Valuable Talents

Above: A former Cuban doctor continues his medical career as a nurse in the United States. From The New York Times, Maggie Steber, 8/4/09.

MORE PROOF THAT ANYONE WOULD DO ANYTHING
FOR A DREAM.

January 2009. I remember that one thing that struck me about the medical staff of Princess Margaret Hospital in Dominica was that the doctors were not just of Dominican descent. In addition to working with the natives, I also worked with a few Cubans, and not to mention an American, and a Filipino (that's luck!). I remember asking one of the Dominicans where he got his medical degree, and he told me that many of the Dominicans really don't go to Ross, but they head to Cuba to get their education. I'm guessing this partnership in medical education explains why many Cubans also found a place in medicine in Dominica.

August 2009. The New York Times featured in their Tuesday Science & Health section, an article about doctors who are fleeing from the political oppression in Cuba and heading for a life in medicine in the states. However, many of these doctors face the challenges that many IMGs face: a language barrier (see my previous IMG entry below) and board examinations that might feature knowledge that outdated textbooks in the Cuban system lack. I really enjoyed former doctor Carlos Domínguez's story about how he traveled to the United States in a boat that didn't have a reverse gear, because he knew he was never going to return to Cuba.

Working with the Cuban doctors during my fifth semester was quite a treat. When working with them, their enthusiasm for the field of medicine definitely showed through their willingness to teach (along with their patience for a set of medical students just bound to mess up). When observing one surgeon perform a hysterectomy, I can clearly remember how excited he was when he saw the patient's fibroid (an abonormal mass originating from the smooth muscle of a woman's reproductive system), and his eyes lit up exactly like a little kid in front of a candy store. After student presentations, the Cuban doctors were more than willing to announce their praise for the students and for the work that went into it.

I absolutely enjoyed working with the Cubans.

The thing I respected a lot about the doctors I worked with was their excellent bedside manner and the ability to speak with them on a first name (okay, semi-first name, because they had us put the doctor title in front of their first name) basis. They also were more than willing to crack jokes left and right to keep the mood light - for patients and for students. For me, it doesn't jive well that doctors from Cuba making it to the U.S. (many of them with great experience, work ethic, and strong motivations) are ending up not working at the level their title, and instead working in other positions in health care (e.g. nurses). Some even go on to work in other unrelated fields.

I understand that coming to the states for freedom is a dream... but there has to be a way for these doctors to be utilized. There's definite potential.

I don't know, perhaps this is a "Hail Mary" idea, perhaps they could be a part of a solution to cure our shortage of primary care physicians? From my experience, they do have the knowledge, the passion, and the ability to be a part of our American Dream of good health care. I don't think that their talents should be wasted; instead, I believe their talents should be refined.

Source: The New York Times