2. ORIENTATION WEEK
Stepping into St. Francis Via Christi Hospital, I had
no idea of what Health Academy would be like.
Nor did I know that the walk to the classroom
would be a mile long down the hallways. After
getting lost on the first day, getting off the wrong
floor and entering the wrong classroom, everything
began to get better when I realized I wasn’t the
only one. The first few days were spent going
over the syllabus, getting to know the rules of the
hospital, and researching different careers that we
had an interest in. So far a good start!
7. ROTATION WEEK 1: Laboratory
MY FIRST ROTATION WAS AWESOME! I
was in the laboratory & I loved every second
of it, they packed me with information the
whole time. I got to see things I would've
never thought I'd see and I got to witness
situations that I never thought I would have to
witness. It was an emotional roller coaster but
a thrill all at once. There were parts where I
wanted to cry and there were times I wanted
to jump up and down in excitement. The lab
may seem boring from the outside but once
you're there seeing everything live and up
close it's actually very cool and interesting. I
see them as the backstage secret agents
now. :)
8. ROTATION WEEK 3: Cath
Lab
For third rotation I was in the Cath Lab at
St. Francis. First day was boring, there
were no cases until 5pm so they moved
me to radiology and there I watched a
sonogram of a leg and I got to leave at
2pm. SUPER BORING. Second day was
awesome! I came right when they were
starting a case and I got to watch an
open heart intervention type thing. It was
pretty cool, blood got all over the doctor's
scrubs and he was super funny.
Everyone there is super friendly! Yay
cath lab! :)
9. ROTATION WEEK 5: MICU
For week 5 I was in the MICU. It was so intense. My
nurses were so nice! It was very emotional for
everyone. Day one was pretty calm, each nurse was
assigned 2 patients and the 2 patients I had was a 95
year old women. She was so cute! She had a manicure
and pedicure and a facial done the night before it was
adorable. She was in there because she fell off a chair.
The 2nd patient was a 40 year old who was the
complete opposite. She was smoking all her life and
she was put on so many machines I couldn't even
count. She had such a hard time breathing all because
of her smoking. Day 2 I had a patient that was almost
about to pass.. The doctor came in and explained to the
family that once his heart stops, we can't bring him back
and everyone was in tears. The doctor handled it so
well. Walking around the MICU makes me feel so
blessed because I see everyone extremely suffering
and I can't do anything about it. Overall I really enjoyed
it. WOOO MICU!
10. ROTATION WEEK 7: 7SE
This rotation I was in Transplant 6SE. I was expecting a
boring nursing station but it was so fun! My nurses were
hilarious and so nice. If those nurses weren't there, I
probably would have been miserable from boredom.
But they were there so I had a blast! One of the patients
was waiting for dialysis and she was testing me, asking
me, "If you're not allowed to do anything but
observe, then why are you even here?" and she was
making me do stuff for her like brush her teeth and
organize her room and make her bed. I just looked at
her and did what I could . My nurse just laughed and
helped me out. The 2nd patient was cussing my nurse
out saying she didn't know what she was doing and how
she never listens because she made him take his
medicine. It was a very interesting 2 days. VERY
INTERESTING. I liked it. :)
11. ROTATION WEEK 9: 5SE
For this rotation I was in 5SE. It was pretty boring and
we had a ton of down time because we only had a few
major patients those 2 days but my nurse was
awesome, she took full advantage of our down time.
She walked me through everything she does and
showed me around the whole unit and talked to me
about the education it took to get there and what
classes she took and all that good stuff. She had me
help her with a lot of things as well! When she would
help a patient, she made sure I was involved, whether it
was me putting the bandaid on or just help clean a
patient's wound. She was very informative and told me
how important it was to stay motivated and dedicated.
She made me so excited and inspired and she was
such a loving helpful person. Wooo! I also got to see 2
physical therapy sessions with a paralyzed patient!
12. ROTATION WEEK 11: OR
For this rotation I was in the OR and a nursing area
where the OR patients went to right after surgery. It was
really cool because it wasn't as intense as I thought it
would be. There was rock music and country music
playing in the background and they talked to each other
about what they're going to have for dinner that night.
