Blog 24 - Last Presentation Reflection

1. Positive Statement
1. What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
1. I am really proud of how I carried myself. My voice typically shakes a lot and I tense up and stand in the corner. I surprisingly wasn't insanely nervous once I actually got started.
2. Questions to Consider
1. What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation?  Use the component contract to defend that assessment.
1. AE 
2. I think my activities explained my answers exceptionally well. I improved a lot from my prior presentations with my use of the powerpoint and way I spoke. 
2. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.
1. AE  
2. I feel like I really worked hard this year and took the project seriously. Nearly all my sources were medical journals. My independent components totaled well over 100 hours and was actually something that will be helpful later on. I logged a total of 210 hours. My interviews, although not in person, were with major researchers(published 5+ medical journal articles on the topic) in the field of overcrowding. 
3. What worked for you in your senior project?
1. I kept on top of my deadlines. I tried to get mentorship hours out of the way early on which was helpful because once my EMT class started it made it nearly impossible to go. 
4. (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?
1. I wish I had done more interviews. They seemed like a pain in the beginning, but they actually became some of my best sources. 
5. Finding Value
1. How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.
1. It pushed me to go out and make contact with experts in this field. I really improved my interview skills and presentation skills. Probably the most valuable, though, was being pushed to get my EMT certification. It wasn't something I could ever see myself doing on my own, but I am so glad I did it now. It is something that I will actually be able to do during college.  

Exit Interview

1. What is your essential question, and what are your answers?  What is your best answer and why?
1. What is the best way to minimize Emergency Department overcrowding?
2. Nurse hotlines, improved access to primary care, inpatient hallway boarding
3. My best answer is inpatient hallway boarding. It is very easy to implement and directly attacks the major cause of overcrowding: boarded patients. Both my interviews 3 and 4 cited this as one big way to fix overcrowding. Unlike my other answers, it does not take care away from those who use the ED as a source of primary care. 
2. What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
1. I originally found this answer from my third interviewee when he talked about moving patients up without an actual bed for them. I found a little bit of research about it then. I found quite a bit more when my fourth interviewee recommended that I look up the founder of the system for moving patients to inpatient hallways. I found quite a bit of research on the actual system, its success rates, and nurse views on the system. 
3. What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?
1. I think my biggest problem is getting other people to care about something that's so administrative. It isn't bloody and gory like most people think my topic would be. I also had a hard time finding time for mentorship. My mentor typically works nights which would be almost impossible for me to do during the week. I usually went in on Fridays or during the weekend. Once my EMT class started, though, I was unable to go to mentorship at all. Luckily I still got all the required hours done. 
2. Another problem I faced was getting interviews. People in Emergency Medicine are typically very busy with very abnormal schedules. Unfortunately, I was only able to do one interview in person. I wish they all could have been because I did feel like I got better information that way, but my interviews were still extremely helpful. 
4. What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
1. If I had to choose, I think my two most valuable were my last two interviews. They really set me on the path for my last two answers. They both recommended certain sources which assisted in my research. If I didn't have these interviews my answers would have been totally different. 
2. I don't feel like those two interviews were what really made or broke my project, though. I found that people, such as Dr. Richards, Dr. Viccellio, Dr. Pines, and Dr. Derlet, were really my best sources. They all published great articles that really helped me understand overcrowding and then figure out my answers. If I never found them my project wouldn't have a leg to stand on.