Cultural experience Health, Medicine, Nursing Essay

this is the cultural experience of eating a meal at a traditional ethnic restaurant of Eritrea for independent cultural study assignment. Eritrea is country which is loctacted in the horn of Africa. The restruant is locted here in seattle Washington. Here if the example and procedure you need to follow.
1. Attend a cultural event – focusing on a culture different from your own. Ideas of these might be a pow wow, attending a church service of a culture drastically different from your own, cultural festivals, attending lectures on cultural topics, eating a meal at a traditional ethnic restaurant, volunteering with an organization that works with or serves individuals from a culture that you are unfamiliar with, or a wedding or funeral of a different culture that shows different cultural practices than your own.
a. Opportunities will be posted that I become aware of, but you should also be seeking them out on your own. You must be able to make some kind of connection with why the event you will be attending could be valuable to your learning about a particular culture or cultural group.
Students in this class were raised in a variety of cultures – if you know of events specific to your culture/belief system that would be good experiences for your fellow students please let me know the specifics so I can post them. Since it is sometimes difficult for strangers to enter a new group especially when the culture or beliefs are vastly different from the individual’s experience, if you are willing to serve as a guide for fellow students to a cultural event in your ethnic or faith community please let me know.
b. You are not allowed to count experiences you have done in the past, as the point of this experience is to have you branch out and experience something new that you would not normally experience.
2. Write up an analysis of the event you attended:
a. Include information about why you chose this particular experience and your goals for the experience. Your goal should somehow relate to how this experience is going to enhance your knowledge related to your future as a nurse. (i.e., What are you hoping to get out of the experience or learn from the experience?).
b. Describe how your goal was met or not met.
c. Summarize the event/experience. Include what your thoughts and feelings were during this experience, both the positive and negative.
d. Include a self-reflection of any possible personal biases of your own going into this experience.
e. What did you learn from this experience? How will this experience influence you as a nurse in the future?
f. Looking at the particular culture you experienced, describe specific ways you could be an advocate for this culture in the health care setting.
g. Think about what further questions this experience left you with about this culture? Find one reliable source (journal article, reliable web site, book, etc.) to answer one of these questions. Describe your question and the answer in your analysis. Make sure to use proper APA formatting when incorporating this source.
Sample example: Pleasa follow the the example and instuction.
Cultural Experience
I chose to have a traditional ethnic meal with a family who immigrated from Iraq. This occurred in a family home and not at a restaurant. The opportunity came about because my sister was recently married. Her in-laws fled Iraq during the first Gulf War and came to the U.S. after having spent time in Syria, Sweden, and Canada. While this was an opportunity to get to know my in-laws, I also chose this event because my knowledge about Iraqi culture was limited. My only experiences were what I had watched on the news and read in the newspaper, primarily related to the recent war in Iraq. I thought that this would be a great experience to get a comprehensive picture of Iraqi culture (food, customs, etc.) rather than just pictures of war.
My goal during this experience was to learn more about Iraqi culture so that I could take this knowledge into my career as a nurse. My sister works for World Relief and has told me about the huge medical needs in the refugee community, many of who come to Spokane from the Middle East, Africa, Russia, and Ukraine. Since this is a growing population in our community, I thought that by having a greater understanding of Iraqi culture (and Middle Eastern culture to some extent), I could expand my nursing considerations and plans of care when I am taking care of these patients.
