Week 4: Advocacy and Cultural Competence
(graded)
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This week's graded topic relates to the following Course Outcome (CO).
CO6: Plans clinical practice activities that integrate professional nursing standards in accordance
with the Nursing Code of Ethics and the ANA standards of practice (PO#6).
Go to the link https://www.thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/clas/standards (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site..
View the National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services Standards (CLAS)
categories aimed at equity and quality care (HHS, n.d.). Notice how these standards overlap with
many of the expectations and standards in professional nursing practice!
In what ways are you and your peers using these standards in your areas of nursing
practice?
Discuss one nursing action you might incorporate to improve cultural competence in your
organization.
Working in NYC, you come to appreciate how culturally diverse we are. The majority of my
clientele did not speak English as their first language. Because of this, we have strict
guidelines on how to ensure our patients are receiving culturally competent care. Many of the
staff who speak different languages, are given financial incentives to become certified
translators for the hospital. During triage, one of the main questions we need to ask the
patient is if English is their first language. We then ask the patient which language they prefer
to receive information in. If it is not English, we are required to use translator services to
further our assessments. With translators in the hospital, we are given the opportunity for
patients to receive face to face communication. When a translator is not available, we have
iPads to allow for video chat and translator phones.
I think it is so important to provide our patients with the resources to comfortably
communicate with their health care providers. “Positive patient outcomes depend on clear
communication. Understanding healthcare literacy, cultural competency, and health
disparities/ inequalities is essential for providing empathetic care to patients and their
family members.” (Polster 2018) With communication barriers, we limit our patient
rapport and leave the door open to make mistakes. When I was a new nurse, one of my
preceptors had told me a story of a young girl who came into the ED with complaints of
abdominal pain. She was Spanish speaking and kept holding her stomach and throwing
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