Blog 12 - Holiday Project Update

1. It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is a break or we are in school.  What did you do over the break with your senior project?
1. Over break, I finished up the last of the required mentorship hours(Yay!). I also spent a significant amount of time doing the prerequisite homework for my EMT class(independent component). 
2. What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why?  What was the source of what you learned?
1. I think the most important thing I learned was the medical terms from my EMT class. While this doesn't directly tie into the topic of overcrowding, I will most likely be able to understand more when I go to mentorship again. 
3. Your third interview will be a 10 question interview related to possible answers for your EQ. Who do you plan to talk to and why?
1. At this point, I'm not entirely sure.  I had someone who is the director of a hospital who would probably know quite a bit about overcrowding, but I am no longer able to contact them. I will most likely have to just start calling places. I hope to be able to talk to a director at a teaching hospital because that is where overcrowding is the most prevalent. 

Extra Blog

Over the weekend I was out shopping and I ran into an AMR ambulance that was set up for a toy drive. There were three very nice ladies working there who were all EMTs. They seemed very excited when I told them I was in the process of becoming an EMT also, most likely because it is such a male dominated field(about 30% female, 70% male). I asked them a few questions about how they like the job, what its really like, how hard it is to get hired, and if they get motion sickness riding in the back when they work on a patient. They ended up showing me around the inside of the truck, which was pretty awesome. One of my biggest concerns about becoming an EMT though is the massive amounts of lifting required. While they were very encouraging, they didn't sugar coat the fact that you do a lot of lifting. While one woman(the smallest one there) did say that basically all you do is lift, sometimes on a gurney, down stairs, or on a board, anyone can do it. At the end they asked me to take a picture for the AMR social media(hopefully they post it so I can have a copy too).

Blog 11 - Lesson 1 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your lesson, and why?
1. I am probably most proud of making time. I was really worried I would go over because when I was practicing I barely made it, but it turned out ok because I didn't go over a few minor details.
2. What assessment would you give yourself on your lesson? Explain why you earned that grade using evidence from the component contract.
1. I would give myself a solid P. Of course I want an AE but I don't think I had enough visuals and said "umm..." too much for it. I believe I hit all the points to get a P though. After reading my feedback I think people generally liked it and didn't have any major issues(unless everyone is just super nice). 
3. If you could go back, what would you change about your lesson?  How can you use that knowledge to give a better Lesson 2?
1. I would want to just practice a few more times and maybe run everything by another student for additional feedback. I would have also made a poster with my EQ on it so people could refer to it. 

Blog 10 - Interview 2 Reflection

1. Please explain how you are spending your mentorship time (Is it at a workplace or somewhere else?  Are you shadowing?  Are you able to do tasks that are meaningfully related to the topic?  If so, what?  Are there other people who are experts in the location?  Etc...)
1. I am shadowing my mentor while he is working. I basically just follow him as he sees patients, reads results, fills out paperwork, and whatever other tasks he completes. Because I am just a shadow I am unable to really do anything but watch. Sometimes when my mentor has a break he will explain things on the X-Rays and CTs or about conditions that people come in with. Basically everyone who works there could be considered an expert in their narrow field(eg. emergency nursing). I am grateful to be shadowing a doctor though because they are probably the most knowledgeable people in the department.  
2. How did you find your mentor?  How did you convince this person to help you?  
1. My mentor is my mom's friend's friend's friend. I didn't have a lot of trouble getting him to help me because I explained why I was interested in his profession and my own health conditions. Also, he's a really nice person:). I did have problems being able to actually start mentorship though because the hospital was being bought by another company so my mentor had a hard time getting approval. 
3. How would you rate your comfort level with your mentor at this point in your relationship?  How does this relate to the time you've spent so far at mentorship/with this person?
1. I am much more comfortable with my mentor now than I was when I first started mentorship. He's very relaxed at work which put me more at ease. I am still pretty formal when I address him though(calling him Dr. Rodriguez instead of just Rodriguez) because most people in the department are too. 
4. What went well in this interview?  Why do you think so?  What do you still need to improve?  How do you know?  How will you go about it?
1. I think I was more prepared for this interview than the last one because I was able to create the questions. It helped that it was in a Starbucks, which is a pretty relaxed environment. I was also able to understand my mentor more in person than over the phone so I wasn't always asking "What did you say?". I think I could still improve on my transitions between questions and wrapping it up at the end. During the interview I was struggling to come up with transitions and I knew the ones I had didn't work very well because the topic change was kind of abrupt. I also didn't have any conclusion at all but I know it's good to have one. More practice interviewing people will definitely improve my skills. 

