Student Will Analyze Scholarly (Peer-Reviewed) Resources Related To Their Assigned Topic: Cultural Humility In Nursing
Cultural Humility
Definition and Background Information
Cultural humility is the ability to focus on the “other” at a cultural level (Pearson Education, 2019, p. 1766). Cultural humility recognizes diversity and strives to strike a balance between conflicting needs arising from the variation in cultural background. Among the aspects of cultural competence, this concept plays a rather significant role in building tolerance between people from diverse ethnicities, religions, races, or political views. Cultural humility is a critical pillar in maintaining national and international harmony. When individuals recognize that they are culturally diverse from other people, they cultivate a sense of egoless and a selfless demeanor. Indeed, cultural competence is manifested when people put their interests behind those of others. Over the years, scholars have gathered efforts to define a theory of cultural humility, which is applicable in medical science, social work, psychology, and political science among others.
The theory of cultural humility stems from a critical review of numerous scholarly sources developed on this matter. According to Foronda (2019), cultural humility has well-defined attributes, antecedents, and consequences. Some of the attributes of cultural humility are “openness, self-awareness, egoless, supportive interactions, and self-reflection and critique” (p. 8). In other words, culturally humble individuals are transparent, supportive, introspective, critical, and self-aware. Besides these attributes, Foronda (2019) cites that cultural humility emanates from power imbalance and diversity. As mentioned above, the presence of diversity creates a need to have cultural humility. Similarly, power imbalance, like that one between a nurse and the patient, or the politician and the electorate, evokes the essence of cultural humility. By recognizing the impact that power imbalance has on oppression and abuse, people can explore ways to promote equality that will eventually breed cultural humility.
Why Cultural Humility is Important for Nurses
Practicing nursing in a multicultural society like the United States calls for cultural competence. Green-Morton and Minkler (2020) distinguish cultural competence from cultural humility but maintain that the former builds the foundation on which the latter is defined (p. 142). Campinha-Bacote (2019) cites that the shortcomings associated with cultural competence, for example, its position as a communication and public relations tool, prompt the adoption of cultural humility as a better paradigm in nursing practice. Nevertheless, the two concepts are crucial for nurses and other members of the healthcare team. Arguably, physicians and nurses require cultural humility while interacting with communities, patients, and their families (Green-Morton & Minkler, 2020, p. 142). The importance of cultural humility in nursing professionalism cannot be overstated. Pearson Education (2019) posits that cultural humility in nursing begins with self-awareness (p. 1766). Therefore, it is imperative that nurses become aware of their culture and its possible effects on their service delivery.
In some cases, a nurse’s values may conflict with those of the patients. For instance, a Muslim nurse may encounter challenges while caring for a Christin patient. The two religious factions come with distinct cultural attitudes that usually go against one another. These differences should, however, not get in the way of delivering safe and quality nursing care. This care is only possible when the nurse appreciates the diverse opinions from the two religions and works beyond that to achieve professional standards. One of the major nursing ethical principles is justice. Thus, nurses should endeavor to give justice regardless of racial, political, or ethnic interests. Cultural humility is not only a reserve of nurses. The entire medical team is called to show self-awareness and adopt an “other” oriented care maxim.
Groups Affected by Cultural Humility
Cultural humility affects all professionals in both medical and non-medical fields. Admittedly, these concepts first came into the limelight through the works of sociologists and psychological counselors (Greene-Morton & Minkler, 2020, p. 142). Since power imbalance is central to the discussion of cultural humility, the poor, minorities, and immigrants are usually affected by a lack of cultural intolerance. This intolerance can occur in both healthcare settings and the general service delivery points. An immigrant who holds a divergent opinion on tax may find challenges at the customs offices while seeking clearance services. In the same vein, a patient from a religious denomination that supports family planning may encounter difficulties while seeking such services in a facility run by a denomination that does not support this practice. People working in the mentioned areas should distance their cultural stances from professionalism and immerse themselves in the client’s worldview. In this manner, the nurse or the customs officer would have demonstrated the highest level of cultural humility.
Conclusion
Cultural humility is a derivative of cultural competence, although the latter is more adaptive to many service delivery environments. Recent scholarly evidence shows that efforts to understand cultural humility are ongoing. One outcome of these efforts is a definition of a theory of cultural competence that illustrates this concept as an emerging field of knowledge replete with attributes, consequences, and antecedents. Exercising cultural humility is an undertaking that nurses should adopt in their work. In a multicultural society where people hold divergent worldviews, cultural humility ensures that harmony reigns and forms part of the national values. In the field of nursing, cultural humility results from self-awareness, a factor tightly intertwined with ethical principles.
