As an advanced practice nurse (ER NURSE), you will need to find ways to make all patients feel comfortable with you as you conduct a physical exam, and one way to do that is by developing cultural competence. The LGBTQ community is a very diverse population that you will likely interact with as a nurse. Understanding the health disparities and barriers to care that are common in the LGBTQ population are important factors when approaching a patient for an exam.
Read An Ally’s Guide to Terminology: Talking about LGBT People & Equality before starting this assessment.
Scenario
A patient presents to your office who self-identifies as lesbian and uses she/her/hers pronouns. She is experiencing symptoms of a possible vaginal infection.
You know that the population she identifies with experiences major barriers to health care, including a history of negative health experiences as well as a lack of clinician knowledge and financial barriers.
Assessment Deliverable
Consider the patient in the scenario and how would you approach your assessment of the patient.
Create an 8- to 12-slide presentation, with speaker notes, in which you address the following:
- Give examples of sexual and reproductive health disparities related to caring for patients in the LGBTQ community.
- Describe the barriers this population may face in accessing health care.
- Explain the strategies you can use to decrease the patient’s discomfort while you are assessing them.
- Give examples of how you will use appropriate wording that is inclusive and considers the patient’s identity and pronouns during your assessment.
- Discuss resources available in your community to providers and patients regarding health care for individuals in the LGBTQ community.
- Discuss how the patient’s age may influence the assessment. If this patient were an adolescent versus an older adult.
Cite a minimum of 4 scholarly resources.
Format your citations and references according to APA guidelines. Include an APA formatted Cover Sheet and write your paper in APA format.
