Health Care literacy education program for immigrants and older adults

Literacy is an essential within today’s society, in order to succeed in school, career, and in general everyday skills. Currently most high school graduates do not qualify for many entry level positions or for further career training and education. If an individual cannot read it is very difficult for them to function in society. It is tough to fill out a job application or apply for a driver’s license. The result is those who cannot read have a risk of becoming a burden on society, or can become involved in criminal activity. Thus costing society as these individuals either remain unemployed or locked up within a correctional facility. To solve the literacy problem within the United States the continuous of education is extremely important. Allowing those who have the knowledge and skills to support the development of literacy in others, a chance to continue their education, does this. My higher education happens to be in healthcare. Which, according to most is a field that can be extremely intimidating to those who are illiterate. In many situations patient do not understand disease processes and often find health forms difficult to complete. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have healthcare providers who are trained to teach patients about medical terminology and to ensure that resources available for non-English speakers is adequate. To help with this problem I plan to use my education and experience as a healthcare practitioner to increase health literacy through volunteering in various associations and workshops. For example, after completing my education I would like to become involved in a program like English as a second language (ESL), that engages healthcare professionals in health literacy programs for immigrants. These types of programs encourage individuals to become literate, but also to be decision makers of their own healthcare.