Learning to meet patients where they are

Christa Slaught, MD, has a life-changing experience through the Resident International Grant Program

Dr. Slaught’s story

One patient encounter that particularly impacted me was an interaction I had with an elderly woman regarding her goals of care. She was Setswana-speaking only and had been diagnosed with Paget’s disease of the breast. It had taken two biopsies to prove the diagnosis, which had resulted in many months of delays. She presented with her daughter who provided most of the translation. They seemed somewhat angry and frustrated from the start of the visit, having just come from a general surgery appointment where a mastectomy had been recommended despite a mammogram not showing any definitive evidence of underlying breast cancer. Although it was not even part of the plan that day, the daughter was very focused on repeating that we could not take any more of her skin and that she would “rather die than lose her breast.”

I am so incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity to return to Botswana as a resident. When I am there, I genuinely love practicing dermatology. The focus is on caring for patients who really need the help and there is nothing more fulfilling than that. I cannot thank you enough for this experience!