Cultural Competence and Care in Communities

This module gave an in-depth analysis of the different kinds of cultures that were present in different communities. It is important to understand how different areas have different demographics, as this will determine what kind of patients and cases you deal with as a nurse. For example, suburbs such as Richmond have predominantly Chinese demographic, mining areas have a high population of males, and working as a school nurse would mean working with school children. With these different demographics comes differing ways of health care, as some prefer different methods of treatment or require additional services. The interview with Rosalie and Rikki helped me to understand how caring for people is different amongst each individual as everyone has different cultural and personal requirements and needs.

Also, different communities are exposed to certain health complications that are prevalent within the area as the “health needs of many Australian communities are still not adequately met” (Humphreys & Wakerman, 2015, p.3). It was interesting to see how living in rural areas, as opposed to the city, increased the risk of experiencing back pain, asthma, and mental problems. There are also different economical variances within different communities that a nurse would have to be accommodating for in order to provide sufficient health care.

This module is important to learn about because for my future career as a Registered Nurse I would be expected to be educated enough to provide relevant answers to patients of different communities without causing any conflicting advice. Furthermore, it broadens my knowledge of what to expect as a nurse in different areas and communities and helps to give direction into which area I would want to work in as a nurse. As “communities differ in the prevalence of various health behaviours” (Diehr, et al., 2010), this module is able to assist me in understanding the basic principles of healthcare for patients in different communities.

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References:

Diehr, P., et al. (2010). Do communities differ in health behaviours? Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington: Seattle.

Humphreys, J. & Wakerman, J. (2015). Primary health care in rural and remote Australia: achieving equity of access and outcomes through national reform. Australian Government. Retrieved from http://www.health.gov.au/internet/nhhrc/publishing.nsf/Content/16F7A93D8F578DB4CA2574D7001830E9/$File/Primary%20health%20care%20in%20rural%20and%20remote%20Australia%20-%20achieving%20equity%20of%20access%20and%20outcomes%20through%20national%20reform%20(J%20Humph.pdf