A Discussion On Acculturation into The Nursing Practice

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Acculturation

Acculturation is the technique through which an individual or community from one culture adopts the values and behaviors of different cultures while remaining true to their tradition (Schwartz & Unger, 2017). This is usually the prevailing culture of the geographical place one inhabits or the community to which one belongs.

My Experience with Acculturation

My acculturation to the culture of the nursing practice as a graduating student was difficult. The profession of nursing entails caring for individuals from various backgrounds (Schwartz & Unger, 2017). We must guarantee that everybody receives quality and sustainable health services irrespective of race. The care we offer as nurses must also accommodate the patient’s background (Schwartz & Unger, 2017). Also, I had to adjust to accommodate language barriers from various patients that needed medical services. Since the majority were not native speakers of the English language, their communication was sometimes way off, and it required that I be very keen when recording patients’ subjective data. Also, I was prepared to provide the best care with the knowledge I gained from nursing school during my transition. On the first day of the practice, I was welcomed by a preceptor who oriented me into the nursing realm. As she showed me around, she informed me that I should be prepared to handle a wide range of patients from differing backgrounds. As a result, I was psychologically prepared to be a patient advocate that offers health services to the patients concerning their ethnic background.

Additionally, I found very friendly nurses ready to help me merge with the nursing profession. They introduced me to the practice procedures and taught me various techniques to perform different tasks with ease and effectively. Furthermore, I was confronted with uncertainty due to the demanding nature of my employment. In unforeseen moments, I lacked assertiveness. There was pressure to go from a classroom setting to a professional setting with significant tasks and nursing obligations for patients. I also struggled because I feared being judged negatively by more seasoned coworkers. This concern led to communications inadequacies. I could not speak with coworkers or other healthcare team members.

Acculturation Experience of a New Colleague

A new colleague who joined the team last year faced a lack of unpreparedness and inadequacy as she joined the nursing practice. There seemed to be a gap between training and practicing the acquired skills. She faced challenges since she joined in the week when the hospital was experiencing shortages of nurses due to the pandemic. New nurses are required to be oriented by a nurse for a period of one to do months, depending on the place of hire (Labrague & McEnroe‐Petitte, 2018). As a result, most nurses were overwhelmed, and there was no time to orient the new nurse into the practice. Unlike me, the first days into the practice proved stressful since she had no experience in nursing skills. She also lacked vital skills that would ensure that she adopted them quickly into the practice.

Similarly, to my experience, this lack of unpreparedness made her afraid to carry on without inquiring for assistance since she feared being judged by her more experienced colleagues. Finally, despite the lack of good orientation from day one, this particular nurse differed from me since she blended more with the practice through her determination. Within the first week, she had proved resilient and could do much of what was expected for nursing, like the patient’s assessment and recording information without assistance.

References

Labrague, L. J., & McEnroe‐Petitte, D. (2018). Job stress in new nurses during the transition period: an integrative review. International nursing review, 65(4), 491-504.

Schwartz, S. J., & Unger, J. (Eds.). (2017). The Oxford handbook of acculturation and health. Oxford University Press.