During this semester we have covered a great deal of information regarding what diverse healthcare is and how to make sure as providers we are being sensitive to the concerns of diverse populations. We have covered many individual topics, but I feel the best way to summarize the core of what we learned in this-be respectful of all people. It feels like all the we have learned this semester really boils down to this one simple concept. For example, when we read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks it was often mentioned that her health care providers had little respect for her. If they had been respectful, perhaps they would have taken the time to explain things to her properly and there never would have been a book written about what was done with her genetic material without her consent.
My learning goals for this semester were fairly simple. I wanted to better understand what major health concerns were for different cultural groups of people, to learn about cultural specific healthcare procedures and to learn about the challenges people face when looking for healthcare. All of these goals were met. In each section of this class we have gone over all three of these ideas. In many ways these have been the core ideas behind the class (my adherence to them was coincidental, I swear!). This class has been very helpful in reminding me that everyone faces a different struggle in maintaining good health.
