Book Club Summary

I learned a lot by participating in our book club discussions for The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Everyone in my group was dedicated to making our discussions meaningful, and I often learned the most when I responded to other people in my group. It made me see their opinion of the story, which often opened my eyes to a point that I wouldn’t of ever thought of. I think my favorite part of these discussions was seeing how everyone’s attitude changed about the Lee family in the three discussions. In the first discussion, nobody could understand why the Lee’s would stop giving Lia her medication. It seemed like every trip Lia took to the hospital was her parent’s fault. As the book, and the discussion continued, it was easy to see that it was the language and culture barrier that caused these problems for the Lee’s, and that they truly would do anything for their children. By the third discussion, majority of our group was saying that the Lee’s most definitely were an example of good parents. I think this book was a great learning tool for future healthcare professionals, and I enjoyed being able to discuss it with others.

Diversity Resources

This week, I found two cultural awareness websites that are beneficial for my future profession, Diagnostic Medical Sonography. The first website I found is a certified trusted site from Colleges & Degrees: http://www.collegesanddegrees.com/programs/sonogram-technician/expert-advice

This website describes not only all of the different diverse people you will come in contact with, but also all of the diverse types of procedures that you will perform as well. This website really helps future sonographers get excited for their future profession. It states how sonographers must be outgoing, since they spend so much time talking to all sorts of people during their ultrasound. One of my favorite statements from the website says, “Each day is different than the day before, since all people are unique.”

The second source I found isn’t directed towards sonographers, but it definitely is beneficial for them. The article comes from Georgetown University: https://hpi.georgetown.edu/agingsociety/pubhtml/cultural/cultural.html

I found this article incredibly interesting as it talks about the growing diverse population of the United States, and how it brings so many opportunities for the health care providers. It defines cultural competence as, “the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver health care services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients.” Sonographers have a huge role in making sure any patient that comes in for a test is comfortable regardless of their race, ethnicity, or language.

Advice for Sonography Students. (2012). Retrieved April 8, 2015, from http://www.collegesanddegrees.com/programs/sonogram-technician/expert-advice

Cultural Competence in Health Care: Is it important for people with chronic conditions? Retrieved April 8, 2015, from https://hpi.georgetown.edu/agingsociety/pubhtml/cultural/cultural.html