Assignment 16: Written Draft Proposal Draft

I am looking how to improve the quality of patient care, throughout the integrated hospital system and make it more efficient as to possibly save funds to allow for other improvements in the hospital. I am seeking to create the most efficient and quality care possible for I seek to enter this field upon graduation from medical school and I would like to be able to help improve the lives of all patients. I am looking forward to presenting any ideas I have for improvements to this field in not only this website but also through the use of power point or similar based media while giving a verbal account and explanation for the possible additions. I have already begun compiling a list of ideas that I have gotten from talking with my many mentors and also have begun looking for what other hospitals have implemented and how their care fared after the addition. That is all in order to come up with only what I feel are the strongest and most feasible improvements, to impact the quality and efficiency of patient care.

Assignment 15: Interview

So this week, I was supposed to interview one of my many mentors I have at the hospital and ask them a few questions, like how they got into the field, why did they do it, how much schooling, why do they enjoy etc. And the following is the conversation I had with my mentor, Ms. Jessica the day I did the interview. In parenthesis afterwards is my reflection on the question and answer.
Me:Ok so what made you go into physical therapy?

Jessica: Well, I knew I wanted to go into the medical field, but after my first four years, I realized I did not have the stamina to go through medical school and so instead I went to graduate school for physical therapy.
(Ok, I have now noticed there are many paths to medical school, i have met lab techs, nurses, physical therapists and people who have just gone straight to med school to become doctors.)
Me: What did you major in to begin with?

Jessica: I majored in exercise science and then went to PT School.
(I have never heard of that major before but I had to look into it, it is apparently popular for PT's, OT's, athletic trainers and others who deal with lots of physical activities with patients or sports players.)
Me: Are there many people or not many people who go from PT to medical school?"

Jessica: Not many, but some do, Darrin, you met him, he is one of the aides, he is leaving in a few months, because he has been accepted into medical school.
(Ok so once again, not many but it is one of many routes to medical school.)
Me: What is the hardest part of this job do you think?

Jessica: Seeing the people who are not fully there mentally, its rough it makes me think about what would happen if I lost that. Physically is bad but you can work on physical strength much easier than mental strength.
(I personally would hate to lose my ability to think like I do now, I would much rather be bed confined and able to think than the other way around. Because my thinking is a big part of me.)
Me: What is your favorite part of the job?

Jessica: Seeing people being discharged because they have recuperated. Unfortunately though they do not always recuperate as much as you hope.
(So there are ups and downs but the ups make the job worth the downs and the fact that even with the downs you are still making a difference in someone's life.)
Me: If you had to do it over again, would you still go into physical therapy?

Jessica: Yes, 100%.
(Most of the people whom I have met in rehabilitation love it and that is good, you want someone taking care of you who loves and cares about their job.)
Me: What do you think is the best way to improve the hospital function?

Jessica: I am not sure, I would say either digitize everything or keep it all paper right now its in between and it can be confusing.
(So right now, there is a lot of confusion due to the multiple mediums of information but if everything were to be digitized it would be a lot more accessible and efficient but it would probably be hard to do all at once which is why I think Northside is in that transition phase from paper to electronic.)
Me:If you were to digitize everything what could be some consequences you can think of?

Jessica: The only one I can really think of is if power goes out, but the hospital has back up generators in case of emergencies so if during an ice storm and the power goes out, the hospital can still function.
(So there are not many repercussions to digitizing, and the ones that would be most commonly thought of there is already a solution because the rest of the hospital still has to be able to run if power were to go out, so they have those back up generators which power the whole hospital.)
Me: So you think if they digitized it all that would be preferable and more efficient?

Jessica: Yes I think so.
(Most people who I have talked to have mentioned they believe digitizing everything would be very helpful and would promote better patient care.)
Me: Why did you come to work at Northside compared to other hospitals?

Jessica: Well I worked at other hospitals before but then I moved here and Northside is one of the best I have worked out, the people I work with are very capable and very friendly.
(everything I am seeing working and talking to people at Northside, patients and employees both I have come to realize how lucky we are to have it in our backyard.)

