OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
uation , if I could graduate . I knew that I would not be a brilliant resident , but a disciplined one . I was never late , never complained and always ready to go the extra mile . Dr . Kathy Thomas gave me a Distinguished Award because I was never a problem for her . I also received an award for my attendance at Ground Rounds . Those were my personal goals .
Norton Healthcare helped me to open a solo practice in Downtown Louisville . I began with six patients a day but after a few months , I had 100 patients a week . I received people from all over the world : Mexico , Honduras , Dominican Republic , Costa Rica , Guatemala and Cuba . Also , KRM and Catholic Charities began to send me all the immigrants from Bosnia , Russia and Somalia , among others . Churchill Downs asked me to see their Hispanic workers as well . I had to learn Spanish words and phrases from different countries . There were multiple Spanish terms that I did not know . Simple example : A Cuban says that they have “ punzada ” to express sharp pain . A Mexican says “ piquete .” There were multiple examples of words , phrases and ways to describe symptoms absolutely unknown to me . I did not know that there were Hispanics from Central America that do not speak Spanish , but instead a dialect . I learned to use a family member to interpret to me in Spanish and then , I could write the note in the chart in English .
Kentucky immigration agencies and work opportunities . We currently have two providers and see 50 patients daily , while receiving seven to 10 new patients every day .
If our city continues growing and receiving immigrants , we have to prepare for that . More international students must be evaluated in our residency programs , and we need to become a multilingual health care community . After a quick Google search , I found that as of 2022 , around 42.5 million individuals in the U . S . speak Spanish as their native tongue , accounting for 13.4 % of the total population . Additionally , there are 12.2 million bilingual Spanish speakers living in the U . S . and there are around 54.2 million Spanish speakers in the U . S . overall . If current trends persist , the U . S . will be home to 132.8 million Spanish speakers in 2050 . That ’ s more than any other country , including my own Mexico . In summary , 87 % of the world ’ s Spanish speakers reside in the Americas .
At my side was always my wife Ibia , who had three jobs when I was in training . My two children are now both nurses , and I send my gratitude always to Lourdes Corman , MD , my initial Residency Program Director .
Dr . Polo is an internal medicine physician at Norton Community Medical Associates – La Clinica Preston .
The advantage of talking to providers in their own language without a translator is tremendous . The original message is directly received by the provider without interpretation and bias . Several complaints cannot be shared with a third person though a tablet . Intimacy and privacy are violated when an interpreter is necessary . Several phrases are not easy to translate even for experienced professionals . Personal interpretations may be subjective , incomplete or even erroneous . A focused problem like “ sore throat ” takes double the time if an interpreter is needed .
Several bilingual mid-level providers joined me in the journey and helped me to enlarge the practice . I had the pleasure to receive students and residents interested in practice with the Hispanic population .
After 20 years in the medical tower , I began to feel the burden of administration . I made a decision to join Norton Healthcare and dedicate my time to just see patients . Judy Maxwell , System Vice President of Practice Administration at Norton , helped me in the process and now I am proud to be part of a new experiment in Norton Community Medical Associates – La Clinica Preston . It is a group of nine health care workers with a strong interest in the underserved Hispanic community . We started in November 2021 . After 18 months , we arrived at the conclusion that we needed a larger office to accommodate at least four providers . Louisville now has a significant Hispanic population , growing more and more due to
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