Transcultural Nursing Reflective Essay

Transcultural Nursing Reflective Essay Rose Bonanno ‘Transcultural nursing is a comparative study of cultures to understand similarities (culture universal) and difference (culture-specific) across human groups’ (Leininger, 1991). Introduction Transcultural Nursing is an area in nursing practice that focuses on how the ideals and principals of particular groups influence their behaviour when they are sick. Diverse cultures may express dissimilar kinds of needs when they are ill, (Gulbu, 2006). Clients will be more willing to accept their treatment when the health care professional can understand their cultural rules, (Pagliuca, Rodrigues, 2012). Being cultural competent is having the approach, awareness and ability to provide appropriate care to different populations, (Loftin et al., 2013). A patient’s perspective has to be seen within the whole context. Community dynamics such as social status and knowledge, distinguish individuals within racial groups, (Weiner et al., 2013). Whether we are French or Canadian, African or Norwegian, straight or gay, Catholic or Muslim, we are a mixture of cultures. Nursing students need to cultivate social skills to care for patients in a multi-cultural world, (Torsvik, Hedlund, 200 8). Both the views of others and ourselves are equally essential in the understanding of illness (Simon et al., 2010). Incident Since I was a very young child I have always been aware that there are ‘different’ people. This was due to the fact that I always remember the British soldiers that used to roam the street and I could always realise that they spoke a language which at the time I did not understand, they wore shoes and clothes which were much different than the few that me or my family had. However in my child’s mind I always associated them with the good things, because although they were different they were of the same skin colour that I was and so it was no big deal if they stopped to talk to me or one of my friends. My parents would not mind when they would stop to say hello or to offer us sweets. As I grew older I realised that although there were differences between the way that we spoke and behaved there were also a lot of similarities. But seeing a coloured soldier was all too different. I would not even lift my eyes to talk to them let alone smile at them. This was due to the fact that my parents used to tell us dramatic stories where the bad guy was always black and so this implanted in me a certain fear of black people. Growing up and travelling around made me aware of the different races that inhabit our world. In time I became used to seeing different coloured people, different races. However they were just a part of the world around me and I would never give it much thought until the first boat of immigrants started to come to our shores. Since most of them came from African countries, they were mostly dark coloured and ‘different’. And then the unthinkable happened. I had to nurse a ‘black’ patient. The first time that I walked on the ward and saw this black person, sitting in bed, between two white sheets, the first thing that comes to mind is the contrast. And then the problems start coming to mind. He must be dirty, he must carry a lot of infectious diseases, and he must smell. Secondly come the more rational questions. How am I going to communicate? How is he going to communicate back? How can we understand each other? So I did my best to ignore him all day. Luckily I was allocated duties in another part of the ward and so I could continue working without any bother. But my ‘luck’ ran out when one of my colleagues needed to go home early. And so it was now my turn to care for the patient. At some point he needed some water and since he had nothing on his bedside table he had to ring the nurse call. I remember walking up to him a little cautiously as if he might jump on me. I still remember that feeling of adrenaline rush that causes the fight-or-flight reaction after all these years. And then I arrived at his bedside and in low quiet voice, without raising his eyes, he asked for some water. Although I tried not to show it I was surprised. He had spoken to me in English!! That was the first surprise that I had from this thin-looking dark-coloured man. In return I voiced my surprise and asked him where he had come from. He told me that he was from Ethiopia. Although I had met the country in my geography lessons, way back when I was still at school, I hardly knew anything about the country. All that I knew was there somehow there was always a war there and that its capital was called Addis Ababa. I remember recalling Addis Ababa when he told me that his name was Addis. Addis was a quiet man, softly spoken and of course by himself most of the time. He did not eat me, he did not kill me, and he did not smell foul. Seeing that we could communicate in English, I asked him about his story. He told me that he had run away from his country and that he had left a wife and two sons behind him. He said that he intended to find some work so that he could send money back to his family. He said that he was Orthodox Catholic, which again was another surprise for me. He always bowed his head when I would approach him and I thought that this was because he was shy. Another surprise was that he never ate meat on Wednesday, (and on Fridays as well, I got to know later). I was curious to know whether he missed his family and of course he did. He said that he usually phones them once every month, which again was a surprise to me, and