Wednesday, May 28, 2014
I am graduating!
I finished my presentation today, and I am so stoked because it went better than I thought. I was really nervous in the morning and the night before. When Edwards mentioned that I hit 25 minutes on just my first two answers and that I was going to make time I felt so good. I am graduating and it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
Senior Project Reflection
(1) Positive Statement
What are you most proud of in your Block Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
I am most proud of how my presentation turned out, I worked really hard to make sure everything went well and that it was captivating. I am most proud of how my presentation turned out because it went well, was fun, and I heard many positive comments on it. I actually had a junior come up to me after my presentation and tell me that they wanted to talk to me outside of class because they really liked my topic and were interested.
(2) Questions to Consider
a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Block Presentation (self-assessment)?
P+
b. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?
P
(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
My research worked best for me because it provided me with an abundant amount of information that moved my project along.
(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
If I could go back in time, I would look into finding a mentor earlier on then I originally did and I would like to re-do my 10 minute presentation because I just panicked.
(5) Finding Value
How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.
It has been very helpful in assuring me that this is a career I want to pursue as of this moment. I know that I want to go into the medical field but I heard when in medical school, you are exposed to so many other options. The research checks opened my eyes to what my topic was and the different branches of it. Mentorship gave me an experience to which I could look back to, it finalized my idea of working with kids since I mentored at a Pediatrician office.
What are you most proud of in your Block Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
I am most proud of how my presentation turned out, I worked really hard to make sure everything went well and that it was captivating. I am most proud of how my presentation turned out because it went well, was fun, and I heard many positive comments on it. I actually had a junior come up to me after my presentation and tell me that they wanted to talk to me outside of class because they really liked my topic and were interested.
(2) Questions to Consider
a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Block Presentation (self-assessment)?
P+
b. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?
P
(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
My research worked best for me because it provided me with an abundant amount of information that moved my project along.
(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
If I could go back in time, I would look into finding a mentor earlier on then I originally did and I would like to re-do my 10 minute presentation because I just panicked.
(5) Finding Value
How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.
It has been very helpful in assuring me that this is a career I want to pursue as of this moment. I know that I want to go into the medical field but I heard when in medical school, you are exposed to so many other options. The research checks opened my eyes to what my topic was and the different branches of it. Mentorship gave me an experience to which I could look back to, it finalized my idea of working with kids since I mentored at a Pediatrician office.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Mentorship
Literal
Joana at Chino Pediatrics
Interpretive
What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
I have gained many things from this experience, friends, life experience, speaking skills, along with many other things. The most important thing I have gained from this experience is knowledge because of all the interactions I witnessed by watching the nurses and doctors. Whether it may be senior project related or life itself. For example, now that I think about the future and the career I would like to pursue, talking to people will be a must. Children, parents, they are all part of the package that comes with being a Pediatric Oncologist. I have learned how to communicate with parents and how I must act with calmness and assurance in any situation. Some parents might come in frightened others might not, but one must act with confidence. I have gained knowledge in many things, observational skills, things I will carry on with me. Although mentorship is over I will continue to go and learn more about what it is like working with little kids.
Applied
How has what you've done helped you to answer your EQ? Please explain.
I owe my second answer to my research, my third answer to my interviews three and four, and I owe my first answer to my mentorship. Coming into a topic I was passionate about but no experience or information made it tricky because I didn't know where to begin. When I found my mentorship I was more than happy to be able to work with kids, I have always cared for them. My summer mentorship assured me about working with kids and the smiles they brought to my face. Mentorship gave me a scenery of what it is like to see these children filled with life in tears, in pain, and in wonder. Children are curious. I was able to see how some kids could be very sad and mad when going to the doctors. I know that being a Pediatric Oncologist is only going to amp up the anger and sadness, working with Chino Pediatrics gave me a better view. Working with Pediatric nurses I got to see the interaction that many doctors don't have with their patients because they are always so busy and don't have time. I knew the interaction that I was seeing on a daily basis between nurses and patients made a big difference in the patients life because it would cause smiles. Realizing this I knew that a doctors and parents interaction must also be a key factor in the patients life, especially going through the pain of cancer. Cancer leads you through a very dark and scary journey, you don't know whether the patient is going to survive or not. As I saw this interaction go on and on I began to pick up on techniques the nurses would use to make kids smile, asking them their favorite color or their favorite hobby, any simple question. Questions then lead to a conversation of what things they have in common or stories from nurses personal life. All these techniques that I have picked up on were what brought me to my first answer, ensuring the patient is supported emotionally by their parents and doctors.
