Culture and Spiritual Care in Nursing
The most meaningful aspects of this course include the issues related to culture and spiritual care. Spiritual care is of great importance in the nursing practice, and together with spiritual well-being, they are linked to better health. In as much as spiritual care is important for the well-being of patients, research shows that most nurses lack the confidence to provide proper spiritual care (Linda, Phetlhu & Klopper). Melhem et al. (2016) claim that hospice and palliative care nurses possess a better perception of spiritual care and spirituality and are also more competent at providing such care as compared to other nursing specialists. The meaning of spiritual care and spirituality is culturally constituted and is influenced by various factors such as the nurse’s clinical experience, religious affiliation, ethnic background, and level of education. I believe that most nurses might find it difficult to offer spiritual care to patients because they confuse spirituality with religiosity. Spirituality is a dimension of self that tends to search for purpose and meaning in life, transcending space and time, and it is the source of connections between individuals, within oneself, and to a higher power (Burkhart et al., 2019).
On the other hand, religion is a set of practices and faith beliefs linked to a faith tradition. Spiritual care is a process that is purposeful in enabling others to promote their spirituality, especially while coping with stressful times such as when having a chronic disease. Given the important role that spirituality and spiritual care play in the well-being of patients, it will be important for me to learn important aspects about spirituality, delving into different cultures, and respecting the beliefs and cultural values of the client as this will guide me in my future advanced nursing role. Knowing the difficulty faced by most nurses in providing spiritual care will help me seek proper guidance, particularly from experienced nurses and mentors with proper knowledge on the same, to be able to offer proper care to the clients. Eventually, I will be able to enhance my knowledge and practice of spirituality and also help the patients in their journey to spirituality and spiritual care. I am also aware that culture and spirituality or religion are closely intertwined. Therefore, I will strive to avoid making generalizations about the applicability of spiritual and religious needs on patients from particular cultures and instead increase my knowledge of different cultures and the values and beliefs within those cultures.
Another meaningful aspect that I have learned from this course is the aspect of culture and cultural competence. International migrations and globalization have resulted in cultural diversity in society, and this means the need to deal with patients from different cultures and with varying cultural needs. It is not a shock that cultural diversity can pose a major challenge to effective care delivery. Sharifi, Adib-Hajbaghery, and Najafi (2019) claim that the lack of skills and knowledge regarding how to handle patients from diverse cultures effectively may impair their relationships with them and lead to inequality in the delivery of care. As a result, cultural competence is mandatory in the healthcare sector globally. Cultural competence entails cultural knowledge, skill, communication, awareness, and sensitivity, among others. I believe that the first step to obtaining cultural competence is cultural awareness. Having the knowledge of one’s own culture as well as the cultures of other people can help in making comparisons between and among different cultures and enhance their general knowledge. Cultural competence can be beneficial to me in my future advanced nursing role in that it will enable me to have a proper understanding and respect for patients and be able to offer care that is specific to their needs based on their cultural values and beliefs.
References
Burkhart, L., Bretschneider, A., Gerc, S., & Desmond, M. E. (2019). Spiritual care in nursing practice in veteran health care. Global qualitative nursing research, 6, 1-9.
Linda, N. S., Phetlhu, D. R., & Klopper, H. C. (2020). Nurse educators’ understanding of spirituality and spiritual care in nursing: A South African perspective (Part 1). International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 12, 100187.
Melhem, G. A. B., Zeilani, R. S., Zaqqout, O. A., Aljwad, A. I., Shawagfeh, M. Q., & Abd Al-Rahim, M. (2016). Nurses’ perceptions of spirituality and spiritual caregiving: A comparison study among all health care sectors in Jordan. Indian journal of palliative care, 22(1), 42.
Sharifi, N., Adib-Hajbaghery, M., & Najafi, M. (2019). Cultural competence in nursing: A concept analysis. International journal of nursing studies, 99, 103386.
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Question 
Culture and Spiritual Care in Nursing
Discuss the most meaningful aspects of this course to you. Include the topics of culture, spirituality, vulnerable populations, religious diversity, and complementary, alternative, and integrative health practices. Describe how this course content will be beneficial to you in your future advanced nursing role.