How Do I Respond to Cultural Biases?

As a new nurse, I was aware of how judging or stereotyping someone based on religion, gender, culture, or other bias can inhibit a caring nurse-patient relationship. Expectations or preferences of my patients and their family members in certain caregiving scenarios influenced our interactions, and, as a male healthcare professional, I learned how cultural context, interactions with unrelated people of the opposite gender, modesty, and masculinity could become barriers if not addressed. My own experience, beginning as a nurse and progressing to a nurse practitioner, has offered opportunities for me to expand the horizons of myself and my patients.