Joana at Chino Pediatrics
Interpretive
What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
I have gained many things from this experience, friends, life experience, speaking skills, along with many other things. The most important thing I have gained from this experience is knowledge because of all the interactions I witnessed by watching the nurses and doctors. Whether it may be senior project related or life itself. For example, now that I think about the future and the career I would like to pursue, talking to people will be a must. Children, parents, they are all part of the package that comes with being a Pediatric Oncologist. I have learned how to communicate with parents and how I must act with calmness and assurance in any situation. Some parents might come in frightened others might not, but one must act with confidence. I have gained knowledge in many things, observational skills, things I will carry on with me. Although mentorship is over I will continue to go and learn more about what it is like working with little kids.
Applied
How has what you've done helped you to answer your EQ? Please explain.
I owe my second answer to my research, my third answer to my interviews three and four, and I owe my first answer to my mentorship. Coming into a topic I was passionate about but no experience or information made it tricky because I didn't know where to begin. When I found my mentorship I was more than happy to be able to work with kids, I have always cared for them. My summer mentorship assured me about working with kids and the smiles they brought to my face. Mentorship gave me a scenery of what it is like to see these children filled with life in tears, in pain, and in wonder. Children are curious. I was able to see how some kids could be very sad and mad when going to the doctors. I know that being a Pediatric Oncologist is only going to amp up the anger and sadness, working with Chino Pediatrics gave me a better view. Working with Pediatric nurses I got to see the interaction that many doctors don't have with their patients because they are always so busy and don't have time. I knew the interaction that I was seeing on a daily basis between nurses and patients made a big difference in the patients life because it would cause smiles. Realizing this I knew that a doctors and parents interaction must also be a key factor in the patients life, especially going through the pain of cancer. Cancer leads you through a very dark and scary journey, you don't know whether the patient is going to survive or not. As I saw this interaction go on and on I began to pick up on techniques the nurses would use to make kids smile, asking them their favorite color or their favorite hobby, any simple question. Questions then lead to a conversation of what things they have in common or stories from nurses personal life. All these techniques that I have picked up on were what brought me to my first answer, ensuring the patient is supported emotionally by their parents and doctors.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
The Journey
When I first started the Senior Project I was a little nervous because I didn't want to get tired of my topic that I was so passionate about. Now that it is coming to an end I feel empty handed because I feel cheated. Not in a bad way but a good. I feel as if all the knowledge I have gained through this experience isn't even close to how much more there is too it and I am not completely satisfied, I want to know more. Interviewing a Pediatric Oncologist and doing research checks made it even more intriguing to find more and more information, there are so many branches to this topic that it is overwhelming. I do believe I have progressively gained more knowledge over this year but it is not enough. I really like my topic and instead of it boring me this year, it motivated me to take in part of something that has to do with it.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Exit Interview
(1) What is the best way a Pediatric Oncologist can increase the survival rate of a patient with a primary cancer?
Answer 1 - Ensuring a patient is supported emotionally by their parents and doctors
Answer 2 - Developing specialized treatments that are effective in killing cancerous cells
Answer 3 - Conducting clinical trials
My best answer is conducting clinical trials because they are the reason for why many new medicines and treatments have emerged into the medical world. Although they are not specifically made at clinical trials, they are tested there making sure they are safe to be distributed to the population.
Answer 1 - Ensuring a patient is supported emotionally by their parents and doctors
Answer 2 - Developing specialized treatments that are effective in killing cancerous cells
Answer 3 - Conducting clinical trials
My best answer is conducting clinical trials because they are the reason for why many new medicines and treatments have emerged into the medical world. Although they are not specifically made at clinical trials, they are tested there making sure they are safe to be distributed to the population.
(2) I arrived at this answer through talking with Dr. Clarke Anderson of City of Hope. Dr. Anderson mentioned that they are a crucial part of developing new and innovative medicines that help save lives. Without clinical trials we would not know the effects these new developments have on people.
(3) Problems I faced during the senior project process was at the beginning of the year when I couldn't find someone who would take me under their wing. It took be about two weeks to finally have someone let me mentor with them, in the end I found a very nice and useful mentorship; they have been very helpful. Another problem that I ran into was finding interviews because since professionals are always busy they never really had the time of day for me. Finally I found, Dr. Clarke Anderson, who has been my most valuable source to date.
