Running May Speed Ones Progress to the Finishing Line of Life

While participating in my mentorship in the cardiology department, I discovered a very interesting fact.  My mentor made a comment, while reading an article on a man who keeled over and died while running a marathon, about how running can be very unhealthy for you.  I found this very intriguing since I am an avid runner, so I discovered an article on the subject from Medical News Today.  The article stated that running for too long or too fast doesn’t do any more good to health than a moderate vigorous session of 30-50 minutes.  It proceeded to explain that it is a common misconception to think that more intensive and longer-lasting exercise can only do you “extra good”.   Researchers stated that evidence shows that activities such as marathons are more likely to cause harm to heart health.  Chronic extreme endurance seems to cause excessive wear and tear on the heart, along with adverse structural and electrical remodeling.  This article made me think twice about running for a long period of time and reconsider doing short spurts of moderate exercise.

 

Nordqvist, Christian. "Beware of the Dangers of Long Term Marathons." Medical News Today. Academic Journal, 30 Nov. 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2012.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/253400.php

Mentor Q and A

1. How would you use technology in the day to day operations of your career field?

            We use technology every day in everything we do! That’s what keeps this field exciting! We use technology such as data to document patients and all of the equipment to administer cauterizations.

2. What technology do you use to communicate with other professionals?

            The nurses are the ones who usually communicate the information and data to where it needs to go.  They use charts or send it via the computer.

3. When presenting to other professionals, what do you use to do so?

            We use computer data, charts and diagrams (either manually or technologically) that display a visual of the heart where we draw in any findings we come across while we cath the patient.  We also have an inventory data sheet to document the equipment we use during the procedure.

4. What is your theory about the type of technology that will be used in the future in this profession?

            Professionals are actually working on a robotic device that will assist in caths, so that the nurses and doctors are more protected from the radiation.

5. As a student and future professional, how can you imagine technology being incorporated in this profession?

            I can imagine technology getting to the point where advanced high-tech robotic devices assist in the cath lab, so that radiation isn’t an issue for the nurses.  Also, advanced catheters that are less invasive and computers that are able to document the necessary information automatically is also a possibility.

How will you incorporate technology into your final presentation for HMP?

                  I will use technological programs such as a Prezi or PowerPoint to display my final presentation.  Then I will incorporate the technology in my mentorship in the presentation in a unique way to display all of the tools my mentors use day to day.  I will also use videos to demonstrate my career field and the technology that it requires.

This is broken...

There are many things that are clearly broken in today’s society that could be fixed, but no one takes initiative to fix the problems.  I have had experience with a system that was clearly broken this past weekend.  I went to my region cheer competition and was very exuberant at how we performed.  It was clearly our best performance as a team; however the judges gave us the worst scores we had ever gotten for the season!  For other sports, like football and basketball, the scores are put on the scoreboard based on how many touchdowns or baskets they make.  On the other hand, judges use their opinions to score how good a team did.  This leaves room for bias, personal opinions and human error.  The system is clearly unfair and broken, thus someone needs to make a point to make it their job to fix the system of cheerleading judging.

 

My Essential Question

Which healthcare profession should I choose, in order to prioritize my needs of working in a career that assess criteria of something that would validate my reasons for choosing to research the medical field?

Why did you select this as your essential question? 

I selected this statement as my essential question, because it is really important for me to discover and explore my career options.  The Medical field is something I already decided I would want to pursue, especially after experiencing magical medical procedures like heart caths.  However, I want to research what medical field is best suited for me and my personal needs.  In order to succeed in life, I must choose a career that will help me to prosper.  Thus, I want to find a career that meshes well with my talents and personality. The career I choose will have to be one that makes me happy every time I wake up in the morning to go to work.  It is one of the biggest decisions that I will ever make in life and I want to make the right choice.

What excites you most about finding the answer to this essential question?

My enthusiasm rises when I think about going to college to pursue a life-long career path.  I have always wanted to experience more of the medical career, once I got a taste of it from my mentor.  Everything about what she does leaves me wanting more. Thus, I get the most excited about uncovering all the opportunities that are out there waiting for me.  There are tons of careers out there that most people don’t even know exist!  My goal is to uncover those obscure careers.  This research will help open my eyes to the medical world around me.  The possibility of uncovering my dream career gets my heart racing with enthusiasm!

