The Goal

One of my career goals, as a physician and public health researcher, is to work with underserved populations both domestically and abroad. These groups will likely be acclimated to their own set of cultural norms and might not speak English. This can dramatically reduce a physician’s ability to educate and care for his patients. Likewise, the same obstacles can prevent a researcher from effectively conducting a study. As a physician I want to provide the highest quality of care possible, and as a researcher I hope to design more effective strategies for the prevention of common diseases. The desire to provide quality care and research preventive strategies is the result of important insights gained from my within and beyond the classroom experiences at the University of South Carolina. For me to be successful in both of these aspects of my career, I must first overcome the barriers associated with working with underserved populations.

 

The Solution

In order to accomplish the aforementioned goals, I must increase both my Spanish proficiency and my cultural understanding of these populations. It is important to be attuned to the cultural differences that may affect a patient’s openness to sharing their medical history, receptiveness of my advice, and compliance to my recommendations for care. Furthermore, conversing comfortably in the patient’s native language will not only put them more at ease, but also provide myself with a more complete understanding of their exact feelings without losing things in translation.

 

To achieve these goals I will need to continuously expose myself to both the Spanish language and culture. By learning about the personal histories of some of the Hispanics in my community I can in turn learn a little about the places they come from and the types of people that live there. Secondly, in my upcoming gap year I plan to take an extended trip across Central and South America in order to experience firsthand the distinct social and cultural environments that exist there. Finally, during my travels I will have the opportunity to absorb the Spanish of many regions and dialects. Such immersion will undoubtedly increase my proficiency in the language.

 

The Implementation

My plan is composed of two parts: domestic and international exposure to Spanish language and peoples.

 

Domestic

During the first portion of my gap year I will attempt to find a regular volunteer position where I can interact directly with Spanish speakers. Some organizations I am considering are the Houston Food Bank, San Jose Clinic, and Literary Advance of Houston. Secondly, I hope to find a conversation partner through a website such as www.conversationexchange.com. Through this program I expect to enter a mutually beneficial partnership by practicing my Spanish while simultaneously teaching my partner English. When enjoying books, movies, and music in my free time, I will try to include international choices to continue my exposure.  

 

International

In the summer of 2016, I am planning an extended backpacking trip south of the border as a part of my gap year before medical school. During my adventures abroad I will challenge myself to attempt to hold a conversation with a stranger everyday in Spanish. I also want to cut down my phone and Wi-Fi use as much as possible so I am not tempted to access English websites and social media. In order to have the full immersion experience, I will make my best attempt to avoid resorting to English and only befriending other English-speakers at hostels and hotels. Instead, I will try to truly get to know the citizens of the country and how they live.

 

The Evaluation

Evaluation of my Spanish language progress will be conducted by making time every month to reflect on my skills in a language journal. While at home I will qualitatively assess if I am speaking with community members or conversation partners with more ease and about more complex topics. I will also determine whether my reading and listening comprehension has increased by evaluating how well I understand Spanish books and films. While abroad I will qualitatively assess the ease with which I can openly converse with native Spanish speakers. Noticing differences in colloquialisms, idioms, and accents will be a good indicator that my ear for Spanish has become more accurate. Furthermore, being able to hold prolonged personal conversations about someone’s personal history, beliefs, and ideas, will be a sign that I am knowledgeable of the cultural norms needed in order to gain trust and understanding from these groups. By the end of my gap year, I hope I am a confident and competent Spanish speaker. I also expect to be more attuned to how someone’s cultural differences may affect their behaviors and attitudes. If I am successful in obtaining these skills, I will be one step closer to achieving my goals of becoming an adept physician and public health researcher.