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Westways Staff News for August 2010 was sent out today. Did you get it in your inbox? If not, you can view it here. Make sure to visit our home page and fill out the subscription form on the right side of the page to receive Westways Staff News once a month in your inbox.

Innovation is often thought of as creativity. But the difference between creativity and innovation is the difference between thinking about getting things done, and getting things done. Do you remember Robinson Crusoe? In the book by Daniel Defoe, the character is cast away on a deserted island with little more than the rags on his back. He is forced to become a jack-of-all-trades. Making his own tools, he hunts, fishes, plants crops, builds houses, and does everything that is needed to survive and, indeed, to prosper.

We can admire Robinson Crusoe as an exceptionally resourceful and inventive individual. He used creative and innovative energies as a way to survive. We have to marvel at people like this.

As nurses, each and every one of us know what it is like to have to use our brain to think outside the box, to get the information we need for the projected outcomes of the patients we care for. We know how to deal promptly and effectively with problems, difficulties, etc. We must be able to use the means at our disposal to meet situations effectively. We have to be thinking all the time. How can we maximize what we want to do? How can we get things done? How can I deal with the difficult co-worker? Be creative and innovative. Remember, people will marvel. – Harold Sterling, CEO

…What is it? Do I understand it?

All hospitals and every healthcare staffing agency require their nurses to complete competency testing on Cultural Diversity. This topic has become what is known as Core Competency. But how many of us really think about cultural diversity in our healthcare positions, let alone understand it?

Seven Lessons to Learn About Cross-Cultural Communication:

• Don’t assume sameness
• What you think of as normal behavior may only be cultural
• Familiar behaviors may have different meanings
• Don’t assume that what you meant is what was understood
• Don’t assume that what you understood is what was meant
• You don’t have to like or accept different behavior, but you should try to understand where it comes from
• Most people do behave rationally; you just have to discover the rationale

How can you evaluate your own attitude towards diversity? Ask yourself these questions about your feelings towards other cultures:

• Do you react adversely to patient’s accents?
• Are you open to differences between cultures and different ways of doing things?
• Do you respect diverse practices and requests without judgment?
• Do you recognize that patients require equality of care irrespective of their cultural or linguistic background?
• Do you recognize and actively accommodate patient’s choices about their care?
• Do you assume you know what a patient wants or needs?
• Do you identify the need for resources to overcome barriers such as poor or insufficient English proficiency or lack of support networks?
• Do you identify the need for and obtain knowledge of sources of extra social support, for example community organizations?

Being culturally sensitive in the healthcare arena means more then working beside a foreign nurse and enjoying the different foods brought in to share at break time. Hopefully this article has provided some food for thought and the next time you complete the Core Competency on Cultural Diversity, what you’ve learned will carry over into the workplace. And, as a Westways nurse, you will lead by example.- Donna Couturié, Director of Clinical Operations

Every month Westways recognizes an outstanding healthcare professional from each one of our branch offices. Westways management and staff would like to congratulate the following individuals in becoming August 2010′s Nurse of the Month. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication.

Orange – Katie M.

Long Beach – Dorothy H.

San Diego – Alem T.

San Bernardino – Lois D.

Bakersfield – Cynthia L.

Las Vegas, NV – Craig B.

Albuquerque, NM – Loretta B.

Austin, TX – Robert M.

Thank you for all of those that made it out on July 18th to watch the Padres take on the Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Padres took home the win with the score of 6 – 4. We have updated our Flickr photostream with pictures from the game. – Enjoy.