Culture

I have only been in school for 3 months and I have already learned some very important values from nursing that I will be able to relate in my everyday life. The main value I have learned is the importance of getting to know all the cultures that our world has to offer. As a nurse I will have the opportunity to meet people with different values and beliefs every day. If I am not familiar with the cultures which surround me then I will be unable to provide appropriate care for my patients. In many of our classes we have learned the unique beliefs that many cultures and religions have that prevent the individuals within those cultures to receive “appropriate” health care. Some examples I have learned so far is that a Muslim man or woman is only comfortable receiving care with their same gender, a scientologist needs silence in the operating room, and an Amish person must have permission from their minister before they go through with a medical procedure. Knowing this information is very important to know because when in an emergency situation as a nurse I will be prepared for what is coming. As an example if I have a patient who is a female and a Muslim who has just arrived from a car accident I will be sure to only allow women in the room to respect her beliefs rather than if I was not aware of these beliefs and allowed men to be in the room. Having men in the room could take up valuable time because we would have to try to find women health care providers that are available to help but they may all be busy and then helping my patient would be put on hold which could be life threatening.