Assignment 14: Career Field Research Project

http://www.emaze.com/@AOOCZRWIF/health

Assignment 13: Partner in Your Education

Northside Forsyth and in particular the lab has been a big partner in my education. Working in microbiology I am able to see what I have learned in my biotechnology class junior year being put into action and understand how they come up with their results. But also outside of that area of the lab, I have been able to learn new things I never knew before. Just two weeks ago I was working in pathology and the pathologist on duty, Dr. V (Not real name), let me watch him and he explained to me the slides and what he was looking at and how he was diagnosing the patients. He was showing me the nuances of his job and we discussed my own aspirations of going into medical school and he gave me advice. I have met a few goals, the first major goal I have met was learning what was going on in the lab, the first few weeks I was there my head hurt upon leaving from all the information being shoved down my throat and the chaos, but after the first few weeks I picked up some things and as of writing this I can say I feel as if I have a good grasp of the lab unfortunately next week I am rotating to rehabilitation. So I'd have to say a new goal is to grasp rehabilitation and how things work their quicker than I did in the lab. Back to Dr.V and working with him opened my eyes to other types of doctors for so long I had my mind set on pediatrics I really don't care about what other doctors did. I dint want to do that but working with him and as he explained what he was looking at i became excited and thought well maybe I will do pathology, who knows. Though I did learn I like the lab but it is not my life, I like working with patients directly not behind closed doors, the only people interaction in the lab are your fellow lab techs and sometimes its so chaotic you may not even speak to them, at least in the doctor shoes you have to talk to the nurses, the patients and the lab. I think I like that having to get to know a diverse group of people.

Assignment 12: Essential Question

My Essential Question: What improvements can I come up with to improve the quality of patient care as well as increasing the time and accuracy of diagnosis  and results?
This is my essential question because it is directly aligned with what I want to do with my future. I eventually want to be a health care professional preferably pediatrics. And so if I am able to come up with an answer to this question it will put me that one step forward of being the best doctor I can be. I am excited to think and possibly come up with a solution as to how I can improve the quality, accuracy and efficiency of all health care aspects because that is something professionals are always seeking to improve. By doing this I will be a better candidate no matter where I end up even if I change from my current path of becoming a pediatrician. This question will leave me with a lot to think about and hopefully I will come up with an answer.

Assignment 11: Mentorship Write Up

My Profile: I am a current senior at Forsyth Central and have gone through the STEM Academy in the biotechnology pathway. I have always wanted to work in the medical field and if you listen to what my mom would tell you I've wanted to be a doctor since I was two. I have known for sure though I have wanted to go into pediatrics since kindergarten. So when I got the opportunity to do the Honors Mentorship Program and intern at Northside Forsyth it was a chance for me to experience what it is like working in the medical field I have for so long dreamed of.
My Mentorship: I am interning at Northside Forsyth and every three months we rotate to a new department from the beginning of school year til current(October 2017) I have been in the medical lab. I have t throughout each of the lab's departments including, pathology, blood bank, chemistry, processing, microbiology, and hematology. Each week I go is a different department where I learn different skills and knowledge. Each week in that department I have a new mentor and each person I meet is able to give me different advice show me different techniques or ways they complete the same task. And so by working in the lab I have been able to see just how the lab skills and knowledge I have gained from my time in the STEM Academy can be applied to the real world.
My Future: I am planning on attending Mercer University in Macon, Georgia to study biomedical engineering and possibly dual major in music as well and go through the pre-medical pathway. By working at Northside I have been able to gain and learn valuable skills which I hope to apply to gain an internship as a freshmen at Mercer and to help me reach my ultimate goal of going to medical school upon getting my first degree. Northside has been instrumental in also teaching me how not to only balance school work and extracurricular but also true responsibilities of maintaining a job. I am looking forward to seeing where my internship takes me and how I can use that to pursue my future goals including becoming a pediatrician.

Assignment 10: Internship Update

Well I have learned the lab is a zoo, its chaotic, hectic but its fascinating. It is almost always go go go, very little time to rest, 90% standing or walking. It's exciting last week I was in pathology again, Tuesday was a fairly normal day, saw another uterus which the pathologist sectioned to have immunostaining done because it was cancerous. Other than that it was typical not to say it wasn't fast paced but nothing was out of the ordinary. Wednesday all hell broke loose, the O-R sent down a frozen and one of the cryostat machines was already broke and then the other broke, so it was not good. Pathology couldn't do any samples from the O-R, they were essentially useless, but the O-R had three more frozens coming. So it was hectic mayhem trying to get the machines back up and running, then I was taken down to the morgue, I saw two amputated legs, weird but not all that bad. Then there was a dead body, that was weird and creepy and I now know I could never be a surgeon or a doctor dealing with someone about to die on a daily basis. There is very rarely boring parts as you can probably tell, something is always going on and I am not in a section for longer than three days until I rotate to a new one, which is how most people in the lab work, very few are dedicated to a specific station most rotate throughout the week. The only time it is boring is when there are no current samples, but that usually means they are all held up and soon the flood gates will be released and the area swamped so they have told me enjoy those few minutes of nothing to take a seat and relax for a bit cause as soon as they come in we are right back to it.