Family Medicine-A speciality,A way of life
I restlessly clutched my teddy, Mr. Coco. I was four with a runny nose and a violent scream. I did not want to visit our family doctor. Not paying heed to my protests, my mother carried me into the clinic. Contrary to my education from TV shows, the doctor was no monster with a large injection in hand, but a man of portly presence and a warm smile. He then shook hands with me and Mr.Coco and asked our names. The foundation of our friendship was sealed. Many years later we moved to a big city and during my brushes with illness I was given many names-‘the case with ankle fracture’, ’the third bed ulcer patient’, ’the one asking too many questions’ but never was I referred to by my own name. Is my humanity reduced into diseased parts? Am I a person with illness or am I an illness guised a person?
…show more content…
Family medicine is a field that forms the bedrock of compassionate and patient -centric care. Its long and noble tradition of advocating the patient’s interests before anything else makes us view the specialty as more entwined with the lives of people through health and sickness. The scaffolding of my reasoning that family medicine is as much a way of life as it is a specialty will traverse three perspectives, that of a person with illness, as a medical student and as a community member at
In some cultures, family members make treatment decisions on behalf of their loved-ones. Provided the patient consents to this arrangement and is assured that any questions about his/her medical care will be answered, the physician may seek consent from a family member in lieu of the patient.”
Having the opportunity to work with underserved populations has sparked my interest in an area of medicine I previously did not know about. As a volunteer, I served as a patient advocate. As part of my responsibilities, I sat with the patients before, during, and after their visit to make sure their needs were met. Not all of these conversations were intense and deep-rooted, but to see the overall impact I was able to have on the patients as a volunteer was what caused me to be enamored with medicine. In addition, being a patient advocate was a great way to provide help to those that needed it the most.
This strong belief against only using medical help was heightened by the doctors frustration towards the Lee family for not following instructions, as well as the difference in perspectives of seeing Lia’s condition as special, the Lee family feeling as if Lia was “like a member of royalty” (Fadiman, 1997, p.22) due to her condition, and the doctors stubbornness to treat it with a multitude of medications with negative side effects. Unfortunately, the combination of not understanding the medication application, as well as conflicting culture beliefs, lead the doctors to think the Lee family was not complying with them, and felt “Lia’s parents were endangering her health” (Fadiman, 1997, p.79) which lead them to contact child services. This process of taking away Lia, which only worsened her condition, could have been handled more appropriately if the doctors had underwent enculturation, being defined as “the process of learning behaviors, languages, beliefs, and roles common to ones first or home cultures” (Barrera et al., 2012 p. xx), this allowing the doctors to not think poorly of the Lia’s parent’s but instead understanding of the cultural beliefs and reasons for them. However, it would be unfair to state the doctors didn’t give the Lee’s the benefit of the doubt, Fadiman (1997) stating that Neil, one of Lia’s doctors, “postponed calling Child Protective Services for as long as he could, giving Lia’s parents every possible chance to reform, talking the case over with his wife every night” (Fadiman, 1997, p.79) and only reported the family under the true impression that he was doing what was in the best interest of
Among the various skills that I possess, I believe that my passion for serving others will most profoundly impact my shadowing program experience. As a physician, it is one’s foremost duty to care for the needs of others, doing no harm in the process. I firmly believe that the sole way to complete the lengthy journey to becoming a physician is to possess both a strong work ethic and a strong desire for serving others. My parents divorced when I was six years old. Even at such a young age, I remember members of our church filing into our house night after night with meals.
In those hospital visits I had become accustomed to the sights and smells of a doctor’s office that instead of reminding me of pain, comforted me. I knew from then on, that the medical field was where I was called to serve.
I know that some of those transfers still haunt me. One of the patients of whom I was most fond was an attorney from a famous political family. She had severe diabetes and terrible circulation, and, at one point, she developed a painful sore on her foot. Knowing the hazards of hospitals, I did everything I could to keep her from resorting to surgery”. This quote shows that the doctor cares about their patients by doing everything they can at their will.
Through my studies of human expression and its reflection of how people deal with world events in different ways, I developed sensitivity to other worldviews that continues to prove useful through my daily interactions with people of different backgrounds. I have learned that just like art, medicine involves pattern recognition and derives insight from experiences. Similarly, what I especially enjoy about being a medical assistant is interacting with patients on a daily basis and getting to be a part of their medical experiences, even if it is just by lending an ear. The experiences on my path to a career in medicine have made me want to make a real, tangible difference in the lives of those around me – a difference that leaves my patients in a better condition than they were in before I met them.
Why I Chose Phlebotomy I chose phlebotomy because it seemed to fit me the best in my current situation. The things that presented itself that caused me to take this path was my family, my future, and my brother. Through this essay I will go into more detail on why I chose phlebotomy as my plan of action. My family means everything to me, and I try very hard to be like them.
In the case presented about a 9-yearold postoperative patient, Carla, the overt discussion surrounds the correct use of pain control by the provider, education of her family, and the rights of patient, family and physician in decision making (Post & Bluestein, 2007, pp. 113-115). Core ethical principles are also questioned in the space between the overt discussions. The moral considerations include the “moral imperative to relieve pain” (Post & Bluestein, 2007, p. 113), the consideration of a child’s autonomy and decision making ability, the autonomy and consent of the family, the autonomy and social contract of the physician and the beneficence of providing to the imperative to relieve Carla’s pain.
Advancing “Medical Homes” for children in foster care. In 1967 the American Academy of Pediatrics introduced the term Medical Home concept. “Medical Home model includes the following guiding principles or the seven “C’s”: accessible, family-centered, continuous, comprehensive, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally competent.”) Jaudes, Champagne, Harden, Masterson, & Bilaver, 2012). In addition, access to pediatric specialists is embraced for children with physical and mental health concerns.
Subsequently looking at the overall arch of such principles is the justice which should support fair, equitable and appropriate treatment and or intervention for the individual. A highly stressful time for family regarding decisions that need to be made, while others define the decision as a clinical one, where the doctor will
Family theories have been used throughout the history of nursing to help guide patient care and provide the best patient outcomes. Certain theories may be more applicable to the specific patient encounter; however, each theory has benefits and drawbacks to their use. The purpose of this paper is to examine two selected theories, comparing their strengths and weaknesses. I will also discuss a theoretical family in relation to one theory, and how that theory can be best integrated into the care provided by an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN). Description of Theories
An explanation of approaching family as context is explained in relation to nursing, and a personal example of
For the majority of people, pursuing a career in the medical field is a career which should be avoided at all costs. Whether this profession is a surgeon, a nurse, or a psychiatrist, the long hours of study and work (which are necessary for these occupations), are not in most people’s definition of a “fun job.” In addition, after the long years of study come to an end, the most feared moments arise, the time to pay student loans. Nevertheless, none of these obstacles intimidated Juan Delgado in order to pursue his dream as a healthcare professional, more importantly, to help our community. Delgado, the oldest of two, was born on December 3rd,1991.
These physicians must to be able to communicate well with children and their parents, providing them detailed explanations of treatment, course options and assuage fears. Furthermore pediatricians can specialize in a different area, such as Neonatology. “Even that pediatricians can solve most health problems of newborns, a neonantologist is trained specifically to handle the most complex and high risk situations”(“How Do I Become A