University of Cincinnati Department of Family and Community Medicine
Yvonne Yui, Summer 2010
I have had the great privilege of working with Dr. Kiesler and the UC Department of Family & Community Medicine this summer. This internship allowed me to get involved with various parts of the underserved communities in Cincinnati. In fact, the Department of Family Medicine only recently added '& Community Medicine' to their name, and I think that it is extremely fitting and important to what they do.
One of the most unique opportunities was working at a clinic on the River Downs Race Track's backside. Not only did I learn a lot on the clinical side of things, but I got to know patients outside of the clinic. I was able to see where and how they live and how that affects their health and the healthcare we are providing them. I also helped patients with their referrals to other clinics and hospitals in the area. I experienced many of the difficulties patients persist through when dealing with administrative processes. I also worked with patients who have many handicaps with working with our health care system such as language barrier and lack of transportation and cell phones. I enjoyed keeping up on my Spanish and making friends at the race track, yet I also found myself frustrated and saddened by our limitations and the conditions of the backside. I will be thinking of these challenges over the next few years and into my career as I evaluate how I can better serve my future patients.
Other activities of this summer included shadowing on the Homeless Medical Mobile Van and updating the Homeless Resource Map. These activities really opened my eyes to the services and agencies that are available to Cincinnatians. I also taught nutrition classes to preschool and kindergarten students at Su Casa Hispanic Ministry Center. Working with children was demanding, and it was difficult to gauge how much they absorbed, but it was a lot of fun. I did not realize how hard it is to come up with lesson plans and how many activities were needed for short one hour class periods.
Although I knew that one's community plays an important role in one's health and lifestyle, I was able to experience a community aside from my own this summer. It was truly eye opening, and I have learned a lot that I will carry throughout my life. While I do not know which field I want to enter, I know that I want to continue to learn about and work with underserved communities. It is important that all physicians try to understand and incorporate all aspects of a patient's life into their care while treating him or her.