Risk Management<\/a> was consulted and the ultimate decision was made that only the birth mother could supply her breastmilk, which was in ample supply, to this baby during the NICU stay. As the bedside nurse, I found this situation challenging because my primary goal was to provide safe and excellent care to this baby. However, family centered care is also of upmost importance and respecting the mother\u2019s wishes, even when they may or may not align with my own or the institution I worked for, was important also. This is where compassion came in. Treating this family unit with respect and a non-judgmental approach was a key component of my care. Education of premature infants and their fragile intestines was given to this family.<\/span><\/p>\n My core value of professionalism was challenged as I continued to provide the same care to this baby and family as I would any other in my NICU care. I learned to expect the unexpected in nursing and be prepared to handle each situation with respect and compassion. Cultural awareness, knowledge, and sensitivity are key skills for nurses today. Hanna, Salminen, Papadopoulos, & Leino-Kilpi (2017) suggest that education on cultural competence in nursing is essential to providing effective and responsive healthcare to our diverse populations. I believe this to be a lifelong learning process and maintaining awareness of our diversities as human beings will assist in providing excellent care to our patients and families.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nReferences:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\nRepo, H., Vahlberg, T., Salminen, L., Papadopoulos, I., & Leino-Kilpi, H. (2017). The\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u202f \u202f \u202fcultural competence of graduating nursing students.\u202f<\/span>Journal of Transcultural\u202f<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u202f \u202f \u202fNursing.\u202f<\/span><\/i>28(1), 98-107. doi: 10.1177\/1043659616632046<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nRosa, W., & Lubansky, S. (2016). The advanced practice holistic nurse: A leader in the\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u202f \u202f \u202fimplementation of core values.\u202f<\/span>Advanced Practice Holistic Nursing.\u202f<\/span><\/i>36(3), 10-13.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u202f \u202f \u202fRetrieved from https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/27522855<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHow was your professionalism challenged here? Also, what did you learn from this experience and what changes have you made to impact future practice? Please share with us.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u202fAnytime a situation arises in nursing practice that is considered out of the ordinary or different from standard practice, professionalism can be challenged. In my described scenario, my professionalism was challenged because the request for multiple people besides the birth mom to breast feed was not ordinary practice. How I responded, in a professional and courteous manner, that was non-judgmental was most important in establishing a rapport with this family unit. Professionalism also comes with knowing when to seek support of leadership which was necessary in this situation.<\/span><\/p>\n One thing I learned from this experience, at a very young age in my career, was to expect the unexpected. The situations that arise in a mere 12-hour shift can go from calm to chaos and back to calm in a matter of minutes. Being prepared to handle and address concerns with the patient and\/or family individually and respectfully is something I took from this experience. Maintaining cultural competence is a developmental process amongst nurses that can strengthen over one’s career (Hanna, Vahlberg, Salminen, Papadopoulos, Leino-Kilpi, 2017). <\/span><\/p>\n\u202fI like to view each and every patient I care for as another learning experience that I can tuck away to memory and draw from in preparation for the next time I am required to assess and intervene on behalf of those I care for. The scenario described occurred years ago and I feel that it did have an impact on my current and future practice as it served as a way to prepare me to calmly and confidently care for all I come in contact with.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n