Event Summary
The dinner was a filling, delicious, and informative event. One of the first things that I noticed was that they were fluent in Arabic but spoke limited English. Despite the language barrier, they were warm, friendly, and very talkative. They were not afraid to touch and would often approach and place a hand on the shoulder. I was not quite used to this as I feel most people in America have a larger personal ‘space bubble’. It was very apparent that family is important in Iraqi culture. I was recruited right away by my sister’s mother-in-law to help with food preparation. She was showing me what she needed through hand gestures. We had a wide array of foods, many of which I had never eaten before. These foods included kibbeh and lentil soup, Iraqi bread (lafa), kabobs, and dolma (stuffed grape leaves with meat, onion, and spices). The kibbeh was a meat-filled pocket formed in round, disc-like shapes. We boiled these in water and then placed them in the lentil soup. The bread was like a giant pita. We tore off pieces with our hands and applied a garlic cream sauce and a kabob to make a wrap. When they mentioned kabobs, I had pictured pieces of meat on a skewer, but Iraqi kabobs were a hamburger-type beef molded in a long tube shape around a skewer. It was filled with garlic and was delicious! The dolma was interesting because it was beef and lamb wrapped in grape leaves. I had never eaten a grape leaf before and honestly it was not my favorite flavor. During the meal, I noticed that they used a lot of spices, particularly garlic, nutmeg, and cardamom. For dessert, we had baklava which was layer upon layer of phyllo dough filled with pistachios and honey. It was on a huge pan and cut into individual diamond pieces. Baklava was a specialty of my sister’s father-in-law, and it took him hours to make.
During our dinner conversation, I learned that once two people are married, the two extended families become like one big family. This was different from what I have observed and experienced in the U.S. I also learned that food/meals and gifts are an important way of expressing care and love for one another. It is considered an honor to host people and to feed them. During the meal, I learned that my sister’s father-in-law owned a battery factory and had a nice home in Baghdad. Once the war started, they lost everything and fled to Syria. I was amazed at their story and their resiliency. I learned that Saddam Hussein had people in the city who would go around listening for anyone speaking against Saddam, so people had to be very careful about what they said and who they related with. I also learned that most people in Iraq do not venture out in the afternoon in the summertime because it can get so hot. The afternoons are spent resting due to the heat.
Reflection on Goals
I came away from this experience feeling appreciative for the opportunity to learn about another culture. It certainly met my goal of gaining a better understanding of Iraqi culture and values! Having lived in Spokane for most of my life, I have been relatively isolated. To be able to sit and share a meal with people who were from Iraq and lived through some difficult experiences was very educational. Rather than just hearing about a war-torn country, I learned about the people and their customs. I learned the importance of family and experienced how considerate and kind Iraqi people are. I learned the importance of meal-sharing and gift giving. I learned about dealing with the heat and that people go swimming in Iraq (I always pictured desert—I had no clue!).
Coming away from this experience, I feel like I have a better idea of how I can relate with individuals who come from Middle Eastern countries. As a nurse, I learned that I may have to be ready to communicate with individuals with limited English and that many phrases we use to convey meaning in the U.S. can have different meanings (e.g. saying something is “just around the corner” can be taken very literally). I became more comfortable communicating with simple terms and hand gestures and realized this is a tool that I can use when caring for my patients. I also realized that these patients highly value family, so it will be important to remember to include family members in the care process of the patient. While I have much to learn about Iraqi (and Middle Eastern) culture, I feel as if I can now be a better patient advocate and provide more culturally-competent care.
Personal Biases
I am embarrassed to admit this, but I went into this experience thinking that most Iraqi people were poor and did not have the opportunity to pursue education. I think this bias came from what I saw on television. In my mind, I pictured dirt streets, people living without power, and not having enough food or money for their families. I learned that prior to the war, this was not true. Most Iraqis were employed and were able to care for their families. Education was a priority and kids went to school much like they do in the U.S. The war was devastingdevastating, but prior to that time, many people flourished (e.g. my sister’s father-in-law owned a battery factory and employed many people).
I also assumed that most Iraqi’s were Muslims. I learned that my sister’s in-laws were Christians, and I learned that while Muslims compose a large portion of the population, there is a thriving Christian population as well. I learned that Iraqi Christians celebrate holidays such as Easter like Christians do in the U.S.
