Understanding The Importance Of Cultural Competence In Nursing: A Reflection On A Visit To Riwoche Tibetan Buddhist Temple

Leininger defined transcultural nursing as “a comparative study of cultures, an understanding of similarities (cultural universal) and differences (cultural specific) across human groups in order to provide meaningful and beneficial delivery of health care”  Madeleine Leininger’s definition of transcultural nursing is very applicable and relevant to my experience at the powwow. Since I believe that with the Canadian government making a strong effort to mend relationships with the Indigenous people, this theory is very suiting even outside the nursing realm. Through the cultural care diversity and universality theory, nurses can learn to appreciate each patient and the culture they identify with. As nurses, we may not have to agree with everything, but we must make it a priority to ensure the patient’s culture is respected and accommodated for as much as possible

A study of graduate nursing students’ reflections on the art of Tibetan medicine. 

Culture shapes nursing practice: Findings from a New Zealand study. Patient education and counseling, 

Enhancing person-centred care through the development of a therapeutic relationship. 

Mindfulness revisited: A Buddhist-based conceptualization. Journal of Management Inquiry,

The influence of culture on nursing practice and research. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing,

Transcultural nursing theory and models: application in nursing education, practice, and administration.

A Holistic Analysis of Global Health Literature Related to Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism.

The Church of Scientology. In Revisionism and Diversification in New Religious Movements

Nurses have to address the unique religious and cultural needs of the different patient populations.  Aside from the fact that nurses have to deal with a variety of different cultural backgrounds, the nurses also have to foster a culture of compassion and respect while providing care to the patients. As discussed by Crawford, Stein-Parbury and Dignam (2017), it is very important for the nurses to understand different cultures and their norms to be able to provide a care that is inclusive of the different cultural norms and traditions. As a result, it is very important for the nurses to develop a culturally neutral approach and understanding all the while respecting and valuing the different cultural backgrounds of the different patient populations. Although, without having a personal experience of the various cultures, it is very difficult to have a clear understanding of the different cultures (Rew, 2014). This essay will provide an excellent opportunity to have a unique cultural experience, align the experience and the learnings from the experience to different theoretical and societal aspects associated with nursing.

The cultural experience that I would like to illustrate in their exercise is one of the most unique and remarkable experiences that I have had in my life. I had the opportunity to visit the Riwoche Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Toronto, Canada; and I believe it has been one of the most revelling cultural experience that not only helped me understand the importance of culture and tradition, it changed my perspectives on peace and compassion. The temple is located in the heart of the city and even in the chaotic environment of the city, the temple grounds had a completely different environment. First and foremost, when I entered the temple grounds, I noticed serenity and calm peacefulness which immediately soothed me. This experience is not only about the people and the architecture, the experience was a whole about the holistic understanding of a culture which is completely different from my own culture.

The first thing that I have noticed the most had been the compassion and devotion, I have noticed people of all ages and devote themselves to the praying, lighting incenstick, and engaging in meditation. Even amongst a large group of people inside the temple, there had been calm and peace in everybody which motivated and inspired me a lot. Another very important thing that I have learned from the experience that I have had of visiting the temple is of mindfulness (?enel, 2018). The Buddhists are very aware of their surrounding and the impact of their actions on their surroundings. I believe it is of extreme importance for us nurses to acquire this basic principle of Buddhism and be aware of the impact our actions and behaviours can have on patients so that we provide a care that is inclusive of different cultures and ethnicities. I also had a small encounter with an old lady who had been visiting the temple with her granddaughter. She understood the fact that I was just visiting the temple and had no basic idea about anything. Although she had not been proficient in English, she tried her best to convey to me about the different rituals being performed and the activities to partake in. I was touched and overwhelmed by her innate nature to be welcoming and helpful to me even though I was a complete stranger to her. This had been an excellent experience for me which had helped me understand the importance of culture and how it can affect the nature and behaviour of different people.

Learning experience

The Buddhism encompasses vision for society which has evolved drastically with the expansion of the religion. The principles of Buddhism has now being followed in many societies and the religion has gained a lot of importance in the society. The merciful religious path of the Lord Buddha teaches a variety of lessons in dealing with stress, understanding the impact of own behaviour and most of all, having a compassionate approach to life. In many social groups, these ethical principles are being followed largely which accounts for the expansion that the religion has had all across the globe. Along with that, with the emphasis on a more secular society, the respect and dignity of these cultural and ethnic minorities have increased multiple folds as well in the 21^st century with more and more people openly acknowledging their ancestral links with religions like Buddhism, marking this religion as a strong independent religious entity (Burnard & Gill, 2014).

Changed views:

Being born and brought up in the westernized household, I also had a very stereotypical ideation regarding the Buddhism as a religion or ethnic identity. However, this chance visit completely metamorphosed the basic idea I had about that particular religion and helped me identify the impact these principle can have if integrated in my personal values as a nurse. First and foremost, it helped me understand the impact of peace and serenity on the mental health and wellbeing. Nurses often experience care scenarios where the patients are agitated and unresponsive (Baumann, Murphy & Ganzer, 2015). From the experience I had in the temple, I understood the impact peace and serenity can have on the mind-frame of the different individuals and how it might impact the responsiveness of the different individuals. I understood that if the nursing professionals can provide calm and peaceful environment to the patients, the agitation and irritation can be calmed and their responsiveness can be addressed. Another very important epiphany I had encountered while visiting the Buddhist temple, I understood the impact my actions and behaviour can have on different people, how positive behaviour or actions can encourage better response from the recipients.

