Healthcare Disparities of Patients from Different Statuses Narrative: There are continuing disparities in health care among people of different cultures, races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2016).
I have two years of working experiences as a pharmacy technician in Yoo pharmacy. While working in Yoo pharmacy, I had experienced to interact with patients from different cultures, races, gender, ethnicities. Patients were Americans, Hispanics,
and Asians. However, about 90 percent of patients were Korean Americans.
Healthcare Disparities of Patients from Different Statuses and Korean Patients
Plus most of elder Korean patients were inept to communicate with Americans because of their language barrier. Therefore, assisting them as a translator to their physicians and insurance companies became a part of my duties in Yoo pharmacy. I felt pitiful that some Korean patients do not have full
benefits from their insurance companies. Pharmacist Yoo was trying to help those patients in his way such as providing direction to use in Korean labels. Since I saw his effort to care his patients, I felt more comfortable to ask detail questions about the medicine I will take. Thus, I even chose his pharmacy rather than other American retail pharmacies. Also, I saw some difficult situations that Pharmacist Yoo had to choose a right decision when he received patients who ordered
highly additive medicines. I encountered some African American patients who were regularly visiting his pharmacy to order for Oxycodon. I asked pharmacist Yoo to consider talking with their physicians who provide their prescriptions. I might be see African American patients skeptically.
Healthcare Disparities of Patients from Different Statuses and Prescription
However, I also contemplated about physicians who abuse their authorities to write prescriptions. Working experience in Yoo Pharmacy facilitated me to deliberate how I can provide care to patients from different cultures, races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic status. Moreover, it challenged me to decide my future career to be
a pharmacist. As the United States is growing bigger and bigger with people from diverse cultures, pharmacist needs to provide individual care to fit patients’ cultural backgrounds. As a future pharmacist, I believe I should inquire patients about their
cultural backgrounds. I should try to learn their cultural differences such as greeting words and attitude towards the patients based on their cultures. Also, I should consider patients ethnic characteristics. Different ethnic groups have different beliefs about medication treatment they will take. So, I should provide accurate information to help them to
understand their medication treatments. As increasing in Hispanic populations in the US, it is becoming important that pharmacists need to learn about their cultural background. When I become a pharmacist, I will greet large number of Hispanic patients as much as American patients. Learning Spanish language will be the best consideration appropriate to care Hispanic
patients. However, adopting new language is requiring much effort. I believe that hiring a pharmacy technician or a staff who has Spanish language ability can be facilitated to provide better care to Hispanic patients. It is very important to acquire cultural knowledge to provide better cares to patients. I believe what I learned from my previous experience in pharmacy can
contribute to improve patient care based on different cultures, races, and ethnicities in the field of pharmacy.
