Child Life Scholarship Essay

My husband grew up in the rural area that then after my marriage, I had an opportunity to visit and stay in a village and become familiar with the people’s lifestyle. During my visit, I came to realize that the residents couldn’t always get the care they needed because local hospitals were often far away, crowded or understaffed. That’s why they used many traditional techniques for their treatments that weren’t helpful at all. Mostly, pregnant women and children suffered from the shortage of healthcare systems. They also had high rates of chronic illness, such as heart disease, hypertension and diabetes that usually left untreated. These experiences inspired me to consider osteopathy’s focus on primary care and prevention specially, for the
This hospital is developed to improve the health of the residents of Washington Heights and Inwood where are a predominantly Hispanic community in New York City with high rates of asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and depression. Throughout my experience, I had to work with communities of low-income immigrants with limited English proficiency that posed unique challenges to health providers as well as me. As a Child Life volunteer, I tried to reduce the emotional impact of illness and hospitalization on children and their families by providing age-appropriate play activities, which foster continued growth and development. This experience was challenging in terms of ability to recognize that the patient may have unexpressed needs, the ability to listen to and communicate with patients who are from other cultures or speak other languages. Moreover, we had to demonstrate respect towards all patients and help them overcome the barriers of the health care system. Throughout my volunteering, I had to learn how to deal with the diversity that exists in my community and I realized an understanding of other religions, cultures, ethnicities, and beliefs, which are unique in the American healthcare system was extremely important for patient and physician relationship. Eventually, I have come to embrace the uniqueness of each person and accept people