An eye-opening rotation at the Indian Health Service

For the month of September, I embarked on the experience of a lifetime, living and working on the largest Native American reservation in the United States. Sprawled across the four corners region of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, the Navajo Reservation in Chinle, Arizona, encompasses an area as large as the entire state of West Virginia. Its population, however, is only about 300,000, making it extremely rural. To leave the reservation from Chinle, where I was living, required over 100 miles of travel in any direction. I would strongly recommend a rotation like this to other medical students, as I experienced cultural enrichment beyond compare. After my time there, I am interested in exploring further opportunities with the Indian Health Service, as many reservations are in desperate need of health care professionals. Living on the Rez (as they call it), was a humbling and mind-opening experience. I had to get used to being the only white person around, which helped me gain perspective on what so many minorities experience every day. Resources were scarce: The town had a video rental store, laundromat, Burger King, a hotel, a gas station, and a grocery store — that was about it. Surprised by the number of stray dogs roaming the streets, I felt as if I were in a developing country. The land is also open range, so cows and horses roamed alongside, or on, the roads. The number of car accidents that occur on the Rez, either due to drunk driving or collisions with...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Education Primary Care Source Type: blogs