NR 451 Week 4 Discussion Topic: Advocacy and Cultural Competence (graded)

NR 451 Week 4 Discussion Topic: Advocacy and Cultural Competence (graded) 62 62 unread replies. 97 97 replies. 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 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