Reflection on Cultural Competencies

Reflection on Cultural Competencies Jon Teegardin Caring for a multicultural society is the name of the class I am taking this semester. It is only logical that part of learning about providing care to a patients of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds is learning about my own perceptions of culture. By honestly and openly completing a cultural competency checklist, I was able to identify my own strengths and shortcomings about culture. This paper will analyze the results of my checklist, analyze my thoughts and feelings about my responses, and identify ways I can improve on my care of culturally diverse patients. Analysis and summary of the assessment results This assessment was completed by me, Jon Teegardin, RN. I currently work as an emergency room nurse at a local hospital. I strongly agreed with 77% of the statements in the assessment, agreed with 16%, and chose neutral for the remaining 7% of the statements. There were no statements that I disagreed or strongly disagreed with. The subjects with a neutral response included acceptability of the use of languages other than English, participation in insensitive comments or behaviors, and recognition of different English language dialects. Analysis of thoughts and feelings after taking assessment My initial impression of the assessment was that I was culturally competent and sensitive to culturally related differences among my patient population. As I looked closer at my responses though, I realized that I am less sensitive to non-English speakers and that I am prone to making insensitive comments. After realizing this, I wanted to analyze why I have a neutral view about those who may not speak English and those who speak a different dialect of my native language. Being 45 years old, I can distinctly remember a time in this country when the English language was the only language used by business and even the government. The United States Government still requires that naturalized citizens â€Å"read, write, and speak Basic English† (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, n.d.). Television produced many shows that used racial and ethnic stereotypes as the basis for sitcoms. Shows like What a Country used language and cultural differences as the punchline for jokes set to a laugh track. Perfect Strangers went so far as to create a fictitious country of origin for the shows main character. This allowed the network to write scripts that utilized extreme stereotypical views of eastern Europeans without appearing to be offensive to the target audience of Americans (Amazon, 2014). This programming taught viewers that it was OK to laugh at those who spoke differently or those who had different traditions or values. We were taught that an ac cent was something to laugh at and imitate. I could cite even worse examples from the seventies. I actually felt ashamed when I thought about American Sign Language and deaf culture. I actually debated a previous instructor about deaf culture, based in part on the fact that American Sign Language is not just hand signals of English words or letters, but is actually a visual language of its own (Jay, 2008). I actually contradicted my own belief by limiting my definition of language. Not one of my finer moments. Areas of improvement needed after taking the assessment There are three areas of improvement that I identified by taking this assessment. Acceptability of the use of languages other than English, participation in insensitive comments or behaviors, and recognition of different English dialects. It is important to remember that while a person may speak Basic English, they may be more comfortable speaking their native language. There are 31.8 million U.S. residents that speak a language other than English in their home, and of that number, 54% are Hispanic (Cultural diversity and language issues, 1994). Even though there is a movement in this country away from the concept of the melting pot, it does not mean that people who choose to come here don’t want to embrace American culture. Learning a new language is hard and that difficulty is magnified as we age. I have encountered many patients in the ER who speak little or no English, but their child speaks both languages fluently. It is insensitive to demand that everyone who comes here speak only my native language. Insensitive comments or behaviors don’t need to be made in a negative manner to be hurtful. How many of us have spoken louder and slower to someone who speaks limited English? We may be doing so in an attempt to be helpful, but do we stop and think about how patronizing or belittling that behavior may be? It is important that I model my behavior in a manner that is sensitive to a language barrier in a manner that is still respectful. Part of my assessment of a patient needs to address communication barriers immediately and utilize my facilities language translation services earlier in the patient encounter. Recognition of different English dialects should include geographic influences. I have to admit that initially I was looking at dialect as simply poor grammar, when it is much deeper than that. Southern English is just as correct as Midwestern English, even though substantial differences can be found in the way people from these two areas speak. One researcher identified 24 different dialects of American English (Wilson, 2013). Suggestions for improving the provision of transcultural healthcare It is important that to let go of stereotypes or behaviors that were impressed on me at an early age. The first step towards modifying these behaviors is identifying them properly. The assessment is a good tool to identify areas that can be improved. It is also important to recognize that â€Å"transcultural research, as presently conducted, may depict a view of behavior that encourages expectations of stereotypes among health practitioners and this view may inhibit rather than enhance individualized practice† (Price Cortis, 1999, p. 243). This means that it is important to remember that our learned cultural expectations may be suspect and this can be detrimental to the care that we provide to our patients. A provider cannot assume that just because they know the cultural aspects of a patient that they know the geographic influences on that patient’s culture as well. References Amazon. (2014). Perfect Strangers. Retrieved September 16, 2014, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090501/ Cultural diversity and language issues. (1994).The Journal of School Health,64(1), 41. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/215683754?accountid=87314 Jay, M. (2008). Deaf Culture. Retrieved September 16, 2014, from http://www.start-american-sign-language.com/deaf-culture.html Price, K., Cortis, J. (1999). The way forward for transcultural nursing. Nurse Education Today,20(3), 233-243. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. (n.d.). Learn About Naturalization. Retrieved September 16, 2014, from http://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/learners/learn-about-naturalization Wilson, R. (2013, December 3). What Dialect Do You Speak? A Geographical Breakdown of American English (Posted 2013-12-03 01:01:46). The Washington Post. Retrieved September 16, 2014, from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-35439884.html?

