Updates and the White Coat

Hello friends! I am so sorry for this much delayed update! Why must I be so nit-picky when it comes to writing?? Last week, our teacher passed out our midterm prompts (4 total) and those have been taking up a good chunk of my time. I will post another entry later documenting my adventurous weekend in La Sierra Norte (Capulalpam and Ixtlan de Juarez), but for now, I will leave you all with an update on my first two weeks of clinic!

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These past 2 weeks have been amazing! Interning at CS Colonia America clinic opened my eyes to so many things. I experienced something new every day—palpating a fetus and listening to its heart, checking for circulation in diabetes patients, checking throats for irritation and inflammation, and looking at an ear infection were some of the things that I did.

A few things that I observed in clinic so far:

• Most of the patients that came to see my doctor were diabetic
• Many women get pregnant at a young age
• Not a lot of family planning/discussion about birth control
• The patient records and files are all on paper
• Some people travel VERY FAR to come to the clinic

During class, we talked a lot about the different factors that interact and influence Chicano/a health. These factors range from culture values and roles (machismo, familismo, confinanza, and others), psychology, social context, religion, environment, genetics, etc. They can influence how a patient communicates with their doctor, chooses when to go to the hospital, perceives/interprets his or her illness, and follows through with the care plan. For example, many people that I saw in clinic were hesitant to visit the doctor earlier because that would mean that they would need to take time off from work—their livelihood.

Surprisingly though, one of the most influential things that I learned this week wasn’t through examining a patient but rather, it was through a chat that I had with Dr. Francisco. It all started with a simple question—“when did you know you wanted to become a doctor?” My Spanish was pretty choppy and I had to dig through my brain to search for the correct words to formulate the question.  Once he registered my conglomeration of words and broken phrases, he began to tell me his story.

Dr. Francisco’s curiosity for medicine started when he was a boy. He lived in a very small and rural town near Puerto Escondido. A doctor from the town clinic would often eat at the comedor that his mother owned.  The doctor’s white coat always caught Dr. Francisco’s eye, and he grew up thinking that it looked fancy and become increasingly fascinated by it. The white coat eventually motivated him to go to medical school. After medical school, he served as the only doctor of a small town for 10 years. “Working at a clinic in a small town,” he told me with glimmering eyes and a grin, “gives you the opportunity to deeply connect with your patients and effectively treat them. Why? It’s because you get to know the whole family—the mother, father, children, grandma, grandpa, etc. You can visit their house to simply check their water storage for mosquitoes and then end up chatting with them about life. Not only do you get to familiarize yourself with your patients’ home environments, but you also get to familiarize yourself with their stories as well.”

Dr. Francisco’s bright eyes never dulled nor did his grin disappear as he recounted his life in that small town. Clearly, the amount of time and dedication that it took to care for all of the families and people in the town was arduous. Yet, he discovered a hidden pearl despite the mountains of paperwork and never-ending work hours. Its opalescence carefully knit within the folds of the white coat—easily overlooked. This “white coat” that Dr. Francisco was so fascinated with came to mean a lot more than just a showy garment. It transformed to represent the service that a doctor provides and the care and dedication put into treating a patient.

A doctor is more than just someone who tries to find out what’s wrong with a patient and then prescribes medicine. Although this type of care can alleviate symptoms, it does not do anything to help the patient in the long run, especially if he or she has a chronic illness. In order to get to the heart of treating an illness, a doctor must be willing to be a part of the patients’ lives and consider how cultural, social, psychological, and physical barriers could prevent them from getting better. A doctor must be able to be sensitive to his or her patients when formulating a care plan and also have the patience to listen to and answer any questions that they might have.

As I continue my journey in the field of health care, I will strive to keep these values tucked safely in my heart.