Navigating Politics as a Medical Student of Mexican Descent

"I never sought to transform John’s political views—my role as a future doctor is to heal people like John, to judge his heart by its physicality and not its prejudice. However, I hope that because of our time together as people with different backgrounds and worldviews, John acquired a more compassionate understanding of Mexican people than what our president publicizes. I hope that we remember each other."

Medical student Salem Harry-Hernandez describes what it’s like as a Mexican American caring for patients who freely share their political views on controversial topics.

This essay was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the December 2019 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.