Culturally Competent Nursing Care Nicole Peters Apollo College
NUR 100 Professor Ming RN MSN December 4, 2007
Culturally Competent Nursing Care To be a successful nurse one must have knowledge of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. It is important to provide culturally competent nursing care. A nurse must know what the patient beliefs are and how their certain beliefs relate to health care. This will effect the patient 's decisions on the way he or she chooses to be taken care of. A nurse should be very open minded and knowledgeable of different cultures and there beliefs. Every religion has different beliefs that they believed should be followed. The religion that will be discussed is Mormonism. This religion like most religions has many different beliefs that they do and do not believe in. For example, Mormons believe that your body is a temple and that you should respect it in everyway. That is no drinking coffee, tea, alcohol, or smoking. Another way that Mormons show respect for their bodies is through the way that they dress, "anything revealing ' is frowned upon" (Jerome, 2004). Therefore if the nurse is knowledgeable of this religion they should know these certain rules and accommodate the patient to their beliefs. A way of doing this would be to have a substitute drink order of juice or milk instead of coffee or tea. Another way for the nurse to accommodate the patient beliefs would be to ask them if they would like extra blankets to cover themselves up more. Or ask to close their curtain. Some of the hospital outfits have an opening in the back and that might make the patient feel uncomfortable. A nurse that is working in a gynecological setting should know not to offer an abortion to a Mormon patient. This is one belief that should be held very strongly. "Mormons are officially opposed to abortion, except when the pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, when the life or health of the mother would be in serious jeopardy, or when the fetus has serious defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth" (Religion & Ethnics, 2004). Even with these exceptions abortion is still not seen as "the right course of action" (Religion & Ethnics, 2004). Not only is it not acceptable to have an abortion it is also a big belief to wait until marriage to have sex. If a nurse was confronted with this situation of a pregnant woman who is not married he or she should accommodate this persons beliefs by offering other options such as adoption. A nurse with a good knowledge of this patient 's beliefs would help the patient feel more comfortable and possibly help the patient open up more to the nurse. Another practice of Mormonism is to keep the Sabbath day holy and the belief in fasting. These events normally take place on Sunday and are considered very serious. The Sabbath day is meant for worship, rest, and family time. This might be a problem for a patient who is in the hospital and is immobile and cannot leave their bed. A good idea for the nurse would be to give this patient personal time to worship how he or she wishes. Maybe the nurse can adjust their schedule to give the patient an hour of alone time with themselves or family. Fasting is also a big part of this religion. This takes place on the first Sunday of every month. The person should go without food or water for twenty-four hours. It would be a good idea for the nurse to be aware of this so that he or she can consult with the doctor first to see if this would be allowed depending on the patient 's health. Since euthanasia is now legal in Oregon a nurse living in that state should be very aware of different cultures and beliefs. In some cultures if suicide or the idea of assisted suicide is even mentioned it could be very offensive. In Mormonism euthanasia is condemned. "Anyone who takes part in euthanasia, including 'assisted suicide ', is regarded as having violated the commandments of God" (Religion & Ethnics, 2004). Their beliefs are that it is up to God to decide who shall live and who shall die. And that anyone who commits suicide or helps anyone commit suicide they are disobeying the commandments of God. To accommodate to every patient a nurse should have knowledge of what religions accept euthanasia and which religions do not. A nurse should know when to and when not to offer this as an option to the patient if they are dying. By having this knowledge the nurse will save themselves from offending anyone who does not believe in euthanasia. To provide culturally competent care a nurse should take it upon themselves to know different cultural backgrounds and religions. This will not only help the nurse understand the patient more it will also provide them with respect from the patient for knowing and understanding there individual needs.
References
Jerome, Marilyn. (2004, December 06). Your Body is Your Temple--Treat it That Way. EzineArticles. Retrieved December 05, 2007, from http://ezinearticles.com/?id=5770
(2004 January 08). Religion & Ethnics- Mormonism. Retrieved December 5, 2007, from bbc.co.uk Web site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/mormon/socialvalues/ethics_3.shtml
References: Jerome, Marilyn. (2004, December 06). Your Body is Your Temple--Treat it That Way. EzineArticles. Retrieved December 05, 2007, from http://ezinearticles.com/?id=5770 (2004 January 08). Religion & Ethnics- Mormonism. Retrieved December 5, 2007, from bbc.co.uk Web site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/mormon/socialvalues/ethics_3.shtml
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