Title: International Nursing Student in Australia

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As an international nursing student in Australia we need to be familiarize with the health care system, this week topic help us future nurses to expand our knowledge and skills to practice safety and competently in different health care settings.  As I observed my personal encounter with cultural diversity in the Aged care, I have discovered that difficulty in understanding each other’s languages is a challenge in the delivery of care.

However, there are tools that can help health professionals to overcome this situation. I will be reflecting on my interaction with residents with limited English skills in our workplace.  

The situation is, I am more engage in interacting with residents who can speak English compare to people with limited to none at all. As a worker I would chat and observe the residents to make assessments. However, a resident who does not understand much English is difficult to talk with so I would therefore spend more time with the residents who can respond to my questions.

My thoughts and feelings towards the situation were mainly driven by fear. Language is a device for communication, yet cultural differences sometimes prevent us to fully exercise its benefits (Weitzman 2013). I think that I am being unfair to the residents for not giving the same amount of attention that I give other people. While chatting I would have to ask them to repeat their words multiple times so I could understand them.

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The feeling of a bit anxious as I think that the residents might get disappointed and upset then I would be seen by staff as incompetent because I lack the ability to understand across languages and cultures. 

I realised that the effect of trying for a difficult-to-understand conversation is less detrimental than making them feel ignored which can be a sign of disrespect and I should tried using some strategies to communicate. Like for instance, I could use a translator app while talking to them as according to research this supports better communication between nurse and patients (Albrecht et al., 2013). Asking permission from the manager if I could use my phone for the purpose of this and background check of their interests can be useful too.

The experience made me realise that i should not let language become a barrier instead use tools to become more effective and efficient and also not let my emotions take over the situation. Thus, next time I would ask the facility manager if I would be allowed to access my phone so I can use a translator app in order to make meaningful conversations with the residents. Also, I would say that I would largely benefit from an in-depth cultural sensitivity awareness to become a more culturally competent nurse (Cai, 2016).

To sum up, I have reflected on my experience in the aged care that language barrier is part of the challenges that Australian nurses face considering Australia is a multicultural society. This reflection has undoubtedly helped me to completely understand my role in promoting cultural safety and respect to those under my care, and that is to work collaboratively with others, become aware of cultural differences and always aim best practice.

References

Albrecht, U., Behrends, M., Schmeer, R., Matthies, H. K., & von Jan, U. (2013). Usage of Multilingual Mobile Translation Applications in Clinical Settings. JMIR mhealth and uhealth, 1(1), e4. doi:10.2196/mhealth.2268

Cai, D. (2016). A concept analysis of cultural competence. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 3(3), 268-273. doi:10.1016/j.ijnss.2016.08.002

Weitzman, R. S. (2013). A Review of Language: The Cultural Tool by Daniel L. Everett. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 29(1), 185-198. doi:10.1007/bf03393134