Blogs

As healthcare workers and students, the importance of reflection is something that is always stressed. In my personal life- and especially in light of recent events- reflecting on my ethnicity and culture is something I’ve been doing a lot more of. And this process of reflection has gone hand-in-hand with my growth as an advocate in healthcare. 

I can’t count all the times in my life where I’ve looked at my differences as disadvantages, or as flaws. 

I was born in Puerto Rico into a strong, diverse Latinx family. I grew up speaking and learning English and Spanish alongside each other. I was raised to be proud of who I was, and to represent my culture wherever I went. 

None of that was an issue for me when I was younger. But the older I’ve gotten, the more evident the cruelty in this world has become. From subtle snarkiness and microaggressions to blatant racism and even threats; the world is no longer sugarcoated for us. And these are the kinds of situations that make you want to change who you are to fit inside the bubble of what other people want. 

Without even realizing it, I started to change myself to fit a mold I was never meant to fit in. This was the case until I started working in healthcare- when my perspective really changed. 

Living in a southern state in an area with relatively low diversity, I started to realize the impact I could create as a Latinx healthcare worker. Over the past few years, I’ve worked with many individuals whose native language was Spanish. Many individuals who have never gotten proper translations, or true culturally comprehensive care before I became a part of their team. So many people who have never seen someone who looked like them in the healthcare system before me. 

I’ve realized that I was never meant to change who I was to fit into a system. Instead, I was meant to be who I am, unapologetically, to change that very system! And we can all do the same. Created change starts with us! And most of the time, it’s the little things that can make the biggest difference. 

We all have our own strengths - our own qualities that make us unique. And now more than ever, we have to use that to help create a more open-minded and diverse healthcare system globally. The future of what healthcare looks like depends on us. Are we actively working to create a more positive environment? Are we actively holding true to the basic principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, justice and respect? Or are we conforming to a system that is outdated- one that has actively excluded people for not fitting the “mold”? 

As healthcare workers and students, we are called to be ADVOCATES. We need to use our differences to make a difference.