Day 3: Patients First
What patient interaction impacted me today? How did I demonstrate dignity and respect to others? What did I learn from observing providers? How did cultural humility shape my care? What skill did I strengthen today? What goal do I have for the next day in the clinic setting?
Today was our first day of clinic and I am inspired by all I have learned and done already. One patient interaction that impacted me today (although there were many!) was working with a 3 year old boy who was learning through playing with the teeth cleaning toys about taking good care of his teeth. He like many of the other children I interacted with today was very appreciative of the resources, and excited for the opportunity to learn about and show what he knew so far about caring for his teeth. So many times so far we have been reminded to be humble about what we do have east access to at home. As someone who was working at schools with children before coming back to school myself, it is interesting to compare the attitudes and excitement for learning seen in the kiddos I got to work with today, compared to how children often feel about their learning opportunities at home.
A way I demonstrated dignity and respect to others was ensuring if I could not communicate something clearly, I was quick to find and request help from someone who was able to communicate with others well. I worked alongside many members of our team and tried to adjust my role to fill any gaps in our process when needed. I did my best to prioritize care and respect to each client I was able to interact with today. I think that doing my best to communicate in spanish also offered respect and humility to the Panamanian people that they seemed to really appreciate even when I required a lot of patience.
Something I learned today by observing others while working with the children is how respected and important learning opportunities and school is to them as a whole. We really are just able to observe an entirely different way of life than we have grown accustomed to in the United States. Cultural humility shaped my care today right at the beginning of the day until the end. I quickly realized how badly I required someone who could assist with translation and continued learning about the language, culture, and common lifestyle differences all day long. A skill I strengthened today was my use of spanish, ability to be flexible and confident while acknowledging where my skills may be lacking or leading to barriers, and doing my best to overcome any barrier I do encounter. A goal that I have for tomorrow is to become more familiar and involved with the healthcare provided to the clients, especially since I was so focused on the children and the dental education today.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your day and all you have learned about this community. Translation is a huge barrier for all of us that do not speak Spanish. I appreciate all of you doing your best and taking time to reach out and learn about the people in the community.