Meghan C. in the ER

This week in Practicum, we went to our first field placement. I was placed in the Emergency Department in the hospital. The ER was not very busy when I arrived or while I was there. I was nervous when I first arrived in the ER, but after a while I became more comfortable and began to ask questions. There were only three patients in ER while I was there. They had minor injuries. One women came in with back problems. She rested and was then gave a prescription for the pain. There was a older man that came in for kidney stones. The nurse told me that it is best to keep patients with kidney stones hydrated. The last patient I saw when I was in the ER, did not seem to no what was wrong with her. The nurses ran a EKG on her to try to discover what was wrong with her.

I learned that if I were to work in the ER I would need to get used to working at a fast pace. Also, I would need to be able to go with the flow because sometimes the ER is very busy and other times it is very slow. I believe that after a while I would be able to adapt to the ER and perform well in it. I learned that the ER is more than just one large room full of patients. There are different departments in the ER ranging from very serious to very minor, such as back pains. I expected the ER to be similar to the way it is depicted on television shows, but it was not like that. The thing I enjoyed the most about the ER is when the nurse would first get a case and she would explain to me how a good nurse is always a step ahead of the game. Mostly I liked when she would tell me the patients symptoms, such as a headache, and then she would have me guess what I should do, such as give the patient medicine, in order to discover what was wrong with them. I liked this because I got a taste of what ER nurses do. I did not like all the down time we had at the ER. Because of it being such a slow day, I feel like I missed out on some interesting things I could have seen and learned.

My mentor at the ER was nurse Jo. She was very informative. She would explain to me what she was doing and why. She would answer any questions I asked thoroughly. She gave me the reality of the ER in a nutshell. At the ER, I noticed that communication, quickness, and consistency are very important traits to have. Fortunately, I have all these traits. I communicated with patients, asking them how they were doing when the nurse told me. I was quick following the nurse around and observing. Lastly I am consistent. Everything that you do in the ER has to be documented for records. I believe a large majority of my personality traits are good for this career because I am very well with talking to others and I am responsible enough to fulfill all the requirements of this job.

This experience helped me grow as a person because it helped me see how important loving your job is. My mentor said that she loved her job and she was good at it too. She inspired me to really find something that I am passionate about and make it my career. After reading over my reflection, I feel that going to the ER was a very good experience for me to have. It gave me an opportunity, for the first time, to actually see a career I am interested in.

Katie H. Observes in the Family Birth Center

For my first placement I went to the Family Birth Center at Resurrection Hospital. Before I arrived, I was nervous about finding where I was supposed to go in the hospital and the things I was going to be doing. When I arrived there, I began working with Caitlin and Myra, two nurses who worked in the special care section for babies. In the special care room, nurses examine new babies as well as take care of babies with health problems or babies that a premature. I was able to observe the nurse as she examined a new born. I was able to see her measure his height and weight, take his temperature, and give him his first bath. I also observed two parents as they fed their premature son. I also saw a premature baby who was born nine weeks early and had to be kept in an incubator. In the incubator, the baby’s temperature and heart rate was constantly monitored.

Also, this week while in the classroom, we researched jobs in engineering. I learned a lot from this because I learned the specific jobs they have to do as well as the many different types of engineers there are. I most enjoyed observing the nurse as she examined the new born. I was able to learn about the process of examining a new born and the steps the nurses take to be sure the baby is in good health. I least enjoyed the research about engineering occupations. Although I learned many new things, I feel it was not important to me because I don’t have an interest in that specific field.

This experience helped me grow as a student nearing the end high school. I learned about the specific work nurses have to do in the family birth center and I was able to ask questions about their specific duties, shifts, opportunities, and schooling. Reflecting on the past week, I feel like I have gained more knowledge about different occupations, both ones I may or may not be interested in. This week I learned a lot about careers and myself. This week definitely made me think more about my future career and provided me with a great opportunity to see, first hand, a career I am interested in.

Rachael K. in a Special Education Classroom

I’ve officially had my first placement. I am the happiest girl in the world. But really, I loved it. I had the chance to work in both a 3rd-5th grade special education classroom, along with a 6th-8th one. The first thing I noticed was that the students were all in different sections of the classroom. Fifth graders were in one corner and the two third grade girls were sitting at desks. I was immediately introduced to the class and was astonished with how many questions they had for me. "Do you want to be a teacher?" "Do you play any instruments?" "Are you coming back to visit us?" Plus, Ms. Knorr introduced me as Miss Rachael and my heart melted.

The class was comparing George Washington and Abraham Lincoln using a “T chart” for organizational purposes. Obviously the 3rd graders were learning at a slower pace than the older kids, and they did different activities that were still on the same topic of Presidents. I was told to read to the third grade girls and constantly asked them question after question every two pages or so. I loved being able to work with the kids, probably because of my extrovert personality.

Being patient, kind and enjoyable are major areas that teachers need to be able to accomplish. It also doesn’t hurt to keep the children, and yourself, organized. I was extremely impressed with the system Ms. Vanecko,3rd-5th grade special education teacher, had because it was so orderly. Although I loved observing and helping the kids today, I’m still anxious to get into an Early Childhood Special Ed. classroom, so that would be my only negative.

Looking back at my experience today I am 100% sure that I would love to go into the Education field, especially with Special Ed. I’m just not too sure as to what age group to study. Thankfully I have this program to help me decide.

