Reflective Journal

Reflective Journal

Over the period, there are multiple aspects of this course which, as an advanced nurse, are of great interest and meaningful to me to a great extent. Understanding the diversity in healthcare and among the patients and coworkers is essential in ensuring that desired health outcomes remain attainable and coexistence in the workplace is significantly reduced (Alizadeh, & Chavan, 2016). In that line, the course has remained instrumental in highlighting various issues related to diversity as it incorporated all those vital aspects that revolve around healthcare. In the contemporary world, the world has become not only multicultural but also full of people from diverse walks of life (Alizadeh, & Chavan, 2016). These individuals are people in healthcare as healthcare providers as well as patients. These factors include communication barriers, cultural practices, differences in sexual orientation and gender identity, and religious practices. It is common knowledge that such shortcomings in such instances always result in a myriad of healthcare shortcomings and disparities that often cloud the desired healthcare outcomes (Alizadeh, & Chavan, 2016). However, the course has given me a broader perspective on how to deal with such instances more comprehensively. Specifically, the course has delved on crucial topics such as culture, spirituality, vulnerable populations, different health diversity and religious diversity. In one way or the other, these topics influence healthcare in various ways and remain hugely influential in the course. The knowledge of these topics is essential in the following methods, as highlighted in the subsequent paragraphs.

Culture remains the most critical element in the lives of different individuals from diverse walks of life. Both the patients and the healthcare providers such as the nurses and the physicians are affiliated to various cultural beliefs. To a great extent, culture plays a vital role in healthcare, as different cultural groups have different cultural values and aspects regarding how culture affects healthcare and how they are related (Holland, 2017). For instance, some cultural practices prohibit men in the labor room or offering medical interventions. Cultural practices and values could also negatively affect the healthcare outcomes among patients as they might prevent various conventional therapeutic interventions (Holland, 2017). Such cases are always dominant among patients from conservative societies. The issue of culture in healthcare is also dominant among healthcare professionals. However, through the course, such instances are adequately addressed, and the need for cultural sensitivity is pivotal in ensuring the nurse achieves the intended healthcare outcomes. Thus, as a nurse, the topic of culture in healthcare, as highlighted in the course have bequeathed me with vital skills needed to remain culturally sensitive and useful to both the patients and fellows workers.

Again, spirituality is another essential topic in the course whose knowledge is not only vital in addressing healthcare issues but also beneficial in ensuring that healthcare provision takes into account the religious beliefs and affiliations (Timmins & Caldeira, 2017). For instance, in the Native Indian-Americans, spirituality plays an important role not only in healthcare but also as a source of solace when bereaved. The religious leaders are also pivotal figures in such societies as they help in counselling during bereavement, intercede for the sick and plays a vital role in ensuring that people are of good mental health especially after harrowing experiences (Timmins & Caldeira, 2017). Understanding issues related to spirituality ensures that the healthcare provided immensely aligns to the spiritual dictates of such group and effectively stipulate all the healthcare interventions in place.  As a nurse, understanding the essential components of religion in diversity would improve my relationship with fellow healthcare providers as well as ensure that the healthcare provider does not conflict the religious affiliations of the patients.

Additionally, in dealing with the topic of the vulnerable populations, several aspects contribute to the healthcare disparities that the groups always encounter. For instance, due to stigmatization and low income, the vulnerable population goes beyond the people with different sexual orientation or those with distinct sexual identity (Tsai, & Venkataramani, 2016). It also entails those individuals from low-income societies, the homeless, the mentally challenged, and the marginalized groups. In understanding these vulnerable populations, one can understand the contentious issues that bring about the healthcare disparities and look for remedial interventions to bridge such gaps inline the healthy people 2020 vision ((Tsai, & Venkataramani, 2016). Therefore, as an advanced nurse, understanding the healthcare disparities associated with the vulnerable populations will enable me to formulate multiple healthcare interventions that befit such vulnerable groups in society. In line with expectations of the Healthy people 2020, such knowledge regarding healthcare disparities among the vulnerable population would remain vital in coming up with viable interventions necessary for bridging such shortcomings.

Finally, the knowledge in healthcare approaches such as complementary, alternative and integrative medicine are vital aspects of this course. In the healthcare context, multiple interventions are put in place to improve healthcare outcomes. In that regard, both the physicians and nurses always advise on the most viable health interventions. Mostly, complementary medicine is applicable in ensuring that there is a holistic functioning of the body (Micozzi, 2016). The responses suitable in this approach is meant to achieve as holistic well-being of an individual through the use of food supplements such as vitamins and other essential measures to improve the impact of the conventional medicine (Micozzi, 2016).  Though as nurses, I should not encourage the use of alternative medicine, it exists. Thus, the knowledge of healthcare approaches is pivotal for me as an advanced nurse as it gives me more extensive choices and objective view regarding the medical interventions that could be applied in various instances.