Nurses are responsible for taking care of patients regardless of their racial or ethnic backgrounds. This requires nurses to possess not only healthcare competency, but also cultural competency.
Diversity Nursing writes that by the year 2043, minority groups will become the majority in the United States. However, only 19 percent of nurses come from minority backgrounds. Cultural competency goes beyond finding a staff member who speaks the patient’s language – healthcare professionals must also be respectful of the patient’s cultural views.
For example, Critical Care Nurse shares the story of a Vietnamese mother who gave birth to a baby boy who required extra medical attention. The child was too ill to be discharged with the mother, and the medical staff became concerned when the parents never came by to visit the child. The staff later learned many people from rural Vietnamese culture believe that harmful spirits are attracted to newborns, and the parents were staying away in an effort to keep the spirits from finding the baby.
To read more about cultural competency in nursing, visit Diversity Nursing’s A Guide to Culturally Competent Nursing Care.
