How does lack of diversity among nursing personnel effect patient outcomes?
Nursing is a very important factor and influence on the quality of care that hospitals provide and the patient outcomes. Day after day, nurses provide quality health care thereby making a positive difference on the lives that humans lead. Of note is that in the 21st century, nurses are required to do this in an increasingly global and multicultural setup. As such, the effect of diversity on patient outcomes or the lack thereof is an important consideration. Cultural competence is an important aspect in nursing care (Cowen & Moorhead, 2011).
Personnel that lack diversity might have high rates of cultural incompetence. Such nursing staff might provide culturally incongruent care thereby jeopardizing the safety of the patient. Lack of diversity in nursing personnel leads to culturally negligent nursing actions, which might potentially pose danger to the health of the patient. For instance, a culturally incompetent nurse might administer insulin to a diabetic and leave a tray that consists of foods that are culturally forbidden with the patient. Such a patient will not eat the food thereby delaying the time interval between the administration of the drug and eating.
Describe how this course helped or did not help you bring together your understanding of professional nursing?
The professional nursing synthesis class has been an eye opener. The concepts learnt in the class have enlightened me on the intricacies of the nursing profession. From the class, I understand that success in the nursing profession is pegged on many aspects. Additionally, I understand the effect of globalization in the nursing profession. Due to such effects, nurses have to learn how to work in multicultural settings. Patient outcomes are pegged on nurses being culturally competent (Cowen & Moorhead, 2011).
References
Cowen, P. S., & Moorhead, S. (2011). Current issues in nursing. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby Elsevier
