Changing to a new, multicultural environment

Taking a step to change your workplace at age 50 is not an easy thing. For me, however, it was a conscious decision and non-negotiable. South Africa’s Gauteng Province, where I moved from—I came from Pretoria—is a rat race. The Cape, where I moved to, is seen by many as having a slow pace. I think everyone would wish for the latter!

Cape Town attracts people from many cultures, so I’ve found myself working with people from a culture different from my own, one that is entirely new and unfamiliar to me. Indeed, I found myself not only in a new workplace, but also part of the minority culture. It is neither uncomfortable nor a source of stress, and I have actually gained some insight into my own feelings and perceptions.

I’m finding that, by acquiring an understanding of my own cultural patterns and those of my colleagues, I am developing the ability to recognise and handle situations differently. As with any new workplace, it has brought different challenges, issues, policies and ways of doing things, and how I respond has to do with how I view it from “the outside.” Sometimes, I even enjoy the different ways in which my colleagues do things. At one stage in the process, I thought, I actually belong in this new culture. But then I posed a question that put it in a different perspective: Are nurses not all from one culture?

Maybe nurses are one culture working in a multicultural environment. In the context of health care delivery, we are seeking to meet the growing and diverse health care needs of people from diverse cultures worldwide. Or does this sound bizarre?

Well, all I know is, tomorrow is another step in the journey, and I will be welcomed in my workplace by nurse educators who also want to make a positive contribution to the educational development of students.

I believe I have the ability to work simultaneously in two cultures.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.