Cultures celebrated at Victoria University

VU nurses are completing a cultural awareness day (Damjan Janevski)

By Holly McGuinness

Nursing students from Victoria University’s Sunshine campus held a cultural awareness luncheon on Wednesday, August 17 to share their culture through food and traditional dress.

As part of their nursing studies, Victoria University stresses the importance of students respecting different cultures when providing care.

Victoria University nursing teacher Vida Poljak said it’s an important message for students to understand how to be respectful of cultures when providing care.

“Knowing someone’s culture is important and once they identify their own culture as part of this unit, they realise there are other cultures that they need to be aware of and support as a nurse,” she said.

“It’s learning to work and live with other cultural diversities that they will be encountering at work as well, it’s not just patients but relatives and coworkers too, especially in the west.”