The hospital is generally seen as a place of sickness, disease and a place where people are going through some of the most challenging hardships of their lives. As they endure these hardships, there is a significant amount of physical, emotional and psychological stress placed upon the patient. As a prospective registered nurse, I understand my role goes beyond skill-based tasks and include empowering, supporting, teaching and advocating for our patients in a culturally safe and competent manner. In order to act in a culturally safe manner, it is important to evaluate and reflect on your own attitudes, values and beliefs that may consciously or subconsciously exist in regards to cultural and societal imbalances.
Cultural safety is defined …show more content…
One of the skills that I think is important to utilize is working alongside whânau so they are supported to participate in the recovery of service users and have access to all information, education and support (Hughes & McKay, 2012). The primary goal of healthcare is to work with the client to reach their health goals and to empower autonomous …show more content…
Acting in a culturally safe manner includes recognizing power imbalances and also advocating against these imbalances in order to strive towards health equity. It is important to not only challenge stigma and discrimination to others but we must also be self-aware of our own stigma and discrimination and challenge those thoughts as well. Oda & Rameka (2012) discuss the difference of interpersonal discrimination and institutional discrimination. Interpersonal discrimination occurs between individuals and includes assault, unfair treatment, and decreased accessibility to services. Institutional discrimination is the more powerful form of discrimination as it impacts a whole system and a greater number of people as evidenced in the “mainstream” school system in Sophie’s narrative. It is often not visible and not directed towards individuals but disadvantages minorities as a whole. Oda & Rameka (2012) suggest solutions to overcome the barriers in cultural safe nursing care such as recognizing disparities in health and understanding oppression. The article also emphasizes the importance of being culturally
Cultural safety is defined …show more content…
One of the skills that I think is important to utilize is working alongside whânau so they are supported to participate in the recovery of service users and have access to all information, education and support (Hughes & McKay, 2012). The primary goal of healthcare is to work with the client to reach their health goals and to empower autonomous …show more content…
Acting in a culturally safe manner includes recognizing power imbalances and also advocating against these imbalances in order to strive towards health equity. It is important to not only challenge stigma and discrimination to others but we must also be self-aware of our own stigma and discrimination and challenge those thoughts as well. Oda & Rameka (2012) discuss the difference of interpersonal discrimination and institutional discrimination. Interpersonal discrimination occurs between individuals and includes assault, unfair treatment, and decreased accessibility to services. Institutional discrimination is the more powerful form of discrimination as it impacts a whole system and a greater number of people as evidenced in the “mainstream” school system in Sophie’s narrative. It is often not visible and not directed towards individuals but disadvantages minorities as a whole. Oda & Rameka (2012) suggest solutions to overcome the barriers in cultural safe nursing care such as recognizing disparities in health and understanding oppression. The article also emphasizes the importance of being culturally