JNPD
Journal for Nurses in Professional Development & Volume 30, Number 1, 29Y33 & Copyright B 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Transcultural Advocacy and Policy in the Workplace Implications for Nurses in Professional Development Mary Brigid Martin, PhD, CTN-A, FNP-BC, RN-BC
This article introduces the role of nursing professional development specialists in serving as a resource for both patient and staff advocacy regarding cultural and linguistic matters. The impact of changing demographics, support for civil rights, and established policy related to culture and linguistics is emphasized. An overview of policy at local, state, and national levels is suggested to promote nursing professional development in the interest of culturally and linguistically compliant nursing practice.
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everal factors have influenced the need for nurses to be astute in culture-related issues that influence patient care, including changing demographics, civil rights, and policy driven by government and nongovernmental agencies and accrediting bodies (Narayan, 2006). In addition to these policy influences, nursing practice is guided by its professional organizations.
Changing Demographics Changing U.S. demographics related to immigration affect health, health care, and healthcare policy and result in differences in healthcare conditions, needs, and services that create challenges for staff to provide population-specific skills (Shrestha & Heisler, 2013). Nurses are likely to encounter non-English-speakers. Research indicates that language barriers among patients with limited English proficiency negatively affect access to health care, compromise quality, and create greater risk of adverse health outcomes (Leighton Ku & Flores, 2005). The latest U.S. census indicates that over 20% of the population speaks a language other than English at home (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013). Knowledge about changing demographics highlights the increasingly diverse patient population and underscores the need for culturally and linguistically congruent nursing care. Mary Brigid Martin, PhD, CTN-A, FNP-BC, RN-BC, is a recent Graduate of the Doctoral Program in Nursing at Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton. The author has disclosed that she has no significant relationships with, or financial interest in, any commercial companies pertaining to this article. ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE: Mary Brigid Martin (e
Journal for Nurses in Professional Development & Volume 30, Number 1, 29Y33 & Copyright B 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Transcultural Advocacy and Policy in the Workplace Implications for Nurses in Professional Development Mary Brigid Martin, PhD, CTN-A, FNP-BC, RN-BC
This article introduces the role of nursing professional development specialists in serving as a resource for both patient and staff advocacy regarding cultural and linguistic matters. The impact of changing demographics, support for civil rights, and established policy related to culture and linguistics is emphasized. An overview of policy at local, state, and national levels is suggested to promote nursing professional development in the interest of culturally and linguistically compliant nursing practice.
S
everal factors have influenced the need for nurses to be astute in culture-related issues that influence patient care, including changing demographics, civil rights, and policy driven by government and nongovernmental agencies and accrediting bodies (Narayan, 2006). In addition to these policy influences, nursing practice is guided by its professional organizations.
Changing Demographics Changing U.S. demographics related to immigration affect health, health care, and healthcare policy and result in differences in healthcare conditions, needs, and services that create challenges for staff to provide population-specific skills (Shrestha & Heisler, 2013). Nurses are likely to encounter non-English-speakers. Research indicates that language barriers among patients with limited English proficiency negatively affect access to health care, compromise quality, and create greater risk of adverse health outcomes (Leighton Ku & Flores, 2005). The latest U.S. census indicates that over 20% of the population speaks a language other than English at home (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013). Knowledge about changing demographics highlights the increasingly diverse patient population and underscores the need for culturally and linguistically congruent nursing care. Mary Brigid Martin, PhD, CTN-A, FNP-BC, RN-BC, is a recent Graduate of the Doctoral Program in Nursing at Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton. The author has disclosed that she has no significant relationships with, or financial interest in, any commercial companies pertaining to this article. ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE: Mary Brigid Martin (e