Eleanor Roosevelt and her Accomplishments Essay example -- People Roos

Eleanor Roosevelt and her Accoplishments As the wife of a popular United States president, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City, October 11, 1884, and died November 7, 1962. She was an active worker for social causes. She was the niece of President Theodore Roosevelt, and was raised by her maternal grandmother after the premature death of her parents. In 1905 she married her cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt. They had six children, but one of them died in infancy. Although she was extremely shy, Eleanor worked hard and became a well known and admired humanitarian. (Webster III, 100). When her husband became the President, Eleanor Roosevelt made herself a strong speaker on behalf of a wide range of social causes, including youth employment and civil rights for blacks and women. She also had compassion for the Jewish and helped them go through the time when Hitler had power. She did all of her work with self-confidence, authority, independence, and cleverness. Eleanor Roosevelt is one of the greatest women who ever lived because of her accomplishments, her benefits to mankind, and her motives to accomplish her goals. Helping other people was what Eleanor Roosevelt lived for. There were many accomplishments made by this woman in social and political matters. For one thing, she spoke out for women to make them more equal to men. In 1928, she helped originate the nation-wide web of active units of Democratic women (Lash, 49). Eleanor believed that women could do just as much as men, especially in politics. The League of Women Voters was where she was "grounded in citizenship and government" (Benton, 237). Because of her experiences with men and other women, Eleanor had been able to make speeches and talk to other women about their rights. Another social matter in which she was concerned about was the treatment of the Jewish. The idea of Hitler wanting to exterminate all Jewish people brought up strong emotions in Eleanor. Her compassion towards the survivors of those concentration camps and gas chambers, made her take part in a memorial service of protest about it. She did what she could to help the survivors of the holocaust escape death, including getting visas for the refugees who managed to get to Spain and Portugal. The issuance of visas to children was another thing that she tried to do to help the younger people escape the violence... ...women, Jews, and Negroes were just some of the many things she believed in and worked for. With more equality between the different kinds of people, there can be more peace and happiness in the world without all the discrimination. Her accomplishments brought about increased unity in people, which was what she did to benefit mankind. All of her experiences and determination motivated her to do what she did, and it was a gift to humanity. Thesis: Eleanor Roosevelt benefited mankind by accomplishing her goals to help others be equal and unified with one another. Her motives helped her achieve this, and made her someone who has done a great deal for humanity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Premises: 1. Accomplishments 2. How she benefited mankind 3. Motivation to accomplish goals Works Cited: Benton, William. "Roosevelt, Eleanor." Encyclopedia Britannica. 1968 ed. Lash, Joseph P. Eleanor: The Years Alone. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 1972. Roosevelt, Eleanor. You Learn By Living. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishing, 1960. Webster III, Orville. 50 Famous Americans. Los Angeles: JBG Publishing, 1991. Wilson, H.W. "Roosevelt, Eleanor." Current Biography. 1940 ed.

