Cultural competence

When it comes to the ability of an APRN to perform their job being able to understand cultural practices is a must. As most APRN’s will be working in a setting where they have first line interactions with patients means that they must possess cultural prowess and empathy in order to fully connect with their patients and treat them in the wellness model and transition them back into wholeness. In the Papadopoulos, Tilki and Taylor model there is a focus on the process of competency in cultural awareness when it comes to the delivery of healthcare services (Butts & Rich, 2018). This also means that the role of education should to aide and nurture the development of a culturally sensitive workforce that can meet the ever-expanding needs of the culturally diverse populations of today (Reading & Webster, 2014). In this model there is a focus on four aspects which are: Cultural Awareness, Cultural Knowledge, Cultural Competence, and Cultural Sensitivity. Being aware of another person’s culture if the first step of this model and it incorporates self-awareness of the behalf of the APRN and allows them to proceed in care of the patient without stereotyping them. By educating the APRN in the Cultural Knowledge of others it allows them to understand and see the differences in cultural bounds and reduce tension during care between the provider and the patient or their family and shows them that as a provider you respect their cultural choices. Having Cultural Competency allows us as humans and healthcare providers to understand superficial differences that we might see with our eyes but understand that underneath we are physiologically built the same. But culturally there may be differences between the provider and their patients that makes it very difficult for treatment to occur and in these cases, you must be sensitive to their needs (Lowe, 2014). Please reply to this discussion.