RIA WK 6, 564
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
RIA WK 6, 564
- In reference to Dyer-Barenson, describe the process to obtain cultural competency
Developing awareness of one’s cultural biases, collaborative partnerships with families, and cultural sensitivity along with an understanding of the facets of culture, acknowledging and respecting the range of diversity in families’ values and beliefs will help to attain cultural competency. The process is multilayered, which needs meticulous and sometimes conscious efforts. Hence developing methods of cross-cultural communication, learning to collaborate with interpreters, minimizing cultural bias in assessments as well as identifying and addressing barriers to evaluation and intervention are also important (Dayer-Berenson, 2014).
Has this course helped you begin this process?
The course has introduced me to different issues concerning cultural competence in healthcare. It has disclosed my prejudices like ethnocentrism. It helps me understand that biases and prejudices are the main barriers to cultural competence.
- What else do you need to do?
The course has provided an effective way to understand different cultural factors. However, I have to learn how to implement this in practice. Increasing the level of interaction with people from diverse cultural backgrounds and improving communication skills are needed (Purnell, 2014).
- What is the difference between ethnicity and race?
Race comprises of explicit traits such as the color of skin, blood type, eye color, hair texture, and biological features that include as people’s predilection to specific illnesses and afflictions (Dayer-Berenson, 2014). It is a social construct, as it originates from social practices and relations. Ethnicity, on the other hand, is a cultural construct. It refers to the membership of a specific cultural group, and it is defined by cultural practices such as language, customs, and food among others.
- What are the primary and secondary characteristics of a culture?
Primary characteristics are unchangeable, and they influence
a person’s perspective of the world from an early age. They include
nationality, race, religion, color, gender, and age. Life experiences and
situations form secondary characteristics, and these are likely to change with
time. An individual’s level of education, socioeconomic status, occupation,
political beliefs and the like are secondary characteristics.
References
Dayer-Berenson, L. (2014). Cultural competencies for nurses: Impact on health and illness (2nd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett
Purnell, D. L. (2014). Guide to culturally competent health care. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis