Cultural Sensitivity

I have recently started taking Spanish classes to help me with communicating with my Spanish-speaking only patients. In the hospital that I currently work at almost half of the population is Spanish-speaking only and primarily Hispanic. While I was in nursing school the population I worked with the most was older Native Americans. Whatever the population is at the hospital where your clinicals or job may be, it is very important to have a basic understanding of the culture. Not only am I currently working with a primarily Hispanic population, my patients are all female and are usually quite young. Gender and age are also areas where culture can influence healthcare concepts.

Nursing school generally does a pretty good job of preparing nursing students for the culture of the hospital in their area. But, if you get hired at a hospital in a different area of the country, be sure to educate yourself and prepare yourself for the cultural environment. This can be done by taking language classes, speaking with the hospital’s cultural sensitivity team, or even getting out in the community and relating with those in your patient population.

A great tip that one of my teacher’s told me was, “Don’t be afraid to ask questions.” If you’re working with a patient who has a certain practice related to their religion or customs don’t be afraid to ask for clarification or an explanation of their practice. Most patients would rather be asked with sincerity than to be misunderstood by their healthcare team.

Do you feel nursing school has prepared you for the cultural diversity in patients?