Yo doy el servicio que prefiero recibir.
Written by Karen Potter
"Habrá algunas sorpresas en la vida. Pero pase lo que pase, siempre ayude a los demás." .... Whatever happens, always help out others.
My Spanish teacher in high school once told me that life would bring many surprises, but that whatever comes my way, I should help others. At that time, Spanish was a required course, and my life focus was the sciences. Little did I know that my surprise in life would be a mutual love for both dentistry and Hispanic language and culture. I would eventually find a way to combine both academic disciplines — by being a Spanish-speaking dentist.
I am in my final year of undergraduate studies at the University of Southern California. This May, I will graduate with a degree in Spanish and a minor in natural sciences. Next September, I will enter the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Dentistry DDS program. Nowadays, one does not need to major in the sciences to go to dental school as long as the predental requirements are met.
When I entered USC, even though I had already fulfilled my language requirement for graduation, I decided to take another Spanish class to keep my Spanish current. I enjoyed the class so much that I thought I would minor in Spanish. From my father's dental practice, I knew that I loved the field of dentistry and wanted to be a dentist. I thought minoring in Spanish would allow me to study not only science, but humanities too.
That year, I started volunteering at the Children's Dental Institute (CDI) in Inglewood, Calif., a lower-income area of Los Angeles, assisting for dental students who treated children from the community. Many of these children were native Spanish speakers and had not yet learned English in school. I noticed how scared these children were in the dental chair because the English-speaking dental students had no way of explaining anything to them — there was a language barrier that caused them fear and discomfort. I thought how wonderful it would be to serve the Hispanic community by providing them comfortable dentistry without the language barrier. I knew then that I should devote my undergraduate education to studying Spanish, so that after dental school I could be a bilingual dentist. In Southern California, where I hope to practice dentistry someday, Hispanics account for about 30 percent of the population.
After careful planning, I changed my major to Spanish. I figured out that I could even graduate from USC in three years! I began to do everything I could to become involved in the Spanish Department at school. I joined the Spanish Undergraduate Student Association (SUSA) and eventually became the vice president. I dedicated much of my time to reading Hispanic literature, watching movies in Spanish, and visiting Latin American art museums. I am planning a trip to Madrid to study abroad for two months this summer. Because I decided to dedicate part of my life to Hispanic culture, I do everything I can to gain a deeper understanding of the Hispanic persona.
As a dentist, I believe I will be able to use this understanding to center my practice around my patients. In every culture, there are different values and reasons for making decisions. I understand American culture, and thus will be able to respect my patients who have been born and raised here in the United States. However, my background in Hispanic language and culture will allow me to understand and respect the values of my Latin American-born patients as well. I hope to have special compassion and understanding for my Hispanic patients that non-Spanish-speaking dentists may not have. Linguistic experts know that language and identity are invariably related. With my knowledge of Spanish language and culture, I believe I can understand the values and identity of my Hispanic patients' and respect their health-care decisions.
When I am in the dental chair, I trust my dentist, my dad, to tell me what is happening in my mouth. I trust him to warn me when I might feel some pressure or slight pain. This was not possible at the Children's Dental Institute because of the language barrier. The children would cry, and I was the only person with a dental background who could comfort them. I want to be able to listen to my patients and understand their concerns. I want to give them the same opportunity that English speakers have of receiving quality dentistry that they can comprehend.
Sometimes people ask me why I have an interest in helping Hispanic people when I have not one drop of Hispanic blood in my body. Well, if they spent 10 minutes where I live in South Central Los Angeles, they would know. More than 50 percent of the people in my ZIP code are Latino/a. There are more than 11 million Latinos/as in California alone, and this number is growing. This population group needs more representation in the dental field, and those who represent them don't need to be Hispanic. I plan on helping people in my life, like my Spanish teacher recommended U and I want to be able to meet their diverse needs in the dental office.
Karen Potter
Ms. Potter will graduate from the University of Southern California, class of 2003, with a major in Hispanic language and culture. Inspired by her father's dental career, she will enter the UCLA School of Dentistry this fall to combine her interest in dentistry with her love of Hispanic culture. Contact her at [email protected].