NR 394 Week 2 Discussion: Reflection On Cultural Awareness (Graded)
NR 394 Week 2 Discussion: Reflection on Cultural Awareness (Graded)
NR 394 Week 2 Discussion: Reflection on Cultural Awareness (Graded)
Cultural awareness goes beyond just knowing the details of another individual’s culture, but acknowledging and appreciating it. A lot of times, we subconsciously apply our cultural background onto others actions. For example, in Chinese culture, constant eye contact can be construed as defiance or “attitude” whereas in Western culture, eye contact is a sign of respect and attentiveness. So when communicating with patients, providers and healthcare teams, it is imperative we are culturally aware to prevent offending one another, improving communication for optimal patient care delivery.
An example of miscommunication that occurred as a result of cultural differences is when a coworker who was offended that a coworker was continuously barking orders at her rather than asking nicely. Because of this, when these two coworkers would work together, they would constantly have tension and argue. They were inefficient in their teamwork because they would refuse to help one another. Eventually management stepped in as mediator. The coworker who felt she was constantly barked at explained that she did not mean to offend the other coworker but she explained that in her native county, it is not the norm to say “please” to do their job because “please” implied begging. However, in the United States, the term “please” is used very freely just to be polite. This miscommunication could have been better alleviated had both partitions acknowledged the tension early on rather than let it go on for months. This simple cultural difference interfered with patient delivery for an unnecessarily extended amount of time.
It is imperative that we apply cultural awareness to communication in our current clinical practices. I understand that in the business of life and our workday it can be very easy to forget this skill, but we must do our best to uphold these standards. One way to do this is to simply ask questions. One of the ways that I accomplish this is actually through our admission process. Thankfully, we are required to ask every new patient if they have any religious or cultural practices that they would like known to staff so that we can ensure they are upheld. This simple question works wonders for many of our staff members. By simply asking the question, I believe that this can help us to avoid miscommunications that could possibly occur.

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Unfortunately, I was told by my coworker of a miscommunication that has often occurred. She is from Morocco and is of the Muslim faith. She told me that when she is out in public with her husband and they meet new people, men often attempt to shake her hand when introducing themselves. Within her cultural and religious background, this is unacceptable as women are not allowed to shake hands with men. Unfortunately, there have been times where she attempted to explain why she could not shake their hands, but the individual was offended and did not allow her to communicate her reasoning.
This instance is very difficult to prevent as in our American culture it is almost standard to shake someones hand or hug them when greeting. With this challenge, I believe one of the best prevention methods would simply be more self-education, humility, and again asking questions. There is so much that we can learn from one another. I believe by being open-minded we can indeed grow into excellent nurses with a strong sense of cultural tact and respect.
It is imperative that we apply cultural awareness to communication in our current clinical practices. I understand that in the business of life and our workday it can be very easy to forget this skill, but we must do our best to uphold these standards. One way to do this is to simply ask questions. One of the ways that I accomplish this is actually through our admission process. Thankfully, we are required to ask every new patient if they have any religious or cultural practices that they would like known to staff so that we can ensure they are upheld. This simple question works wonders for many of our staff members. By simply asking the question, I believe that this can help us to avoid miscommunications that could possibly occur.
Unfortunately, I was told by my coworker of a miscommunication that has often occurred. She is from Morocco and is of the Muslim faith. She told me that when she is out in public with her husband and they meet new people, men often attempt to shake her hand when introducing themselves. Within her cultural and religious background, this is unacceptable as women are not allowed to shake hands with men. Unfortunately, there have been times where she attempted to explain why she could not shake their hands, but the individual was offended and did not allow her to communicate her reasoning.
This instance is very difficult to prevent as in our American culture it is almost standard to shake someones hand or hug them when greeting. With this challenge, I believe one of the best prevention methods would simply be more self-education, humility, and again asking questions. There is so much that we can learn from one another. I believe by being open-minded we can indeed grow into excellent nurses with a strong sense of cultural tact and respect.
It is imperative that we apply cultural awareness to communication in our current clinical practices. I understand that in the business of life and our workday it can be very easy to forget this skill, but we must do our best to uphold these standards. One way to do this is to simply ask questions. One of the ways that I accomplish this is actually through our admission process. Thankfully, we are required to ask every new patient if they have any religious or cultural practices that they would like known to staff so that we can ensure they are upheld. This simple question works wonders for many of our staff members. By simply asking the question, I believe that this can help us to avoid miscommunications that could possibly occur.
Unfortunately, I was told by my coworker of a miscommunication that has often occurred. She is from Morocco and is of the Muslim faith. She told me that when she is out in public with her husband and they meet new people, men often attempt to shake her hand when introducing themselves. Within her cultural and religious background, this is unacceptable as women are not allowed to shake hands with men. Unfortunately, there have been times where she attempted to explain why she could not shake their hands, but the individual was offended and did not allow her to communicate her reasoning.
This instance is very difficult to prevent as in our American culture it is almost standard to shake someones hand or hug them when greeting. With this challenge, I believe one of the best prevention methods would simply be more self-education, humility, and again asking questions. There is so much that we can learn from one another. I believe by being open-minded we can indeed grow into excellent nurses with a strong sense of cultural tact and respect.