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.