Health Care Interview Paper

The United States is a nation of immigrants; they have virtually every culture of the world within its borders. Due to this reason, there must be a certain level of cultural competency within its people. A comparison and contrast will be made to compare the Hispanic cultural views on medical care to the American cultural views toward medical care. I chose to explore Hispanic culture because of my background but most importantly due to its richness of unique characteristics. I will provide an overview on how heredity, culture, and environment can influence behavior in the medical office. Furthermore, I will express my opinion about why a medical assistant,

To better understand your condition, can you kindly provide brief descriptions of the various symptoms that you are experiencing?

Through my experience with the healthcare field, I have seen that low socioeconomic status, culture, and access are the major contributors to the health disparities today. Whether it is not being able to afford health insurance/medical costs, a culture that’s attitude and beliefs does not put much value on preventative care, or simply not having appropriate transportation to the doctor, all these factors work together against the patient. Medical professions can best tackle these issues by first knowing and understanding the needs of the population in which they practice. Theoretically, if one is aware of specific needs then those needs can be better addressed, whether they are financial or cultural needs. Also, medical professionals can work

With the increasing immigrant population a third barrier affecting access to health care is a cultural barrier. Culture barriers can include values and beliefs, language and race and ethnicity. Health beliefs and behavior can become a barrier when patients decide not to seek medical treatment and instead turn to home remedies and healers when treating illnesses. Approximately 10% of Americans speak a language other than English and can be classified ad being limited in their proficiency. For these patients language becomes a barrier and they are less likely to receive optimal medical treatment (Flores, 2006). Horton and Johnson (2010) stress the importance of communication in reducing disparities and increasing the trust of patients in the health care system. As reported by the American College of Physicians, evidence reveals that racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to receive inferior care when compared with non-minorities. This occurs even when minorities have access to insurance and adequate income (Racial and ethnic disparities in health care, 2010).

I am a Brazilian black male with military experience and diplomatic knowledge who grew up in a low-income household in a developing country. In addition, I have traveled to about 35 countries and am acquainted with people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, ethnic groups and nationalities. These characteristics and experiences allow me to see the world from perspectives that are unusual for most people. Besides being open-minded and non- judgemental toward all my future patients, I personally understand the difficulties faced by people of color, immigrants and individuals from low-income families. In sum, my background and my cultural literacy will allow me to be a sensitive and culturally aware patient-centered care.

I interviewed Abduallahi Abdi with Compassion Home Health Care LLC. Shown below are the questions and answers from the interview.

Disparities in healthcare are a real and urgent problem in our nation. There is indisputable data supporting the fact that disparities exist not only across different racial groups, but also across the cultural and economic stratification of our society. Moreover, there is even data showing disparities among each of these respective groups along gender lines. So what can be done about these disparities to assure that all patients receive equal and adequate care? Well, there are certainly many political and governmental changes or modifications that would go a long way towards narrowing the gaps in healthcare, but such changes are beyond the scope of this paper. Instead, I will focus on the steps that I,

In a perfect world, race, ethnicity and culture would have no negative effect on the medical care we receive, yet problems do arise and it affects the quality of care the patient receives. Language barrier, poor socioeconomic status, and poor health literacy also contribute to health care disparity. For Lia, it was more than her skin color, it was all of the above, her parents did not speak English and they were illiterate. They had trouble understanding the American healthcare system, had trouble or little interest in adjusting to or understanding the American culture. They didn’t work, which in addition to cross cultural misunderstanding, helped contribute to animosity between the Hmong and the host community, because some in the Merced area did not like or appreciate the fact that some Hmong did not work and relied on welfare to make ends meet. All these factors, contributed to the poor quality of

In the preparation of writing this paper, I reviewed several educational videos from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (n.d.) that show healthcare providers interacting with patients from different cultures. I chose the video that shows a Hispanic man interacting with his surgeon. I chose this video because all counties in Ohio except one are seeing increases in the Hispanic population. There has been a nine

The Licensed Practical Nurse said that the education that she obtained prepared her for the various facets of her job. It was more helpful in some aspects of my job than it is in others jobs. With the shortage of medical doctors, the LPN and the nurse are playing a larger role in patient care. Because demand for LPN's is strong and growing, you often have your choice of full-time jobs. LPN positions are available in hospitals, nursing homes, doctors' offices, and home health care. The annual salary of a LPN can reach $45,000 plus benefits, depending on your responsibilities. You can choose your work

Health care is one of the most controversial and discussed topics in the United States. This is mainly because of the enormous issues that surround this subject matter, such as the goal of creating a greater diversity in the medical professions, the goal to reduce health care disparities, and mainly to improve health care for all. In my personal experience this issues have affected me and my family very closely. As immigrants, I saw my parents struggle with the language, adapting to a new culture and even seeking healthcare. Health care disparities is an imminent issue that affects many of us, including me. On top of the financial struggle my parents faced as immigrants, they also faced the barrier of not being understood. I witnessed how my

For my health care interview assignment I chose to interview Mayra Cruz, Certified Nurses Assistant. She works at Cuidado Casero Home Health and Hospice at 1617 E. Missouri Ave, El Paso, Texas. In my interview with her she described her job duties, her patients and how she interacts with others in her environment. In addition, she identified the length of time she has been in her current position, her career path that has led her to this position as well as her experience in the health care industry. Her education and what requirements were necessary for her certification. She also wonders if the education she received proper and

In today’s rapid changing world, leaders are very pertinent, especially in the field of nursing. Good nursing leaders have the ability to provide direction, facilitate structure to reach goals, and cohesiveness throughout team members. Leader by definition is “someone who uses interpersonal skills to influence others to accomplish specific goals” (Sullivan & Decker, 2009, p. 329). On the other hand a manager is different. Their goal is geared toward being responsible and accountable for the goals of the organization. Below is the summary of an interview with L.A. Patient Care Manager of Endoscopy/ Special

Grace Pettigrew, my mother who is 67 years old received a $1,101.00 pension check once a month with no other income or assistance from the governments’ states that she is unable to afford health care insurance and that she over qualify for government assistance. The Medicare plan is expensive and would leave Grace short on bills or food. Therefore, my mother rely she said on community based services at a hospital in Georgia name Grady Memorial Hospital Grace (2012). The reduce plan for the hospital card is based on her income and charges he $20.00 for office visits with no deductibles to meet and three dollars for her medication. Grace (2012) describe her experience with health care services and providers as being good and because this is all she can afford that there are no complaints except for she would like to go to doctors of her choice. Unfortunately, this is not an advantage because no other doctors are willing to take on patients who do not have insurance coverage. Grace (2012) states that she has never seen so many medical offices and that there are hospitals in every neighborhood. My mother is not sure how these facilities make their money where there are so many people without jobs or insurance. According to my mom Grace (2012), People would have to call and maybe wait days for a doctor to make it to your home if there were an emergency but not

The most recent experience I have as a recipient of healthcare service was for my 12 week of prenatal care appointment at the Brigham and women hospital Ob-gyn clinic located at Foxboro. The appointment was schedule for 2:00 pm and the waiting time was about 15 minutes before I got to see the provider who at this particular appointment was a nurse practitioner midwife but I will be seeing by the doctor the rest of my pregnancy. The nurse practitioner was helpful and answered all our questions .Also she went over the result of the first screaming at 12 week and 10 week blood work. I was satisfy with the service provide at that appointment.