the doctor will see you now

Ready to learn!

On April 22 our Healers toured the Group Health Rainier Medical Center.  Our guide, Dr. Michael Madwed, has been a family medicine faculty physician and adolescent medicine advocate for almost 30 years.  Our Healers were so excited for this experience that they stayed two hours after school in order to attend.  

Did you know that 98118 is one of the most diverse zip codes in the country? Patients at this clinic are from all over the world.

We learned some key points from touring the clinic:

• The practice of medicine takes a team approach.  It's important to have a clinic design that allows the front desk, nurses, medical assistants, and physicians to communicate and work together.
  
• Many of our students have served as interpreters for their family during medical visits.  We discussed that for reasons such as privacy and accuracy it is important to have medical interpreters available.
• A family doctor sees many different types of patients!  We saw spaces for physical exams, procedures, and a triage area for very sick patients that may need to go to the hospital.  Patients at this clinic can also have Xrays and lab tests.

Did you know that you can't cut yourself with a cast saw? Fracture care is part of the broad spectrum of care a family doctor provides!

Asking some deep questions, such as "Does an apple a day really keep the doctor away?"

We thank Dr. Madwed for sharing his time and knowledge!  Exploring our community and learning from the advocates and elders around us is a key part of developing a vision for what role we can play as future leaders.  

In Peace and Health,
Dr. Malik