(4) Dr. Clarke Anderson has been one of my most important sources because he is a professional in my topic and he has had over 20 years of experience. He is a Pediatric Oncologist at City of Hope and is involved in many research groups trying to find better treatments. Other important sources happen to be my research articles, in particular the ones that emphasize clinical trials and new innovated treatments because they keep me up to date on new improvements in the medical field and how they have changed the chances of patients.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Independent Component 2
LITERAL
(a) I, Brianna Sigala, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.”
(b) Chino Pediatric Nurses helped me complete this Independent Component.
(c) Posted.
(d) I completed 30 hours of mentorship. I shadowed many of the nurses that all provide me with their knowledge and give me pieces of information that they think are valuable to know. I watch the interaction they have with the patients and their parents. I learn as I see the way they act and what things are important when caring for a child.
INTERPRETIVE
The significance of doing 30 extra hours of mentorship is that I gain more knowledge not from articles but from experience. Although I only watch and can't really do any of the things the nurses do, observing them gives me more knowledge than I had before. You can never have to much knowledge. I also get to witness first hand what it is like working with kids and the different situations I am going to encounter if I pursue this career. Understanding children's feelings and how they should be treated is a major part of Pediatric Oncology. Pediatric nurses are experts in working with kids so it is a big help to have their advice.
APPLIED
This component helped me answer my EQ by providing me with one of my answers which is parental and doctor emotional support. I came up with this answer due to my mentorship because I saw how important it was. When I first saw it I would see it and just think it was normal but after seeing it happen so much I saw how children reacted to it and how it would lift their spirits.
(a) I, Brianna Sigala, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.”
(b) Chino Pediatric Nurses helped me complete this Independent Component.
(c) Posted.
(d) I completed 30 hours of mentorship. I shadowed many of the nurses that all provide me with their knowledge and give me pieces of information that they think are valuable to know. I watch the interaction they have with the patients and their parents. I learn as I see the way they act and what things are important when caring for a child.
INTERPRETIVE
The significance of doing 30 extra hours of mentorship is that I gain more knowledge not from articles but from experience. Although I only watch and can't really do any of the things the nurses do, observing them gives me more knowledge than I had before. You can never have to much knowledge. I also get to witness first hand what it is like working with kids and the different situations I am going to encounter if I pursue this career. Understanding children's feelings and how they should be treated is a major part of Pediatric Oncology. Pediatric nurses are experts in working with kids so it is a big help to have their advice.
APPLIED
This component helped me answer my EQ by providing me with one of my answers which is parental and doctor emotional support. I came up with this answer due to my mentorship because I saw how important it was. When I first saw it I would see it and just think it was normal but after seeing it happen so much I saw how children reacted to it and how it would lift their spirits.
Here is an image of a few of the boards with the many pictures of the patients we have on the cork boards.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Meeting A Hero
March 26, 2014
Today I had the opportunity to meet a Pediatric Oncologist. He informed of so many things that I never thought about; the various amount of cancers and treatments. Dr. Clarke Anderson, MD. works at City of Hope in Duarte, California. Dr. Anderson is knowledgeable in many aspects, he informed me all about what it will take to become one, the dedication it takes and the long road that awaits. He emphasized the various abilities a Pediatric Oncologist should have. I asked him for his opinion on my answers and he agreed that I chose the right answers. We talked about the research I have read and we discussed many concepts within it. It was really nice to know that my research was true and is applied now a days. He talked about many patients and gave me a documentary that one of his patients was a part of where it showed the life and treatment aspect of him while he was diagnosed with cancer. I learned so much from meeting a professional in the field, it was nice.
Today I had the opportunity to meet a Pediatric Oncologist. He informed of so many things that I never thought about; the various amount of cancers and treatments. Dr. Clarke Anderson, MD. works at City of Hope in Duarte, California. Dr. Anderson is knowledgeable in many aspects, he informed me all about what it will take to become one, the dedication it takes and the long road that awaits. He emphasized the various abilities a Pediatric Oncologist should have. I asked him for his opinion on my answers and he agreed that I chose the right answers. We talked about the research I have read and we discussed many concepts within it. It was really nice to know that my research was true and is applied now a days. He talked about many patients and gave me a documentary that one of his patients was a part of where it showed the life and treatment aspect of him while he was diagnosed with cancer. I learned so much from meeting a professional in the field, it was nice.
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