A new class of students at the TCU Barnett School of Medicine is about to start. They get their ceremonial white coats this weekend, just as third-year med student Michaela Mitchell did when she started.
“Yeah, I mean everyone gets that white coat syndrome, myself included,” Mitchell said.
Med students learn the tools of their trade there. But the focus is learning other languages to connect with patients.
“I’ll say like, puede escuchar tu corazón, can I listen to your heart? Or respirar profundo, like take a deep breath,” Mitchell said.
“If you’re able to do that, if you’re able to connect in the context of language and culture, then it’s a much better relationship,” Ph. D. Karla O’Donald said. “Cafecito for Latinos is a time to sit down, to talk. You have a cup of coffee and a conversation, and you look at your watch, and it’s three hours later.”
Michaela helped start the med student initiative, Charlar con Cafecito, chat over coffee, a monthly gathering at Cafe Azul in Fort Worth’s near South Side. The program recently got a $3,000 grant from the Texas Medical Association.
“So we do have interpreters and lots of new technology, but we can really feel that there’s a disconnect between us and the patients when we’re not able to speak the same language,” Mitchell said.
“Covering the ocean that is between you and the patient. And you’re going to be able to take care of your patient much better,” Ph. D O’Donald said. “That vulnerability, I think specifically for students, medical students, is just another, you know, another tool to their belt, right?”
It’s about having empathy to meet people as they are.Because understanding the person is the first step to treating the patient.