personal cultural heritage as well as the cultural and philosophical views of their education into their professional setting. Therefore, it will be important for me, as the nurse, to understand that nurse-patient encounters include the interaction of three cultural systems: the culture of the nurse, the culture of the client, and the culture of the setting. Access to care can be improved by providing culturally relevant, responsive services. Individuals need to have choices of delivery systems in seeking health care. Nurses in clinical practice must use their knowledge of cultural diversity to develop and implement culturally sensitive nursing care. Nurses should, and do, take pride in their role as client advocates. Recognizing cultural diversity, integrating cultural knowledge, and acting, when possible, in a culturally appropriate manner will enable me, the nurse, to be more effective in initiating nursing assessments and serving as a client advocate.I believe that all nursing curricula should include pertinent information about diverse health care beliefs, values, and practices. Such educational programs would demonstrate to nursing students that cultural beliefs and practices are as integral to the nursing process as are the physical and psycho-social factors. As a nurse administrator I would foster policies and procedures that help to ensure the access to care that accommodates varying cultural beliefs. Nurse administrators need to be knowledgeable about and sensitive to the cultural diversity among providers and consumers. Nurse researchers need to utilize the cross-cultural body of knowledge in order to ask pertinent research questions. Through the exploration of other cultures, nurse researchers and practitioners find that while cultures differ, there are also many similarities among groups. I, upon becoming a nurse, will be in a position to influence professional policies and practice in response to cultural diversity.Cultura...
