With the start of a new medical school year upon us and the total number of students currently in U.S. medical schools reaching a new high of 100,000, according to Association of American Medical Colleges data, Medscape Medical News wanted to know more about these ambitious students. Reasons for pursuing a career in health care ranged from emulating family members, to witnessing a family member dealing with a difficult prognosis or having one’s own personal health challenge, to experience as a medic in the military.
For Goebel, finding a way to use her language abilities (she speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and French) was just one of the things that propelled her to apply to medical school. Initially, she thought she’d follow in the footsteps of her mom, who taught English as a second language to immigrant families from Mexico and Central America. Now she is committed to helping patients who face language barriers within the health care system.
“In the hospital, I find myself drawn to patients who are nonnative English speakers or have other communication barriers,” said Goebel, who is considering specializing in urologic oncology. “I’d like to train and work somewhere with populations that have that kind of communication barrier.”
Watching other doctors connecting with patients in their native language remains inspiring to Goebel.
“I’ve watched some of the doctors speaking in a language that their patients understand, and that’s so important,” she said. “I truly believe every field needs someone who is culturally competent, and that starts with speaking their language.”