Post a brief summary of the cultural competence of your assigned agency in regard to delivery of care to diverse populations. Address the following categories in your assessment, and highlight strengths, as well as opportunities for improvement:
Staff attitudes and policy
Services
Agency-community relationship
Training
Assessment
Considering the domain of cultural competence, explain why public health nurses should play a role in advocating for policy and social change. In addition, discuss specific strategies that a public health nurse might use to advocate for cultural competence at the organizational, community, and provider level.
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Cultural Competence
Staff Attitudes and Policy
The staff attitudes have been against the policy guidelines of the agency. One of the observations is that the agency does not appreciate the minority groups such as Jews, Chinese, and Hispanics seeking services in the agency. Employees in the agency do not appreciate the diverse cultural communities seeking healthcare services and support from the organization.
Services
The services have room for improvement since they have been focusing on the cultural beliefs of the majority, such as the Whites and the African Americans. For instance, the agency does not have translators for minority groups. Despite the opportunity for improvement, the agency has been making significant changes, such as training the staff on cultural competency.
Agency-community Relationship
The agency has been fostering quality and positive relationships with the community. One of the activities in the past year was creating awareness about the services. The agency has been proactive in addressing the emerging issues in the community. The community is supportive of the initiatives and creating a healthy relationship with the agency.
Training
Training is one of the opportunities for improvement. The staff requires training to identify the missing gaps in cultural competency. For instance, the staff needs to learn about the value of appreciating diverse beliefs. Past training on providing quality and efficient services has successfully changed the dynamics of delivering quality care.
Assessment
Assessment is a critical step for successful change and improvement in an organization. Assessment is critical in identifying if the agency is meeting the expected goals. The process of Assessment will reveal the existing gaps and the opportunities for change.
Advocating for Policy and Social Change
Public health nurses have a responsibility to advocate for policy and social change. The nurses work as advocates for the patients receiving care (Reimer-Kirkham et al., 2020). The advocacy is vital in delivering justice and fairness, and health equity. It is vital to advocate for the issues affecting patients in a community with diverse ethnic groups. Social justice and health equity transform cultural and social institutions (Maughan et al., 2020). Public health nurses should be at the forefront of advocating for the changes to safeguard the welfare of their nurses. For instance, the communities living around deserve equitable delivery of care and culturally sensitive services (Maughan et al., 2020). Advocating for social and policy changes is vital in providing quality, accurate, and effective care.
Advocating for Cultural Competence
Public health nurses can use training as an avenue to advocate for cultural competence. The training should provide the details of the people affected by lack of cultural competence. Another strategy is to provide statistics of the changing community dynamics (Sharifi et al., 2019). For instance, the United States is becoming a home for different communities that require culturally sensitive services from diverse agencies.
Public health nurses should learn self-awareness to determine the differences in their perspectives and those of the community. Nurses should learn the people’s cultural beliefs in seeking healthcare services (Sharifi et al., 2019). Learning the beliefs will enhance the cultural competence and ability to provide care without discrimination. Nurses should identify the expectations of the people seeking care services (Choi & Kim, 2018). For instance, it will be critical to ensure a translator is available to enhance communication with minority groups. Public health nurses should advocate for the rights of the people seeking healthcare services to enhance justice, fairness, and equitable care.
References
Choi, J. S., & Kim, J. S. (2018). Effects of cultural education and cultural experiences on the cultural competence among undergraduate nursing students. Nurse Education in Practice, 29, 159-162.
Maughan, E. D., Combe, L. G., Mazyck, D., & Mendonca, L. (2020). Advocating for Students and School Nursing: NASN Contributions to the Future of Nursing 2020-2030. NASN School Nurse, 35(2), 70-73.
Reimer-Kirkham, S., DaCosta, A., De Boer, M., Dresselhuis, A., Hall, B., Optland, P., … & Williams, G. (2020). Inclusion and Quality of Life for Older Adults: Nurses Advocating for Policy Change. Home Healthcare Now, 38(3), 154-162.
Sharifi, N., Adib-Hajbaghery, M., & Najafi, M. (2019). Cultural competence in nursing: A concept analysis. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 99, 103386.
