University of Utah Student Newspapers--The Chronicle | 2008-09-03 | Page 4

Wednesday, September 3, 2008 DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE DOCTORS continued from Page 1 the USMLE in the middle of their college career, said Devon Hale, a pathologist and adviser to international medical students. The first phase is a rigorous eight-hour test of academic knowledge in all the different fields of medicine, from anatomy to chemistry. David Watt, a spokesman for the Federation of State Medical Boards, said that medical licensing ensures standards for doctors and their patients. While some international doctors do receive some sort of passing grade on the USMLE, they are usually world-renowned men and women immigrating to the United States to teach at a prestigious university, he said. One of the major obstacles between international doctors and a medical license is the language barrier, said Joseph Orr, an anesthesiologist at the Moran Eye Center. Alvaro Camacho, a janitor who mops at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, was once a pharmacist in Colombia. He also fled to America as a political refugee, and has not been able to learn a language other than his native Spanish, Orr said. Also, students in other countries enter medical school right after graduating high school. Gomez-Torres said this is possible because their primary education is at a higher level than most American schools. This is a cause for resentment among some American doctors, who feel that their international counterparts should not be able to practice at the same level of medicine having only earned—in their eyes—the equivalent of a nursing degree, Orr said. It's also difficult for refugees to prepare for an American-geared exam. Hale said American professors use their students' time only teaching material that will be on the exam, which leaves aspiring international doctors at a loss because the schools they attended outside the United States do not use this method. Hale said that international students are frequently a long way from mastering the basic sciences they need when they have to take part one of the exam, which he said also accounts for the increased failure rate. For a refugee like Gomez-Torres, who was nearly 20 years removed from academics when he came to America, the disparity is that much greater. The difficulty of passing the test is compounded since he works full-time to support his wife and three children, on top of earning his full citizenship. It's been nine years since the Gomez-Torres family arrived in America. It took eight years for them macist who now works as a janitor, to receive their green cards. For their works to support his daughter Nafirst year in America, they could only thalia, who is studying architecture work delivering newspapers. For the at the U on a scholarship. next 18 months, they served in nursTheir three children are their new ing homes. They finally had their priority and hope now, Gomez-Torres big break five years ago. The former said. Although he and his wife had to surgeon and chemist went to work as sacrifice their professions, they did nursing assistants at the U Hospital. it because their family was at risk, With three children in need of an and America could provide not only education and a full-time job to sup- safety, but vast and greater opportuport them, Gomez-Torres said there nities for their children, he said. hasn't been time to study for the "We chose this country because USMLE. It's hard enough for medical it's the most important country in students in the prime of their educa- the world, and the opportunities that tion to pass the exam, he said—con- we saw for our children and their fusider the difficulty for a 54-year-old ture," he said. doctor who has been out of school Gomez-Torres's youngest child is for more than 25 years. still in high school. Another child is Gomez-Torres is not the only in- studying at the U to be an architect ternational doctor at one of the uni- or a computer programmer. Gomezversity's medical centers. Yohannes Torres forfeited his job as a nursing Dagne practiced ophthalmology surgeon at the U Hospital to his elin Eastern Europe. He had to leave dest son, Oscar Torres-Parra, who with his family. Now he's a surgical is currently working on a doctorate technician at the Moran Eye Cen- degree to become a surgeon like his ter. Gomez-Torres also works at the father once was. center as an anesthesia technician, "First, family. Second, my profesalong with another former doctor sion. I need to give the opportunity from Cuba. to my children to be a professional "He was working as an anesthesi- here. We are working for that—my ologist in Cuba. He came with fam- wife and me," he said. "You can't ily. He's almost 60 years old. He is imagine what a big frustration I felt almost the same situation—just wait- at that time. But I learned my lesson: ing for our children to do something to be humble. I understand that fambetter than we our doing right now," ilies are what's important. And I'm doing that for them." Gomez-Torres said. For instance, Camacho, the [e-mail] DIVERSITY continued from Pagel ommended the diversity office create the position to put a stronger focus on student diversity issues. The Center for Ethnic Student Affairs, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center and other student groups will be under the supervision of the new assistant vice president. "This position would allow for more time to be spent on student affairs and diversity issues," said Cathy Martinez, director of the LGBT Resource Center. More student groups will be able to complement each other and collaborate together, Martinez said. Scott McAward, director of the Center for Disability Services, said he believes this position will benefit a lot of students. "I definitely think there is a need for this position," he said. "Anytime you can bridge academic and student affairs, it is a positive thing." [e-mail] VOTERS continued from Page 1 effective to simply have them provide some funding for the AsianAmerican group on campus," Jarvis said. "That way everybody wins. We want everyone registered and they want Asian-Americans registered. It makes a lot of sense." Tsai said he thinks it will be easier for the two groups to work together than to compete against each other in the drive. ASUU Government Relations Board Director Andrew Jensen said Tsai contacted the U's Hinckley Institute of Politics earlier this year, which referred him to the ASUU Government Relations Board and VoteProject, "The chamber wanted VoteProject to provide training to its leadership on the strategies and tactics for getting out the vote that we were using on campus," Jensen said. Jarvis attended a meeting at the chamber with representatives from the Salt Lake County Clerk's office, which is responsible for voter registration county-wide, and the plan to work together was born. "We are doing a lot of outreach into the surrounding community," Jarvis said. "We are trying to go off campus and find ways to reach out to different groups on campus that don't typically get as politically involved." He said VoteProject was previously active on the U campus during the 2004 and 2006 election cycles. The group sets up tables and hangs posters on campus to make it as easy as possible for U students to find information about the candidates and the issues, get registered to vote and locate their polling location. They train and work with a coalition of other campus groups including the Bennion Community Service Center, the Greek Council, the Latter-day Saint Student Association and diversity groups like AASA. [e-mail] students :"s;r>i^ ?A\ K: • - " • ; ^ LOJ * • « * * • • p*. y^: r<*z / ; v- ii * !»'• ' iK" > , • • i*;. --fl^ • •••;• - .-'^ ^ • > , # * • ; . . wJ •^•'.i ZIONS BANK Member FDIC t / i : •• .'..t www.zionihink.comt WE HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN WHO KEEPS US IN BUSINESS.* 1 1 j0 nl Jh rm m Imum u 1 l ' ' H U ^ I ^ V B I U ^ M iLllrTwi'r ! " t " " M " 1 " ' I " " " ' " " ' i ^ ' ' " "° " ••• °" «•»• " " " » «n9 •» th. slgn*r I. « stud.nt. Minimum opening d.^o.l. , m r f | Muil b. IB y . . r . of . g a , , r old« lo .nlir .Mo purcha*. n.c.swry. Zlons Bank .mptoyMi .nd th.tr Immtdf.t. f.mfU« .re not .UgibU for Ih. contest dr«wlnB. Thi, offer is not y . U ? ^ rJJ/Wfl»- You neednot be pr.,.nt to win. To «ni.r without vl.htngi 2lon« B.nkbr.nch.hand-prlntytiurnam.^ddr.M/cllaiUte.ilp. d.y.pd^.nlng phon.hurth