HA3001: Cultural and Genetic Influences on Health
Competency Discussion
HA 3001 Engagement
I previously worked in a very large inner city hospital in the emergency department. I had
numerous encounters
with different cultures and people that did not speak English as their first language. As an ER
nurse a health
history is very important to care for a patient. Some cultures are very modest and do not want
to be forthcoming
with information that can sometimes be critical to their care. The hardest experience gathering
a health history I
had was with an Amish couple. The wife was hemorrhaging from a miscarriage. Culturally, they
do not believe in
traditional medicine and were not open to much discussion. The wife had to go to emergency
surgery and the
husband was against it. It was very important to sit down with them and acknowledge their
beliefs, so this is
what we did as a team. Eventually the husband was able to agree.
