Participating in Word on the Wards this quarter was a very fulfilling experience. I had the opportunity to talk with patients from a wide variety of backgrounds about their health, and I loved working with students from other UCSF programs. One patient interaction that I would like to highlight in this reflection was meeting a Hispanic man with severe, uncontrolled diabetes who only spoke Spanish. I was able to use my Spanish skills to communicate with him and explain the process of using insulin to control his diabetes and I was able to pass along his questions to his healthcare team. My next WoW shift was one week later, and I noticed that he was still in the hospital. I went back to check in with him again, and he was happy to see me and he told me that he was feeling much better. It was an amazing experience to be able to visit this man twice, and I think that our visits had an impact on his understanding of his condition and how to best manage it.
I was fortunate enough to be able to work with both pharmacy and medical students, and I found it fascinating how all students from these different schools would look at the same case and have completely different views and opinions about how to proceed with the patient’s care. It was a wonderful experience to discuss all of the important factors in a particular case and come to an agreement on the most helpful discussion we could have with the patient, even though we have different initial opinions and ideas. My experience at WoW showed me how healthcare providers with diverse backgrounds should communicate with each other to provide the best care for their patients. This integrated, interdisciplinary approach will be valuable throughout my career as a PT.