Essay Example on Immigrant vs. Refugee: Contrasts and Connections

Introduction

A refugee refers to an individual who moves out of their country due to restrictions or danger to their lives while an immigrant is an individual who leaves their countries of residence to settle into another country (Rescue.org, 2018). Another contrast between an immigrant and a refugee is that immigration occurs naturally as part of population ecology, while refugee movement arises from coercion or pressure. Both immigrants and refugees are related since both involve the movement from one country to another. Still, the difference comes in since for refugees, there is no option of going back, and the decision to move out is not voluntary. In contrast, for the case of immigrants, they have an option of going back to their countries of origin, and their decision to migrate is voluntary. Examples of immigrants are those Mexicans migrating from Mexico into the United States in such employment. In contrast, an example of refugees has been experienced in countries in the middle east where people move from one country to the other due to war.

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Push Vs. Pull Factors of Immigration

Push factors of immigration are factors that force people out of their places of residence, while pull factors of immigration are those factors that attract people to a new residence or country (Castelli, 2018). For Push factors, the movement may be involuntary, but due to the individual risk associated with staying, one finds themselves having to move. On the other hand, pull factors arise from ideas and perceptions about a place that may not be correct but can convince the individual to move (Castelli, 2018). The two types of reasons for immigration are related since while some factors make people move from one area of residence to another due to factors such as war, the availability of a pull factor such as political stability in another area attracts people into the new homes. An example of pull factors of immigration includes better job opportunities, political stability, while on the other side, push factors to include hunger, poverty, and war.

Part 2 - Essay (15 points)

Define multiculturalism. (3 points)

Multiculturalism refers to how a given community relates with cultural diversity both at the community and national levels (Longley, 2019). Among many marginalized groups, multiculturalism has been used to define moral and political claims (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2010). In sociology, multiculturalism refers to the end-state of either an artificial or natural process of immigration occurring on either a nation's community or internationally. Politically, multiculturalism can also refer to the capacity of a nation to effectively and efficiently handle cultural plurality within its territory.

Describe ways that culture can impact health, illness, and health care delivery. (3 points)

Health is considered a cultural concept since culture is responsible for framing and shaping how one perceives the world. This is because culture defines how patients and health practitioners perceive illness and health, as well as the believes on the causes of disease. For instance, some patients may lack the knowledge on germs and thus end up believing in bad omen and witchcraft and thus forsake diagnosis (Canadian Paediatric Society, 2018). Culture also determines how patients and healthcare providers take chronic diseases and the treatment options available. Further, culture may affect health in ways that may relate to the acceptance of diagnosis, preventive or health promotion measures, as well as perceptions about death, dying, and who ought to be involved (Canadian Paediatric Society, 2018).

Explain why it is important for dental hygienists to have an understanding of multiculturalism. (3 points)

Dental hygienists need to have an understanding of multiculturalism since, with the increase in cultural diversity, a dentist needs to be aware of how to deal with people from different backgrounds based on their beliefs. This is because, for the case of dental hygienists, understanding multiclaim would serve them better convince people with divergent believes in how to take care of their dental (Keating-Biltucci, 2015). For instance, in some communities, people believe that brushing teeth has to be done with some sticks that they believe have some medicinal value, but with the understanding of multiculturalism, dental hygienists can convince such people o the importance of using toothpaste. Additionally, some communities associate tooth plucking with certain rituals, and thus having good knowledge of multiculturalism, a medic can know the best ways to convince such patients to have their teeth plucked when sick.

Define cultural competence and identify strategies for providing culturally competent care. (5 points)

Cultural competence is the ability to understand, communicate, and effectively mingle with individuals from other cultures (Make It Our Business, 2017). It involves the will and actions that aid in building certain levels of understanding among people to allow for mutual respect and equality among people of different cultures. For one to offer culturally competent care in a multicultural society, they need to adopt strategies such as those of performing cultural competence assessment as well as improving on their communication and language barriers (Minority Nurse, 2019). Another strategy for providing culturally competent care includes directly engaging in cross-cultural interactions with patients since understanding the uniqueness of every patient could help a healthcare provider effectively interact with a patient. Besides, participating in online chats and networks can greatly influence on improving one's cultural competency and awareness.

References

Canadian Paediatric Society. (2018). How culture influences health. Caring for Kids New to Canada. Retrieved April 21, 2020, from https://www.kidsnewtocanada.ca/culture/influence

Castelli, F. (2018). Drivers of migration: Why do people move? Journal of Travel Medicine, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/tay040

Keating-Biltucci, M. T. (2015, December 27). The challenges of diversity. Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) Magazine. Retrieved April 21, 2020, from https://www.rdhmag.com/career-profession/personal-wellness/article/16408729/the-challenges-of-diversity

Longley, R. (2019, June 18). What is multiculturalism? Definition, theories, and examples. ThoughtCo. Retrieved April 21, 2020, from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-multiculturalism-4689285

Make It Our Business. (2017). What does it mean to be culturally competent? Make it our Business: Addressing Domestic Violence in the Workplace. Retrieved April 21, 2020, from https://makeitourbusiness.ca/blog/what-does-it-mean-be-culturally-competent

Minority Nurse. (2019, February 28). 5 ways to improve cultural competence in nursing care. Retrieved April 21, 2020, from https://minoritynurse.com/5-ways-to-improve-cultural-competence-in-nursing-care/

Rescue.Org. (2018, 11). Migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants: What's the difference? International Rescue Committee (IRC). Retrieved April 21, 2020, from https://www.rescue.org/article/migrants-asylum-seekers-refugees-and-immigrants-whats-difference

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2010, September 24). Multiculturalism (Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy). https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/multiculturalism/