MedEx Day 16 - July 30th, 2018

Today was the start of the last week of MedEx. To begin the day, Tier I had an hour and 30 minutes of study time for the SAT, ACT, or other tests. Since I have completed taking standardized tests for college, I decided to continue to work on my presentation on Dr. Andrew Wakefield and the ethics behind his study on the correlation between autism and the MMR Vaccine. I focused most of my research on trying to find out what the ethical dilemmas with his study were. One was that he was paid $800,000 by lawyers that were suing the MMR Vaccine creators to do the study, and he did not disclose this transaction, at first. Also, Dr. Wakefield did not properly go through his hospital's IRB in order to do this research study. Next one of the program advisors for MedEx, Hannah, gave a very basic presentation on cultural competency and why that is important in the Healthcare industry. I learned that white children see a physician approximately two times more annually than an African American child does. Also, minority patients are less likely to be prescribed treatment when they present with the same symptoms as a white counterpart. Being culturally competent is very relevant to healthcare because it ensures that I put my patients over my implicit biases in order for everyone to receive quality treatment. After lunch, Reverend John Hartman, the Director of Spiritual Care at GHS, came to speak with us about what chaplains do and why they are employed by GHS. Reverend Hartman revealed that research has proven when patients are cared for spiritually, as well as physically, they have a statistically better outcome. Next, Director Aaron Dix came to answer our questions about EMS. I found out that Dr. Claude Beck invented CPR in 1956. Also, I was impressed to find out that no matter where in Greenville County one has a healthcare emergency, EMS should be able to get them to the Hospital in about an hour after being notified. I was especially interested in hearing Mr. Dix speak to the huge socio-economic disparities that he sees throughout his day. Lastly, Dr. Paul Catalana came to speak with MedEx Tiers I and III about Medical School applications. I learned that the USCSOMG loves to see that the applicant understands how healthcare and treatment can impact patients financially. Another fantastic day!