Answer

Cultural competence in the healthcare sector is a vital element that allows medical professionals to provide quality and safe care regardless of the patient’s diversity affiliation. According to Fazio, Pace, Flinner, and Kallmyer (2018), the person-centered care model in healthcare incorporates the importance of medical practitioners to acknowledge and respect the patient’s beliefs and cultures.

Reflecting on the cultural competence self-assessment checklist which examines the awareness, knowledge, and skills, it is apparent that I am culturally competence but need to work on a few areas. Considering the awareness section, my high scores are founded on value for diversity, having a clear sense of my ethnic identity, and being prepared to share my culture. In all my relationships, I respect diversity and am eager to learn from others regarding their cultures. Insights gained from the awareness section is that one should be aware of areas of discomfort as established on the color, religion, and sexual orientations. In addition, people should be cautious of their assumptions on others’ cultures as this may impact the perception towards an individual (Martin, 2018).

The knowledge section of the checklist reveals the importance of learning from mistakes and assessing the limits to one’s knowledge. Based on the scores, it is apparent that my strengths lie in active listening and asking questions. Throughout my life, I have defended minority populations that are affected by social prejudice such as sexism, homophobia, and racism. To further enhance my skills, it is essential to engage in life long learning and examine my family history and personal limitations which should inform my short-term and long-term goals.

Having profound interpersonal skills is critical in cultural competence. This is as reflected under the skills section of the checklist. My strengths in this regard lie in challenging any social prejudice such as racism, adapting to various situations, effective communication across cultures, and acting respectfully in various cross-culturally situations. The importance of these skills, knowledge, and awareness is reflected in relating with different patients and assisting them address their challenges regardless of their diversity and differences. Further insights from the checklist reveal that nursing practitioners should acknowledge aboriginal populations and apply diverse cultural engagement skills to establish their challenges and develop mitigation strategies.