Perception of Birth
A Nurse Must Understand Cultural Characteristics to Provide High-Level Care. Ideas About Life and Death Are Essential for Building a Dialogue With the Patient. Immersion in the Patients’ Views Is Critical to Building a Trusting Relationship Between Them and the Medical Staff. Native Americans Perceive Time as a Cyclical Process, Hence the Unique Ideas About a Person’s Birth. It Is the Arrival of the Soul Into the World, Which Will Go Further Along the Life Cycle (Crawford O’Brien & Talamantez, 2020). However, the Western World Perceives Human Life as Linear: Birth, Living, and Death.
Perception of Death
Native Americans Perceive Death as a Milestone in the Timeline of Life. Death Is Not the End; It Is a New Beginning, Rebirth, and Transition to Another World. This Different Perspective Allows Native Americans to Look at Death Not With Grief but With Acceptance (Crawford O’Brien & Talamantez, 2020). Since Birth Is Not the Beginning and Death Is Not the End, Native Americans May Find It Easier to Accept Their Fate.
Nurse’s Role
The Nurse’s Role in Working With Native American Patients Is to Respect Other Worldviews and Find the Right Approach. The Nurse Must Consider a Lighter View of Life and Death, Convincing the Patient of the Need for Treatment. Cultural Differences Can Be Vital in Helping the Nurse Find the Right Approach.
Summary
Thus, the Nurse’s Role Is to Find an Approach for Each Patient, Considering Cultural Differences. In the Case of Native Americans, These Differences May Lie in a Simplistic Understanding of the Process of Birth and Death. The Nurse Can Use These Differences to Build Trust With Patients.
Reference
Crawford O’Brien, S., & Talamantez, I. (2020). Religion and Culture in Native America. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.