Culture is defined by the CNA as “broadly shared patterns of learned values and behaviours that are transmitted over time and that distinguish the members from one another. Culture can include language, ethnicity, spiritual and religious beliefs, socioeconomic class, gender, sexual orientation, age, group history, geographic origin and education, childhood and life experiences. Nurses in all care areas are expected to be culturally competent; able to understand, communicate with and effectively interact with people across all cultures. Cultural competence involves being aware of one’s own culture, and being open to developing positive attitudes towards cultural differences and learning more about them.
There are components of culture that are easily seen and those that are less observable. It’s the invisible value and belief system that drives the observable. For example women who practice Pentecostal religion adhere to modest rules of dress because it is believed that the exposed body tends to arouse improper thoughts in both the wearer and onlooker. These beliefs are not visible to others but the rules of dress may identify people of this Faith community.
Cultural learning is facilitated through the processes of enculturation and acculturation. Enculturation is when individuals are socialized into a culture to learn their norms, values and behaviours; like a highschool student on an exchange. Acculturation is the process of acquiring new attitude, role, customs or behaviours. The outcomes of acculturation may result in varying degrees of affiliation with mainstream culture. For example, immigrants to Canada may develop a preference for Western foods but not music).
Culture may affect health care beliefs and practices, family roles, patient-provider and communication. As a means of becoming culturally competent, nurses immerse themselves in cultural pluralism “a perspective that promotes respect for the right of others to have different beliefs, values, behaviours, and ways of life” and cultural relativism; the ability to “foster awareness and appreciate of cultural differences, reject assumptions of superiority of one’s culture and advert ethnocentrism”.
How, at this point in your career do you feel that you have become more culturally competent. What do you do to practice cultural pluralism, relativism and competence?