It
sounds like you were called to change the status quo. How did you do
that? I decided I would learn to speak Cantonese. I sought
out a Chinese tutor who and began paying him for weekly lessons. The
first sign of progress did not come for me until after six months when
I could properly say "I." Then things began to come a bit easier.
My training
took place over four years as I took lessons, practiced speaking with
patients and worked for six months at a Chinese clinic in Boston. Serving
there helped me appreciate our own hospital system here in Puget Sound.
What
results did you see? Once I was able to speak any Chinese
decently, I saw my Chinese patients anxiety drop greatly. They began
to smile when they heard me speaking in their own language. Those smiles
meant and mean a great deal to me. Not only that, I know I am doing
much better medicine with them. Improving the quality of treatment means
a lot to me also!
Contrary
to initial fears my Chinese patient population did not include just
those who serve in low paying jobs but also lawyers, teachers, ministers,
and restaurant owners as well as the relatives and friends of all I
served. The news spread. Today about 15% of my clients speak Chinese
and 10% of those only speak Chinese. Another interesting thing happened,
too. When I began speaking even poor Chinese it gave those learning
English permission to speak English, and that they do. While their English
is not good, my Chinese is worse, and we laugh at each other.
What
kind of support did you receive in making these changes?
I mostly met resistance. Other physicians could not understand my wanting
to invest that much of my time outside work in my patients. Ironically,
the system did change in large part because I was spurred to bring about
further changes in the system when I saw how well my patients were responding.
When they felt they could safely express their needs it accelerated
their progress. Even though a law was in place in the 1990s requiring
translators, it was being overlooked. I decided that I was going to
advocate for translators for all non-English speaking patients. The
administration probably thought I was a real pest, but I learned whom
to approach and I was very persistent. Today every patient that needs
a translator has one.
You've
shared some of the challenges you faced. What was the most difficult?
Sticking
with it through those initial years. You've heard the attitudes of my
colleagues and my husband was puzzled too with all the time I was spending
learning Chinese. Then we were traveling in Europe and we meet a couple
of young Chinese women in Germany at a railroad station in the early
hours of the morning. When they heard me speak Chinese their faces just
lit up. From then on my husband didn't question my spending time learning
Chinese.
What
tips would you have for individuals wanting to make a difference and
take on a new challenge?
- Take
a long-view of the situation. Keep working at it.
- Accept
that the final product, in my case, speaking useable Cantonese, may
require more than you originally estimate.
- One
step at a time, and appreciate the small victories, smiles, along
the way.
Using
a Coach:
In thinking about how she would use a coach, Dr. Jones reflected that
she would have them help her re-evaluate priorities and plans periodically
or support her in a change of job or focus. What she would count on
them to do is “ask the right questions.”
Contact
me now to set up a 30 minute Introductory
Conversation
.... and let your coaching adventure
begin!
