Comprehension of A Patients Culture

Respond to the following student discussion:

Hello everyone,

An assessment of a 19-year-old female who is African American can be conducted with respect and professionalism. First, since I’m a male nurse, it would be wise to offer a chaperon just in case she may feel uncomfortable being assessed by a male nurse. The assessment will begin as soon as you meet the patient (Grand Canyon University, 2022). It’s important to note with African Americans that their faith is important and should be considered when caring for a young African American. Offering Christian/Catholic services such as a priest or hospital clergy is vital to their spiritual being. The nurse will want to assess the level of consciousness (LOC), mood, hygiene, and ability to follow instructions, such as taking a deep breath (Grand Canyon University, 2022). After completing the vital signs, you can complete your head-to-toe assessment. It’s important to assess the last menstruation period and obtain a pregnancy test. The U.S. birth rates for black teens is 26.3 to 1,000 compared to 12.2 to 1000 for white teens (Matoba et al., 2022). This is largely due to the limited resources, education, drugs and alcohol, violence, and low socioeconomic disparities amongst minority groups. A great support group for young black Americans is called Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM). They help provide the resources for emotional health care which includes healing through education, training, advocacy, and creative artwork (BEAM, 2023).

Thank you,

Gabriel Barba Jr, RN

Original Discussion Prompt:

Assessment Description

You are admitting a 19-year-old female college student to the hospital for fevers. Using the patient information provided, choose a culture unfamiliar to you and describe what would be important to remember while you interview this patient. Discuss the health care support systems available in your community for someone of this culture. If no support systems are available in your community, identify a national resource.