Hello all!
This is my winter 2009 blog. I'm still here at U.C. Davis finishing up. I'm in the process of organizing my plans to pursue an M.D. at a top 20 medical school, which basically means nailing my grades and MCATs. I also have a bunch of other experiences I need to immerse myself in such as volunteering, serving the under-served, clinical research, shadowing... master's programs, which means I still have lots of work ahead! A few interesting thing happened this quarter and I hope to go over them with you, along with any future developments that may occur.
Today's post is my analysis of a recent episode of House M.D. House as most medical students, residents, and doctor's may agree is pretty unrealistic (Personally, I like it because it portrays doctors as rockstars-Go Hugh Laurie!). In reality it's pretty hard to find a doctor who has in-depth knowledge of all of the specialized fields of medicine (neurology to urology), and can use this knowledge to figure out almost any rare and complex pathological condition, while at the same time having an unlimited amount of diagnostic and technological resources at his disposal. But then I thought to myself," What if House's ability to diagnose and figure out pathologies isn't so unrealistic at all, maybe he's just extremely skilled with a trait that great physicians in the real world have as well?"
This realization came to me after reflecting about my trip to Oaxaca, my rotations with Dr. ---, and my recent encounter with the dean of admissions at Pritzker school of medicine. House looks at the context in which the patient expresses their symptoms and problems, and this allows him to see things in a way which his residents are unable to. His amazing diagnostic abilities aren't necessarily just a function his knowledge of physiology, pathology, and other medical sciences. It's also his ability to look into the patient's past experiences, behaviors, and interactions that have resulted in the onset of their condition. Therefore, while his residents examine the patient on a biological level, House is able to see the entire picture. In the same way, the best doctors are able to see the patient and their problems in the context of their life, which in turn allows to them to see the whole picture, which is something I saw throughout my clinical experiences in Oaxaca.
In Oaxaca, the best doctors were able to build trust and respond to the needs of their patients by forming a personal relationship with them. They learned about the patient's personal beliefs, habits, and cultural practices and how this contributed to risk factors of disease in their life; Oaxacan doctors inherently had a distinct advantage in understanding context as they grew up in the cultural context itself. By understanding the context of how people live these doctors were able to tailer treatments that are specifically relevant to the patient's situation. For example, many patients at the government clinic (Centro de Salud) weren't able to afford medications, so the doctor would give them free medication or focus on prevention strategies which would reduce the presence of certain risk factors in their patient's lives. I guess the real challenge we have in America is understanding the social, economic, and cultural context of our patients because they come from a variety of cultures, ethnicities, social and economic contexts. Therefore, doctors must learn how to extract relevant information of the patient's context no matter where they're from; these skills come not only from experience but a doctor's willingness to take the means to learn about his patient's life and build a meaningful bond so that his/her patient can reveal aspects about themselves that are crucial in organizing an effective and specific health care delivery plan.
Oaxaca was extremely meaningful to me because it introduced to me the concept of cultural competence, emotional intelligence, and cultural humility. After learning about these concepts, I was able to identify them while I was shadowing American doctors. Dr. --- is a UCSF faculty neurosurgeon which I shadowed in December. He used emotional intelligence as if it was second nature. He would take the time to listen to his patients and understand their individual situations. Some of his patients came from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, so he would make surgeries cheaper. He made surgeries cheaper by not charging for minor procedures; in this way his patients could actually afford to have a spinal correction or tumor removal. Dr. --- is one of my heroes because he exemplifies what medicine is really about. Medicine is about delivering care and improving the quality of people's life; it's about humanity and one's ability to feel the pain of others so he/she may be compelled to help people in need. Everyone deserves to enjoy life without pain and the emotional consequences associated with that pain.
InshAllah, I'll continue writing and observing. Please pray for me and my endeavors. I dedicate my blogs to the people who matter most, my parents. I trust in Allah SWT and His plans for me. Hopefully, I can be of benefit to my community and others who are interested in serving humanity. Salams.