Blog 9 - Advisory Prep 3

1. State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc).
1. I currently have a mentor. I have tried to complete the interview during mentorship, but it has always been too busy. I am still hopeful that my mentor will show up a little early this Thursday or Friday so I can interview him then, but if not I need to schedule an actual time for the interview.
2. At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies toward more specific areas within your topic.  Name the area or two you find most promising and explain your reasons.   
1. The area I am researching the most  is overcrowding and its causes and effects. I have looked a little into communication also. 
3. What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth?  Where will you go to get them?
1. Currently my sources have been from medical journals and large newspaper publishers. They have been very helpful for the most part. I expect to continue to use the medical journal and possibly the Cal Poly database. There are also several documentaries I have found on Emergency Medicine so I also plan to watch those. 
4. Write down a possible EQ.  Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers.  At this point, the senior team is most interested in understanding your thought process.
1. What is the best way to minimize continual emergency room overcrowding?

Blog 8 - Independent Component 1 Proposal

1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for you 30 hours. 
1. For my 30 hours I am enrolled in an EMT-Basic class at the UCLA Center for Prehospital Care. When I complete this class, turn 18(April), and pass the credential test, I will become a certified EMT. Becoming an EMT will hopefully give me a part time job in college and experience to get into medical school. This class is approximately 140 hours long and counts for seven college credits so I hope to be able to use this for both independent components. In order to enroll in the EMT class I also had to take a Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers class which was another five hours. 
2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
1. This class will not be over by the time IC1 is due, but I believe I will be able to access something similar to aeries online to see my grade. Along with my digital log, I hope this will be enough proof. If not, I can get a letter from my instructor to prove I am going to the classes. The class runs from January to March so I will have a grade and transcript for IC2.
3. Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic more in depth. 
1. This class will give me some hands on experience in my topic. I believe that observing is great but actually learning how to work in a fast-paced stressful environment like the ER will give me a much greater understanding of the challenges healthcare providers face. One thing I hope to learn is how to communicate with other healthcare providers of different levels(nurses, doctors, paramedics). I believe that the medical conditions and terminology that I learn in this class will help me to better understand some of the research journals I read and some of the conditions I see when I am at mentorship. Also I am required to do two 12 hour shifts either in an ER or on an ambulance to get my EMT license which is even more real life experience. 
4. Update your Senior Project Hours log. 
1. Link

Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

Residency programs, like this picture, are something I expect to hear about in this interview. 

1. Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert? 
1. My mentor is Dr. Miguel Rodriguez. He works at Downey PIH and another hospital in Santa Ana(he didn't tell me the name) in the Emergency Department as a Physician. He has worked as an emergency physician for 20 years. 
2. What five questions will you ask them about their background?
1. Where did you go to school for your undergraduate and graduate degree? How did you choose it? Do you feel like your schooling prepared you for your career?
2. When and why did you choose to specialize in emergency medicine?
3. What other fields were you looking to specialize in? Did you have any other career path options?
4. What has influenced your career choice the most?
5. Reflecting back on your education and career, is there anything you would change?

Blog 6 - Advisory Prep

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year? What has made it a positive experience for you? 
1. So far I have had a pretty easy time finding research for research checks. In the beginning I was pretty concerned that I wouldn't be able to find much(especially articles that are free), but I have found several journals that publish articles exclusively on emergency medicine. I also found a website that allows you to read the paid journal articles for free. 
2. The most positive thing about this senior project so far is that it is on a topic that really interests me.  
2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project? How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you? How might the senior team help?
1. I'm finding it difficult to find time to do my mentorship. My mentor's work schedule is always changing so I can't set up a schedule of days that I can go in. He is also very busy so it is sometimes hard to get ahold of him. One way to possibly fix this is when I do go in for mentorship, I set up the next date before I leave. There isn't anything that I can think of that the senior team can do to try to help. 

   

   Me when I can't go to mentorship. 

Blog 5 - Interview One Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?
1. The most important thing I learned from this interview is more about the significance of overcrowding. My interviewee thought it was a great idea to focus on overcrowding instead of communication because it affects both patients and doctors. He also gave me some reasons why he thought overcrowding is so prevalent.
2. For future interviews I would like to have more questions prepared. I felt like I had plenty, but during the interview my interviewee would go into a lot of detail on one question and end up answering questions I hadn't asked yet. It definitely threw me off because I felt like I wasn't asking enough questions, and the ones I did ask didn't flow together.
2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?
1. I didn't get any specific people that I could contact, but I see plenty of people at mentorship that my interviewee could help me contact if I need it. My interviewee just gave me general positions(EMT, paramedic) that I should talk to. 
3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me?
1. My interviewee is qualified to help me because he is one of the most experienced doctors at the ER he works at(20+ years experience). He has a lot of inside information and experiences that can only come from working in the field for so long. He is also able to compare how the speciality of emergency medicine has changed over the years. 

