Lesson 2 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?
1. I am most proud that I was able to keep my cool. Unlike the last lesson where I was super stiff and could barely choke the words out, I felt like I was more fluid. I am also happy that all my practice at making time paid off. 
2. What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?
1. P
2. Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.
1. I feel like I hit all the points on the contract. I felt like my activity went very well with my first answer once I explained how it related. I think my use of statistics showed the depth of my knowledge. 
3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?
1. Having a powerpoint was a total relief because I feel like I wouldn't be able to remember all the information I presented. I think that I also used my time effectively. 
4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?
1. I think I would have tried to reference my independent component. I actually had an extra slide after my "thank you" slide that talked more about mentorship and my IC in case I needed more time. Once I got to my conclusion side, though, I was right at 21 minutes so I just cut it out.
5. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?
1. I think it will either be hospital restructuring or patient education. This will really depend on how my third interview goes, though. 

Blog 15 - Independent Component 1

• Literal
• I, Lauren Burney, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 59 hours of work. 
• I used the textbooks Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured and UCLA Center for Prehospital Care Supplement. My lectures for the course are Quinn Bowyer and Jeff Pollakoff. The skills instructors vary. 
• Link
• In order to even take my EMT class, I first had to take a CPR for Healthcare Providers class. This took up several hours, but I am now CPR certified. So far I am three weeks into my eight week EMT class. I have learned some basic anatomy, ethical and legal obligations of being an EMT, airway, and ventilation interventions, assessing patients, and taking vitals. After being lectured at for four hours, we spend another four hours actually practicing the skills we learned about. So far I have learned how to maintain an open airway, basic lifting techniques, administer oxygen, perform CPR, take a manual blood pressure, and assess patients. 
• Interpretive
• I have spent far over 30 hours in class and many more hours studying and completing the required homework. This project is preparing me to actually become a provider of emergency medicine. Before I am given the certificate of completion, I will actually spend at least 24 hours on an ambulance providing care to at least 10 patients. 
• Applied
• This class has helped me understand what these people who work in this field actually go through. My instructors have told the class stories about their triumphs and tribulations which have given me a better understanding of the system in general. Also, learning how to be an actual provider on an ambulance has given me a better understanding of how ambulance diversion can affect patient care.  

This is a screenshot of my posted grade. While there are other things in the grade book, it is too much to post everything. The exams portion comprises 40%(the largest portion) of my final grade.

Blog 14 - Third Interview Preparation

What is the best way to minimize Emergency Department overcrowding?

1. Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?
1. I plan to interview my mentor's boss, the director of the ED. He has a similar experience as my mentor and has probably more of a hand in the structuring of the department. I have contacted my mentor to get in touch with his boss, but he hasn't gotten back to me yet.
2. Verify that you have called your interviewee to schedule an interview.  What is the date and time of the interview? 
1. I haven't scheduled one yet.
3. Phrase an open-ended question that will help you find research resources that would help to answer the EQ.
1. Do you, or anyone you know, subscribe to any journals that deal with hospital/emergency department management?
4. Phrase an open-ended question that will help you think about other useful activities you might do to help you answer the EQ (IC2, possible experts to talk to, etc).
1. Who do you believe has the most influence over hospital policies about overcrowding?
5. Phrase two open-ended questions that help you to understand your interviewee's perspective on an aspect of your EQ.
1. How do you think overcrowding has affected this department?
2. What do you think is the biggest issue facing emergency departments state/nationwide?

The interview transcript  is due to turnitin.com with the 5-minute audio excerpt and entry to the blog on Friday, February 19th. In addition, you need to turn in the verification sheet to your house teacher

Blog 13 - 10 Hour Mentorship Check-In

1. Where are you doing your mentorship?
1. Downey PIH(formerly Downey Regional Medical Center) Emergency Room
2. Who is your contact?  What makes this person an expert?
1. Dr. Miguel Rodriguez
2. He has over 20 years of experience as an emergency room physician. He graduated from Stanford Medical School with a specialty in Emergency Medicine.
3. How many hours have you done during the school year? (Summer Mentorship Hours and Mentorship Hours should be reflected separately in your Senior Project Hours log located on the right-hand side of your blog).
1. 51 hours
4. Succinctly summarize what you did, how well you and your mentor worked together, and how you plan to complete the remaining hours.
1. During mentorship, I basically follow my mentor as a "shadow". Since my mentor is typically pretty busy filling out patient charts, giving orders, or consulting with other physicians, he doesn't usually have a whole lot of time to explain little details about why he is doing certain treatments. I can almost always figure out what is going on, though, and if I can't then I take a note of it and look it up later. I have finished the mandatory hours, but I plan to continue doing what I have been doing whenever I get the chance.

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.