Cultural Competence In Multicultural Australia

Cultural Competence is important for many reasons. First, it can help develop culturally sensitive practices which can in turn help reduce barriers that affect treatment in health care settings. Second, it can help build understanding, which is critical in competence, in order wards knowing whom the person

Cultural competency is a set of appropriate behaviours, attitudes and policies among professionals and enables them to work efficiently in cross-cultural situations (NCCC, 2006). A culturally competent health care system can eliminate cultural inequities, provide greater quality of care, and have less patient dissatisfaction and more positive health consequences. A conclusion reached in a study (Palafox et al., 2002) states, culture influences the outcome of medical examination and; therefore, it is vital to provide culturally competent health care services. Cultural competency is especially important in the context of radiographic examination due to the variety of culturally different patients a radiographer comes in contact. The following case study effectively highlights the impact of cultural competency.

Cultural Competency is often defined as a set of consistent behaviours, policies, and attitudes, which all interrelate in an agency, system, or even among professionals. These behaviours, policies, and attitudes all allow systems and professionals to efficiently work in cross-cultural situations (Cross et al 1989, as cited in Commonwealth of Australia, 2006). As Australia is a multicultural country individuals within the population are encouraged to have different values. By incorporating culture while providing health care services, its objective is to improve health and wellbeing. Certain characteristics from healthcare workers and the health care system are required in order for the services to be qualified as ‘culturally competent’.

Cultural competence is about having awareness, respect and understanding about the diversity around you. Cultural competence is one of the eight key practices that the early years learning framework features as vital to support a child’s learning. Cultural competence is about learning and building an understanding about different cultures while being respectful and open about different cultures and the people within them. Its more then just awareness of cultural differences, its about the ability to understand people across different cultures and developing constructive attitudes concerning cultural difference.

Since Bobby is Hispanic, comes from a poor upbringing, did not finish his education, and is unable to hold a job as an adult; treatment must be dealt with according to his ethics and culture. Information found under the APA Guidelines, Policy Statements, and Resolutions the discussion of proper procedure in ethnic background treatment and diversity (APA, 2010). The recommendation of a Hispanic psychologist will only assist in allowing Bobby to open up to treatment. The cultural similarities will assist in Bobby understanding that his parent’s life style was not appropriate; and if he continues on the same path he will not change the cycle that has caused him so much pain. Any language difference would be more accommodated with a Hispanic psychologist (APA, 2010). At this time Bobby has been able to correspond on an pragmatic level of English that was understandable. The treatment plan laid out for Bobby under Research and Evaluation allows for civil commitment. This will give Bobby time to gain control of the substance abuse and take control of the trauma from his past. The Hispanic intervention will allow for a more comforting environment. This part is important because Bobby suffered from abuse and neglect from his parents (Zalta, et al., 2014). His desire was to please his mother, no matter her requests. Although he now understands that instead of his parent’s protection he was abused and left

Some of the author’s major points are the lack of understanding of what cultural competence really means which is bringing confusion about ways it can be utilized in the social work field. The confusion of the utilization of cultural competence is leading to the lack of consensus concerning the effective training that providers should obtain and the population being served with the cultural competence skills lack clear description. According to the author, the most popular cultural competence intervention in the healthcare system is the cultural competency training which is for health care providers and the two approaches that have been utilized in creating the intervention are; the programs aimed at improving knowledge which is group specific,

Critically analyse one of the main challenges, barriers, and enablers for cultural competence in health care when working in a cross-cultural environment.

1. What is cultural competence for nurses? Cultural competence for nurses “is a combination of culturally congruent behaviors, practice attitudes, and policies that allow nurses to work effectively in a cross- cultural situations. (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2018, p. 74).

To work effectively in a foreign community, it is crucial that short-term nurses have an understanding of culture, belief system, and their lifestyles. Nurses needs to be culturally competence in order to provide patient centered effective healthcare. Culture competence is the ability of healthcare professionals to understand the social, cultural and linguistic needs of patients in order to provide effective health care (Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, 2004).   A lack of culture competence can lead to poor patient outcome. For example, if a nurse has a poor understanding of a diabetic patient's diet, and food preference, that could inhibit the nurse's ability to educate patient to manage the disease.

Cultural competency is the capacity of people or services to include ethnic/cultural considerations into all aspects of their work related to health promotion, disease prevention and other and other healthcare interventions (Cultural competence is important for several reasons, (Purnell, 2008a).First, it can contribute in the development of culturally sensitive practices which can reduce barriers that effect treatment in healthcare settings. Second, it can promote understanding, which is detrimental in cultural competence assessment, to know whom, the individuals known as the primary care provider and whom they view as the primary healer, can attribute to the promotion of trust and increase the person’s interest in participating

Cultural Competence is one of the eight core practices within the EYLF (above). Outlined in the EYLF Cultural Competence is described as: “Educators who are culturally competent respect multiple cultural ways of knowing, seeing and living, celebrate the benefits of diversity and have an ability to understand and honour differences. This is evident in everyday practice when educators demonstrate an ongoing commitment to developing their own cultural competence in a two way process with families and communities. Educators view culture and the context of family as central to children’s sense of being and belonging, and to success in lifelong learning. Educators also seek to promote children’s cultural competence.

To provide our patients with quality care, increase access to care and to help them to understand and change behavior patterns that could put their wellbeing at risk, we need to develop our cultural competency skills as the lack of knowledge of other cultures can create obstacles. A diverse demographic also extends to workplaces and is the norm nowadays. Many healthcare providers are of a different cultural and ethnic background than the patients they are treating. Therefore every health service encounter is a cross-cultural experience. Sensitivity and understanding to others can prevent misunderstandings, assumptions and miscommunications that would otherwise leas to cultural complexities(6,

What is Cultural Competence and why is it important to Health and Wellbeing Cultural competences are behaviours, values, attitudes and policies that a body of professionals should encompass in order to effectively work with other cultures (Bureau of Primary Health Care). Culture includes shared values, beliefs, religion, norms and customs. Competence is the ability to function as an individual and part of a team (Office of Minority Health). According to Mayhew cultural competence also involves how someone’s culture can influences the way they perceive health, illness and recovery (Mayhew 2016). The Georgetown University emphasized that cultural competence is being able to provide health services that meet social, cultural and language needs

Understand cultural competence and why is it important especially for that have a diverse workforce.

from the context of the personal culture of the client (Sue, Arrendondo & McDavis, 1994; Sue &