Day 4

Blog Entry 4: 9/23/08

So it's day 4, and it seems like the days are starting to go faster... Yikes! Today, I was able to sleep in till 9 because we were expected at Hotel Anturios at 10, which was pretty sweet. I was feeling a bit insecure in the morning, still due to culture shock, but the group activity essentially eliminated it. I really loved the group activity because it did wonders for my emotional state. Nick (CFHI coordinator) asked us to draw a box on a piece of paper where we would list our weaknesses on one side, and strengths on the other. We then discussed our strengths and weaknesses with both our research groups and the entire class. It made me feel like I was on the same page with everyone else. I learned that people, no matter who you think is perfect, have their own vices; knowing that was important for me because I usually get intimidated by automatically assuming people are better than me. Its amazing to see that everyone has their own unique challenges, and that no one is perfect. Personally, my main challenge is that I'm introverted and I prefer to be independent of others in my thinking and activities; it's hard for me to accommodate others into my world. Others either had the same problems, the opposite, or something unique. I think the reason the activity was so successful, at least for me, was because it put everyone on the same page of understanding. We were able to find out who other people were on a deeper level, which usually would take much longer if we were left to our own devices. Knowing each other on this level allowed us to be open, comfortable, and genuine in the way we expressed ourselves. If I were to compare it to any other experience, I would say freshman dorming is somewhat similar, but to a lesser extent of success. I loved it, and whatever insecurities I carried into that room were completely gone, and I felt really comfortable communicating with others. I really like my new familia(other students in the program), they're all really good people. I would do this program 100x over again if it meant forming more of these bonds. An important lesson I learned is that no matter how someone composes oneself, they're human like everyone else.
The activity was intended on introducing us to the concept of forming relationships and understanding between different people. It's main purpose was for us to develop skills that would effectively allow us to form relationships in the medical field. In my opinion, clinical skills aren't the main aspect of being a doctor. What characterizes a great doctor is their ability to form efficient connections with others. Physicians must be able to identify strengths and weaknesses of colleagues and patients in order to use them to his or her advantage. I learned, modern medicine is really community medicine, and it no longer consists of your good old neighborhood doctor that sees only a few people a day; rather, it consists of a team of health professionals that must interact and communicate effectively to successfully deliver proper care to their patients. Doctor's must also be able to make deep relationships because a lot of patients may be uncomfortable revealing whatever issues they have without a strong bond of trust with their physician.
Nick also gave a presentation on "Professionalism". I thought the lecture would be boring because I already knew about being "respectful" and having "good manners" with others in a professional setting. However, I was wrong, professionalism is so much more. In fact, "Profession" itself is a public declaration of a belief or service to a field. From what I interpreted, "Profession" in medicine means taking an oath or a promise to be in the service of others, such as in their quality of life, or health. The "Profression-al" must abide by the technical and ethical standards of the profession. Which I took to mean, that when a doctor has sworn himself in, the entire profession's reputation and dignity rely on a certain method of conduct that he or she must follow; in essence they become a representative of that field. Doctors must exhibit humanism, which consists mainly of respect, empathy, and compassion for medicine. A successful physician must be able to read emotional states, empathize, and have compassion for those he serves.
At 5, I also had my first Spanish class, which was really fun. We learned basic vocabulary and verb conjugation today. Our teacher Arturo is hilarious, and doesn't hold back on any jokes...lol. The 2 hours in class just flew by. He's also teaching us medical Spanish in the next class, which should come in really handy at the clinics. That's pretty much my day for today, there were some other billion things, but I can't write anymore because it's 2 A.M.. Salamz.