Fundamentals of Nursing Q 323
Cultural competence is the process of:
A. Learning about vast cultures.
B. Acquiring specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
C. Influencing treatment and care of clients.
D. Motivation and commitment to caring.
Correct Answer: B. Acquiring specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
Cultural competence is the process of acquiring specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes that ensure the delivery of culturally congruent care. Culturally competent care includes knowledge, attitudes, and skills that support caring for people across different languages and cultures. Culture influences not only health practices but also how the healthcare provider and the patient perceive illness.
Option A: Knowledge is being cognizant of the culture base of those in the nurse’s service area, such as the shared traditions and values of that group. Being aware of the patients’ ethnicity—common genetic elements shared by people of the same ancestry—is also important.
Option C: It’s important to address attitudes to evolve into a culturally competent caregiver. Becoming aware of how culture influences individual behavior and thinking allows the nurse to plan the best care for the patients. Awareness of the rules of interactions within a specific cultural group, such as communication patterns and customs, division of roles in the family unit, and spirituality, will help the nurse better understand the attitudes of the patients.
Option D: Becoming aware of the nurse’s own attitudes and tendencies to stereotype with regard to different cultural groups allows her to provide genuine care and concern. Learn ways of communicating that best allow the patient to understand the plan of care. For example, developing cultural competency skills can involve assisting non–English-speaking patients with a translator or changing the phrases and words the nurse uses when explaining care. It also involves learning to adapt to new and different situations in a flexible way.