Since our earliest days, Maybelle Center has played an important part in the education of healthcare providers. In partnership with universities, we host practicums for student nurses to explore the complex link between poverty and health inequalities that can often hinder care.
Every year, many members volunteer to open their homes to nursing students from OHSU, University of Portland, and Concordia University.
We sat down with one of our members to get a glimpse into the experience:
An interview with Michael J. Smith, Maybelle Center for Community member. The interview has been edited for clarity.
What does visiting with students bring to your life?
“It’s a chance to socialize for an hour, once a week. And more importantly, it gets me out of my apartment, instead of me being in there all day. I also like it because the students I visit with don’t judge me for my faults. They treat me with respect and dignity.
“My form of autism is more difficult to spot than others – I have a high functioning form. I’ve had bad experiences where people treat me differently because of who I am.”
You mentioned autism makes your life more difficult. Has your relationship with this community made it any easier?
“I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 36. Asperger’s itself wasn’t recognized here in the United States until 1994. I was 21 by the time it was recognized. It took 15 more years after that to find out I had it. I’ve pretty much been on my own – “Hope you don’t sink. Swim!”
“I need help with certain things – certain things I just don’t comprehend. And now, with the help of this organization, I’ve had help in navigating the sometimes difficult bureaucracy, the evolving healthcare system, and a whole host of things.”
What do you think students get out of the visits?
“Well, I give the students a chance to hear about someone who they have never encountered before. They hear about perspectives from people who they normally do not deal with in their ordinary lives.”
After the practicum ends, how do you think this experience improves the delivery of care?
“The participants view this population more favorably because they get a chance to see that we are decent human beings, after all. We all have curveballs and have been tossed around in the game of life. I’ve had my share of them, believe me. Some of us have been thrown more curveballs than others.”
About our education for social change program
In 2018, our members hosted 80 nursing students, spending over 2,771 hours in conversation. Practicums typically include weekly visits over one term and conclude with a research presentation on a topic that has surfaced during their visits with members.
The experience benefits students and members:
- Students get first-hand experience exploring how healthcare inequalities can result from complex health issues related to poverty.
- Members get a chance to connect, and assistance navigating the often-complex healthcare system.
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