Blog #5a.|: Science Fair Problem Statement

1: Anesthesiology

2: It's possible that anesthesia and surgery during infancy are associated with altered academic performance during childhood. That is, exposure to the baby during surgical procedures after birth. Such procedures including circumcision, pyloromyotomy and orchiopexy. After getting results, data, statistics, etc. I'd use whatever I learned to search for safer anesthetics.

3: Unsafe administration of anesthesia can result in numerous side effects. I'd research and survey for efficient guidelines for administering anesthesia. Publish the results under a professor from Cal Poly.

Blog #4|: Working EQ

The Pentagon:


1. Positive Statement: What positive thing happen as a result of what you have completed so far? 
       I have gained more knowledge on anesthesiology and why it's important as a crucial component for a successful surgery. I have also gotten to know a surgeon through my assignment to interview a professional. Although he isn't an anesthesiologist, he gave me another perspective on its importance and how it aided him during surgery. Also, through research I have learned a whole lot about anesthesiology and it's many distinctions in the medical world. 

2. EQ Content: Pick a piece of research or your interview. How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic?
       I read an article about the possibility of anesthesiology causing children's academic deficiency due to exposure during infancy and this really made me realize that anesthesiology even has its own possible complications and is actually a very complex topic. Basically that there's more to anesthesiology than putting people to sleep so they don't feel anything during surgery. I thought that was really interesting. Even looking for research proved anesthesiology to be a very intricate medical advancement. It's astounding how much information there is to read up on/ learn about anesthesiology.

3. What has worked for you so far in your senior project?
         Looking for material for research check has been really good. There is so much information on anesthesiology. From guidelines for effective practice of anesthesiology for obstetrics or chronic pain management to what makes for a good leader in anesthesiology. The topic is stretched so far and wide that there probably isn't anything about that you can't search up on google. However, anesthesiology is also a really complex study so it takes a little while for me to understand the terminology and stuff. 

4.  What hasn't worked so far?
           Looking for mentorship/job shadowing/interviews is kind of difficult. I definitely have to get out of my comfort zone to call people up and ask them for their time. Also, I'm always afraid of being rejected, but it's better to have tried than to not do anything. I think when I actually get a mentorship or volunteer opportunity having to drive out to the place will be a little complicated because as of now, I'm relying heavily on my parents for rides but they have work so we always have to schedule last minute according to their work schedules. However, I shall be getting my license soon so hopefully things will work out a lot better. That is, if I pass my test. Which I'm definitely hoping and praying that I do. 

5. Finding Value:  Based on your experience so far, 

• What possible question or questions come to mind regarding what you would like to study this year?

                I guess I'd just like to learn about whatever valuable topics I could utilize and apply in the future. Also, definitely more on anesthesiology:
                         - What are the most important risks when administering anesthetics and what are the
                                  best ways to prevent it ?
                         - What are other kinds of anesthetics and ways to administer them? 
                         
    

• What is your end goal this year with your senior project?

                To make life-long connections with the people that I meet through Senior project and mentorship. To graduate high school and be accepted into a good college. 

• Who would you like to talk to you next? Why?

                 I'd like to interview a practicing anesthesiologist because I know that there is a lot I can learn from them and I'd find it fascinating.  

Blog #3|: Interview Preparation

1. Who do you plan to interview & why?
          I plan to interview any nurse that works in an OR (operating room); most likely at San Dimas Community Hospital. If not there, then I'll look into volunteering at another hospital. At this point, I plan to just interview any nurse, not necessarily and anesthetist because I want to start simple and then work my way up. I learned that most anesthetists work in the operating room. Obviously because that's where surgeries take place and where the patients will need to be anesthetized.  Also, most likely the nurses there would be communicating with the anesthetists and I would like to get some information on what it's like to work with them. 

2. You have to ask 5 questions. What additional questions do you plan to ask? 

• What is it like to working in the operating room?
• What does your job entail?
• Did you always know you wanted to do this kind of job?
• What do you think, personally, about your job? Do you enjoy it?  
• Do you think you would ever go back to school to further your education or are you content with the kind of work you do?        

