Sometimes, it’s difficult to recall that single defining moment or person that sends you on the path you’re meant to take in life. I was fortunate in that I found that experience halfway through my undergraduate career at the University of California, Davis. I had recently lost my grandmother; although I’d wanted to help, all I’d been able to do at the hospital was translate for her. That overwhelming sense of helplessness I felt due to my lack of medical knowledge fueled my desire to help and serve others as a physician. Since I needed to find someplace to start, I applied to become a patient advocate and medical interpreter for Paul Hom Asian Clinic, a student-run clinic that provides free health care to a predominantly uninsured, Cantonese-speaking population.
Staffed entirely by volunteers, we would convene each Saturday to provide primary care services to the Sacramento community. By dispelling the language barrier, I was able to convey each patient’s concerns and health issues to a physician. Being able to build relationships with patients across all ages was, and still is, one of the factors I loved most about family medicine. I knew that truly caring, listening, and paying attention to the little details made a world of a difference in our patients’ care; but as the “Partnering With Patients, Families, and Communities” article suggested, that’s really only the beginning. There is much more work that needs to be done. Volunteering at the clinic strengthened my interest in family medicine, while also opening my eyes to the numerous difficulties that many individuals in our country still face in obtaining the health care that they need.
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