<p>We interviewed the Spring Scholar winner and Family Medicine specialist, Dr. Julio Gonzalez, about his experience as a doctor in a foreign land.</p>
<h2>Hello Dr. Gonzalez, can you tell us more about yourself?</h2>
<p>I am a Family Medicine specialist from Havana, Cuba. I consider myself a positive person with a great sense of humor. As a doctor, I really enjoy solving my patients’ medical problems, and in my free time, I enjoy being with my family and taking care of my health by jogging.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="610" src="https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/03/Dr-Gonzalez-marathon-1-1024x610.jpg" alt="Julio Gonzalez TrueProfile.io" class="wp-image-10610" title="Julio Gonzalez TrueProfile.io" srcset="https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/03/Dr-Gonzalez-marathon-1-1024x610.jpg 1024w, https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/03/Dr-Gonzalez-marathon-1-300x179.jpg 300w, https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/03/Dr-Gonzalez-marathon-1-768x458.jpg 768w, https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/03/Dr-Gonzalez-marathon-1.jpg 1118w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<h2>Your country, Cuba, has a proud history and Latin roots. Can you tell us how it has shaped you as a person?</h2>
<p>The roots of the Cuban people are mainly Spanish and African. Cuba, prior to being a neo colony of the United States (USA), was a colony from Spain, and precisely in these roots is the sap from which we nourished.</p>
<p>Due to our geographical position in the Caribbean Sea since ancient times, the island of Cuba has been considered as “The key to the gulf”, which is why we have also been the object of great cultural and commercial activity. Thus, in the process of the formation of our national identity, there has also been a great cultural influence from other countries in Europe, America, Asia and even the Middle East. </p>
<p>If there is something that most Cubans are proud of, it is our sovereignty, which has allowed us to achieve, not with little effort, the social achievements in education and health that we enjoy today.</p>
<p>Cuba has shaped me into the person that I am today.</p>
<h2>What is your field of specialization as a doctor? Why did you choose that specialty?</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="888" height="666" src="https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/03/IMG_20190303_104321-1.jpg" alt="Julio Gonzalez TrueProfile.io" class="wp-image-10612" title="Julio Gonzalez TrueProfile.io" srcset="https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/03/IMG_20190303_104321-1.jpg 888w, https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/03/IMG_20190303_104321-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/03/IMG_20190303_104321-1-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 888px) 100vw, 888px" /></figure>
<p>I am a Family Medicine and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) specialist. Family Medicine is preventive for autonomy, and prevention is much better than having to heal, in many ways. Meanwhile, the PM&R specialization intends to increase the functional capacity of disabled patients. It also intends for the patients’ reinstatement to their social and work life in the soonest possible time. The high impact that Family Medicine and PM&R specialties have on individuals, society and the economy is what motivated me to study them.</p>
<h2>How was your experience as a Family Medicine Specialist in Saudi?</h2>
<p>In truth, there are not many differences between the medical practice in KSA and Cuba, since both are free and humanitarian, and all doctors in general do it with great professionalism.</p>
<h2>How did you deal with being an expat in a foreign land?</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/03/20190103_112221-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="Julio Gonzalez TrueProfile.io" class="wp-image-10614" title="Julio Gonzalez TrueProfile.io" srcset="https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/03/20190103_112221-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/03/20190103_112221-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/03/20190103_112221-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/03/20190103_112221-1.jpg 1067w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<p>At first, I felt like out of place because the language, religion, and the customs differ a lot from mine. However, all this changed as I began to relate more to the people. The Saudis are noble, friendly and hospitable people, as the Cuban people are, so I didn’t have much difficulty in fitting in. Amongst many great experiences, there is one in particular which I treasure: after work, I used to go running through the desert, almost every day for more than 10km, at a temperature between 37°C and 38°C. I would run with the head of my department at the <a href="https://www.moh.gov.sa/Pages/Default.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Baish General Hospital</a>. We developed a brotherhood and friendship for life because of our shared experience.</p>
<p>On one occasion, I participated in a marathon with a group of people my age. Almost all of them belonged to the Baish community in which I used to live and work. At the end of it, I received an award for having obtained third place in the race. On another occasion, our Home Medical Care Department made headlines in the local newspaper for having achieved good results at work in the Baish community.</p>
<h2>You are a Member of TrueProfile.io, how has your experience been so far?</h2>
<p>If I had to define it in two words, I would say, very satisfying.</p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>“I recommend TrueProfile.io to all my colleagues who want to be hired by an employer in the Gulf Cooperation Council region.”</p><cite> – Dr. Julio Gonzalez<br><br></cite></blockquote>
<h2>How was your experience in verifying your documents with TrueProfile.io?</h2>
<p>In truth, I had no difficulty in requesting TrueProfile.io to verify my credentials. Everything was very simple and fast, and the procedure felt safe, too; you just have to fill in the data, as appropriate, as well as upload the documents you want to be verified. You can trust both the DataFlow Group and TrueProfile.io. They are honest people and very professional.</p>
<h2>Would you recommend TrueProfile.io to your friends and colleagues?</h2>
<p>Of course, I would do it without thinking twice. I recommend TrueProfile.io to all my colleagues who want to be hired by an employer in the Gulf Cooperation Council region. Do not hesitate to verify your credentials with TrueProfile.io. I recommend doing it as soon as possible because by doing so, you automatically become a verified candidate for potential employers. Employers will not hesitate to recruit those who have previously verified their credentials with TrueProfile.io – who they recognize as a world leader in verification from the primary source.</p>
<p>On the other hand, it is also an investment that you will make for life because documents, once verified, remain with you forever. I would also recommend TrueIdentity to all my colleagues because, with it, they add more trust to your credentials.</p>
<p>I also want to thank all the TrueProfile.io team for the support they provide to all their Members. Becoming a Member is a boost to our professional career. I also want to express how happy I am to have been the TrueProfile.io Spring Scholarship winner. Thank you!</p>
<h3>Want to boost your career like Dr. Julio? Get your credentials verified with TrueProfile.io now!</h3>
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