Reference no: EM133483625

Question: As a medical assistant at an internal medicine practice and urgent care , I have been able to put the public health skills acquired during my masters program to use. In this position, I have not only worked with a diverse population of patients and learned to assess and diagnose but most importantly, I have assisted in communicating treatment options that help improve the quality of life. While working in the office I repeatedly saw a lot of patients that were treated for chronic issues such as high blood pressure , diabetes and high cholesterol. There was an instance where an African American male in his 60s came into the office due to a diabetic ulcer that was forming on the bottom of his foot. The patient was aware that he had type two diabetes but was not aware of how he can manage and control his blood sugar besides consuming his daily metformin and insulin. Afterwards, the physician evaluated his foot and informed him of the issue . I then provided the patient with a freestyle libre that can be connected to the patient's phone. I educated the patient on how to use the libre and how often he should check his blood sugar throughout the day. I also advised the patient on his daily diet. Patient did not eat 3 meals a day . He spends a lot of his evening snacking and sleeping through the day. While in office , I had taken patients A1C , which results showed 11.2 . I informed the patient that it is preferred that the number stay below 9 and I explain how the number is obtained . I believe that patients want to be involved in treatment decisions and by involving them the patients are more amenable to following a treatment plan. As for myself, I am able to help promote health and wellness to the patient that will help focus on healthy habits and preventative measures to decrease the risk of their illness in order to achieve their goal.

After reading this paragraph what can you add to this experience that will explain why a culturally competent physician who acknowledges and integrates the cultural beliefs of my patients into my holistic Western medicine treatment plans, while also promoting health literacy, can help decrease health disparities in underserved communities.