Health care narratives

Learning to be self empowered in health care

(Kellett: Narrating patirnthood ch 3) :

Learning from Mark Orbe’s story

Self empowerment & self-advocacy

read:Mark Orbe “Cultural communication competency as a two way street: My journey from medical avoidance to patient self-advocacy” Narrating patienthood ch 3

View the video of his broader identity as a comm scholar (creator of co-cultural theory)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x87QW8Jybk (Links to an external site.)

Read the following update he recently provided me

(His POV on his own chapter)

“My chapter definitely connects to my larger scholarly identities–as a scholar of color/the global majority, believer in the power of the narrative, advocate that we are all teachers/learners simultaneously, and lifelong learner. My work leading cultural competency workshops for medical students and professionals allowed me to utilize my academic training to expand the walls of my traditional classroom and [hopefully] make a difference in how medical professionals communicate with patients. The fact that all of those interactions also had an impact on my role as a patient was super cool — I learned quite a bit about doctors, medicine, etc. and was able to become more empowered and I worked to empower others. Can’t ask for more than that!”

Key concepts from his video and broader work:

comm of marginalized groups/negotiating outsider status/being different

narratives of experience

strategies people use when less powerful (in medical situations and otherwise)

fields of experience (eg early life impacts how you behave and communicate–mitigate co-cultural identity)

strategies chosen in context for goals=comm competence (see his discussion of regional styles).

Exercise 1: Follow-up discussion on Orbe chapter:

How does his chapter/narrative reflect his core and ongoing concerns and ideas as a scholar. ie How is it a Mark Orbe piece of work?

What were the key turning point moments (important scenes in his story) of transformation to self-advocacy (and comm competence) in his story and how did he create this transformation via communication?

What is it about the writing of his chapter that helps you clearly understand his long term journey to patient self advocacy and its connection to communication competence.

Post your answer to these questions as reply.

Exercise 2: Your journey to self-advocacy exercise:

How would you describe your journey so far in life to self-advocacy in health related communication and action? where are you on the spectrum he invokes between avoidance and advocacy?

How “communicatively competent” are you in health care situations?

Who has helped you (think about how his wife helped him)?

what turning points did you encounter and move through in self-advocacy and competence?

What areas could you still develop as a self-advocate?

Do you see any parallels between your story so far, and Orbe’s? If your story is different, why is that?

post your respnonses to the above questions from exercise 1&2.