They were really calm and there were good vibes all
throughout. In the nursing area, most of the patients
were sedated and still asleep from the anestesia. The
nurses were so nice and everyone was really nice and
fun to talk to. They let me stand at the head of one of
the patients during her surgery and I got to see
everything. It was awesome! The surgeon that I was
with was a really big fan of Selena Gomez and he had
her whole album. It was funny haha.
13. ROTATION WEEK 13: Labor and
Delivery
For this rotation I was in Labor and Delivery. One of my
favorite units by far! I got to see one full natural birth. The
doctors and nurses in there were telling me what was
happening as it happened. They explained to me everything
that was going on and made sure I understood. Such nice
wonderful people. With me were also 2 other 3rd year
medical students and I followed them for 2 days as well. They
were so inspirational and helpful & I'm so glad I got to meet
them. The 2nd day there were no delieveries at all from 12-3
except for one C-section that I missed. The 2nd lady was in
labor with kidney stones and she was in a ton of pain. I
missed the birth cause she took to long but I got to see her
amnio if I spelled that correctly.. So they took me to the NICU.
Great unit and so many cute adorable babies. They all looked
like little dolls. Most of them were less than 4lbs and there
were some that were only 1 lb. :( But it was so quiet in there
and the nurses just let me wander the unit and observe the
babies by myself.
14. ROTATION WEEK 15: CARDIAC
For this rotation I was in the Cardiac unit at
St. Francis. I had the sweetest male nurse
both days named Ray. He showed me around
the whole unit, gave me tours, explained to
me what each room is responsible for, what
each patient had, and let me help out with
whatever I could. During down time he would
take the time to explain to me what a typical
day is like for him and what he goes through.
The first day it was super hectic and busy.
Nurses were literally running around taking
care of patients, phone ringing nonstop, just
like what you would normally see on tv. The
second day it was very calm and a lot of
patients got to go home. Overall, I enjoyed
my rotation.
15. ROTATION WEEK 16: 7SE
For my last rotation I was at 7SE. The nurse I had was
very helpful and kind. She walked me through
everything and explained to me what she was doing.
She kept trying to talk me into becoming a nurse
because she enjoyed it so much. One of her patients
had an apnea episode where he would stop breathing
for a matter of time and the nurses had to keep shaking
him and screaming his name to bring him back. No
one knew what was going on so the nurse called the
doctor, the EKG person, another nurse and the "rapid
team" to come help and it still took awhile for them to
realize what was happening. It was scary because the
nurses were sweating prefusely. Especially the male
nurses. Overall, I enjoyed my rotation at 7SE and I
ended Health Academy with a good and eventful
rotation at a nursing station.
21. Career List: OB/GYN
obstetrics and gynecology; are the two surgical–medical
specialties dealing with the female reproductive organs
in their pregnant and non-pregnant
state, respectively, and as such are often combined to
form a single medical specialty and postgraduate
training program. This combined training prepares the
practicing OB/GYN to be adept at the surgical
management of the entire scope of clinical pathology
involving female reproductive organs, and to provide
care for both pregnant and non-pregnant patients.
As physicians, they are licensed to use a wide variety of
treatment and may write prescriptions. In addition to
completing the requirements for a degree in allopathic
or osteopathic medicine, psychiatrists must complete an
intensive three year residency in psychiatry. To prepare
for this I need to maintain a solid GPA and obtain a
Bachelors associates degree, then 4 years of medical
school, psychiatric residency, and fellowship training.
22. NICU or Pediatric Nurse
The area that I am most interested in has to be the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
because growing up, I’ve always watched what I call the “baby channel” on TLC
and ever since I could remember, all I wanted to do was be a Registered neonatal
nurse or a Registered Pediatric Nurse. The feeling of changing lives every day is
so fulfilling and every day is a surprise so one would never know what to expect.
