Description goes here…This BPG focuses on cultural competence as it relates to the workplace and workforce to promote a healthy work environment for nurses by identifying best practices for embracing diversity within health care organizations.
This BPG focuses on cultural competence as it relates to the workplace and workforce to promote a healthy work environment for nurses by identifying best practices for embracing diversity within health care organizations.
As an introduction, we’ve provided summaries of the practice recommendations from the BPG document — but we strongly encourage downloading RNAO’s official PDF.
Perform self-reflection of one’s own values/beliefs, incorporating feedback from peers.
Express an awareness of one’s own views of differences among people (e.g. different opinions, different world views, different races, different values, different views of society).
State and continually explore, through reflection and feedback, how one’s own biases, personal values, and beliefs, affect others.
Identify cultural differences among clients and colleagues in the practice setting.
Acknowledge one’s own feelings and behaviours toward working with clients, families and colleagues who have different cultural backgrounds, health behaviours, belief systems, and work practices.
Explore one’s strategies for resolving conflicts that arise between self and colleagues and/or clients from diverse groups.
Identify and seek guidance, support, knowledge and skills from role models who demonstrate cultural proficiency.
Recognize and address inequitable, discriminatory, and/or racist behaviours or institutional practices when they occur.
Acknowledge the presence or absence of individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds at all levels in the workplace, reflecting the cultural makeup of the clients or community being served.
Reflect and act on ways to be inclusive in all aspects of one’s practice.
Are aware of different communication styles and the influence of culture on communication.
Are aware of one’s preferred communication style, its strengths and limitations, and how it affects colleagues and recipients of care.
Seek feedback from clients and colleagues, and participate in communication validation exercises (e.g. role-playing exercises, case studies).
Use a range of communication skills to effectively communicate with clients and colleagues (e.g. empathetic listening, reflecting, non-judgmental open-ended questioning).
Seek and participate in learning opportunities that include a focus on communication and diversity.
Acquire knowledge of the range of cultural norms, beliefs and values relevant to clients and colleagues as a starting point to foster understanding – and further inquiry.
Are aware of the disparities (e.g. health outcomes, access to care, economics, job opportunities) that exist for diverse populations, and understand the factors and processes that contribute to them.
Recognize how culture and diversity influence behaviours and interactions.
Develop and apply cultural competence knowledge and skills in the areas of communication, care planning, conflict resolution and change management.
Access, utilize, and partner with cultural resources.
This website was developed by a team of researchers at the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing at Toronto Metropolitan University (Formerly Ryerson University). The purpose of the site is to provide supplementary resources for implementing RNAO’s Best Practice Guidelines. Some information about the best practice guidelines has been collected directly from the RNAO BPG website. We have done our best to ensure accuracy, however some discrepancies may occur. For official, up-to-date information about the best practice guidelines, please refer to the RNAO website.
