Sunday

During the next week I am most excited about learning more about why the Cherokee were pushed out of their land and how they got it back. I take extreme interest in how the drugs and alcohol have reached the levels that they have and what the future plans are pertaining to these issues.  My apprehension this week is making a comment and offending someone, unintentionally. When considering the social and cultural environmental influences on children I feel like we learned a lot about how individuals may have to travel hours to reach the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority. When it comes to children, the parents or the caregivers are the ones they have to rely on for that proper care. If these children and their families are hours away from that care, it really puts a strain on their health.  I feel a lot of empathy toward the Native American people and I totally understand why it would be harder to gain their trust. I feel I can relate to their feelings because it is also hard for me to, “forgive and forget” and I follow a more life motto of, “forgive but never forget.” I do believe that any cultural biases, prejudices, pride and stereotyping need to be put aside, especially in the healthcare settings. The first way to know how to set aside your feelings is by knowing your own beliefs within your culture. Without knowing how you feel about something, it is extremely hard to put your feelings aside and care for the patient with the best quality of care.