To do so, I would have to acquire a Bachelor’s Degree. I would have to graduate
from a nursing program and would have to pass a national licensing exam. In the
meantime, volunteering in a hospital and doing practices would help me gain
experience to get into these programs. Registered nurses also often direct LPN
(Licensed Practical Nurse) or Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and
communicate with treating physicians An LPN-to-RN certificate program generally
requires 30 credits for completion. RN diploma programs take 2-3 years to
complete and are generally offered through hospitals. Some students specialize in
an area of study, such as cardiology, pediatrics, obstetrics or psychiatric nursing.
RN diploma programs are occasionally offered online, with students completing
clinical practices at a local facility. Graduates of an RN diploma program are
prepared to take the NCLEX-RN exam. Graduates of nursing diploma programs
are qualified for RN positions in outpatient and inpatient facilities. Specific job titles
including home health care nurse, staff nurse, nurse-midwife, Pediatric
nurse, ambulatory care nurse, all in which I’m interested in.
23. Child Psychologist
Children these days have more problems and cases of
depression than ever before. I would love to be the person
that children go to when they need help or just someone to
listen and show that they care. Like the Occupational Outlook
Handbook says, “Psychologists study the human mind. They
also try to explain why people act as they do.” The human
mind is so astonishing to me and just being able to learn
more deeply into the subject and being able to understand
how one’s mind works is overwhelming. Licensed
psychologists must earn a Ph.D. in psychology. Admission to
graduate programs is usually dependent on the quality of
undergraduate performance in a psychology major. Clinical
psychologists must complete a two-year supervised
internship after earning their doctorate and pass oral and
written state qualifying exams. School psychologists must
earn at least a master's degree. It is recommended that
students should prepare for a career in psychology by taking
the most challenging (AP or IB) high school courses
available, especially in English and science.
24. Allopathic physician;
Pediatrician
The last career that I am super interested in is
Allopathic physician. These specialties include being
a Pediatrician, which is my life long goal in life. To
prepare for this it is recommended to take the highest
courses of class available in schooling such as AP
course of course, after three or four years of
college, prospective physicians must attend medical
school. Undergraduate requirements for admission to
all medical schools include one year of basic
chemistry, one year of organic chemistry, one year of
biology, and one year of physics, followed by a yearlong
hospital internship, then undertake a 3 year residency.
Being in Health Academy is such an honor and a
blessing and I know it will help me so much in keeping
me motivated and continue to further my knowledge
and move me towards the right direction to get me to
where I want to go in life.
25. Dr. Singhs Lecture Reflection
Dr. Signh
Dr. Signh is a very inspirational person because he strongly believes in our
success and he wants each and every one of us to be successful. He understands
that we still have a long way but everyone has to start somewhere one way or
another. He has a Ph. D in the subject of biology and that takes a ton of motivation
to achieve. What I put into this class is what I will get out of this class. I will leave
this class with more opportunities and drive in fulfilling my career because he is
expanding my options and letting me seek deeper into different careers.
So far, the speakers that we have had were phenomenal. A few of them
were over respiratory therapy, dentistry, and Radiology. Megaret Trumpp came
and spoke to us about respiratory therapy and she gave us a ton of information.
She even told us about the program they have available at Newman and gave us
all handouts. I never thought about this career and never had an interest in it until
she spoke to us. Now, I have an interest for this career and I look forward into
learning more about respiratory therapy. She told us about their annual salary,
what a day is like in the life of a respiratory therapist, what the education is like
and all the courses we need to achieve this career. Megaret was very helpful and
if it was not for Dr. Singh, I would never have gotten to even know about this
option for a career path.
26. Another speaker was Dr. Mark Troilo over
dentistry and this speaker was very intriguing as
well. He buried us in information as to what the
career is like, what his daily life is like and the
education it took to get to where he is. He was
very honest in telling us that it is not an easy
process. It proves that they truly want what is
best for us and they strive to expand our options
and to lead us down the right path in life. Dr.
Troilo explained the different colleges he
recommends for dentist school and he even gave
us some facts on dentistry as well. He touched
both negatives and positives on this career and
that was a big plus.