Nursing Implications
As stated previously, this experience made me feel like I can provide more culturally-competent care for an Iraqi patient. I think that I can connect with them concerning matters that they value. For instance, it was evident that family is important in Iraqi culture. From my observations, being with family is a joy-filled time. It is time spent laughing, talking, eating, and spending time together. I was impressed with how they included everyone in their family unit. My sister (and by extension, the rest of my family) were outsiders, yet we were welcomed and treated like sons and daughters. Given that this experience was centered around a meal, I also learned the importance of food and gift-giving in this culture. Providing meals and gifts (we were given a huge plate of baklava to take home) is a way to demonstrate care and love; to not partake in a meal or accept a gift is considered an affront.
As a future nurse, this experience will influence how I care for my patients. My goal as a nurse is to care for the whole patient, not just a patient’s physical needs. Understanding Iraqi culture and values gives me the opportunity to be able to provide more comprehensive care for my patients. For example, instead of just taking vital signs and leaving the room, I now know that I can inquire about family or even talk to them about their favorite types of food (now that I have some knowledge!). My hope is that having this small understanding of Iraqi culture and being able to engage them in topics such as food and family will make my patients feel respected, appreciated, and cared for.
Patient Advocacy
Knowing the importance of family in Iraqi culture increased my awareness of how important it is to include them in the care and decision-making process. As a patient advocate, this means that I need to encourage the inclusion of the family in the treatment and the care of the patient. For example, if one of their loved ones is in the hospital, a family would appreciate being included in the care process and being openly communicated with. For example, we often ask our patients “How are you feeling?” or “How can I serve you right now?” These questions should be asked of family members as well (e.g. “Is there anything I can do to help you with this situation right now?”). Another component of patient advocacy would be to offer arrangements for family members (cot, chair) who might want to spend the night with the patient. By incorporating these things, it is my hope that the family will feel included and cared for.
Another important component of patient advocacy is to offer interpreter services for my patients if they have a limited ability to speak English. During my experience, I was able to communicate with hand gestures and simple terms, but for medical procedures and processes, I think that it would be important to advocate for a medical interpreter for the patient and family so that they are aware of the situation (e.g. diagnosis, treatment options, discharge plans, etc.). I would strongly advocate for a medical interpreter and not a family member because the family member will likely not be familiar with the terminology which could result in miscommunication between the patient and healthcare team.
Additional Research
The importance of family in Iraqi culture was evident; however, I did not learn about their preferences regarding the gender of their healthcare professional. For example, is it permissive for a male nurse to care for a female patient or for a female nurse to care for a male patient? This was one of the questions I had after my experience, and it was the focus of my research.
The article that I found described a clear preference for same-gender care among many Iraqis. According to Goodman, Edge, Agazio, and Prue-Owens (2015), many Iraqi females are uncomfortable exposing their bodies to male healthcare professionals. These patients often request another female to care for them. One male nurse stated, “I have a female coming in with chest pain. I couldn’t even do an EKG because she did not want me to see her chest” (Goodman, Edge, Agazio, & Prue-Owens, 2015, p. 398). This preference among female patients for female caregivers is an important consideration when it comes to providing culturally-competent care. It is important to determine if a patient has a gender preference regarding their nurse, and if so, to provide a same-gender nurse to best meet the patient’s needs.
The authors also noted that in Iraqi culture, men often view a woman’s role as one of waiting on men. A female nurse was quoted stating, “Some [Iraqi males] believe females do not belong here and will seek out the male nurse for questions. The older men have it ingrained in them that they are to be waited on; a woman is supposed to take care of them” (Goodman, Edge, Agazio, & Prue-Owens, 2015, p. 399). The authors noted that this view of women in the nursing profession was not comprehensive. Many Iraqi men were open to being treated by female nurses. This again demonstrates the importance of inquiring about patient preferences regarding the gender of their healthcare provider when they are admitted to a hospital (or other healthcare setting). To provide appropriate and culturally-sensitive care, a nurse manager or charge nurse should be sensitive to gender when assigning nurses. If the patient requests a male nurse, then an effort should be made to assign a male nurse to that patient.
References
Goodman, P., Edge, B., Agazio, J., & Prue-Owens, K. (2015). Cultural awareness: Nursing care of Iraqi patients. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 26(4), 395-401. doi:10.1177/I043659614524794