School of Science
Building Communication and Cultural Competency
My emerging expertise is focused on how I have grown my communication and cultural competency skills. Going into the workforce, it is important to communicate in any sort of relationship dynamic with coworkers, employees, and management. Expressing my ideas creatively and compassionately has been a strength I have grown through many culturally dynamic experiences. Additionally, knowing English and Spanish is a great way to make my current and future patients more comfortable in their environment.
Reflection:
Looking over the diverse range of opportunities I have been blessed with, my communication has gained a profound depth enriched by the quality of effort I have put into my own improvement. Reflecting on these experiences, I have learned that I still have a lot to learn. I am constantly getting feedback from students, faculty members, and peers that serves me well in future situations. While I am excited about utilizing my skills in a new environment as a physician, I also have loved getting to share some strategies that have worked for me with new leaders and volunteers at the IUSOC. I am grateful to have gained enough knowledge to be able to utilize these skills in my upcoming internship in Costa Rica.
Shadowing Medicine in Ecuador
Visiting rural and urban communities helped me relate to the culture and the people. I shadowed many different healthcare specialties and obtained a wide variety of commentary from experts in different fields. These perspectives painted a more holistic picture of the healthcare system in Ecuador. While I was there, I wrote an essay for an honors contract on Sustainable Development Goal 3 on good health and well-being based on my experiences. This essay demonstrates my ability to communicate with people from different cultures to obtain information about a foreign subject, integrate research into my discussions, and effectively present my ideas to an audience.
_JPG.jpg)
Volunteering at the IU Student Outreach Clinic (IUSOC)
I started drawing blood when I was 17 years old working at my local hospital. Now, I am able to use this skill to care for patients at the IUSOC. At this clinic, I am able to learn about a vulnerable population of patients while providing excellent care. I have kept my phlebotomy certificate active while volunteering here showing my commitment to serving the community and drive to pursue patient experience. I use this experience to enhance my communication skills with patients through an understanding of their experiences.
Tutoring Chemistry and Biology
Starting with my sophomore year of college, I began tutoring for general chemistry to maintain my subject matter knowledge and gain more experience with leadership. Now, I tutor organic chemistry as well and am the course coordinator for it as well. I have gained insight into the mechanisms as learning as well as how different communication styles can be more or less useful when teaching a difficult subject to students. In one of the semesters of teaching, I created this powerpoint over the subject of asking good questions. The goal of our tutoring classes are not to do the work for the students, but to lead them to the right train of thought. Asking good questions will also be very important for my future as a physician and is the basis for providing excellent patient care.
