She Said What?!

 This semester I am participating in the Longitudinal Interprofessional Family-based Experience (LIFE) Program. Each group is assigned a family and has to complete two interviews. During our first interview, we asked questions to help get to know our patient and hear more of their story/experience in healthcare. I was appalled at how our patient was treated because of the color of her skin. Assumptions were made that affected communication for both her and her children. She did not know what was happening or why certain tests were being done or not done, although she was asked repeatedly. She even overheard someone say, "Oh, she is just a young black mom; she won't be breastfeeding." 

I cannot even understand why people have the audacity to treat people this way. Hearing this story, it is easy to see why there are health disparities. Sadly, this type of experience is not a rare occurrence. Hearing this patient's experience will forever be in my mind. It is good that these stories are being talked about more because they allow us to spotlight an area in healthcare that needs to be fixed.

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