There are various nursing implications that is needed to be discussed in the context of the learning experiences that I have had in the Buddhist temple. First and foremost, I would like to incorporate the transcultural theory of nursing, which guides that the nurses to develop a culturally appropriate and respectful approach to the care providing. This experience also helped me to clear a set of misconceptions I had regarding the ethnic backgrounds and helped me see the ethnic backgrounds in a new light. I would like to mention in this context that the multicultural societies is expanding all across the world and hence the need for nurses to enhance their cultural competence is rising every day (Sitzman, 2017). The culture care theory by Leininger stated that nurses need to develop an in depth understanding of the different cultures so that they can provide adequate care to the patients belonging to the various ethnic backgrounds (McFarland & Wehbe-Alamah, 2014). While going through the experience myself in the temple, I realized the unique beauty of that culture which amazed me and helped me realize the different perspective to different cultures which can be applied to nursing philosophies.

Societal view

Another very important aspect that I would like to incorporate is the theory of cross cultural communication. This has to be mentioned in this context that cross cultural communication pertains to a set of skills which also requires the individuals to have a sound understanding of their personal cultural beliefs, thoughts and principles, along with being able to respect and acknowledge the culture and traditions of the other ethnic backgrounds. This particular experience helped me recognize the stark differences my own culture bears with the traditional Buddhism and helped me appreciate the uniqueness of both of the cultural backgrounds. Similarly, taking the assistance if the scientological approach, this revolutionary religious beliefs help the followers to use scientific approaches to self-actualize their full potential (Urban, 2016). The principles of this theoretical perspectives state that the people must understand the true relationship with their physical universe and the Supreme Being in order to attain the ultimate goal. From my experience of the Buddhism at the temple, they have helped me understand the impact my behaviour or actions can have on different people. It helped me realize that the impact of my actions can affect the wellbeing and response of my patients as well.

Strategies:

The first strategy that I will be incorporating in the essay is the fact that I will realize my relationship with my outer universe and the impact my actions on the people surrounding me. This will help me treat my patients with utmost respect and compassion without letting my personal inhibitions or perceptions does not affect my care approach to the patients at all (Sagar, 2011). Another strategy I will be incorporating is to have an open- minded and respectful approach to my caring approach as well so that I can instil equality and cultural appropriateness in my caring approach. Lastly, the third care approach that we are going to be incorporating in my personal experience is mindfulness, which is the essence of the Buddhist culture, so that I can have a calm, patient and compassionate state of mind even when encountering a crisis or emergency situation in the practice (Doherty & Thompson, 2014).

Conclusion:

On a concluding note, this had been an excellent opportunity for me to experience a completely different culture and its principles. I learned a wealth of knowledge from the experience which not only changed my views about this culture, it enlightened me about the need or benefits of applying these principles in real life. As a future nurse, this exercise has helped me identify the importance of compassion, mindfulness, and generosity in the profession of nursing along with respecting the different culture. I would continue to be open-minded to various different cultures and embrace the uniqueness and the ethical principles to provide a compassionate and therapeutic care to the patients.  

References:

Baumann, S. L., Murphy, D. C., & Ganzer, C. A. (2015). A study of graduate nursing students’ reflections on the art of Tibetan medicine. Nursing science quarterly, 28(2), 156-161.

Burnard, P., & Gill, P. (2014). Culture, communication and nursing. Routledge.

Crawford, R., Stein-Parbury, J., & Dignam, D. (2017). Culture shapes nursing practice: Findings from a New Zealand study. Patient education and counseling, 100(11), 2047-2053.

Daly, J., Speedy, S., & Jackson, D. (2017). Contexts of nursing: An introduction. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Doherty, M., & Thompson, H. (2014). Enhancing person-centred care through the development of a therapeutic relationship. British journal of community nursing, 19(10), 502-507.

McFarland, M. R., & Wehbe-Alamah, H. B. (2014). Leininger's culture care diversity and universality. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Purser, R. E., & Milillo, J. (2015). Mindfulness revisited: A Buddhist-based conceptualization. Journal of Management Inquiry, 24(1), 3-24.

Rew, L. (2014). The influence of culture on nursing practice and research. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 19(1), 1-2.

Sagar, P. L. (2011). Transcultural nursing theory and models: application in nursing education, practice, and administration. Springer Publishing Company.

?enel, E. (2018). Dharmic Religions and Health: A Holistic Analysis of Global Health Literature Related to Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. Journal of religion and health, 1-11.

Sitzman, K. (2017). Understanding the work of nurse theorists: A creative beginning.

Urban, H. B. (2016). The Church of Scientology. In Revisionism and Diversification in New Religious Movements(pp. 79-91). Routledge.