Negroponte’s decision to partner with Microsoft Essay

2. Do you agree with Negroponte’s decision to partner with Microsoft? Yes I agree with this decision Negroponte partnerships with companies such as Microsoft, which is very trustworthy, and reliable name in the computer sector for the operating system and software. Nicholas Negroponte, founder and director of the MIT Media Lab, introduced the idea for the $ 100 laptop in 2005. The laptop will be directed towards the child in â€Å"developing countries.† The intent is to help education in those countries. The purpose of this project, to be specific, is â€Å"To provide children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment and express themselves.† Technical achievement of the laptop project fast-low power requirements, the physical design of all closed to prevent water or sand or dirt damage, open source software [originally, this has since changed], a unique interface, and the possibility for solar and hand-crank powering, and designers who are doing well to achieve their costs disappear. Despite its considerable innovation, or perhaps because of it, the OLPC project has been unable to achieve its $100 targeted cost. The current cost of each unit is listed on the OLPC Website as $199 (www.laptop.org/en/participate/ways-to-give.shtml). However, this does not include upfront deployment costs, which are said to add an additional 5%–10% to the cost of each machine (wiki.laptop.org/go/Larger_OLPC), and subsequent IT-management costs. Nor does it include the cost of teacher training, additional software, and ongoing maintenance and support. OLPC initially required governments to purchase a million units, and then reduced the number to 250,000 in April 2007. Such large purchases are difficult to justify for governments in developing countries, and the requirement was ultimately eliminated. Some countries eventually lost interest due to the higher costs of the XO. For example, Nigeria failed to honor a pledge by its former president to purchase a million units, partly because they no longer cost $100 apiece.21 Meanwhile, other countries, including Libya, have opted for the Intel  Classmate, which is priced at approximately $250 for the PC alone. Officials in Libya, which had planned to buy up to 1.2 million XO laptops, became concerned that the machines lacked Windows, and that service, teacher training, and future upgrades would not be provided directlyby OLPC. Subsidies from Intel, including donated laptops and teacher training, also helped persuade the Libyan government to choose the Classmate. The goal of OLPC is to provide each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop. To this end, we have designed the hardware, software and content for collaborative, fun, and self-empowered learning. One Laptop per Child is not about machines, it’s about movement. to get computers into the hands of children that will help them learn, then â€Å"this is a price worth paying.† Use technology to transform education by bringing connectivity and constructionist learning for poor children around the world, â€Å"said Nicholas Negroponte, founder and chairman of OLPC.

Don Giovanni the Characters and Their Music Essay

Don Giovanni: The Characters and Their Music Giving Characters character is one of the most interesting challenges in operatic composition; another is composing for all the specific characters. A composer has to distinguish between characters through his music. Jan cant sound like Fran, and Dan cant sound like Stan. Each character must have his/her own traits. Mozarts opera, Don Giovanni, provides us with many different characters to compare and contrast. One scene in particular lends itself to the comparison of Don Giovanni, Leporello, and The Commendator. Scene fifteen of Act two, places all three characters in close interaction with each other, making it easy to compare and find out how Mozart and his Librettist Lorenzo da Ponte†¦show more content†¦Mozart really makes his nervousness obvious by giving him notes no longer in value than a quarter note. Mozart uses dotted eights to sixteenth notes to make his part especially disjointed. This creates the effect of someone shaking from fear as they are trying to speak. Mozart also uses a continuous triple pattern, which begins at measure 470, to create a rambling effect. Leporello seems to have lost his sanity from fright of the statue, and is now babbling incoherently. Don Giovanni and the Commendator have very different rhythmic vocal parts then Leporello. They are much more bold and brave then Leporello, so Mozart gives them a more solid rhythm. The Commendator has the most stable part out of all of them. He has many whole and half notes. The stability of the rhythm adds to the confidence and power of his character. The only time his rhythm becomes quicker is when he is yelling at Don Giovanni to repent. Don Giovanni shares many similar rhythmic traits as the Commendator, although it has a little more diversity. Don Giovanni shifts from being comfortable to uncomfortable throughout the dinner scene. 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The libretto of this piece was written by Lorenzo da Ponte, who was also the librettist for Don Giovanni and La nozze de Figaro, two other renowned operas of Mozart’s.1 This opera was first performed in Vienna at the Burgtheater, on January 26th, 1790.2 Though the exact origin of the story Ponte based his libretto on is unclear, many people at the