Here are some of the ways that joining PennCHIME will directly address AAMC’s pre-professional competencies for medical school applicants (as posted on their website):

 

​

Service Orientation and Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others

 

PennCHIME is an opportunity for students to develop their senses of cultural sensitivity and social responsibility.  Beyond learning about the needs of Chinese patient populations in the US and abroad, we also get to engage with the local community directly through our language-culture exchange and mentorship program with students from a range of English proficiencies and levels of experience with American culture, as well as participation in other Chinese-focused service activities.

 

​

Social Skills and Teamwork

 

As a student-run organization, we have the chance to meet peers from our program and work together to produce results: doing research, giving presentations, creating content, designing our observation experiences in Beijing and Changchun, and organizing our many events and activities.  We also get to network with professionals from different domains of Chinese healthcare in PennCHIME’s guest lecture series.

 

​

Cultural Competence

 

Cultural competence is the xīn of PennCHIME—the true heart of the program.  We get to see, on the patient side, a different way of living and experiencing, and on the provider side, a whole new collection of approaches toward patient care.  By thoughtfully exploring different dimensions of Chinese healthcare, not only are we gaining valuable insight and experience for our craft, but also the skills and the vision to acquire cultural competence at large.  Yes, we’re in Penn’s pre-health program to grow into better medical student applicants.  But I truly believe that PennCHIME will help us grow into better future physicians.

 

​

Oral Communication

 

Anyone in PennCHIME is invited to give a brief presentation at one of our student meetings, examining a medical, linguistic, or social aspect of interest through the lens of Chinese culture.  On top of that, when we mentor the Chinese high school students and help them cultivate their communication skills and presentation styles, we are reflecting on our own academic progress and hopefully becoming better, more self-aware scholars ourselves.  Not to mention picking up a little medical Chinese along the way!

 

​

Reliability and Dependability

 

We are called on to be role models for the high school students we work with, and it is our duty to represent UPenn when we are on our observation experience abroad or out in the community.  Moreover, we count on each other.  Every student involved in the development and progression of PennCHIME has demonstrated grit and determination, and we have a flowering community to show for it.

 

​

Resilience, Adaptability, and Capacity for Improvement

 

It’s a bittersweet side effect of learning: to become aware of how much you have left to learn.  PennCHIME is an electric environment where students are genuinely motivated by the sake of discovery.  As we brace to embrace the culture shock of our group’s first healthcare observation expedition in China, we continue paving the way in the hopes that more curious and compassionate minds join us on this exciting path.

​