Health is the most valuable and universal human right that should be respected at all times. Unfortunately, multiple adverse experiences and influential social factors, including employment, education, income, and environment, cause inequalities in people’s health (World Health Organization [WHO], 2018). Indeed, the exposure to social disparities due to unequal distribution of resources or access to appropriate means of life increases individuals’ experience of health issues. As WHO (2018) formulates, “the lower an individual’s socio-economic position, the higher their risk of poor health” (para. 1). For that matter, it is essential for health care professionals to bridge the gaps in patients’ health disparities to make care equitable and just.
In my education and career in the health care field, I was capable of cultivating soft skills and accumulating valuable experience in working effectively with patients vulnerable to health inequalities. Cultural awareness is one of my strengths because it allows me to use such skills as effective communication, active listening, compassion, and empathy when working with diverse populations. These skills and experiences are relevant to the issue of health disparities due to the persistence of social and cultural determinants of health in the contemporary world (Menon et al., 2019). Moreover, throughout my practice in different departments of healthcare institutions, I have observed the manifestations of implicit bias in nursing, which deteriorate already burdensome health disparities. Indeed, the prejudiced attitudes toward minorities and their health needs jeopardize their access to equitable and quality care, exposing them to discrimination when seeking help (Narayan, 2019). Therefore, in my work, I integrate my cultural awareness to critically assess my attitudes toward diverse patients for implicit bias to deliver high-quality care for the best patient outcome.
In addition, I am a strong believer that continuous education and research are essential for the advancement of the nursing profession in general and overcoming health disparities in particular. For that purpose, I collaborate with colleagues and engage in training and research activities to improve my cultural awareness skills and reduce the burden of health disparities for patients. Participation in professional organizations’ extracurricular events to promote human rights and adequate care delivery to patient groups exposed to health disparities is another valuable feature of my professional experience.
Within the context of culture-dependent health disparities, my knowledge of languages has helped establish rapport and trust relationships with patients. Indeed, I am a native French, Swahili, and Lingala speaker with fluent knowledge of English, which has allowed me to bridge misunderstandings in my interaction with diverse populations of patients. In my opinion, language skills are essential for a professional nurse serving multicultural communities. Moreover, given the exposure of minorities and vulnerable populations to health inequalities, the role of nurses is to advocate for patient’s needs and rights in the health care context (Alvidrez et al., 2019). I have extensive experience promoting vulnerable patients’ needs through community work, innovative and creative solutions, treatment adjustment, and assistance in institution admission.
Overall, contemporary healthcare relies on enthusiastic and change-driven professionals capable of recognizing and addressing health disparities to deliver equitable care for all patients. I believe that my experience and skills have become a valuable asset in effectively addressing health inequalities, which will significantly contribute to the organizational performance excellence in my employment setting. With continuous training, education, and reflection, my approaches to patient advocacy and addressing health disparities will advance to benefit the served communities.
References
Alvidrez, J., Castille, D., Laude-Sharp, M., Rosario, A., & Tabor, D. (2019). The national institute on minority health and health disparities research framework. American Journal of Public Health, 109(S1), 16-20.
Menon, U., Ashing, K., Chang, M. W., Christy, S. M., Friberg-Felsted, K., Rivas, V. G., Gwede, C. K., Lu, Q., Meade, C. D., Sly, J., Wang, M., Yanez, B., Yeari, K., Yi, J. C., & Alcaraz, K. I. (2019). Application of the ConNECT framework to precision health and health disparities. Nursing Research, 68(2), 99.
Narayan, M. C. (2019). CE: Addressing implicit bias in nursing: A review. The American Journal of Nursing, 119(7), 36-43.
World Health Organization. (2018). Health inequities and their causes. Web.