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.