Grandmother Had a Stroke and Term Paper

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Reading the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down was a pivotal moment in my life, completely shifting my perspective about health care and the duties of doctors and nurses. As a minority student I am familiar with different types of discrimination. I also know the importance of compassion and understanding to all human interactions. However, working with diverse patient populations is about more than ending stereotyping or discrimination. Nursing in a diverse community requires the willingness to change approaches to health care, even entailing policy changes. As Fadiman points out in the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, diversity requires a whole new approach to human communication.

Having volunteered at several health care centers and assisted living facilities I have worked with a population that is diverse in terms of gender, age, and ethnicity. Patients often have trouble letting go and trusting their nurses and doctors for fear of being misunderstood. Holding back valuable information can be a significant barrier to care, and therefore I have learned to encourage patients to trust their health care professionals. I believe trust is the primary obstacle nurses must overcome when treating al patients but especially patients from diverse backgrounds.

Next, I believe that diversity requires adaptation. Not only do I feel that the entire health care system must adapt itself to the needs of diverse populations: I also feel strongly at individual nurses and doctors must do the same. The system has a long way to go before encompassing the needs of individuals and families who are economically disadvantaged or who are new immigrants requiring translation services, or whose concepts of health and healing differ from those of the mainstream. As one nurse I cannot change the system but I can alter my approach to treating patients. One of the main ways I have learned to adapt my approach is to be aware of language and cultural barriers and to try to learn as much as I can about the patient's background and ask whether or not they would want translation services.

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I have also interacted as much as possible with friends and family members of the patients to make sure that I understand where they are coming from in terms of goals of treatment. Perhaps the most difficult lesson I have learned is that not all people share my values in terms of health care. Some do not value longevity over immediate well-being; and for others the opposite is true.

Cultural barriers are not as formidable as they seem. Beneath our nuanced backgrounds rests a common core of humanity. I try to work from that ground, treating patients with respect and equality. I have not found that working with diverse populations has been a hindrance to providing the best possible care. Quite the opposite might be true, as I feel that the added challenge of diversity causes me and other health care workers to be more aware, more attentive, and more concerned about the possibility of miscommunication. Normally we take communication for granted, but when we work with a patient who does not speak English or whose religious or cultural beliefs differ sharply from our own, we must revert to the basics of language and human interactions. Body language, eye contact, and other types of non-verbal communication can go a long way toward conveying caring and compassion.

As a non-white individual from a diverse background myself I understand the need for more sensitive health care staff. I do believe that American nurses and doctors are among the most adaptable, the most competent, and the most understanding of diversity and I look forward to counting myself among this esteemed population. Thank you for your consideration for entry into the….....

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