Running heading: SELF ASSESSMENT AND REASONING
Self-Assessment and Reasoning
Melanie Underwood
Ferris State University
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Running heading: SELF ASSESSMENT AND REASONING
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Self-Assessment and Reasoning
Significant Content
Health promotion in vulnerable populations is of significant importance, because it is
something that we see every day. The values, attitudes, culture and life circumstances of
individuals who are poor, socially marginal, or culturally different from the traditional
mainstream of society, and the communities in which they reside, must be recognized when
planning health promotion and prevention activities. Vulnerable populations affect many
individuals in a variety of ways. Vulnerable populations may include people of color, the poor,
non-English-speaking persons, recent immigrants and refugees, homeless persons, mentally ill
and disabled persons, gay men and lesbians, and substance abusers (Pender, 2011). Promoting
and achieving health equity would mean that everyone has the opportunity to attain their full
health potential, therefore no one has any disadvantages from attaining their potential based on
social, demographic, or geographic differences (Pender, 2011).
Thoughts and Feelings
We as health care professionals should be personally aware of their cultural values and
beliefs and also be able to recognize how these belief and attitudes will affect the groups they
come into contact with (Pender, 2011). Cultural competence is defined “as appropriate and
effective communication that requires one to be willing to listen and learn from members of
diverse populations and the provision of information and services in appropriate languages, at
appropriate comprehension and literacy levels, and in the context of the individual’s health belief
and practices” (Pender, 2011). Since the early days of nursing “cultural care” was a term used
by one of the great theorists Madeleine Leininger and her personal experience of caring for
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children of different cultures and their families. Nurses who follow Leininger’s theory of
cultural care in their practice view patients in the context of their individual cultures (Chitty,
2011). Leininger recognized that cultural knowledge is necessary to understand the difference
needed to facilitate cooperativeness and healing. This awareness motivated Leininger to develop
a new nursing theory; call Trans-cultural nursing is learning and understanding different cultures
in order to provide better patient care (Phillips, Ray, Underwood, 2012). After an initial
assessment, the nurse should create a care plan that considers the patient’s cultural variations,
understanding of health, illness, beliefs, and practices (“The Basic concepts”, 2012). Our health
care environment is made up of several different cultures and beliefs; with this we as nurses need
to adapt in order to provide the best care possible for our patients.
Point of View or Assumptions
Prior to this assignment I feel as if my knowledge of vulnerable populations was vague. I
didn’t necessarily have an understanding of vulnerable groups of patients I just gave 100% and
tried to adapt to meet their needs, without really having an understanding of what was different.
But after class reading, participation with group discussion, and further research I have a greater
understanding and respect of what vulnerable population means to me. It would include
different cultural beliefs, religions, socioeconomic status, diseases processes, illness, children,
and the elderly, just to name a few that I interact with every day. I also have a better
understanding on how this had been tied into nursing theory many years ago by Madeleine
Leininger and her theory on Trans-Cultural nursing. Our society is not a one size fits all we must
tailor our care to meet each patient’s individual needs, and if I am are not sure what those
specific needs may be I will personally find out what they are. This is a nursing career
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commitment to continue to learn from those around me because for me knowledge is power and
the key to success.
Analysis of Thinking
To analyze my topic I had to think of an area that we studied this semester that really had
an impact on my critical thinking and how I would use this information to enhance my current
practice. I look through numerous discussion boards and the one that had the most impact would
be that of vulnerable populations. This was influenced by my lack of understanding and
importance of vulnerable populations and the need to learn more. Again Trans-cultural nursing
theory played a large part to help with the understanding and the implementation into my current
practice. In grading myself I think initially I would have given myself a D but after great strides
and a better understanding of vulnerable populations I would currently give myself a B in that I
have made vast improvement of my knowledge and understanding but, there is always room to
grow. This improvement was also made possible by critical thinking skills learned during this
semester. Therefore I can say that I personally relate to the definitions of critical thinking
presented by Paul and Elder’s stating “Critical thinking is a process by which the thinker
improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully taking charge of the structures inherent in
thinking and imposing intellectual standards upon them” (Chitty, 2011). Which also goes on to
state that a “well-cultivated critical thinker” does the following: Raises questions and problem
and formulates them clearly and precisely. Is open-minded and recognizes alternative ways of
seeing problems and has the ability to assess the assumptions, implications, and consequences of
alternative views of problems (Chitty, 2011). These are just two areas that I felt affected me,
shown by what I have learned this semester so far. Raising questions and problems as they relate
to cultural diversity, and how little we really know about different cultures and how different
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beliefs directly affect the patients we care for. Making it a life-long commitment to learning and
growing together in the nurse patient relationship.
References
Chitty, K.K., & Black, B.P. (2011). Professional nursing: Concepts and challenges (6th ed.)
Maryland Heights, MO: Saunders
Pender, N. J., Murdaugh, C. L. & Parsons, M. A. (2011). Health Promotion in Nursing Practice
(6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Phillips, L., & Ray, V., Underwood, M. (2012). Madeleine Leininger and Transcultural Nursing
Theory.
"The Basic Concepts of Transcultural Nursing" (2012), Transcultural Nursing,
http://www.culturediversity.org/basic.htm