Michael Scribner-O’Pay has taken it upon himself to learn some of the Somali language. When he is able to greet a patient and family in their native language there is a noticeable amount of relaxation visible in them.

One example where this was most evident was when Michael took the time to talk to the family and patient after his usual greeting in Somali about their upcoming procedure. The family, and especially the patient noticeably relaxed and the effort to suture the patient facial laceration was very well received. The patient stayed calm thanks to Michael's frequent reassurances and calm demeanor.

Both the patient and his parents expressed the pleasure quite strongly after the experience and both walked out of our ED with big smiles on their faces.