Do you feel that this question accurately reflects a desire/need that you have to find out more about this topic?

            My essential question ignites a desire in me to pursue a career I am truly passionate about.  From my experience, I have already fallen in love with the medical field.   I must research this topic further to take advantage of all the opportunities that are waiting for me, when I graduate.  Also, my desire to help people in need is reflected in my question.  I wish to have a career that also reflects my desire.  I also have a need to find out about this topic because it is a crucial and essential part of my life.  I look forward to discovering my life long career that will be with me for the rest of my life.

TEE Article Summary

Last week during my mentorship, I had the unique opportunity to observe a TEE (Transesophageal Echocardiogram).  Upon further research from this particular article, I discovered that a TEE uses high-frequency sound waves to produce a graphic outline of the heart.  A TEE is used on patients for the purpose of looking at the heart’s valves and chambers to check for any abnormalities, without any interference from the lungs or ribs.  For the procedure, the doctor inserts a lubricated endoscope into the mouth, down the throat and into the esophagus.  The patient is awake during this procedure; however they are drowsy from relaxing medication.  The doctor then controls the endoscope and maneuvers it to get the best pictures and readings needed.  The entire procedure takes about an hour and provides telling pictures of the heart.  When I observed the TEE, Dr.Westmoreland showed me pictures of the heart and pointed out where she had discovered a hole in the patient’s heart.  This only proves that TEEs are very important tests for cardiologists to administer to patients, in order to give an early diagnosis of a problem in the heart.  It was a very intriguing and miraculous procedure to observe. Modern medicine never fails to amaze me.

Cleveland Clinic. "Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE)." Cleveland Clinic. Health Hub, 10 Aug. 2009. Web. 28 Oct. 2012.

Reflection of Ted Talks Site

- I would study neurology, if I had the time and unlimited resources, because it is something that I would really enjoy learning about every day. 

- I believe that attitude has a greater influence than aptitude.  For instance, if a person is really motivated and has a great attitude about what they are accomplishing then the aptitude will come to them with perseverance. On the other hand, if someone has aptitude but a bad attitude about accomplishing something then they will never succeed or prosper.

- Our current grading system sets some students up for failure and needs to be modified.  For instance, cumulative tests are weak spots for some students, because even though these students’ may know the material they receive a bad grade on the tests because they freeze up.  The education system should set up a personalized learning environment to help students to flourish in their personal strong suits and talents.

- Honors mentorship has instilled a great work ethic into me and has taught me valuable independence and problem solving skills, through real life teaching scenarios.  The program has also brought to my attention skills that I need to work on.  For example, I learned through the many projects and assignments online that I need to improve on my computer skills and time management.

College Medical Programs

My Top 3 Medical Colleges:

 Emory

Atlanta, Georgia

http://www.emory.edu/home/index.html

University of North Carolina

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

http://www.unc.edu/index.htm

Vanderbilt

Nashville, Tennessee

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/

I am conducting research on colleges to discover the colleges that will best suit my needs and wants for my future career.  By creating criteria for my “perfect” college, I picked the top three colleges that fit all of my guidelines. I plan to pursue a medical program, when I get accepted into college and the schools I apply to must be highly sought medical schools. I have included criteria, ranking, guidelines, honors and scholarship programs in my research to find the perfect match for me.

My criterion for a quality program of study is it must be well known and have many successful alumni.  The nursing program must be well ranked and have courses that will be required to receive my degree, as well. The professors in the medical program should also be well published. Emory, UNC, and Vanderbilt all exceed my criteria for a qualified healthcare program.

Thankfully, there are no entrance requirements to enter into the pre-med program, until you are trying to receive your degree. I would like to attend a college that is large, located in the South or in a major city, has a great football program, a diverse student body from different places on the globe and receives funding from numerous sponsors’, in order to meet my criteria for a quality educational program. 

