Cultural Diversity (Case study)

50 points possible (see grading rubric below). Make sure to include your reference(s) for your information.

1. A home health nurse received an angry call from a Mexican- American woman after visiting her house the day before. Her infant had been crying and was feverish the next morning and the woman recalled the nurse had remarked the child was adorable.

· Why might the woman be upset with the nurse for calling her baby adorable? 

2. A 27-year-old Vietnamese woman in the delivery room with very strong and closely spaced contractions. The baby was positioned a little high and there was some discussion of a possible c- section. Despite her difficulties, she cooperates with the doctor's instructions and labors in silence. The only signs of pain or discomfort were her look of concentration and her white knuckles. 

· Should she be offered pain medication when she is not showing a high level of pain? Why or why not?

3. When the nurse entered the room of her Iranian patient, she found the patient huddled on the floor, mumbling. At first, she thought the patient had fallen out of bed, but when she tried to help her up the patient became visibly upset. She spoke no English and the nurse had no idea what the problem was.

· Why do you think the patient became upset with the nurse?

4. An African-American female was the primary nurse for two African-American teenagers. When one got out of line, she would simply say, "Boy, keep your mouth shut and go somewhere and sit down." They usually complied.

One day, it was time for one of them to go to physical therapy, but he was giving the European-American nurse a hard time. Finally, she tried the primary nurses' tactic and said "Come on boy, I'm not kidding with you. You have to go to therapy." The young man flew into a rage and started swearing at the nurse.

· Why may the patient have reacted the way he did with the European-American nurse and not the African-American nurse?

5. A nurse was caring for a deaf woman who had a new baby.  She had a translator who signed to the patient what the nurses said and then told the nursing staff what the patient said. As she spoke she kept talking to the interpreter and directed all of her communications to the interpreter.

· What might the nurse have done differently with this patient and why?