Mia M. on Careers and Shadowing a Physician's Assistant

My experience in practicum this week was very enjoyable and interesting. I was in the field for the first time, and I shadowed Tracy Buxton, a Physician Assistant. Besides being in the field, I researched information about engineering, as well as information about the fifty best jobs of 2011. I felt like this week was very productive and informational
In the field, I learned many things about being a physician assistant. Tracy talked to me a lot about the educational requirements and the daily tasks that she performs on the job. I also had the opportunity to shadow Tracy as she treated two patients, which was very cool. I like the fact that there is a lot of diversity and flexibility in this job. Tracy also told me that this career is growing which is definitely good news. Because a physician assistant is not a doctor, there is also the opportunity to have time to your self. I was glad to hear this because that is really important to me. I don’t want my job to consume every minute of every day. As I shadowed Tracy, I enjoyed her role and tasks that she performed and I felt comfortable in the atmosphere. I observed that my natural roles fit in well with this career. I am useful, energetic, independent, and alert which are all required in being a physician assistant. Tracy also told me that you learn from experience, and one of my character traits is that I learn by doing. This job was very enjoyable, and I think I would make a good physician assistant.

Another activity I enjoyed this week was learning about different careers. I learned about the jobs that are expanding and offer well rewarded salaries. I found this information very useful and interesting. I discovered that I have an interest in physical therapy. I like that, as a physical therapist, I would be able to utilize my social skills as well as implement medical knowledge. Also, physical therapists make a very decent salary. I cannot wait to shadow physical therapy because I definitely vision it as a future career.

My experiences this week helped me to grow as a student. Tracy talked to me a lot about education which inspired me to remain focused and diligent. Sometimes I get stressed or discouraged and my focus strays off course, but Tracy gave me that little push I needed. I feel like this week was really useful and I am excited to keep learning about different careers.

Theresa L.: Realizations about Occupational Therapy

Before going to OT for placement, I had been considering it as something I may pursue as a career. And while it was fun to watch Minnie with her patients, it made me realize this career isn’t the one for me. Because occupational therapy focuses more on the upper body, OT’s do a lot of sitting, which I can’t do for long periods. OT requires a lot of patience, as some of the procedures can take longer than others, and quite a bit of observation. While Minnie did ask her patients questions and gave them tests to do, she also watched how they were doing throughout it.

Being able to watch an occupational therapist work was a bit eye-opening to me. It showed me that just because something sounds good, doesn’t mean it is always right for you. Looking back on this reflection, I am grateful that I had the chance to go and watch OT at work. While it may not have been the right fit for me, it was still a great experience and I really enjoyed it.

Amanda T. Reflects on Nursing

On Thursday, I went to the Resurrection hospital family practice. Here, I worked mostly with Jenny, RN and a couple other nurses. When I first got there I shadowed a nurse who was taking care of a patient. This patient was not feeling well and did not know what was wrong. I watched the nurse take some tests in the lab. The tests came up negative and the nurse still could not figure out what was wrong so I watched her take blood from the patient for another test. While waiting for results, the nurse showed me how to prepare a room and where all of the supplies are located. At the end of the placement I talked to a couple of nurses and learned their backgrounds and was able to ask questions.

I learned that I really enjoyed going to family practice. Also, I learned that I am comfortable in this type of setting. Nursing can sometimes be demanding however the day that I visited, they were slow. Furthermore, I learned that nursing gives you many job opportunities and is not limiting. The thing that I enjoyed the most was doing the tests.

Kelly T. on Being a Math Teacher

On Thursday I went to Immaculate Conception. At IC, I went to the 8th grade math class with Mrs. Bott. In the classroom, I observed the students learning how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide exponents. Also, in IC they are currently working with stocks. After the math class, the students went to their auditorium and Skyped with a stock broker, Mr. Paul Benson. The students asked him different questions on how the stock market works and he gladly answered them. This was a neat thing to watch. I picked up some helpful tips from him that I can use in my stocks. I learned that math is not an easy subject to teach because the children need to have full attention to every detail given. The students also had many questions which tells me that to be able to be this teacher I need, patience, care, and I have to be able to understand what the students need. I most enjoyed watching the teacher help the students. I didn’t enjoy though, how she taught the class. For me, I thought it was very boring and just a hard class to sit through. I observed my own natural talents and personality traits being used by the way I had to help the students. I observed that I am very patient, and caring with the students.
This experience helped me grow as a person by showing me how truly honored I am to be able to receive such a good education that I knew how to do the math. I know it is only 8th grade math but I felt really good about myself going in there and knowing everything they were doing. I also grew as a student because I had to act respectable adult going into this school and I had to be on my best behavior to show a good image for Resurrection. That also helped me grow as a young adult nearing high school graduation. After rereading this reflection, I feel very connected to becoming a math teacher. I love math, I love helping people. I love supporting others as well. It made me feel good to be needed.

Patti Wants a Career in Social Work

This week in Practicum, I went to the hospital for Social Work. It was an amazing experience. It made me realize that that is what I want to do with my future. My mentor this week was Patty Hallaghan. We worked with older people who need to be released from the hospital. She took care of each and one of them and making sure that they would be safe and healthy. Patty made her career an interesting one; I would not forget what she taught me. I left there with a different view on certain aspects of the job.

Everything that Patty and I did was worth it. I liked everything she taught me, there was nothing that disappointed me in anyway. It made me think of the future in the career for me. She made me want to try my hardest at becoming a Social Worker and knowing that it will be tough in school and that it is worth it, especially individuals who need it the most. I am excited to go again.