RESPONSE LULU

Instructions

What is a Substantive Response? • Substantive responses to PEERS include discussion extenders such as expanding on the points of discussion in your own words, supported by scholarly references, or providing alternative perspectives supported with scholarly references. • Responses to peers could also include reflecting back the meaning of their post to provide context and insight. • Avoid simple posts of agreement; if you agree, explain why, and then thoughtfully further the conversation by supporting your answer with authoritative sources, such as references to scholarly articles. Discussion| Cultural Incompetence POST BY LULU Cultural competency can be a difficult concept to deliver to everyone involved in the health care delivery process. I believe it is dependent upon our actions and reactions to the situations that we are both unfamiliar with and things that make us uncomfortable that make the situation outcome positive or negative. “Cultural diversity often leads to misunderstandings, clashes, conflicts, ethnocentrism, discrimination, and stereotyping due to the frequent intersection of many variables, such as differences in traditions, behaviours, ethical and moral perspectives, conceptions of health and illness, and language barriers.” (Almutairi, 2017) A couple of months ago, I accompanied my friend, who is a transwoman, to the emergency room where she showed her medical card as well as her photo ID. She identifies as a woman and her photo reflects her female image, but her name has not been legally changed and it is a male name. The woman at the check in desk looked at the cards and said in annoyed voice, “this doesn’t make any sense, what is this?” My friend and I explained that she is a woman, and has not gone to court to change her name, but this is her insurance. She looked more annoyed and got on the phone to call a supervisor. The supervisor came and the woman at check in was loudly going over the situation and people waiting began staring. The supervisor began to apologize and instructed the clerk to process the insurance information. I understand that a person could be caught off guard and confused when presented with a male name and a female appearance, and I also understand that this may seem taboo to some cultures and religions, but this is still a person’s personal and private information that was blasted to an entire room of patients, which is not only embarrassing but also a violation of HIPAA. If you are confused by something, ask a question in a calm and professional manner, do not create an outburst over the situation. A current trend in the medical service field is training medical care staff as well as front line staff in how to address individuals in non-binary terms, and sensitively to those who identify with a different gender than they are at birth. I attended an HIV harm reduction conference recently where I networked with leaders in many clinics and organizations that are adding cultural sensitivity training, including a section on transgender care to their employee orientations. As a supervisor, I would make sure that my employees received this training, so they would not be confused or surprised by cases like this one. One of the speakers at the conference also made an important statement, that if you are a health care professional who is unwilling to assist a patient in need because you are uncomfortable or disagree with their individuality, then you should first turn it over to another person capable of dealing with the situation and then seriously rethink your position as a medical or health practitioner. Personally, I believe that a true Christian would treat everyone with respect, no matter how different your values and beliefs are, because the definition of “Christian” is to be Christ like, and religion teaches that Christ treated everyone fairly and with love, regardless of who they were and things they did. References Almutairi, A. F., Adlan, A. A., & Nasim, M. (2017). Perceptions of the critical cultural competence of registered nurses in Canada. BMC Nursing, 161-9. doi:10.1186/s12912-017-0242-2 Moffic, H. S. (2005). Thirteen ways to achieve cultural incompetence. Behavioral Health Management, (6). 20.