Why did you choose your specific health professional career?
I chose this more as avocation so I believe it to be more of a calling for me to do this instead of me actually choosing to do this.
What experiences did you have to make sure this profession was right for you?
Originally, I was interested in being an architect, but switched my interest to become a chiropractor. I believe this was avocation for several reasons. First, it was a drastic change in my life, which I didn’t foresee being what I truly wanted to do. Second, I had been in prayer about what I was doing and my answer was not architecture. Third, I had affirmation from people who knew me and encouraged me into this field.
Describe any obstacles or barriers to success that you encountered along your health professional career path. How did you overcome them?
One obstacle or barrier that I came across was the financial obligation. I was more worried about money so the ability to finance school was one of my biggest burdens. I was fortunate to receive a scholarship for my first semester, which helped greatly. I was also able to work. Other than my scholarship and work, I relied on prayer and faith to secure my finances. Another obstacle I experienced was when I was almost three-fourths of the way through my program. I started to think, “I am wrong. I am in the wrong field. What am I doing?” Luckily, I came to realize that it was a mental thing that I was going through. I was also homesick and I wanted to go home. However, I also realized on a deeper level that I needed to finish my program for myself and for the benefit of my tribe.
What do you do in your current job?
Currently, I am a program manager and chiropractor. My regular schedule consists of at least three days of the week devoted to patient care and two days devoted to managerial work, but that can always change. What I mean, is that I will squeeze patients in during my managerial work and place my management responsibilities on the back burner. That is, if there is nothing pertinent happening at the moment having to do with management, then that’s where I accommodate more time for patient care. I participate in health education; for example, in the past I have helped with the preparation of a Blood Warning Pathogen class as well as assisting with CPR training, policy and procedure making, and advising committees.
What advice do you have for American Indian/Alaska Native students who are interested in health careers?
My advice would be to really look at what type of field they are interested in. I don’t want to be biased in any way, but I think natural medicine is one of the best health careers out there. Personally, I think it has a lot to do with the cultural beliefs and traditional beliefs that blend in so well with naturopathic or osteopathic medicine. I think this type of medicine comes more naturally to us when we study natural medicine. But if you’re a scientist, then real (allopathic) medicine is the way to go. By that, I mean people interested in science who are always probing, thinking and wanting to find answers instead of believing that it just happens for a reason. My other advice is to always remember where you come from. It is important to not be so caught up in the mainstream ideas and philosophies of western society because they can deter us from what we are really here for. Everything else, such as finances and being away from home, is temporary. I think a lot of us get homesick and want to quit our educational journey, but I think it’s important to keep in mind that time is always going to go faster than we think. My advice would be for students to not become impatient, but realize that you are just going to be there [in school] for a short period of time.
What would you like to see for your tribe’s future?
On a general level, I would like to see all Native tribes recognize the good and admirable traits that each and every culture has. I think we’ve lost much of that because of the acculturation process. We have placed these things on the back burner, too. With that said, I think that the Native cultures could be blended together really well. I also think that this is what makes the Pascua Yaqui tribe, and other tribes with a similar background, so much stronger with more innovative communities. The Pascua Yaqui tribe is a good example of this process, because the very culture and traits that outsiders were trying to take away from us and suppress is still our stronghold. I would like to bring that strength back to people on an individual level, so that it can strengthen the community and make the tribe whole. I would like to empower the Yaqui people not just in the health spectrum, but also socially, spiritually, and emotionally.
Do you practice traditional medicine? If you do, then how does traditional medicine interact with conventional medicine?
I, by trait, probably do not practice traditional medicine. This question is a little difficult to ask because I think every community has a different definition of traditional medicine. I feel that what I do is similar to traditional medicine, even though it’s classified as chiropractic. I think it is still part of my tradition and it blends in with it so well. The only difference is that different terms are used. Mainstream America calls my profession, chiropractic. However, in traditional medicine my profession is similar to “bone setters” and “massage therapy”, but it is called “Sobador.” Although both views and terms cover similar ground, I would not call my work traditional medicine. So it gets tricky for me when people say that. Personally, I do practice some traditional medicine. Do I blend it into my work? I do. Would I be able to do that outside in private practice, rather than here at the Pascua Yaqui clinic? I don’t believe I could, because it’s not under my license to practice that way. For the community, traditional medicine interacts very well with conventional medicine. This is mostly because the community is receptive to it. There is a primary care physician in the clinic that respects us for what we do and knows our limitations. This physician knows a little bit about what we do, and what we can’t do, so he recognizes our ability to help people in that way. I used to oversee the alternative and traditional medicine program. In this program, I actually used to work with the traditional healers and learn from them. Although the program was somewhat fragmented, we worked really well as a team. Our traditional healer passed away, and since then we haven’t been able to replace her. Our biggest concern is trying to figure out how to replace an individual like that. Traditional healers don’t have the schooling that we have, so you can’t hire somebody and expect a little job description to fit. There are a lot of dynamics that we have to consider in trying to replace someone like that.