How Compassion and Education can Change the World!

My initial interest in medicine was rooted in service to the community and it is that same service that continues to call me toward medicine. Particularly my experience working at Crossroad Health Center as a Volunteer Intern has solidified my desire to pursue medicine. Crossroad has taught me about the kind of provider that I would like to be. During my time at Crossroad I have been fortunate to have had many patient interactions and I have learned that medicine goes far beyond the walls of a clinic or hospital. The compassion of physicians toward their patients that I see at Crossroad is something I want to emulate. I have witnessed firsthand the safe and hopeful place that the patient-­doctor relationship can be and I believe it empowers people, it gives them strength and hope for the future. Medicine can be such an effective tool to help shape entire communities upon the basis of the simple yet powerful practice of compassion.

I have been most touched by this compassion during my time working with Pediatrics. I have learned that Pediatrics is like a mysterious puzzle in which providers must carefully assemble the pieces. Most often children cannot fully articulate what is going on with their body and it falls upon the provider to look at their patient as a whole and provide the best care possible. At Crossroad, the providers do just that and more. No matter the age of the patient they take the doctor­-patient relationship seriously.

Furthermore, what makes Crossroad so special is on top of the key base of compassion is the priority placed on educating patients about their health. I think that in order for patients to fully bring their thoughts about what they want for their body and health into fruition they must fully understand what is going on medically. There is a large difference between a patient being told what is wrong and them understanding what is wrong. This idea is especially true in Pediatrics and at Crossroad the providers teach children about health in way that not only promotes a lifetime of healthy living, but also enhances the doctor-­patient relationship by building trust.

This program has made a great impact on the way I view medicine. It has taught me that medicine is much more than prescriptions and doctor visits. At its core, medicine is a field that is dedicated to serving the community through both compassion and education and Crossroad has perfected the skill of doing both.

--Yasmeen Daher