Honolulu Harbor Medical Clinic Executive Summary

“Americans can take come pride in the fact that attaining what the medical profession calls “cultural competency” is a goal of most health care institutions. However, achieving this goal in today’s health care environment, filled with diverse patient and provider populations, is no easy task. American hospitals are increasingly being staffed by and serving diverse populations. This creates the ideal breeding ground for conflict and misunderstanding among the staff and inferior patient care” (Galanti, 2011). To gain a more thorough understanding of this concept, I will be giving four examples or viewpoints that are completely different, when looking at the Hispanic belief against the Native American point of view.

However, I have exceeded in medical experience training that is competitive compared to my peers. I have served as a Patient Experience & Diversity Specialist and an Emergency Department Volunteer at Cape Fear Valley Hospital; I am the current Undergraduate Clinic Coordinator for the Campbell University Community Care Clinic; and more recently, a Natural Disaster Support Volunteer for Hurricane Matthew victims in Lumberton, NC. All of these positions have required me to expose myself and engage with patients that originate from a wide variety of culture, life experiences, and differences in personality. Early exposure and repetition of certain practices in the medical field has allowed me to achieve qualifications that allow me to assist in Guatemala and the varied health conditions that I will

Coastal Medical Center had a period of growth and success under the previous CEO. When this CEO retired, the successor made many decisions that were detrimental to the organization. The medical center went from a net profit of $52.5 million in 2012, to a net loss of $16 million in 2015. With the hiring of a third CEO, CMC began to identify the many problems the organization was facing. Some of the main problems discovered by the new CEO include over staffing, duplication of functions, and excessive amount of special projects, over spending, poor materials management, and errors in billing. It seemed that every day the CEO was uncovering yet another problem.

Apart from her academic accomplishments, Dr. Ochoa has dedicated her life to the service of others through medicine and mentorship. “I’ve known since I could remember that I wanted a career with the purpose of helping others. I have this burning passion for service work and I’m extremely lucky to be able to combine it with my love for medicine and education.” When away from the hospital, Dr. Ochoa spends her time mentoring minority and low-income students along with her husband and fellow HSF alum, Mauricio Segovia. Also, wanting to give back to her Latino community, Dr. Ochoa donates to scholarship organizations such as HSF and the New Orleans Hispanic Heritage Foundation Scholarship.

Serving these populations is much more than serving food but also considering each individual’s unique story in its entirety. Some may have a dark past, some suffer from addiction, and others lose faith. As a hospital volunteer, I also served patients by spending quality time and assisting their needs. By simply understanding their viewpoint, I influenced them to believe in hope for a greater future. I learned that to effectively provide care for others, it is necessary to consider all the small scenes that combine to produce each person’s story. Compassion and service toward my patients are the sole ingredients for effective

To illustrate, I have demonstrated my commitment and dedication to helping others by becoming a back office assistant. I embodied compassion and exhibited linguistic and cultural competency by successfully assisting physicians with patient care and administrative duties. My close interaction with a diverse patient population and healthcare personnel has taught me to enhance coordination of care and to improve patient outcomes. As a result, my passion for serving others has been ignited and I am ever more determined to someday return to Vietnam – this time, not as a student volunteer, but as a physician assistant (PA).

Lead English/Spanish interpreter for medical students, physicians, pharmacists patients at the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic. Volunteer once a week (4 hours per week). Other responsibilities include: organizing and storing patients' charts and running errands the doctors, medical students, and clinic's floor manager assign to me. Also, in charge of answering the appointment hotline and scheduling patients' appointments. This volunteer position has also allowed me to shadow the medical students and physicians during physical examinations, and tests they do to patients such as electrocardiograms and blood draws.

My experience interacting with minorities and medically underserved individuals has taught me cultural competence by gradually learning the capacity to understand other people’s experiences and sufferings in a way I never had before. By working in family and free health clinics, and volunteering as an EMT and a hospice aide, I have personally seen some of the health disparities found in our world. I have witnessed how a lack of insurance, monetary income, or health education affects one’s decision to attain primary health care. Furthermore, my experiences with emergency medicine teams serving culturally diverse communities have helped me to be able to see how healthcare professionals handle crises while not losing the ability to think logically and rationally when striving to treat people’s illnesses, instead of focusing on their

Initially I was preparing for pharmacy school, but I realized that it was not an active profession and the only way I could work with patients is to distribute prescribed drugs to them. I was young and immature and chose a profession based on financial benefit. After graduating with my bachelor’s degree in biology, I decided to explore the medical field by applying for a volunteer position supporting direct patient care at a hospital.

As a volunteer at Methodist Dallas Medical Center, I saw a glimpse of the disparities and problems that exist in the US. I saw patients in the emergency

The population of the United States is continually rising. The birth rate continues to rise, but more importantly, the number of foreign-born immigrants that relocated to the United States in 2003 was a staggering 33.5 million, and that number rises every year (Jarvis, 2008). With such a large immigrant population comes the need for medical professionals that are culturally competent. Being culturally competent means that the caregivers, “understand and attend to the total context of the individual’s situation, including awareness of immigration status, stress factors, other social factors, and cultural similarities and differences” (Jarvis, 2008, p.38). Because the United States is so diverse, it is a federal

I developed an extremely busy life ever since I entered Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions. For me, it can be very hard to find time to volunteer especially at a hospital like St. Joseph. However, the benefits from volunteering at the hospital are enormous for me, my family, and my community. Becoming a St. Joseph volunteer gives me the chance to learn about the work environment, the different cultures that exists in Houston, and multiple personalities of the employees

Three years ago, I came to U.S. to fulfill my dream of becoming a doctor. During my time in Phoenix, I have come to embrace and love my new home. My desire to provide quality healthcare and improve the lives of those in my community has remained steadfast throughout these years. I am particularly interested in assisting the huge population of refugee families that resides in the phoenix area. With the service learning projects such as the student-run clinics that serve uninsured and underserved communities, combined with the level of training your program offers, I will be able to attain the skills necessary to provide the community with impeccable service. This humanistic approach to medicine aligns with my belief that it is our responsibility

Having the ability to guide people through their journey to healing is unbelievable fulfilling for all parties involved. During my volunteer rotation, I had the privilege to witness the strength of the human spirit and the resilience of the body as patients worked with the therapy staff to push themselves to the limit and beyond. , After two surgeries to correct a tear in her Achilles' tendon, and months of rigorous physical therapy, a patient walked from one end of the room, full weight bearing and unassisted. She did the work but I had the honor of being her coach, her cheerleader, and even a happy distraction during the painful manual

Within my first year at Texas A&M I had the opportunity to go on a medical missions trip to Wagusu, a small boating village in the outskirts of Kenya. Though we were only there for about two and a half weeks, the imprint the community left on my heart is one for a lifetime. I was at a loss for words observing the living conditions many of the locals were in. What appeared to be an old cardboard box was in fact a home for two toddlers who had no family or source of sustenance. I remember a child approached me with a limp and upon examining his heel; it was evident that a small splinter was left untreated and the child began to develop a severe infection. We were able to remove the splinter and supply him with medication and within three days he was back to playing soccer with his friends. Podiatry as a field offers that unique sense of immediate gratification after treating a patient. The village of Wagusu tuned my heart to the necessity of servant leadership where as people and physicians we lower ourselves to meet our brothers and sisters at the place of their own unique