he started telling me the how his wife travels a long distance to go to the city so that he can talk to her. Reflection Encouraging logical reflective thinking is stressed in studies emphasising the benefits of using nursing stories in the course of learning (Torsvik, Hedlund, 2008). The first experiences that I had with this patient made me stop and think. Why do we think that being somehow different in colour, beliefs or behaviour makes us superior? All in all if we think about people, no-one is really as different from one another as we make out to be. The trend for people to classify others on the basis of their ethnic group, or perceived physical appearance, and then assign social or educational importance to them – whether they are of high class or sub-standard status- is a fact that is well known in the Western culture,(Naylor, 1997). All people have feelings and families who they love. We all bleed when we are hurt, and no matter what colour we are, black or white, yellow or blue, our blood is always red. The idea that had been installed in me when I was young was very wrong and it is alright to accept diversity. Diversity makes the world a more colourful, richer place. However I remember vividly that I did notice at the time that I had never been taught anything about other cultures. The subject was sort of taboo. I feel that we are not prepared about different cultures and different religions. It is very important to know about these different cultures so that we become aware of how we can see to their needs if ever we are nursing them. I used to feel embarrassed when Addis used to bow his head to me. I thought that it was funny; I never knew at the time that it was a sign of respect. When we used to play and pretend that we are the queen did we not bow our head? Adding everything up now, it does make sense. Just like we bow to the queen, Addis was showing me a sense of great respect. Analysis I feel that we are not prepared about different cultures and different religions. Studies show that although transcultural nursing studies and knowledge has been increasing, there still remains an absence of proper schooling methods in regards to this subject,(Mixer, 2008). It is very important to know about these different cultures so that we become aware of how we can see to their needs whenever we are nursing them. I used to feel embarrassed when Addis used to bow his head to me. I thought that it was funny; I never knew at the time that it was a sign of respect. When we used to play and pretend that we are the queen did we not bow our head? Adding everything up now, it does make sense. Just like we bow to the queen, Addis was showing me a sense of great respect. Some sort of national background can help evade misinterpretations and assist help-care professionals to deliver improved care, (Galanti, 2000). Action plan. In my opinion there is a need for a Cultural Consultancy Committee. Members would constitute a representative of the ethnic groups which are mainly found on the island. This committee would meet and discuss issues pertaining to their groups. They could also set up policies regarding the issues of communication and other problems that may arise whenever a person from their group is in hospital. The committee might also be able to organise an annual conference in which information, maybe even in the form of leaflets in given to stakeholders. They could also create a strategy, to have faith and community centred voluntary groups to whom a person can turn to in case of difficulty. In its Action Plan to Reduce Health Disparities, (2010), the American Department of Health and Human Services, (DHHS) suggested that ‘activities may include language services, community outreach, cultural competency training, health education, wellness promotion, and evidence-based approaches to manage chronic conditions’. Conclusion ‘Racial and ethnic minorities often receive poorer quality of care and face more barriers to seeking care, (DHHS, 2010). Language and lack of education could be a strong barrier to communication. Perception and generalisation might also be tough obstacles. Respect and concern for people who are diverse from us will only be likely when people cultivate a better consciousness, compassion and empathy to others who are unlike us (Nayler, 1997). In a world where working with so many different people is no longer something out of the ordinary, it helps to have an ability to perceive the difference in cultures. Stimulating one’s awareness about gesticulating, the meaning of touch and private space, especially between different sexes and individuals with diverse beliefs, conceding that the quality of voice tone and facial expressions can either scare or comfort a person, will have a positive healing effect on people who are culturally different,( Papadopoulos,2012). Diversity can also be beneficial. It is a store for different ideas on how things are done and a chance to meet people with different thoug hts and answers. Culturally experienced health care professionals guarantee patients fulfilment and optimistic outcomes, (Maier-Lorentz, 2008). For health care providers and specifically nurses, the necessity to make suitable and expert care available is acknowledged as vital l in view of the increasing variety among persons that they care for, (Loftin et al.,2013}. References; American Department of Health and Human Services ; A Nation Free of Disparities in Health and Health Care, 2010, PG 17, http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/npa/files/Plans/HHS/HHS_Plan_complete.pdf Galanti, G.A., 2000, An introduction to Cultural Differences, West J. Med; 172(5): 335-336, Retrieved June 18thfrom; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1070887/ Gulbu,T., 2006, The implications of Transcultural Nursing Models in the Provision of Culturally Competent Care, Icus Nurs Journal, Issue 25, Jan.