During my undergraduate studies in health science I spent a large amount of time researching the United States healthcare system and found it to be riddled with flaws; one of the more significant issues being health disparities. Mental illness and physical ailments can affect any individual, regardless of racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic status; however, these conditions are more prevalent and chronic for those individuals in socially disadvantaged populations. Certainly, great strides have been accomplished to decrease health disparities, most recently through The Affordable Care Act; however, the problem still persists. Both my volunteer work at Catholic Charities and work experience at Vocational Rehabilitation gave me a deeper understanding of this issue and reasons why many individuals are still having trouble gaining access to healthcare. First, many families do not speak English and due to this language barrier have little understanding of what services and financial options are available to them. I also noticed that many lower income individuals do not have access to the internet or even a telephone. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to access the marketplace to sign up for health insurance. Language barriers and lack of education also make the marketplace difficult to navigate. Unfortunately, even for those individuals that do gain access to the …show more content…
I currently work for my father-in-law’s company. He has generously allowed me to work from home; therefore, my hours are very flexible. If my internship is during the day, I will be able to fulfill my work duties at night. Along with the support of my in-laws, my husband also fully supports my decision to attend graduate school. His work hours are also very flexible and he is more than willing to help out with the house and children as needed. While working towards my Bachelor’s degree, I took the majority of my courses online. I learned that time management and organizational skills are keys to success; for that reason, I have worked to perfect these skills. My undergraduate experience also taught me to prioritize my responsibilities and allow myself plenty of time to complete school assignments in case a family emergency occurs. Overall, I am serious about my studies and am dedicated to doing whatever it takes to succeed in this