Welcome

Hello, well I am new to the blogging world so please bear with me. Though I have not officially begun volunteering, I have contacted just about every clinic listed to make sure I was able to volunteer somewhere. The clinic I was really interested in was El Centro de Corazon since this was a predominantly Hispanic clinic and I was hoping not only to brush up on my Spanish medical terminology, but also be a medium of information for the patients because I know how hard it is for Spanish-only speakers (and many with English as a second language) to communicate and especially understand anything not in their language. (The only bad thing was that when I emailed the contact person, she had an auto-reply message saying she would be out of town until Sept 8.) In my past volunteering experiences, I have seen many physicians speak to their patients as if they were also doctors leaving the patient more scared than when they initially came in so I am hoping that wherever I end up volunteering I can help people understand what exactly is going on. Yet, I also understand that patient interaction is not always possible and therefore I am willing to help any way I can. It's amazing the services these clinics offer and to be a part of something greater than myself and to help those who truly need help is a great opportunity. I have volunteered in hospitals but not in an under-served clinic so I am excited to get to experience the whole array of medical scenes and opportunities out there. I am also hoping to become more open- minded and understanding to different situations and learn to empathize with people of all different backgrounds. I'm hoping that in the long run, this experience will make me a more well rounded person and hopefully one day a better physician.