- Apr, 2006, Pg 1 Leininger, M. Culture care diversity and universality: A theory of nursing. New York: National League for Nursing Pres; 1991. Loftin, C., Hartin, V., Branson, M., and Reyes, H., â€Å"Measures of Cultural Competence in Nurses: An Integrative Review,† The Scientific World Journal, vol. 2013, Article ID 289101, 10 pages, 2013. doi:10.1155/2013/289101 Loftin, C., Hartin, V., Branson,M., Reyes,H., Measures of Cultural Competence in Nurses: An Integrative Review, Scientific World Journal Volume 2013 (2013), Article ID 289101, 10 pages ,http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/289101 Maier-Lorentz, M. (2008). Transcultural nursing: its importance in nursing practice. Journal Of Cultural Diversity, 15(1), 37-43. Mixer, S. (2008). Use of the culture care theory and ethnonursing method to discover how nursing faculty teach culture care. Contemporary Nurse: A Journal For The Australian Nursing Profession, 28(1-2), 23-36. doi:10.5172/conu.673.28.1-2.23 Naylor, L., 1997, Cultural Diversity in the United States., Chapter 11, Race, Ethnicity and Culture, Pg 49., Publishers, Bergin and Garvey, Westport, CT., http://www.questia.com/read/15586236/cultural-diversity-in-the-united-states Naylor, L., 1997, Cultural Diversity in the United States., Chapter 11, Race, Ethnicity and Culture, Pg 25., Publishers, Bergin and Garvey, Westport, CT., http://www.questia.com/read/15586212/cultural-diversity-in-the-united-states Pagliuca, L. M. F., , Rodrigues, M. E., (2012). Competency to provide cross-cultural nursing care for people with disability: a self-assessment instrument. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 65(5), 849-855. Retrieved June 19, 2014, from http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttextpid=S0034-71672012000500020lng=entlng=en. 10.1590/S0034-71672012000500020. Papadopoulos, I. (2012). Transcultural nursing. British Journal Of Nursing, 21(14), 838. Simon, M., Chang, E., Dong, X. (2010). Partnership, reflection and patient focus: advancing cultural competency training relevance. Medical Education, 44(6), 540-542. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2923.2010.03714.x Torsvik, M. Hedlund, M. (2008) Cultural encounters in reà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ective dialogue about nursing care: a qualitative study. Journal of Advanced Nursing 63(4), 389–396 doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04723.x Weiner,L., Grady McConnell, D., Latella,L., Ludi, E., 2013, Cultural and religious considerations in pediatric palliative care, Palliat Support Care. 2013 February ; 11(1): 47–67. doi:10.1017/S1478951511001027.

Muhammad Ali - The Greatest :: Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr

In the summer of 1960, a young man stood on a podium wearing a gold medal around his neck, while the â€Å"Star Spangled Banner† played. A champion stood, not knowing the nation’s view on athletes forever. It was the first glimpse for the man who would come to be known as the greatest.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was born in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17, 1942. Young Clay found boxing in 1954 after his bike was stolen at the Louisville Home Show. He reported the theft to local police officer, Joe Martin, and told him he would beat up whoever stole the bike. Martin laughed at the idea of such a small boy beating someone up, so he decided to train Clay. Martin, who also taught boxing to local youth at the Columbia Gym, taught the 89-pound Clay how to box during his teenage years. From that day on, Clay would show up every day at the gym like clockwork working on his skills.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By 1958, Clay had dropped out of high school with several amateur boxing titles, and by 1960, he was preparing to compete in the Olympics. In the gold-medal match for the light-heavyweight division, Clay faced Polish southpaw Zbigniew Pietrzykowski, and won the gold in three rounds. After the Olympics, Clay received a contract from the Louisville Sponsoring Group for $333 a month, plus a $10,000 signing bonus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With no more money problems to worry about, Clay had more time to consider what was going on in the world around him. He paid heavy attention to the Civil Rights Movement and he wanted to be part of it. But it was very difficult for a young black man to be heard in the early 1960’s. The only group giving a voice to the â€Å"common man† was the Nation of Islam. In 1962, Clay drove to Detroit to hear the Nation of Islam’s leader, the honorable Elijah Muhammad, speak. He also met someone who would greatly influence his life, a man named Malcolm X.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clay studied X’s teachings of Islam, but more so, Clay agreed with X’s view on how blacks were treated in the United States. Both Clay and X believed in complete in total segregation between blacks and whites living in America. â€Å"I’m no troublemaker. I don’t believe in forced integration. I know where I belong. I’m not going to force myself into anybody’s house.† Clay also advocated X’s criticism on the non-violent movement in the southern states.

