It is very difficult to sum up my time at University of Florida Center for HIV/AIDS Research, Education and Service, UF CARES, in one single story or event; instead, it is the overall appreciation for patient care I gained that I will carry with me as I embark on the next chapter of my life. It's not that there weren't isolated events I could look back on and say influenced me because there were many; it's that the overall experience trumps those isolated events. There are patients that I have grown close to, patients with stories and issues that have resonated with me and even patients that reached the end of their life journey during my tenure. Having a person who is more or less a complete stranger open up to you about very personal health and life information is a moving, while simultaneously challenging, experience. During one-on-one patient education sessions, I learned to actively listen so as to not lose the opportunities to really hear what the patient is saying. Having the ability to see both the inner working of the clinic and the patient-provider interactions showed me how truly deeply these providers and staff members care for the wellbeing of the center’s patients, many of whom have been coming to this clinic for years and have deep connections with their providers.
"I learned to actively listen so as to not lose the opportunities to
really hear what the patient is saying."
This experience was also humbling, and I hope incoming members will be able to appreciate that. Many of the patients are underserved, disenfranchised, and in precarious financial situations. Seeing patients beg to be in studies for the $20 gift card that comes along with it is often difficult to watch. I have learned to not be suppressed by people who have been so let down by either society or the educational system that they can't fathom their disease or the importance of their health. This year of service has reaffirmed for me that, like no other profession, the ethos of compassion in the art of medicine aligns with my personal goals and has strengthened my resolve to become a physician.
It is very difficult to sum up my time at University of Florida Center for HIV/AIDS Research, Education and Service, UF CARES, in one single story or event; instead, it is the overall appreciation for patient care I gained that I will carry with me as I embark on the next chapter of my life. It's not that there weren't isolated events I could look back on and say influenced me because there were many; it's that the overall experience trumps those isolated events. There are patients that I have grown close to, patients with stories and issues that have resonated with me and even patients that reached the end of their life journey during my tenure. Having a person who is more or less a complete stranger open up to you about very personal health and life information is a moving, while simultaneously challenging, experience. During one-on-one patient education sessions, I learned to actively listen so as to not lose the opportunities to really hear what the patient is saying. Having the ability to see both the inner working of the clinic and the patient-provider interactions showed me how truly deeply these providers and staff members care for the wellbeing of the center’s patients, many of whom have been coming to this clinic for years and have deep connections with their providers.
This experience was also humbling, and I hope incoming members will be able to appreciate that. Many of the patients are underserved, disenfranchised, and in precarious financial situations. Seeing patients beg to be in studies for the $20 gift card that comes along with it is often difficult to watch. I have learned to not be suppressed by people who have been so let down by either society or the educational system that they can't fathom their disease or the importance of their health. This year of service has reaffirmed for me that, like no other profession, the ethos of compassion in the art of medicine aligns with my personal goals and has strengthened my resolve to become a physician.