1. Introduction/Background:
Cultural competency is primarily accomplished through programs aimed at increasing knowledge, enhancing self-awareness and strengthening the ability of health care professionals to have meaningful health interactions with the Indigenous populations they serve (Health Council of Canada, 2012). Most importantly, the integration of cultural competency across the continuum of health services has the potential to improve the quality of health care encounters between health providers and Indigenous peoples accessing health services (Baba, 2013).
The purpose of my interview was to examine how recently-graduated registered psychiatric nurses integrate cultural competency into their nursing practice. I recruited my interviewee through my partner’s social network (she herself is a registered psychiatric nurse). My partner agreed to reach out a person from her nursing school cohort, with whom she graduated in 2016. The potential interviewee was first contacted via text message by my partner and asked if they would be interested in conducting an interview with me. The person responded and agreed to conduct the interview. I then followed up with this person by …show more content…
This concept was expressed as “leaving my biases at the door and removing any pre-conceived notions that I had about somebody and just meeting the client where they are at”. Such attitudes (based on trust, understanding and mutual respect) allow her to establish a therapeutic alliance with her Indigenous clients, where they are empowered to “be in control of what they want their health outcomes to be”. Moreover, my interviewee discussed that a nurse must leave it up to the client, themselves, to define the role that culture plays in their wellness journey. This was a clear demonstration of her cultural
Cultural competency is primarily accomplished through programs aimed at increasing knowledge, enhancing self-awareness and strengthening the ability of health care professionals to have meaningful health interactions with the Indigenous populations they serve (Health Council of Canada, 2012). Most importantly, the integration of cultural competency across the continuum of health services has the potential to improve the quality of health care encounters between health providers and Indigenous peoples accessing health services (Baba, 2013).
The purpose of my interview was to examine how recently-graduated registered psychiatric nurses integrate cultural competency into their nursing practice. I recruited my interviewee through my partner’s social network (she herself is a registered psychiatric nurse). My partner agreed to reach out a person from her nursing school cohort, with whom she graduated in 2016. The potential interviewee was first contacted via text message by my partner and asked if they would be interested in conducting an interview with me. The person responded and agreed to conduct the interview. I then followed up with this person by …show more content…
This concept was expressed as “leaving my biases at the door and removing any pre-conceived notions that I had about somebody and just meeting the client where they are at”. Such attitudes (based on trust, understanding and mutual respect) allow her to establish a therapeutic alliance with her Indigenous clients, where they are empowered to “be in control of what they want their health outcomes to be”. Moreover, my interviewee discussed that a nurse must leave it up to the client, themselves, to define the role that culture plays in their wellness journey. This was a clear demonstration of her cultural