27. Shelly Forensic DNA Analysis in High Profile
Shelly’s presentation on Forensic DNA Analysis was very intriguing. I never even knew this
career existed until her speech. I believe what she does is such an amazing job, it is so unique
and it is such a privilege. Every forensic autopsy, death of public interest, suicide and
accidental case is what she deals with. She said it took many years of schooling for her to get
to where she is now but I wouldn’t doubt it because it was definitely worth it. Shelly explained
there are different ranges within her job. Such as Pathology, Pathology Assistants, Forensic
Science Laboratories, Medical Investigators, and finally what she does, Biology DNA.
Pathology assistants do all the work when it comes to cutting the body, removing
brains, releasing organs, etc. Medical Investigators are the ones that are called to the scene.
They also get what is called “property of the corner” as well. They are the hard drug
investigators and test the equipment such as discovering which bullet came from where and
came from which gun. The process that Shelly explained was so fascinating and so strategic.
Biology DNA is what Shelly does and she works a lot with cops and lawyers. She
gathers DNA and blood is the best source. For every case she creates a DNA profile for
evidence, to generate, and sometimes even testify with. The equipment she uses on a regular
basis is microscopes, special lighting sources, all the chemistry gear and she also uses
chemistry on a daily basis. The training for her or for anyone else coming into the job in this
career field is 6 months before one can even get their first case. She got the privilege of being
able to work on the BTK case and it took over a year for her to investigate. Her process was to
generate a profile, issue a report, and explain her findings then finally to testify.
Overall, I think her job is extremely fascinating and is such an amazing opportunity to
be able to work in such an intriguing place. I believe it takes a certain someone to pursue such
a job but it is definitely worth it.
28. Dr. Reichenberger Veterinarian
If you like animals and science then being a vet would be the perfect career for you.
Veterinarians should love animals and be able to get along with their owners. Veterinarians
need to also graduate from an accredited college of veterinary medicine and a State license
are required; admission to veterinary school is competitive but job opportunities should be
excellent even when about 80% of vets work in a private practice. Veterinarians diagnose and
treat diseases and dysfunctions of animals. Specifically, they care for the health of
pets, livestock, and animals in zoos, and laboratories. Some veterinarians use their skills to
protect humans against diseases carried by animals and conduct clinical research on human
and animal health problems. Others work in basic research, broadening our knowledge of
animals and medical science, and in applied research, developing new ways to use
knowledge.
Most veterinarians diagnose animal health problems, vaccinate against
diseases, medicate animals suffering from infections or illnesses, treat and dress wounds, set
fractures, perform surgery, and advise owners about animal feeding, behavior, and breeding.
Veterinarians who work with food animals or horses usually drive to farms or ranches to
provide veterinary services for herds or individual animals. These veterinarians test for and
vaccinate against diseases and consult with farm or ranch owners and managers regarding
animal production, feeding, and housing issues. They also treat and dress wounds, set
fractures, and perform surgery, including cesarean sections on birthing animals. Other
veterinarians care for zoo, aquarium, or laboratory animals. Veterinarians of all types euthanize
animals when necessary.
When treating animals, Dr. Reichenberger uses medical equipment such as
stethoscopes, surgical instruments, and diagnostic equipment, including radiographic and
ultrasound equipment. Some veterinarians contribute to human as well as animal health. A
number of veterinarians work with physicians and scientists as they research ways to prevent
and treat various human health problems.
Being a Veterinarian would be an interesting job to have. You would not know what to
expect every day as with any other job in this field. Dr. Reichenberger explained how he is an
anesthesiologist, dentist and pharmacist all along with being a vet. I thought that was really
interesting because it comes with so many different degrees and so many different talents all in
one.
29. In conclusion, all these speakers are
very motivational and they are very
captivating. So far, I really enjoy this
class and hearing all the different
speakers. I am truly thankful for this
class because it widened my career
options and it answers all the
questions that I may have about the
medical field. Some of the careers that
we learned about, I didn’t even know
existed!
30. FUTURE PLANS
For my future plan, I plan on attending
WSU and plan to make my way
towards medical school and
succeeding.