Kafka’s 1922

Kafka’s 1922 A Hunger Artist parabola of the condition of the artist is a story about a world-famous artist renowned for his long periods of fasting, who puts his art on display in an unspecified place and time. The main character, the hunger artist, finds himself dissatisfied even at the peak of his artistic career, frustrated by his audience’s inability to appreciate his work as a true art form, and his manager’s preoccupation with the commercial aspects of his performance.Although initially very popular with audiences everywhere, we are informed from the beginning that with the passing of time, audiences become disenchanted with the hunger artist’s circus act, resulting in a significant decrease in its popularity of. The main character, the hunger artist, is the typical protagonist of Kafka’s work: misunderstood, alienated, and victimized. In fact, this kind of character has its roots in Kafka’s real life persona. Similarly to his characte r living in a cage, Kafka always lived in small crowded housing, dealing with feelings of confinement and isolation. Also, Kafka felt unappreciated by society, which resulted in very low self-esteem and a distorted vision of self-value. This is why he requested that his unpublished work be burned upon his death.Although the story is told from the point of view of the main character, â€Å"the hunger artists†, the â€Å"record hunger artist of all time†, the narrator’s voice is abstract and does not belong to the character himself. The hunger artist’s profession was to travel the world sharing his gift with the public through performances which consisted of extended periods of time of fasting, which would last up to 40 days. This was considered a form of entertaining, which would gather large crowds of enthusiastic viewers, stunned children, skeptics irrespective of where the show took place. This is how the world-famous performer, the hunger artist, becom es a world-known figure in mass entertainment.Despite his great success, the hunger artist never feels truly appreciated or understood by his audience, who look upon his art as merely a form of entertainment.   This is why he becomes haunted by feelings of isolation and alienation; he fails to obtain recognition from his audience, and at the same time, is appreciated for all the wrong reasons. People focus their attention on his frightening physical aspect, or on making sure that he does not cheat, and feed himself during the night or when they are not paying attention. His performance is neither recognized nor appreciated as an art form, thus the artist can never be fulfilled.Nevertheless, it is crucial to notice that this state is a sine-qua-non condition of the hunger artist’s artistic demonstration. His choice to perform in a cage is relevant to understanding his feelings: isolation is, to great extent, self-imposed. The cage is the barrier the hunger artist needs to se parate himself from his audience, i.e. the masses. It is a tool of individualization, a process that every artist seeks during his lifetime, in order for his work to stand out. Kafka’s choice of the cage is not accidental; on the contrary, it is highly relevant for the entire body of his work. The â€Å"cage† of the hunger artist has two functions, i.e. a refuge from the outside world, and a barrier separating the artist from the rest of humanity, represented by his audience.To the hunger artist, no sacrifice is too big, not even having to spend most of his life inside a small cage, covered with straws. His frustration is enhanced by the public’s mistrust and suspicion, especially by the attempts of some to provide him with the opportunity to sneak food inside his cage as means of proving their own theories. The hunger artist does not even consider this option because he is faithful to his art. The suspicion of the audience symbolizes the historical mistrust of people in the purity of art, which requires a deeper understanding that the general public does not always possess.Nonetheless, the artist is dependent upon the public’s reaction, in the sense that their lack of understanding of his art is actually the element which perpetuates it. The hunger artist enters a vicious circle because of his continuous need for validation from his audience. The pain and suffering caused by the absence of this validation is precisely what generated more pain, and less understanding from his public, which in turn, give rise to more profound suffering from the artist.Days passed, and the crowds stop gathering to watch the fasting-artist. The admiration for his work is diminishing up to the point where it ceases completely, leaving the cage looking empty, and the circus overseers wondering what happened. One day, they approach the cage and start poking the straw only to discover the artist barely alive. This is the point where the perspective of the narration is broadened thanks to the dialogue between the artist and the circus overseer. The latter asks the hunger artist if he is still fasting. The artist asks the overseer to come closer and answers that his only option is to fast, that he has no other choice; that he would have eaten like his audience, and the rest of the people if he had found any food to his liking.These are the final words of the hunger artist. He dies and is buried by the circus. His cage is removed, and a young panther is placed in it, to the delight of the public. The public forgets all about the hunger artist and immediately embraces a new circus act. The act of consuming the performance of the hunger artist is characteristic to any audience: once the entertainment is over, the audience moves on the next act on display.The panther is a symbol of the lust for life. It also carries a reversed connotation than the hunger artist, in the sense that unlike the latter whose act consists of putting his sufferin g on display, the panther is admired due to its ability to inflict pain and suffering.His inability to fit in society gives birth to his art. Surprisingly, is it not his desire to be different that leads him to such an art form, but the other way around. Although the story is absurd, the sequence of events makes it believable, and serves