Commitment to working in a diverse population as a Nurse

MDE Essay 2
Prompt: Please address the following question limiting your essay to one page using a double spaced, 12 point font and 1 inch margins that are easily read. The essay will be evaluated on the basis of ability to follow instructions, writing/composition, clarity of thought and your response. Columbia Nursing is dedicated to providing an exceptional educational experience that supports inclusive care for diverse populations. Describe your interest in and commitment to working with diverse populations.

Columbia Nursing assignment

Growing up, I experienced and understood healthcare as an impenetrable field that only white abled-bodied people could access, this perception came primarily from my experience as a woman of color from Harlem, New York. It was only after learning about some of the many social, political and economic factors that contribute to the lack of diversity in the medical professions that I truly began to foster an appreciation for the implementation of diversity and inclusion in health care curriculums. Diversity & inclusion are integral elements of cultural competence and shape the lives of patients, their families, and their health professionals.

Although this nation is composed of an array of diverse cultures, we face many challenges in creating and delivering health care services that meet the social, cultural, linguistic and economic needs of our diverse patients. Each nurse is obligated to treat their patients to the best of their ability and in order to do that nurses must be willing if not eager to learn about the culture and everyday lives of their patients. When medical professionals are not culturally competent the outcomes of their patients are negatively affected the and pre-existing health disparities continue to thrive

In Habit 5 of 1997's bestselling book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" Author and Professor Dr. Stephen Covey suggest that all effective people "Seek first to understand, as opposed to being understood". Although Dr. Covey's communication theory has been analyzed for its application in business and social communication studies, I argue that Coveys recommendation can be applied in every career, especially that of nursing. Cultural understanding and competence are pivotal steps which are necessary to bridge the gaps between health disparities while working to improve health outcomes. Columbia's MDE program seems to encompass Coveys notion of seeking to understand others. Classes on health policy, global health and religio-cultural competency provide each nursing student with the platforms necessary to provide inclusive care for diverse populations.

New York City is considered one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse places in America, to study medicine in New York, specifically at Columbia would be an honor. Columbia University's nursing students are provided with the rare opportunity of learning from and engaging with the community that surrounds it, Washington Heights. Over the many years Columbia School of Nursing has formed a unique bond with its community, working in partnerships with many of community organizations to provide care; prevention activities to all ages and backgrounds and mentor programs between the nursing and high school students interested in nursing. Columbia's nursing students not only get to attend an institution that upholds its commitment to increasing hiring practices of diverse faculty and staff but students are given the curriculum and support to actively seek to understand the communities that contribute to New York's vibrancy.

Your essay is not a personal response essay. You created a research based opinion paper instead. What the prompt is asking for is an explanation regarding how you see yourself as a diverse person. Now, using your own experiences regarding the existence of and lack of adversity in medical situation, develop a response for the prompt. You know what the problems were when you were treated in a medical setting. Talk about those problems and how, as a future nurse, you plan to change the approach to such situations. Such a response will show how you plan to work and handle diverse medical settings. The interest in working in such a diverse crowd should stem from your personal experience in the medical field. Therefore, I would have one paragraph that talks about an ill experience you had in terms of your medical treatment as a person of color, and then an opinion about it could have been better handled, then finally, a paragraph that discusses how you plan to change the way people of color or different cultures are treated, at least when you are handling their case. The essay is looking for your unique mindset in terms of the diversity question. If you can prove that you have a unique, but implementable mindset, your essay just may become memorable in the eyes of the reviewer.