Native American Culture and Health Care
Bryan Stull
West Virginia University-Parkersburg
Nursing 234
Native American Culture and Health Care
According to Jean Giddens (2013), “culture is defined as a pattern of shared attitudes, beliefs, self-definitions, norms, roles, and value that can occur among those who speak a particular language or live in a defined geographical region.” There are several different types of cultures that exist in the world. Each culture has its own belief on medical practices and rituals. For purposes of this paper, the author will focus on the Native American culture.
When a nurse has a patient that is of a different culture, it is important to include that patient’s cultural beliefs into the nursing care. Including …show more content…
Native Americans have healers called shamans or medicine men. According to Potter, P., Perry, A., Stockert, P., & Hall, A (2013), the shaman performs “a combination of prayers, chants, and herbs to treat illnesses caused by supernatural, psychological, and physical factors.” If a nurse is caring for a Native American patient in the Emergency Department, it is appropriate to ask if the patient has a shaman when obtaining a history on the patient.
Some Native American cultures believe in a Medicine Wheel. According to Thomas Armstrong (2012), “the stages of life in Native American traditions are sometimes represented through the Medicine Wheel, a cross within a circle that indicates the Four Directions: East, South, West, and North. The symbolism that is usually described goes as follows: East-birth, childhood; South-youth, growing up; West-aging, mature adulthood; North-wisdom, death.” The concept of the Medicine Wheel is that it represents the life cycle and with death, there is also birth and …show more content…
One theory why Native Americans are prone to mental health illness is because the Native Americans live in a stressful environment. According to Jens Manuel Krogstad (2014), “Native Americans have a higher poverty and unemployment rate when compared with the national average.” Living in poverty and being unemployed can cause a great deal of stress. According to Halter, M. J. (2014), “negative feelings are not expressed freely, pain is kept as silent as possible.” As a result of not being able to express feelings freely, the culture is at a higher risk for mental illness. As a nurse caring for a Native American patient, one intervention the nurse could implement is to establish a good rapport with the patient. One way of accomplishing this intervention would be to realize the cultural beliefs such as not shaking hands or staring into the eyes. A second intervention could be to allow the patient to express feelings freely when family is not around. This intervention is about getting the patient’s trust also. A third intervention could be to maintain a healthy physical distance, several feet is usually a comfort zone for Native Americans. If the patient is paranoid or not trusting the nurse, then this intervention could help with getting rapport and making the patient feel
Bryan Stull
West Virginia University-Parkersburg
Nursing 234
Native American Culture and Health Care
According to Jean Giddens (2013), “culture is defined as a pattern of shared attitudes, beliefs, self-definitions, norms, roles, and value that can occur among those who speak a particular language or live in a defined geographical region.” There are several different types of cultures that exist in the world. Each culture has its own belief on medical practices and rituals. For purposes of this paper, the author will focus on the Native American culture.
When a nurse has a patient that is of a different culture, it is important to include that patient’s cultural beliefs into the nursing care. Including …show more content…
Native Americans have healers called shamans or medicine men. According to Potter, P., Perry, A., Stockert, P., & Hall, A (2013), the shaman performs “a combination of prayers, chants, and herbs to treat illnesses caused by supernatural, psychological, and physical factors.” If a nurse is caring for a Native American patient in the Emergency Department, it is appropriate to ask if the patient has a shaman when obtaining a history on the patient.
Some Native American cultures believe in a Medicine Wheel. According to Thomas Armstrong (2012), “the stages of life in Native American traditions are sometimes represented through the Medicine Wheel, a cross within a circle that indicates the Four Directions: East, South, West, and North. The symbolism that is usually described goes as follows: East-birth, childhood; South-youth, growing up; West-aging, mature adulthood; North-wisdom, death.” The concept of the Medicine Wheel is that it represents the life cycle and with death, there is also birth and …show more content…
One theory why Native Americans are prone to mental health illness is because the Native Americans live in a stressful environment. According to Jens Manuel Krogstad (2014), “Native Americans have a higher poverty and unemployment rate when compared with the national average.” Living in poverty and being unemployed can cause a great deal of stress. According to Halter, M. J. (2014), “negative feelings are not expressed freely, pain is kept as silent as possible.” As a result of not being able to express feelings freely, the culture is at a higher risk for mental illness. As a nurse caring for a Native American patient, one intervention the nurse could implement is to establish a good rapport with the patient. One way of accomplishing this intervention would be to realize the cultural beliefs such as not shaking hands or staring into the eyes. A second intervention could be to allow the patient to express feelings freely when family is not around. This intervention is about getting the patient’s trust also. A third intervention could be to maintain a healthy physical distance, several feet is usually a comfort zone for Native Americans. If the patient is paranoid or not trusting the nurse, then this intervention could help with getting rapport and making the patient feel