UNC is ranked number 11, Vanderbilt 15 and Emory is ranked 21 on their medical program.  This nationwide ranking is based off of MCAT scores, peer assessment, research activity, number of students going into primary care, student selectivity, GPA and the acceptance rate.

 If a student academically excels in the rigorous medical courses then they can be awarded professional honors.  This could include Scholar Programs that give the students more opportunities and resources to succeed by providing them with a better amenities and educational opportunities.

Scholarships:

Tommy Aaron/Charlie Aaron Foundation Scholarship

Jenny Melton Scholarship

Zell Miller

 

Mentorship Experiences

I have just started my mentorship at Northeast Georgia Medical Center with cardiologist Dr.Westmoreland.  I was very nervous at first to follow around a Doctor in an unfamiliar environment; however I have been pleasantly surprised and have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences there. My eyes have been opened to new learning opportunities at my time there. I have learned many techniques that help test patients for heart abnormalities. For example, I learned how to administer a stress test on the heart and learned that its purpose is to monitor the heart during physical exercise. Dr.Westmoreland has taught me a lot about dealing with patients and diagnosis, as well. While visiting one patient, I experienced first-hand what emergency procedures were administered, when a patient is in some kind of medical distress. Dr. Westmoreland had to quick drop everything she was working on when an elderly patient’s heart was beating out of control and I watched her calm the patient down and adjust the medicine to stabilize her heart rhythm. Between these exciting experiences we have had discussions about where I would like to apply for college and it has brought up some real concerns about making the ultimate best decision on where to go along with fears of getting accepted.  Altogether, my first week has been nerve-wrecking, but an altogether great experience.   

Dare to Dream!!!!

I envision gaining the tools I will need to help heal people to make a difference in my patient's personal lives and create an environment that promotes happiness.  Also, I would like to gain the tools needed to have a strong work ethic. In my mentorship experience, I will be sure to ask a ton of questions to learn as much as possible and jump into new opportunities to ensure I get the most from my experience. This experience is preparing me for my career in the healthcare field by teaching me how to deal with patients and teaching me the basic techniques of being a nurse.

Mission Statement

My mission is to use my compassion, drive, respect and determination to better my patients lives both physically, emotionally and spiritually through the work of healing with my hands.

Lapdog Ropes Course Experience

The Lapdog rope course was an eye opening experience, one that was completely mentally and physically challenging for mind and body.  The multiple challenges that were thrown at us from about 60 feet in the air were frightening, but taught me a lot about leadership and team work.  A few people on my team automatically stepped up to the position of leadership and started working on a game plan to accomplish the tasks.  This was very beneficial in organizing a plan of action.  The course was very nerve-wrecking considering the height and rigor of the rope course and the challenges made sure that you had to rely on your teammates in order to “survive”.  For example, in one challenge I was blindfolded and had to jump from platform to platform while having to trust my teammates to guide me to safety.  It was difficult to build up trust for my teammates, because of the fear of falling.  However, with time I learned that they had my best interest in mind and really helped encourage me to succeed.  I had to learn to trust myself as well, so that they could rely on me as well.  It was an easier role for me to be the one trusting other people than being trusted, because I didn’t want to let my team down or let them fall.  When communicating as a group, I can improve my skills in giving feedback. Sometimes I wouldn’t voice my opinion of a plan and always just did what my other team members believed were best. I can apply the skills that I learned from the Lapdog fieldtrip in real workplace situations by stepping up to lead a team, learning how to receive and give feedback  and learning how to trust myself and others around me in important situations.  The adrenaline rush of being that high up and trying to not fall off was fun and exhilarating! I’m proud of myself for accomplishing such a feat!!

First Impressions

The "Getting to Know Your Mentor" handout along with the Making a Positive First Impression podcast eased my anxiety on what to do and how to behave, during my mentorship. The handout provided me with a few conversation starters that will help us to get to know each other more thoroughly and start a positive working relationship. Also, both confirmed that enthusiam and positivity for the mentorship will make a great first impression. Dressing professional and puntuality was also a key piece of advice. Most importantly asking questions, being friendly, working hard and providing insight will be my best attribute on the job. I can't wait to get started and meet my mentor!! :)