Why Spanish Matters

My team was once called to the pediatric emergency department to see an adolescent who had intentionally overdosed on acetaminophen. Beside her, with a face marked by numbness, was her mother who only spoke Spanish. I, a medical student, was the sole person on the team with fluency in this language. Thus began my role as cultural broker where I drew upon my integrated bicultural identity. In this identity, the person adopts the receiving culture and retains the values of the culture of origin.1 This allowed me to more comprehensively navigate the relationship with the family.
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Attachments Source Type: research