a higher purpose: it aims to show that the motif of the hunger is, in fact, the artist’s lifelong feeling of isolation and dissatisfaction. Along with these feelings, the hunger artist also needs to maintain a feeling of superiority in relation to the masses that come to watch his performance. The best example is his willingness to feed the butchers who come to guard him during the night and to make sure he does not eat anything. He takes great pleasure in watching them gorge themselves on a large meal that he pays for, while he silently fasts.The butchers are, in fact, a double symbol: the gluttonous butchers can represent the capitalist soc iety, but also a reference to the Jewish prohibition of eating pork and their stringent method of handling and preparing meat. From his point of view, the butchers are representatives of the weak masses that lack in will and determination, whereas he represents the artist endowed with concentration and the ability to control himself. This feeling of superiority ensures that his art is not criticized by his audience since they cannot understand it. Nevertheless, this is also the reason for his eternal dissatisfaction, as his desire is to be validated as an artist, not merely an entertainer, but also to remain misunderstood so he can maintain his superiority and be exempted from criticism.This could perhaps explain why the artist, even at the peak of his success, is still â€Å"troubled in spirit†. A very important theme in the Hunger Artist is the religious one, linking Kafka’s parabola to the Biblical theme of Christ’s sufferings. The first indication of the par allel is the length of the hunger artist’s performance; we are told, from the very beginning that his impresario’s limitation of the artist’s public fasts is of 40 days, the same length of time that, according to the Bible, Jesus fasted. In fact, Jesus Christ is the portrait of suffering that the artist aspires to. Still, there is a major difference between the former and the latter: whereas Jesus Christ suffered for the sake of humanity, the hunger artist’s suffering is because of humanity. Unlike Christ, his death is useless to posterity, thus easily forgotten.The hunger artist's art form is, metaphorically speaking, his own suffering. Confined to the small space offered by the cage in which he performs, the hunger artist has complete control over his pain, which determines him to push himself more and more, reaching the very edge of human limits in his constant search for his greatest masterpiece. This endeavor will eventually bring the end of his life . Kafka uses the character of the hunger artist as an exponent of the alienated â€Å"starving artist† of the Romantics who put forward a new kind of hero in literature, more precisely the hero who escapes harsh capitalist society’s realities and focuses his energies solely on his art, usually from a dirty small room, i.e. the cage in the case of Kafka’s The Hunger Artist.In relation to the metaphor of starvation as artistic suffering, which in turn, leads to creation, the hunger artist’s performance is a display of his feeling of alienation with regards to society. He cannot adapt to the exterior world; this is why he does not eat, because he cannot find anything suitable for him. Consequently, he fasts turning his act into a more involuntary than voluntary occupation: indeed, fasting is the only thing he can do considering his circumstances, and not a decision to inflict suffering upon himself.Kafka, Franz. The Hunger Artist.   Retrieved: Apr. 30, 200 7

Essay about Baldwins Writing Style in Notes to a Native Son

Father and Son: Bad to Regrettable James Baldwin is known to be one of the best essay writers in the twentieth century who wrote on a few topics including race, discrimination, sexuality and most of all his personal experiences. In â€Å"Notes of a Native Son†, he uses two main strategies to get his point across. First, he likes to tell a story in a narrative view. Following is normally his analysis of the event. He describes the event and then gives his theory on the matter. By doing this, he grants the reader a chance to decipher the meaning. His interpretation may not be what the reader’s is. He likes to argue and provides the basis for his argument in â€Å"Notes of a Native Son†. Throughout the essay he talks about himself and his father,†¦show more content†¦There are stories he incorporates to illustrate the point. In the middle we move to a more self-centered narrative. He tells of his story in New Jersey where he realized he could kill someone. He shares some of his thoughts of why people acted as they did towards him and others. This is an effective way he uses narrating and analyzing to work for the reader’s understanding. The essay goes into great detail of his relationship with his father. He describes his father as cruel (65), bitter (65), and beautiful (64). He does mention the bad in length. On the flip side, he tells us some of the good as well. Throughout his storytelling, the reader gets a glimpse into his life and the way he feels. His feelings evolve during the extent of the essay. In the stories he tells, the word hate appears quite frequently. It is sometimes used about his father. â€Å"I saw nothing very clearly but I did see this: that my life, my real life, was in danger, and not from anything other people might do but from the hatred I carried in my own heart.† (72) This hatred he talks about exists towards his father. Other factors contribute too, but are not as often told. The death had aroused feelings inside Baldwin that he felt he needed to get out. His contempt of his father (63) lasts through most of the essay. Soon after this, we find out that Mr. Baldwin is sick and has beenShow MoreRelated Reviews of Notes of a Native Son Essay1238 Words   |  5 Pages Reviews of Notes of a Native Son Notes of a Native Son, a widely acclaimed and celebrated book by James Baldwin was subjected to many reviews upon its first publication. There were many opposing views between reviewers but almost all came to the conclusion that Baldwin’s use of words was extremely eloquent and intelligent. 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