Point taken. I've seen it on this site way too often that, many docs feel that anyone who doesn't have an MD/Do and is practicing medicine isn't in a position to make any statements about the status of the medical field or make suggestions about how to balance a stressful career with family. And after rereading you post, I don't think it's reaching to believe that you unwittingly or not, were doing the same. However, one of the great things about this site is that we are usually able to engage in discussions, disagree, fight, and make up again all in the name of presenting different points of view. And I thnk that's VERY important.

Now back to you regularly scheduled program!

PS- The obesity epidemic in this country is going to make you one very busy doc one day!

The AT&T language line charges 6 bucks a MINUTE the last time I checked, which was a few years ago. That'll eat up what public aid pays for a 99213 REAL quick.

I'm doing my best to be "culturally competent", but it's very hard when you're working with a number of cultures, and what other country in this world trains their docs to be culturally competent in many other cultures (most foreign countries just ridicule American culture)? My culture of origin (scandinavian) maintains a large personal space and is uncomfortable with hugging. Why doesn't anyone in this country repect THAT (there's WAY too much hugging going on in this country).

Assinine in what way (and can we stop the name-calling please?)

It's a legitimate question. You mentioned that doctors should be required to learn Spanish (and btw, I don't live in a border state but I have plenty of Spanish-speaking patients), and I wondered why not other languages if that's how it's going to be?

Melting pot is one thing, but carving out little countries and making comments like I have seen on the news that "We will take over the US". Is not what I would call a melting pot. I never said everyone needed to blonde, blue-eyed, and size 2, but English happens to be the language that this country functions on, and those who learn it are the ones who will eventually attain "the American dream", which is what the folks who have come here over the years have always been seeking, have they not?

I HAVE made the effort to (re)learn Spanish in order to help these women, but I gotta say, even my translator, who was born in Mexico and is a legal immigrant, runs out of patience with some of the ladies who come to our clinic, and their lack of effort to learn how ANYTHING works in this country.

I agree with those who have suggested we need to start offering preventative health care options to illegal immigrants, both to provide them with better care and to save on expensive ER visits and undiagnosed conditions.

I also think it would be a fantastic idea for individual medical schools to start requiring applicants to have studied a foreign language (any language) for at least one year on an undergraduate level. Forget about altruistic motives for a moment--learning a language is cognitively challenging, and surely at least as relevant as calculus or English Literature to the medical profession. I think such a requirement would result in a more intelligent and capable student body overall.

Lastly, I agree with the suggestion that all humans throughout the world deserve basic health care, and that it is the responsibility of those who can to work toward this goal. I am not particularly religious, but I would expect anyone even remotely so to agree with this standpoint.

The comment was asinine, NOT you so my apologies if you took it that way. But common, I'm not "Boo-Boo the Fool", I know EXACTLY what you meant when you asked about learing 3 hundred thousand languages. :rolleyes:
Uhhhhhh, I think we do, it's called a "standard of beauty" that has blond hair/blue eyes and wears a size 2! :p

But don't worry, in a about a hundred years or so, the standard of beauty with be brown hair/brown eyes with a "badonkadonk"!!! :laughing:

I agree with you 100%. I would never even travel to a country without learning at least as much of their language as I needed for my trip. I just think that it is ridiculous to ask for everyone in a country to accomadate others who come in and won't/don't know the language. I mean, I am already teaching my kids German and French. No offense to anyone who speaks Spanish, but I can't speak a word of it. I know SEVERAL languages, but for some reason I just have a block with Spanish. I am not going to go out of my way to learn it, either. I think that languages should be taught optionally and with enthusiasm if you are going to, but telling me I HAVE to? Not going to happen.

Just like when you travel, I have many friends who live in Europe or have traveled. Especially places like France, they are very patriotic, and very much in love with their language. Most of them learn several other languages in school, and I think that is usefull. But the minute you go speak English there and demand they speak it back to you, girl, you are in for trouble.

I live in an area with a HUGE migrant worker population, and I would say that 90% of the ones I have encountered speak good English. Even in the hospitals I worked at. There was one couple who didn't, but one of our most awesome nurses was Mexican, and she would translate. I don't see any need to treat illegals differently medically. But I do not have insurance, and I'll be darned if some hospitals would see me, we have enough problems with poverty and insurance in this country to allow a huge influx of citizenship to bear a bigger burden.

I agree, why is it so forced upon us to learn Spanish due to immigration, when I'm sure up farther north by the Quebec border, I am sure it's not required to know French, right? OR what if there was suddenly a huge Chinese influx, do you really think that we would be bending backwards to learn Chinese? Of course not.

It would not be fair to all of the migrants who are legal and have worked really hard to become a citizen, and the ones that have broken laws and been illegal just get citizenship with this whole deal.

I personally think that immigration should be slowed down to almost a halt with all of the terrorism issues. I think that it should be way more selective, if anything. Yes, our ancestors (most of us) were migrants, too. My ancestors personally came over right after the Mayflower, then some as Irish slaves, and I am also part Native American (documentable), and this land was stolen. But just about all land on this earth was stolen at some point in the past or more recently. Including from my relatives, but I am not making a big fuss over what someone's great great great great grandparents did to my great great great grandparents. That's the past. Let's fix the future.

Believe me, I am not afraid of "those with brown skin ruling the country some day". That is just plain ridiculous. I have many minority friends who would all think that this comment is ridiculous. I am dying for some more people of color to run for office. Barack Obama is just about a God to me here in Illinois where I am surrounded by rednecks.

You must forget that every country around today has been "stolen" from someone else. And the "original" inhabitants didn't even speak Spanish. That was only when the Spanish and Portugese (mainly, but there were other culprits) came over and raped and pillaged the natives. Thanks smallpox.

And english is what this country was built on, being "founded" as a country by the English, but also, what about dutch, or french? Because they are the ones that also helped mostly build up this country and "fought against the Spanish for land", so since we are on the "winning" side of this one, should it be more fair to make French and Dutch secondary languages? We most likely wouldn't even be a country if France hadn't helped save us from the British during the American Revolution.

I think that one of the main reasons I am for an "english only" primary language, is because it will help with assimilating everyone into "an American". You don't have to leave your cultural identity behind, you just need a way to communicate effectively to "live the American Dream". But that's just my :twocents:

I agree. I have space issues.

The comment was asinine, NOT you so my apologies if you took it that way. But common, I'm not "Boo-Boo the Fool", I know EXACTLY what you meant when you asked about learing 3 hundred thousand languages. :rolleyes:
I am neither a size 2, brown eyed, blond hair blue eyed, nor do I have a nice "badonkadonk".

I think that the "standard of beauty" in this country is quite ridiculous, honestly, but you'd have to get rid of tv and the media to revert that one. Or have more beautiful diverse people on there, which I desperately hope happens. But what has this to do with anything? BTW: Salma Hayek is absolutely GORGEOUS, and noone would deny that one. Seen Frida?

I have seen Frida(although the one eyebrow doesn't work too well for me personally). Salma Hayek, beautiful? Sure she is, but what dooes THAT have to do with anything?

The REAL question is can you name 5 other Mexican American actresses? How about 3? Maybe not now, but in another 10 maybe 15 years, hopefully many more than 5! :yes: