The nurse is caring for an Asian woman who recently had surgery and needs to learn to perform her own dressing changes. Which of the following statements by the nurse indicates the nurse is culturally competent?
a. "Will you tell me about any traditional healing practices that you would like to use?"
b. "Asian people are smart, so this should be easy for you to understand."
c. "Tell me how you feel about your surgery."
d. "American surgeons are highly qualified; I'm sure you will heal quickly."
ANS: A
Cultural sensitivity is knowing politically correct language and not making statements that may offend another person's cultural beliefs. Cultural competence includes the skills and knowledge required to provide effective nursing care. The use of traditional healers and healing therapies is common for Asian individuals, and assessing the patient's desire to use such healers or therapies shows the nurse is culturally sensitive and competent to provide care. Response B represents a stereotype—an opinion or belief about a group of people which is ascribed to an individual. Ethnocentrism is the tendency for human beings to think that their ways of thinking, acting, and believing are the only right, proper, and natural ways and is represented by response D. Response C is an assessment designed to elicit the patient's emotional reaction to the surgery. This may be an important part of adult learning, but it is not the best option to represent cultural competence.
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