What are the impacts of transcultural nursing on nurses

-- Daisy Raj (pikkielle@yahoo.co.in), July 07, 2004

Answers

In a world that is rapidly becoming multicultural, the Nurse must develop sensitivity to his/her own fundamental values regarding health and illness. This in turn will set up the framework to give you the courage to accept the existence of differing values and make you think about the care of people from diverse cultures. As nurses, we risk the possibility of imposing unwittingly our culturally influenced beliefs on pts, and of possibly dismissing pts' beliefs and values. Nurses who lack awareness and knowledge of pts' cultures, and lack intercultural communication skills may not be living up to their fullest potential as nurse. As nurses we are fighting on the front lines for patient and family advocacy issues. We cannot violate the human rights of people that entrust their bodies and lives to us, and we violate daily.

-- victor m. fernandez (victor@culturediversity.org), July 21, 2004.