Interview

Blog 4 - House Advisory Prep 1

I chose my senior project topic(emergency medicine) because it is something that I could see myself doing as a career. The biggest thing I am looking to gain from this project is a feel for what it's like to be an ER doctor. I think this is where my mentorship and independent component(completing an EMT course) will be the most helpful. Through this project I also hope to gain a better understanding of the inner working of the emergency room. I'd like to see how factors like insurance and crowds affect patient care. If I learn that factors like this really inhibit doctors from providing the best possible care, that could deter me from wanting to do this as a career. The biggest accomplishment that I am both dreading and looking forward to completing is the final presentation.

Blog 3 - First Interview Preparation

1. Who do you plan to interview? Why? 
1. I plan to interview my mentor. When I went for mentorship I wasn't able to talk to him very much because it was a really busy night at the hospital. I hope to get a little more foundational knowledge about his job. He also might be able to give me ideas of who to interview next. 
2.  Five questions will be assigned to all seniors to ask.  What additional questions do you plan to ask?  Ask open-ended questions.  What are open-ended questions? Click here!
1. You've worked in the ER for 20 years now. How has your enthusiasm for the job changed in that time?
2. What are some political or medical problems that you encounter frequently while on the job?
3. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? 
4. How does ER overcrowding affect you? Do you have any solutions or do you see any root causes?
5. Do you know the insurance situation of your patients? Does this play a role in the treatment of the patient?

Blog 2 - Summer Mentorship

Senior Project Hours

1. List the contact name, phone number, and organization of the person with whom you volunteered.
1. Dr. Miguel Rodriguez 
2. (562) 904-5000 (general hospital number, if you need his personal number for verification I can give it to you offline)
3. Downey Regional Medical Center(recently changed to Downey PIH)
2. What qualified this person as an expert in your topic choice? 
1. He is a licensed MD whom graduated from Stanford Medical School. He specializes in emergency medicine and has over 20 years of experience in the field. He currently works at Downey PIH and a small ER in Santa Ana.     
3. List three questions for further exploration now that you've completed your summer hours. 
1. How is specializing in emergency medicine different than any other speciality field?
2. What portion of people who come into the ER are having an actual emergency?
3. How does the total number of patients in the ER and waiting room affect the individual care of each patient?    
4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
1. The most important thing I gained from this experience is what its like to be on the doctor's side of the ER.  I've spent plenty of time in the ER as a patient but it was definitely an eye-opener to see the balancing act that happens on the other side.  My experience gave me a much better appreciation for all the doctor's work. 
5. What is your senior project topic going to be?  How did mentorship help you make your decision?  Please explain.
1. My topic is going to be on emergency medicine. I was a little iffy at first because I wasn't sure if I would actually be able to mentor in the emergency room, but now that I have several connections I am very excited. Mentorship showed me several routes that I could go with this topic, which was another concern of mine. 

Blog 1 - Senior Final Lesson/Interview Reflection

1.  What three lessons were most helpful for you to see, and why?

• I thought it was very helpful to see Liliana’s presentation about Medicine. I am considering doing my project on medicine, so it was nice to see an example of a path I could take and how it came out.
• Drag racing was another topic I am glad I saw. The general topic I enjoy, but the question steered it in a direction that wasn’t as appealing. It showed how the question really is the directing force of the project. I also learned from that presentation that making sure everyone has the same foundational knowledge is key to keeping people engaged. A lot of times people were zoning out, including myself, because the presenter was talking about things that he presumed we already understood but didn’t always.  
• Documentary film making was another helpful presentation because I felt like I actually learned useful information. She started out with very basic knowledge and gradually built upon it until she got to her answers. She defined her terms, was energetic, and actively engaged the audience which made her presentation memorable. It was also nice that she talked a lot about her mentorship and what she did during it because it helped me figure out what I need from mine in order to be beneficial.   

2. List one thing that you learned about the senior project in interviews that will help you get off to a good start?

• The seniors I talked calmed some of my fears about senior project. They told me that it really wasn’t that bad if you got your assignments done early and had your mentorship hours completed within first semester. They also said it was good to have a schedule with your mentor so you know when your hours will be completed.

3. What topic(s) are you considering, and why?

• I am considering medicine. Some of the branches that interest me are neurology, emergency care, Eastern-Style medicine, and elderly care/assisted living. I've always had a passion for medicine because of the science involved and how it is always changing.

4. What EQ do you think might be interesting to consider in guiding a project like this? (Please don't worry about any sort of formula...we want this question to come from your genuine interest).

• What is the best way for a doctor(either neurology, eastern-style, or elderly) to help their patients achieve a symptom/pain free life?
• How can an emergency room doctor best care for his/her patients in the overcrowded and hectic environment? What is the best way an emergency room doctor can diagnose and treat patients?  

5. What are some ideas you have about finding summer mentorship?

• I am very close with several of my doctors so I am confident that they can give me connections to people in the field I want. I can also do general volunteering until I find someone that can mentor me.