Contemporary Issues in Nursing
There are many contemporary nursing issues. This paper will look into Transcultural Nursing, one of the more important issues, especially in tri-state area. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census (2000), over 30% of the total population, or one out of every three persons in the United States (U.S.), is comprised of various ethnicities other than non-Hispanic Whites. This statistic highlights that the U.S. has a significant multicultural population today (Maier Lorentz , 2008, p. 1). Because of the escalating multicultural society in the United States, transcultural nursing is a vital constituent of nursing care, mandating that nurses are culturally competent in their …show more content…
Culturally competent nurses are sensitive to issues related to culture, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. Furthermore, culturally competent nurses have achieved efficacy in communication skills, cultural assessments, and knowledge acquisition related to health practices of different cultures. Cultural competence involves nurses continuously striving to provide effective care within the cultural confines of their patients. The most comprehensive definition of cultural competence in nursing practice is stated as being an ongoing process with a goal of achieving the ability to work effectively with culturally diverse persons, and additionally, to care for these individuals with a keen awareness of diversity, a strong knowledge base and skills in transcultural nursing, and especially a strong personal and professional respect for others from various cultures (Leininger, 2002). Leininger was the first to introduce the concept of transcultural nursing as a working theory and it continues to be one of the most important works on the subject. Leninger theory focuses on relationship between culture and care on health and wellness. The purpose of her theory …show more content…
The ever-growing number of patients from different cultural backgrounds creates a challenge for nurses to provide care based on patient’s cultural needs. This requires nurses to understand cultural differences in healthcare values, beliefs, and customs. Nurses must be open-minded and have a positive interest as well as a sincere desire to learn other cultural ways. The most effective way to accomplish this is for nurses to increase their awareness of cultural differences and become knowledgeable about the cultural preferences of their patients. (Maier Lorentz , 2008, p.