I was born and raised in the Philippines, where I was mostly surrounded by Filipino relatives. There, everyday life was comprised of a mix of important values and traditions guided by local culture. Therefore, there was little to no place for diversity as culture predominantly defined the populations’ lifestyles. Through my experience working in the medical field in the United States for many years, I witnessed the impact that diversity has on cultivating respectful and honorable relationships in patient care settings. Compared to the Philippines, diversity presents a common part of living in the United States. As a nursing assistant, I acknowledge that we must foster society’s trust in healthcare providers and the overall healthcare system. Thus, it is necessary to ensure that all individual patients feel safe and respected to establish more trustful and compliant relationships with healthcare providers.
Furthermore, in addition to my experience as a pre-nursing student at Warner Pacific University, I work as a Nursing Assistant for twelve years. Through the working process, I acquired significant knowledge about different cultures and realized that there is a wide range of differences within diversity. Thus, diversity relates to differences in race, color, ethnicity, gender, religious beliefs and sexual orientation, physical characteristics, socioeconomic status, national origin, and even education status. I also learned that taking additional time to understand different cultures, beliefs, and practices can benefit the healthcare process as this information can provide important details about the patient’s system of moral values. Moreover, the diversity knowledge can be applied to identify potential issues or concerns an individual might have in the healthcare setting. According to Nair and Adetayo (2019), cultural competence and ethnic diversity can help to improve healthcare outcomes in minorities population. Thus, by asking the patient questions and maintaining effective communication, the professionals can enhance the quality of healthcare services and increase the patients’ compliance with individual healthcare plans.
My goal is to prioritize diversity in everyday nursing practice and contribute to the future development of diversity in nursing. Thus, I will provide patient-centered individualized care and promote awareness about cultural differences. I plan to use communication with respect and dignity to guide patients and support their participation in the decision-making process. Lastly, by listening to their opinions and respecting their perspectives, I will learn more about them and give them a chance to enhance their independence in the healthcare process.
Reference
Nair, L., & Adetayo, O. A. (2019). Cultural competence and ethnic diversity in healthcare. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open, 7(5), 1-3. Web.