The Exploration of Personal Identity as the Basis for Culturally Competent Professional Practice: The Cultural Shield Exercise

Yanni, Celeste K.

Sunday, 30 October 2011: 3:05 PM

Celeste K. Yanni, PhD, RN-CHPN
Department of Nursing, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to implement use of the cultural shield in coursework on transcultural nursing.

Learning Objective 2: The learner will understand the educational theory and principles underlying the use of the cultural shield exercise.

Purpose: Preparation of nurse leaders for the 21^st Century requires teaching about both national and global health care given the growing ethnic diversity of the United States and cultural plurality of our world. One of the foundational principles of trans-cultural nursing, designed to alleviate cultural ignorance and minimize “cultural shock”, is to understand one’s own culture as the basis for exploration of other cultures (Leininger, 1970, 1978, 1995, 1997, 2006; Campinha-Bacote, 1999, 2000). Construction of cultural patterns about what is “normal and not”, the basis of ethnocentricity, informs behavior and imposes action. Thus for nursing health care professionals it is imperative to recognize personal values and beliefs that shape perception and practice

Methods: As an introduction to trans-cultural nursing, this educator asks her class of junior nursing students to construct a “Cultural Shield” in which students perform a self-check and answer key questions about their roots. Examples of questions include: Name values taught in your family that you still consider important/that may have caused you conflict in interacting with others; Name negative messages taught when you were young regarding people who were different from you and your family; Write a slogan or expression often heard in your childhood that could serve as a family motto; Identify one filter or belief about health, health care or the health care system that you learned from your family of origin; How might that filter contribute to or prevent you from practicing culturally-sensitive nursing care?

Results: Describing their family stories allows these neophyte nursing professionals to explore and unearth stereotypical prejudices imprinted by their families of origin.

Conclusion: In the process of constructing their heritage the students learn how often newly-discovered and varied belief systems contribute to “medico-centrism” and interfere with culturally competent and congruent care of people from diverse cultures.

See more of: Leadership Strategies in Nursing Education
See more of: Oral Paper & Poster: Leadership Sessions