As the world shrinks and we work closer together, accepting and understanding each other becomes more essential every day.

Physician demand in the United States continues to grow faster than supply leading to a projected total physician shortfall of between 61,700 and 94,700 physicians by 2025.

Source: www.aamc.org

In order to combat the shortage of doctors in the United States, An Observership Program will be established at Marion General Hospital. This will assist Chinese international medical graduates (IMG) who wish to observe clinical practice in a U.S. setting.

A Clinical observership program is a great opportunity for international doctors to be in touch with the most advanced diagnosis and treatment techniques and clinical system management methods in the United States hospitals.

Complexity and costs of testing and other steps needed for residency Practicing medicine in the U.S. requires a wide range of skills and knowledge, some specific to the rapidly changing and highly complex American health care system. Even immigrant physicians with extensive clinical skills and experience overseas have much to learn in order to qualify for residency and practice effectively in the U.S. In addition to passing the rigorous and highly technical USMLE licensing exams required for ECFMG certification, they must demonstrate to residency programs that their English proficiency, technological skills
and understanding of U.S. medical culture make them qualified to train successfully in a graduate clinical setting and beyond.

Source:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/img/documents/img2016.pdf

To earn the right to practice in the United States, foreign-trained doctors must:
1) pass the first two parts of the United States Medical Licensing Exam,
2.)Be certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Trained Medical Graduates,
3.) Enter a residency program and pass the third licensing test.

An observership program at Marion General will assist these Chinese medical professionals in placing into a residency program.

The Chinese medical education system is based on the British model. While some medical schools run three-year programs, hospitals tend to recruit physicians who graduated from five-year programs, while big-name hospitals only accept MDs, which takes seven years of study, including the five years of undergraduate studies, followed by the completion of a PhD in medicine.

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_China

Once a student graduates from medical school, he or she must work 1–3 years in a university-affiliated hospital, after which the student is eligible to take the National Medical Licensing Examination (NMLE) for physician certification, which is conducted by the National Medical Examination Center (NMEC). If the candidate passes, he or she becomes a professional physician, and is certified by the Ministry of Health. It is illegal to practice medicine in China as a physician or assistant physician without being certified by the Ministry of Health. Physicians are allowed to open their own clinics after practicing medicine for five years.

Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_China

Our Commitment to Communication begins here!

A little about Chinese Etiquette and Customs:

Greetings are formal and the oldest person is always greeted first.

Handshakes are the most common form of greeting with foreigners.

Many Chinese will look towards the ground when greeting someone.

In general, the Chinese are a collective society with a need for group affiliation, whether to their family, school, work group, or country.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) originated in ancient China and has evolved over thousands of years. TCM practitioners use herbal medicines and various mind and body practices, such as acupuncture and tai chi, to treat or prevent health problems. In the United States, people use TCM primarily as a complementary health approach.

Source:
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/chinesemed.htmce:

Western medical theory and practice came to China in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, notably through the efforts of missionaries and the Rockefeller Foundation, which together founded Peking Union Medical College.
Western medicine gained increasing acceptance in the 1970s and 1980s.
The goal of China's medical professionals is to synthesize the best elements of traditional and Western approaches.

Knowing about Cultural Etiquette for the Chinese People may help clear up any misunderstandings that you could encounter.

Chinese non-verbal communication speaks volumes. Since the Chinese strive for harmony and are group dependent, they tend to rely on facial expression, tone of voice and a persons posture to tell them what someone feels.

Frowning while someone is speaking is interpreted as a sign of disagreement. Therefore, most Chinese maintain an impassive expression when speaking.

Chinese point with an open hand. Never point with your index finger. Also, To beckon a Chinese person, face the palm of your hand downward and move your fingers in a scratching motion. Never use your index finger to beckon anyone.

The Chinese Language
Chinese is a family of closely-related but mutually unintelligible languages. These languages are known regional languages, dialects of Chinese or varieties of Chinese. In all over 1.2 billion people speak one or more varieties of Chinese.


Source:

http://www.commisceo-global.com/country-guides/china-guide

Confucianism is a system of behaviors and ethics that stress the obligations of people towards one another based upon their relationship. The basic tenets are based upon five different relationships:
 Ruler and subject
 Husband and wife
 Parents and children
 Brothers and sisters
 Friend and friend
 Confucianism stresses duty, sincerity, loyalty, honor, filial piety, respect for age and seniority. Through maintaining harmonious relations as individuals, society itself becomes stable.

Source: http://www.commisceo-global.com/country-guides/china-guide

Punctuality in Significant in Chinese Society. People are expected to be on time for appointments, classes, and social or formal events. Arriving to meetings with the Chinese slightly early or exactly on time is essential. It is very similar to the work habits we have here in the United States.

People in the United States tend to have a superstition about the number 13. In the Chinese culture, it is the number 4. The number 4 signifies death in Chinese Culture. Typically Chinese patients and people don't like being on the fourth floor or anything with the number four. . (this could even be a room number at the hospital.) You have to be responsive to that sort of cultural belief in when dealing with people of different backgrounds.

Ohio Health Marion General Hospital is a 250-bed hospital that has provided quality healthcare to the north central Ohio communities since 1920.

Ohio Health Marion General offers a comprehensive mix of inpatient and outpatient healthcare services, including 24/7 stroke and neurological services, advanced heart and vascular surgeries, orthopedic and sports medicine treatment and comprehensive cancer care.
An Observership in a smaller hospital for these Chinese Medical Professionals will show them the type of care the area provides to a certain demographic in the Midwest.

Cultural Diversity inspires creativity. When you bring a variety of different people from various backgrounds together, you'll end up getting better solutions to problems. It also allows more people from different backgrounds to look at the same problem and to explore different approaches and find different solutions. Working together with Chinese Medical Graduates in order to achieve a health care system where no patient would feel excluded and all would experience the same high level of quality care.

Cultural Icebreaker Time!

(IF VIEWING THIS PRESENTATION AS A GROUP)

Two Participants from the group viewing this presentation will stand back to back in the center of the room.

The remaining group members will call out differences between the two people. With each difference, the two will step apart. When they are as far apart as the room will allow, they turn around. Now the audience will call out similarities, until the two are face to face again.

(IF VIEWING THIS PRESENTATION AS A GROUP)

Have them discuss the nature of differences vs the nature of similarities.

Using this as an example for Cultural Diversity shows us that
At first its easy to see the differences that separate two people but if they take the time to find the similarities they have, they will soon realize that they can become close in a short amount of time.



Idea from: The University of Iowa

They are only strangers until you say hello! Make an effort to be friendly to these new Medical Professionals on staff. Ask them questions, show them around the hospital, let them know about community events happening outside the hospital, etc!

They are here to learn about our culture too. What better way than showing them what we have to offer here in Marion, Ohio and the surrounding communities!