Talha Zafar

NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

Practical Nursing Theory 1 - NURS-103-0NB

NURS-103

Talha Zafar

NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

Humber Collage North Campus

NURS-103

Talha Zafar

NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103

Talha Zafar

NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103

NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
Nursing is an art: and if it is to be an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a

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preparation, as any painters or sculptors work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead
marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of Gods spirit? It is one of the
Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts. (Macleod, Good Words, 1868, vol.9, p.362).
Health involves and is determined by many aspect of ones life; and as nurses, it is our duty to

NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
understand and facilitate those aspect so that better care can be provided. Doing this duty in truth is an
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art. There is surly scope to improve oneself by acquiring more knowledge about health, its
determinants, and diverse culture and belief systems; this why nursing is one of the Fine Arts and not
the finest of Fine Art.
Health

NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
Health can be considered as a broad category that can have the same meaning as wellness,

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Some scholars have considered this broad definition of health to be synonymous with wellness...
(Potter, Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing, 5th Edition, 2014, p.2). Health should include all aspects
of ones well being rather than objective status. The best definition that describes health is stated by
World Health Organization, Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and
not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (World Health Organization, Official Records of the

Talha Zafar

NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103

Determinants of health
There are plenty of determinants that affect the health of people in general. Some of the major
determinants that are mentioned in Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing, 5th Edition are:
income and social status, social support networks, education and literacy, employment and working

NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
conditions, physical environments, biological and genetic endowment, individual health practices and
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coping skills, healthy child development, health services, gender, culture and social environments
(Potter, Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing, 5th Edition, 2014, p.6-10). However, each person is
affected by one or more specific determinants that are unique to their situation. The author is also
affected by two of these determinants that are unique to his situation.

Talha Zafar

NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103

Income status
Generally, income is directly proportional to degree of healthiness or access to resources that
provide health care. The author is in the similar situation as well. As a full time student, the author does
not have access to an income of any kind. College health care plan may not be sufficient in providing
the financing required to obtain necessary health care. Authors income status can lead to chronic

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NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
health problems, depression and stress. The only strategy that could potentially influence this
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determinant would be to create a supportive environment for the author. This will provide the author
sufficient social support and it will positive physical environment which would promote general health.
Personal health practices and coping skills

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NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
Ones daily health practices and their ability to cope with different situation is a critical

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determinant of ones health. People in general, sometimes are not able lead a healthy life style due to a
busy schedule or other factors. They also become stressed or depressed when coping with a difficult
situation. The author faces these types of situation almost on a daily bases. His busy schedule leads him
to neglect his health sometime, which leads to lack of physical activity and poor diet intake. This could

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NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
have major repercussion in the long run such as physical illnesses and diseases. The author also faces a
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lot difficult situation as a first year student and mostly, he is not able to cope with them in a healthy
way. This inability to cope can lead to stress, depression and anxiety; which in turn can also deteriorate
health. However, the author can avoid all repercussion by practising personal skills, which would
enhance coping skills and allow more control on factor influencing health.

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Talha Zafar

NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103

Rational
People get affected by different kinds of health determinants that fit their environment and
situation. Each of the determinants affects those people at a varying degree; it is also plausible that not
all health determinants may have an influence on them. In case of the author, the situation and the
environment he is in only allows a select group of health determinants to have any effect. Here all

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NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
possible health determinants that the author could be influenced by: income and social status, social
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support networks, physical environment, personal health practices/coping skills. These determinants
will have an effect on the author but at a varying degree. Therefore, out of theses four determinant, only
two will have higher effects on the author.
Comparison and Contrast

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NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
Culture, ethnic, spiritual and religious beliefs have a major effect on ones health. The author

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will compare and contrast his own culture, ethnic, spiritual and religious beliefs with Ashley
Ragganandans; and explain how they relate to health. The author comes from a Muslim Pakistani back
ground while Miss Raggananda comes from a Hindu Guyanese back ground.

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Talha Zafar

NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103

Culture/Ethnic
In a Pakistani culture, drinking alcohol is considered very bad and a low act but this is not true
for all cultures. In Guyanese culture, alcohol is considered an all occasion drink. It is drunk when
celebrating or when mourning. This fact is incredibly dissimilar from authors culture. Excessive
drinking can have major effects on one health so it is more likely to see Guyanese population with liver

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NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
diseases compare to Pakistani population. However, there is a similar factor that can cause both parties
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to have diabetes, high cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases and other health problems. This factor is that
both sides consume fat rich, high in salt/sugar and other unhealthy foods. However, views on intake of
medication differ between the two cultures. Pakistanis believe that if a person is sick then they must
take medication and they prefer allopathic medication over the herbal medication. While the Guyanese

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NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
believe that the body has its own defence mechanism and should be left alone to heal itself; but if
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medication is necessary then herbal medication is preferred over the allopathic medication. Pakistani
women prefer to deal with female healthcare professional rather than male. It is the opposite with
Guyanese women, they do not mind dealing with either gender.
Spiritual/Religious

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NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
Both Islam and Hinduism offer practices, which are considered very healthy for the soul and

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promotes mental, physical and social health. In Islam, Ramadan provides self control, gives the body a
break to heal from usual unhealthy food and also provides spiritual rewards. All of this improves
mental and physical health. In Hinduism, fasting before Pooja has the same effect on an individuals
spiritual, mental and physical health as in Islam. Yoga is not considered a religious practice but it is

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NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
believed to heal a person spiritual side in Hinduism. Yoga has a lot of physical and mental benefits
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which can be mirrored by the prayer ritual performed by Muslims five times daily. Both religions offer
prayer or worship at mosque or mandir, which promotes social health. Therefore, both Islam and
Hinduism offer practices that effect spirituality and health in a positive way.
Influence on Nursing Practices

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NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
Cultural, ethnic, spiritual and religious beliefs in truth define a persons reaction or a lack of

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reaction when dealing with health or a medical situation. As a nurse, one has to understand and respect
these diverse backgrounds in order to provide proper and appropriate care. In some cultures, female
clients prefer female health care professional so it necessary to provide that to clients. If a client prefers
alternate medication over allopathic medication then it is his or her right to do so, and as nurse, one

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NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
should facilitate and research the topic to better educate the client. As a nurse, one has to make sure that
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the clients culture, ethnic, spiritual and religious beliefs are respected and understood; and also
actively learn as much as possible about other culture so that they are better prepared before they meet
the client.
Conclusion

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NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
Health and beliefs are the real treasure of an individual, and should be cherished above all else.

Talha Zafar

As a nurse, it is important to understand what kind of determinants effect the health of a client.
Furthermore, it is even more important to recognize and value cultural, ethnic, spiritual and religious
beliefs of a client; and to provide care appropriately. We must also understand what health is and how

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NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
we as nurses relate to it. Understanding ones own health determinants can help us in this process. All
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of this is the foundation of nursing; an art had must be learned by all nurses.

Reference

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NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103
Macleod, N. (1868). UNA And The Lion. In Good Words (Vol. 9, p. 362). London: Strahan &,

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Magazine. Retrieved from www.books.google.ca/books

Health and Wellness. (2014). In Potter, Patricia, A. Perry, J. Ross-Kerr, M. Wood, B. Astle, et al. (Eds.),
Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing (5th Edition ed.). Mosby Canada. Retrieved from VitalBook file.

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Talha Zafar

NURS 103 Scholarly Assignment

NURS-103

World Health Organization. (1946). The Constitution of the World Health Organization. In Official
Records of the World Health Organization (Vol. No. 2, p. 100). New York: International Health
Conference. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/about/definition/en/print.html

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