One of the many reasons I decided to participate in the Words of the Wards program was to familiarize myself better with the vulnerable populations of San Francisco. I wanted to spend more time understanding these populations' chronic health problems, such as diabetes and hypertension, and how to help patients mitigate their illnesses. During the health coaching sessions, I tried to appraise patients’ level of understanding about their condition and learned motivational interviewing techniques to connect, educate, and help empower these patients to better care for their health. However, Words on the Wards did more for me than I anticipated; I was able to connect deeply with patients through their stories. I am grateful that I got the opportunity to volunteer with other schools of health to provide this care.
My most memorable instance was meeting Sofia (not her real name), who was a middle-aged woman who visited ZSFGH due to motor vehicle trauma. Unfortunately, she had also incidentally been found to have type 2 diabetes. During the health coaching visit, my colleague and I were able to engage with Sofia in a meaningful way. I got to know her personally; she told me she had recently immigrated to the US. She was working two jobs to make ends meet. She believed that her diabetes was out of her control and that her parents probably passed down the disease. My colleague and I were able to help educate, provide resources, and reassure Sofia that while there is some heritable component to her diabetes, there was still significant room for behavioral changes that she could implement to manage her condition better. We kept delving deeper into her motivations for managing her condition and revealed that her two younger ones were that motivation for waking up every day to provide for them. I was touched that she felt comfortable sharing that with us and that we could share information and resources for her long-term well-being.
This patient encounter was impactful to me because it displayed how many people unknowingly deal with chronic health conditions. Sofia’s case emphasizes the importance of routine health screenings and support through education to help bring awareness to their condition and how to support their condition long-term sustainably. Hopefully they, too, can help educate and support other close friends and peers who currently or will deal with similar chronic health conditions.
Working with other students from other health schools was also a very enriching experience for me. I learned much from my colleague's approach to patient encounters, and it helped me become a better listener and develop different effective ways of communicating with patients. Participating in the Words of the Wards program was a meaningful experience that reinforced why I am so happy to be committed to a career in medicine and why I am so proud to be part of a community that cares so much for the well-being of others.
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