Click Here for Download: Cultural Competency Reflection
A nurse is assigned to specific patients at the beginning of a shift, regardless of culture or any other identifying factor. Prior to receiving cultural competency training, I would have only responded to this prompt with, “the care that I provide is not impacted by a person’s culture, color, or upbringing.” While I would like to believe that this is true, I am forced through exercises, such as this one, to evaluate the care that I am providing to patients, and I am offered an opportunity to reflect on these implicit biases that may, in fact, impact the care that I am providing.
I was raised as a white, cis-gendered, heterosexual female. While I face some adversity as a female, I recognize that my race and sexual orientation provide me with a level of privilege that is not universal. As a psychiatric provider, I am frequently working with people of different cultures and colors, as well as with people of different socioeconomic statuses. While in college, I remember reading a paper entitled, The Essence of Innocence: Dehumanizing Black Children, in which the author discusses how black children are viewed as older than their biological age. This perception leads to greater expectation and harsher punishments for children of color, due to an implicit bias that is otherwise unrecognized (Goff et al, 2014). The authors aim to argue that, even something as basic as childhood innocence is a privilege. This privilege must be upheld whenever possible, and distributed equally amongst all patients in our care. While this paper may be a bit outdated, the message has stayed with me since I have begun my career as a psychiatric provider.
I prefer to believe that I am culturally competent, and that the care that I have provided to my patients has been consistent. That being said, the assessment provided as part of this exercise has offered me opportunities to improve my cultural competency as a provider. First and foremost, as an APRN, I can attempt to make my environment comfortable for people of all races, genders, and religions by offering resources that are inclusive. While I am always quick to ask about translational resources for patients who primarily speak another language, I will ensure that these resources are available whenever I am providing care as a nurse practitioner. Additionally, I will continue to advocate for my patient and the care that they receive. I will be cognizant of their family unit and morals, and I will intervene when appropriate regarding services or providers who are not respectful of the needs of my patients.