Coursework: Nurses and Patients

Transcultural Issues

1. Culture is one where the one follows the rules, norms, laws, and more for one’s culture. When nursing you must ask and follow your patients’ wishes whether it pertains to visits from family and professionals, dietary personnel and whatever they need. You, as the nurse, must look at your own culture and try to accept other ideas and remember that you are there to make the patients’ stay as comfortable as possible and not to show disrespect to anyone. You must ask questions of anyone knowledgeable about the patient but check with the patient, for patients are the boss you listen to while they are getting well.

2. There are more programs available for the poor and the disadvantaged, not just for the monarchy and the upper crust. The United Kingdom is striving for equality in all facets of living – economically, socially and educationally. The United Kingdom like the United States is learning to accept others and does not want to change them, but takes them for who and what they are in the past, present, and future.

3. I have worked with adults with various problems. I have worked with people of color (African-American). I have also worked with patients with mental and physical disabilities. I have learned that everyone has feelings and should be treated equally. I have also worked with patients of various religious affiliations, for example, the Jewish faith and learned to ask about dietary restrictions and some of the rituals they have.

4. When you choose to go into the nursing profession, you will take a pledge to care for any patient in a caring and competent manner. You also have an ethical obligation to treat patients the way they want to be treated with respect. As a nurse, you should be of good moral character. You should ask all appropriate questions to the patient, so you can care for their body, mind, and soul.

5. The only stereotype that I remember was working with a gay man and women. I always thought like they would be constantly with themselves. I believe we should do what makes us happy and to always learn what we can about different lifestyles.

6. The patient would not trust you in any of the possible treatments that you are doing for them.

7. You can see all these ideas when you are doing a physical assessment of the body, and to make them feel comfortable you can ask them questions about what they happen to be interested in doing, you can ask them of their favorite foods, ask them about their religion, and if they would like visitors. You are there to make them comfortable while they are recuperating from illness.

Legal Dimension

1. I would choose Brykczynska’s model. It states that they should tell you all you need to know about your best treatments, but would also give you alternatives for your condition. It gives the patient the right to choose the type of help he or she desires. The patient is the boss. This is different from Gillion, for he does not let the patient make the choice of treatment. They both have a competent and autonomous person giving the necessary information to the patient. I would like to be involved in as many facets of my own care as possible.

Advocacy

1. Child abuse, elder abuse, dealing with mental disorders and when dealing with various family problems when crying and yelling starts.

2. I chose an article entitled “Memory Maker Clinical Management of early and mid-stage dementia”. This article tells about the syndromes of this problem, gives recommendations, the risks and benefits of various medications and what practices would work best for this problem. When working with patients with any kind of dementia, advocacy is very important, for this gives the patient and the family someone to talk to about what is happening.

3. Nurses are supposed to provide health care and promotion to keep the body and mind healthy so that the patient can be healed. Nurses are supposed to be interested in the structure and function of the body. Nurses are a compassionate kind of people who want to help any way they can. This could lead to an ethical concern. One must be concerned with confidentiality issues and consent.

4. Being a patient’s advocate is all about what the patient wants. Nurses can give the patient the facts, but it is up to the patient to express himself or herself and his or her needs and wants. Advocates must be careful of what they are able to share. Advocates can offer advice on what is happening to the patient, but the patient is the one making the necessary decision or decisions.

5. I do think that children of 12 years of age are still children and they should not want emergency contraception from the school nurse. I do not feel that 12-year-olds are really ready for having sex. I know about confidentiality, but I think that parents should be involved when their child is seeking information about sex.

6. It would depend on the maturity level of the child. They would also have to attend Parenting and Child Care classes. They would have to prove that they are responsible in many ways; they would have to finish school, find a job, a place to live and act like adults that they want to be just a tad earlier than expected. They have to learn to expect the unexpected.

7. Nurses must always be objective but in a subjective manner. Nurses need to learn not to wear their emotions on their sleeves.