Cultural Diversity - Taylor NCLEX review questions

The nurse has just attended a seminar on concepts of cultural diversity. Which statement made by the nurse would require further education?

"Culture cannot be influenced, and you are born with your culture." RATIONALE: Culture is learned through life experiences from one generation to the next. Culture helping to define identity, language being the primary way that people share their culture, and culture being seen in attitudes of certain populations are correct options; these are all components that define culture.

Which statement best conveys the relationship between race and ethnicity?

Race denotes physical characteristics while ethnicity is rooted in a common heritage. RATIONALE: The term "Race" is usually used in reference to particular physical characteristics, while ethnicity is an identification with a cultural group that is often based on a common heritage. Because it is rooted in objective physical traits, race is usually considered to be somewhat independent of culture.

A nurse is assigned the care of a client who speaks only Arabic. The nurse does not know the language. What action is appropriate for the nurse in this case?

Request a professional interpreter. RATIONALE:

In addressing health promotion for a client who is a member of another culture, the nurse should be guided by which principle?

The client may have a very different understanding of health promotion. RATIONALE: As a component of cultural assessment, the nurse should seek to understand the cultural lens through which the client may understand health promotion. Health promotion is not a concept exclusive to Western cultures, though it may be considered differently among non-Western cultures. Even if health promotion is not a priority in a client's culture, the nurse should still address issues related to health promotion in a respectful and relevant manner. Health promotion is not directly linked to socioeconomic development levels.

The delivery of culturally competent nursing practice incorporates the concept of:

planning and implementing care in a way that is sensitive to the needs of individuals, families, and groups from diverse cultural populations. RATIONALE: Providing culturally competent nursing care means that care is planned and implemented in a way that is sensitive to the needs of individuals, families and groups from diverse cultural populations within society. To provide culturally competent care, the nurse must be aware that the health care system itself is a culture and that cultural imposition and ethnocentrism must be avoided. A nurse is sensitive to other cultures and their beliefs and now challenging them.

An older adult client who only speaks Cantonese has been admitted to the emergency department after suffering a fall and suspected hip fracture in the home. Who is the best person to perform translation services to the client?

A hospital translator RATIONALE: A qualified interpreter who is familiar with health care terminology is the best choice for providing translation for clients. Such a person is more likely to be objective and well versed in the requisite vocabulary than a friend, family member, or hospital employee.

A client from Malaysia is admitted to the health care facility with reports of cramping pain in the abdomen and loose stools. Where should the nurse be seated when interviewing the client?

At more than one arm's distance RATIONALE: While interviewing the Malaysian client, the nurse should sit at a distance of more than one arm's length from the client. The nurse should not sit alongside the client, as he may feel uncomfortable. If the nurse sits at the back of the client, the nurse may not be able to observe the client's body language. If the nurse sits in a corner of the room, communication may not be effective.

A nurse who provides care in a large, inner-city hospital is aware of the large influence of culture on health. The nurse recognizes that culture is best understood as a shared system that encompasses:

Beliefs, values, and behavioral expectations RATIONALE: Culture is defined in many ways, but at the broadest level, it can be understood to be a shared system of beliefs, value, and behavioral expectations that provide social structure for daily living. These beliefs, values and expectations frequently direct other aspects of an individual's life (eg thinking, behavior, dress, diet) but these are not the central components of the concept of culture. Health behaviors are also influenced by the beliefs, value and behavioral expectations of the client's culture. Knowledge, skills, and norms are influenced by a profession and not a culture.

A client who immigrated from Pakistan informs the nurse of his dietary requests. The nurse responds to the special dietary needs by stating, "You are now living here, and you should try to start eating those foods common to our diet." This inappropriate response is an example of:

Cultural imposition RATIONALE: The nurse's response is an example of cultural imposition, which is defined as the belief that everyone should conform to the majority belief system. Cultural blindness is the result of ignoring differences and proceeding as though they do not exist. In this situation, the nurse did not ignore the request but inappropriately responded to it. Cultural diversity is defined as a diverse group in society, with varying racial classifications and national origins, religious affiliations, languages, physical sizes, genders, sexual orientations, ages, disabilities, socioeconomic statuses, occupational statuses, and geographic locations. Cultural assimilation occurs when members of a minority group live within a dominant group and lose the cultural characteristics that make them different.

Upon moving to China, a North American college student is experiencing many new feelings that the student associations with placement in a different culture. What are the feelings experienced by this student?

Culture Shock RATIONALE: The student is experiecing culture shock, which is defined as the feelings a person experiences when placed in a different culture. Stereotyping is the assumption that all members of a culture, subculture, or ethnic group act alike. Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's ideas, beliefs, and practices are the best, are superior, or are most preferred to those of others. Cultural assimilation occurs when members of a minority group live within a dominant group and lose the cultural characteristics that make them different.

A family recently emigrated from Haiti. The mother reports that her teenage daughter is showing signs of fear, has vague reports of stomach pain, and feels humiliated by her peers because of her culture. What is the priority assessment for the nurse?

Culture shock RATIONALE: The client is experiencing symptoms associated with culture shock. Culture shock occurs when a person is immersed in a different culture that is perceived as strange. The person may feel foolish, fearful, incompetent, or humiliated, and these feelings can lead to frustration and anxiety. Cultural assimilation is when one begins to assume some characteristics of a culture outside of one's own. Cultural blindness occurs when cultural differences are ignored. Cultural imposition occurs when one pushes his or her beliefs onto another person.

The nurse is caring for a client who ascribes to the theory of animism. When attempting to explain this theory to other staff members, the nurse should state:

Everything in nature is alive with visible forces. RATIONALE: The theory of animism attempts to explain the cause of mysterious changes in bodily functions. This theory is based on the belief that everything in nature is alive with invisible forces and endowed with power. Good spirits bring health; evil spirits bring sickness and death. In cultures that scribe to animism, the roles of the physician and the nurse are separate and distinct. The physician is the medicine man who treats disease by chanting, inspiring fear, or opening the skull to release evil spirits. The nurse usually is the mother who cares for her family during sickness by providing physical care and herbal remedies. Pets are not involved in the theory of animism.

How is culture learned by each new generation?

Formal and informal experiences RATIONALE: Culture is a shared system of beliefs, value, and behavioral expectations that provide social structure for daily living. Culture includes the beliefs, habits, likes, dislikes, customs, and rituals learned through formal and informal experiences within one's family and within the cultural group to which on belongs.

A client's husband has asked that his wife be cared for exclusively by female nurses. Knowing that the couple is originally from the Middle East, what action should the care team take in response to this request?

Take reasonable measures to accommodate the request. RATIONALE: While cultural assessment in a tactful and respectful manner is likely appropriate in this situation, the care team's guiding principle and obligation in this situation is to accommodate and respect the couple's request. It would be inappropriate for the care team to attempt to convince the couple to change their minds or assume that it is a personal preference. The nurse would not teach the couple that male nurses on the unit are empathetic as this is the client's cultural preference.

A family has moved from Spain to a primarily Spanish-speaking neighborhood near a large metropolitan area in the United States. The nurse caring for this family recognizes that which of the following family members will likely require the greatest amount of time to learn the English language?

The 45-year-old mother in the family who does not work outside the home RATIONALE: The 45 year old mother will have the greatest challenge in learning the dominant language because she does not work outside the home and lives in a community that speaks her native language. Children usually assimilate more rapidly and learn the language of the dominant culture quickly because they leave home each day to go to school, making new friends in the dominant culture. Wage earners also tend to learn a new language more quickly through the work setting. Language acquisition is tied to necessity and assimilation rather than to the degree of difficulty.