For example, the nurse will need to become more knowledgeable about the way that various cultures respond to conventional medicine and that alternative medicine and therapies play in the healing process.
The subject of alternative therapies illustrates the way that the role of nursing is changing. For example, it has been found that "…44% of Mexican-Americans had used alternative practitioners at least once in the previous year" and that "Mental or physical illness is seen by many Hispanics to be a consequence of behavior, or simply the result of fate" (Breeding, Harley, Rogers & Crystal, 2005).
This means that in future the nurse will need to be trained in greater depth in order to understand the way that other cultures perceive nursing and healthcare. The nurse in ten years time will be more capable and informed about the way that their role relates to cultural diversity.
As a nurse who deals with patients in the psychiatric field, I find that my knowledge of these cultural expectations is lacking in many respects. Often it becomes difficult to treat or deal with patients from different cultures unless one has insight into their cultural background. This is particularly evident when it comes to cultural views about modern medication and a preference for more culturally accepted...
There is often a cultural suspicion of modern western healthcare practices and this can be a significant obstacle in nursing these patients.
Therefore, in the next ten years nursing as a profession will become more aware of these issues and aspects of cultural diversity will be added to the nursing curriculum. This might also means that nurses will become even more specialized, with nursing staff specializing in aspects of cultural diversity - such as alternative therapies and remedies. The modern nurse will also have to become more knowledgeable about the interface or interaction between modern medicine and alternative views and healthcare issues.
References
Breeding, R.R., Harley, D.A., Rogers, J.B., & Crystal, R.M. (2005). The Kentucky Migrant Vocational Rehabilitation Program: A Demonstration Project for Working with Hispanic Farm Workers. The Journal of Rehabilitation, 71(1), 32+.
Business Case for Diversity. Retrieved June 7, 2009, from http://www.chubb.com/diversity/chubb4450.html
Kim, H.S. & Kollak, I. (Eds.). (2006). Nursing Theories: Conceptual and Philosophical Foundations (2nd ed.). New York: Springer.
Varcoe C. ( 2004) Advancing Nursing Scholarship in Diversity: Complexity and Equity. CJNR Editorial, 36 (4).
