A nurse works in a mental health clinic serving many Southeast ...

[notis]

A nurse works in a mental health clinic serving many Southeast Asian individuals. Which state-ment by the nurse would validate a striving toward cultural competence?
 
  1. I know all I care to know about the Hmongs and their problems.
  2. My dream is to be assigned to a clinic where I could work with my own kind.
  3. It's a challenge to plan treatment that is culturally congruent.
  4. Psychiatric care tends to be the same for folks of all cultures.

Question 2

An Asian-American client explains to the nurse that eating two specific foods will restore the balance of hot and cold and she will be cured. The nurse should:
 
  1. Explain that foods cannot cure mental disorders
  2. Arrange for the client to talk with the dietitian
  3. Change the subject to focus on medication compliance
  4. Reflect that cultural beliefs about illness die slowly

[ApricotDream]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: 3
An outcome of cultural competence on the part of the nurse would be to plan and implement culturally congruent care. A statement acknowledging this as a challenge (option 3) suggests the nurse is at the conscious competent stage. The other options suggest the nurse is in the stage of unconscious incompetence.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: 2
Culturally determined beliefs about health and illness should be respected. If there are no con-traindications to the client eating the foods mentioned, the nurse should facilitate obtaining them. Option 1 is an attempt to negate culturally determined beliefs. Option 3 does not address client concerns. Option 4 suggests the client's beliefs have no merit.