Blog #2|: Topic Choice

a. What is your topic & why? 
        I choose anesthesiology. More specifically, Nurse Anesthesiology. I wanted to do nursing because it's broad and can be narrowed down to a certain specialty. I have decided to research my senior topic on anesthesiology not only because I think it's an interesting topic, but I really want to learn more about the profession, what & how they practice and what it takes to become a masterful nurse anesthesist. 

b. And what do you hope to accomplish this year with this topic? 
            (connecting your answer to each of the 4 ESLRs)

• I-Poly Citizen:  My aim is to learn how to assist, serve and treat patients as a nurse anesthesist and become an I-Poly citizen by contributing to the medical work force in this expertise. Also, I want to promote healthy lifestyle habits to insure the well-being of the patients. 

• Effective Communicator: A key factor in the medical field is being able to communicate and connect with patients so that they feel comfortable and are assured that they are in good hands. Likewise, communicating with colleagues and superiors is very important, especially when discussing patient information. In order to become an all-around effective communicator, forming good relationships with the people around me is crucial. 

• Effective Learner: To be an effective learner I will listen intently to whomever is instructing me and stay focussed. Taking notes usually helps me stay focussed and retain information more easily so I plan to take very detailed notes that I can look back to for future reference. Lastly, The most valuable part about learning is applying what has been taught. In order to be an effective learner I will take what I learned and practice it, use the information that has been given to me and exercise it to the best of my ability. 

• Effective User of Technology: Technology can be utilized in various ways and I plan to be an effective user of technology by applying everything I know in order to help me present the information that I have learned; whether it be through powerpoint, excel, or even demonstrating some sort of medical instrument. Because all sorts of technology are constantly being updated and improved I believe another way to be an effective user of technology is to keep up with the latest research in technology and being kept up to date with the latest developments and to share these new findings with others. 

Blog #1|: Summer Mentorship Component

Literal (Know): 

•   Mentorship Log

• Contact

Literal (Need To Know): 

      What questions were raised because of the 10 hours of experience?  List them.  
☞ What is the most effective way to make sure the patients are
          comfortable?

☞ What is the most important factor that plays into taking care of the
           mothers and their newborns 

☞ How does a team of nurses work together to make the department (in
            this case OB dept.) organized and keep the work effort efficient?

Interpretive: 
          
     What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
     I've learned a lot from my experience working in the Obstetrics (OB) Unit at San Dimas Community Hospital.  Through working in OB I learned that patience and endurance are key characteristics among the employees working on the floor. Patience with handling a family's concerns, communicating with doctors to try and get information about the patients and filling out heaps of forms, charts and assessments sheets with a detailed analysis of each and every patient as well as their baby. Endurance can help anyone in life but especially anyone who is working in an Obstetrics department. On a hectic day where the number of births can  range from 6-8 babies within a 24 hour period, an RN working a 12 hour shift would be caught up with paperwork, running around assisting patients and their families, answering phone calls, and communicating with doctors for details or further instructions. Being able to multi-task and be organized are really important not only in OB but in the medical field in general. I realize that multi-tasking is a big part of working in any department in a hospital especially because often times one department will communicate and/or need something from another department. For example, Pediatrics or Obstetrics communicating with Lab to run tests for blood or urine. Or surgeons contacting the Sterilization room for instruments during surgery. Most departments are connected in one way or another. 

Applied: 

     How did what you did help you choose a topic?  Please explain.

            Well first, I think the best part of this whole experience was being exposed to other areas in the medical field. While being employed in Obstetrics I was sent to other departments to run errands. I saw what it was like in the Surgical Dept., the Lab where specimens are sent for bloodwork or other tests, etc. Basically I was exposed to different fields of the hospital even if it was for a short amount of time. Each of them were pretty hectic and busy, that's for sure. But the overall experience has definitely made an impact in my final decision for senior topic. At first, I was determined to do my senior project on pediatrics. Pediatrics was my first pick because I knew that I wanted to do my topic on something in the medical field and I love working with children so Pediatrics seemed perfect. I had even planned to use what I learned to help me decide on a career path. However, after being thrown into the hospital with so many different departments and specialties I decided that I would want to try all of them and later on specialize in something that I had tried out and enjoyed above anything else. So, after extensive research and very informative meetings with multiple people in various areas in the medical field, I have decided to do my Senior topic on nursing and will later on choose a specialty. Nurses (specifically RNs) can work in a whole bunch of different areas. They can dabble in Pediatrics, Geriatrics, ICU, ER, almost anywhere in a general hospital and I'd love to get hands-on experience in every area. Anywhere in a hospital there is a volunteer, there will most likely be an RN nearby. I think if I can volunteer in different areas in a hospital, it'll help me specify what I want to do for my senior topic.