BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE
LICENSED VOCATIONAL NURSING PROGRAM
1ST SEMESTER FUNDAMENTALS
CARING THROUGHOUT THE LIFE SPAN
CHAPTER 9 - CULTURE AND ETHNICITY
INTRODUCTION
An individual’s cultural background affects all dimensions of that person’s health. Therefore, the nurse must be sensitive to culturally different clients with regard to their health-illness beliefs and behavior and to differences in attitudes and values.
OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to:
A. 1. Define the selected terms related to culture, ethnicity, and nursing.
2. Describe the relationship of sociocultural background to health and illness beliefs and practices.
3. Describe the theory of heritage consistency.
4. Explain the need for a nurse’s self-evaluation when providing care to clients from other sociocultural backgrounds.
5. List traditional health and illness beliefs and practices of Asian Americans, Native Americans, Americans of Spanish Origin, and Americans of European Origin.
6. Describe sociocultural barriers - communication and economic – to health care.
ASSIGNMENT
A. Read Chapter 9 - Potter & Perry
B. Key terms and review questions at the end of Chapter 9
C. Study Guide for Chapter 9
Chapter 9 Culture and Ethnicity
Population Diversity
The United States is becoming more diverse.
Health disparities among ethnic and racial minorities continue to increase.
Racial and ethnic minorities often experience poor access to care.
Understanding Cultural Concepts
Cultural Concepts
Culturally congruent care
Ø Fits the person’s valued life patterns and set of meanings
Ø Requires specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the delivery of culturally congruent care
Cultural conflicts
Ø Ethnocentrism
Ø Cultural imposition
Cultural Context of Health and Caring
Health, illness, and caring have meanings that are unique to each culture.
Every culture provides a context according to which groups interpret and define experiences relevant to birth, illness, and death.
Cultural Healing Modalities and Healers
Chinese and Southeast Asians
Ø Herbalist, acupuncturist, fortune teller, shaman
Asian Indians
Ø Ayurvedic practitioner
Native Americans
Ø Shaman
Healers
African American
Ø “Granny midwife,” spiritualist, voodoo practitioner, hougan (male), mambo (female)
Hispanics
Ø Cuarandero/a, yerbero, sabador, espiritsta, santero/a
Culture and Life Transitions
Rights of passage
Pregnancy
Childbirth
Newborn
Postpartum period
Grief and loss
Cultural Assessment
A systematic and comprehensive examination of the cultural care values, beliefs, and practices of individuals, families, and communities
Gathers information that will enable the nurse to provide culturally competent care
Selected Components of Cultural Assessment
Nursing Decisions
Action modes of professional decisions or actions:
Ø Cultural care preservation or maintenance
Ø Cultural care accommodation or negotiation
Ø Cultural care re-patterning or restructuring