’s Medical Dictionary as the ability to understand, appreciate, and interact with persons from cultures and/or belief systems other than one’s own, based on various factors (“cultural competence”). This aptitude and mindset is being sought after by today’s employers more often than before, especially in the career field of my choice, Nursing.
As the world becomes smaller and people and civilizations become more easily accessible, majority of all Americans have had the capability to interact with people from other nations. I believe to fully comprehend and understand the full meaning and definition of culture competence, you must first understand what “culture” means. The founder of Cultural Anthropology, E.B. Tylor defined culture as, “…the …show more content…
This goes from how children are raised, how families talk and communicate with each other, to what is considered “normal” and “not normal”, where we decide to live, the way we dress, when and where we see or get medical attention and the list goes on.
Cultural competence requires learning about cultural biases and prejudices and understanding why cultures live the way they do. Having this skill is essential and I believe should be required or mandatory for all individuals in the health care industry such as nursing. The development of cultural competence in the nursing profession requires you to have a mindfulness of the fact that many belief systems exist outside your personal beliefs. At times, the healthcare practices of other cultures may seem bizarre or pointless but you have to put those thoughts or feeling aside and respect their ways and how the patients prefer to go about medical care. In the article “Cultural Competence in the Nursing Practice”, author Lanette Anderson stated, “Barriers to cultural sensitivity in the nursing career can include stereotyping, discrimination, racism, and prejudice.” There are
As the world becomes smaller and people and civilizations become more easily accessible, majority of all Americans have had the capability to interact with people from other nations. I believe to fully comprehend and understand the full meaning and definition of culture competence, you must first understand what “culture” means. The founder of Cultural Anthropology, E.B. Tylor defined culture as, “…the …show more content…
This goes from how children are raised, how families talk and communicate with each other, to what is considered “normal” and “not normal”, where we decide to live, the way we dress, when and where we see or get medical attention and the list goes on.
Cultural competence requires learning about cultural biases and prejudices and understanding why cultures live the way they do. Having this skill is essential and I believe should be required or mandatory for all individuals in the health care industry such as nursing. The development of cultural competence in the nursing profession requires you to have a mindfulness of the fact that many belief systems exist outside your personal beliefs. At times, the healthcare practices of other cultures may seem bizarre or pointless but you have to put those thoughts or feeling aside and respect their ways and how the patients prefer to go about medical care. In the article “Cultural Competence in the Nursing Practice”, author Lanette Anderson stated, “Barriers to cultural sensitivity in the nursing career can include stereotyping, discrimination, racism, and prejudice.” There are