blog
The End…or Not
12/06/21
This past week, I was finally able to find complete my third interview, which was virtual.This interview was with a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist who provided answers that were short and sweet. While I enjoyed talking to her, I connected with the other professionals better, and she worked too far from where we were for me to be able to do my mentor visits.I felt immense gratitude for being finished with the interviews, and now, I’m finally able to ask the professional I liked the most for a chance to do mentor visits under them. I’m excited to see what opportunities this may bring, and I hope Dr. Aleem decides to become my mentor. Onde thing that has been a pressing matter this week is my original work, which is due on friday. Honestly, I still have a lot to do. I ham going to need to work extensively over the next couple days in order to finish. For my original work, I am writing a comparative analysis article about hospital preparedness and anesthesia in regards to COVID. I was able to decide the structure of the paper and find a template on how to write a research paper. As you can see, I have my hands full. This week has definitely been very eventful for ism, and I’m still very excited for what comes next.
Big Deadlines In Sight
11/29/21
As the title of this blog suggests, there are some big deadlines approaching fast. Our original work is due in just ten days. Admittedly, I’m a little behind. I’ve found all the articles I wanted to use, planned out how I wanted to use them, and annotated two of them, but there is still a long way to go before my original work is anywhere near complete. Surprisingly, I’m having a lot more fun reviewing the articles for my original work than i thought I would. It’s very interesting to see how COVID has impacted this area of healthcare, and how that in turn takes a toll on doctors and patients. Regarding interviews, I’ve had to learn how to be patient more than I ever thought would be necessary. Many doctors have gotten back to a message I’ve left, or a phone call I’ve made, but cannot respond after that. This puts things into perspective for me, and shows me just how busy these doctors are. It also makes me appreciate the doctors who did take precious time out of their days in order to meet with me. I hope I have luck finding a third interview soon, and I hope one of these will find time to meet with me!
Two for two?
11/15/21
Over the course of the past week, I’ve heard back from two professionals willing to conduct an interview with me. One works at a clinic, and the other works at UT Southwestern. I’ve yet to hear back from either professional regarding time, but I am excited to see how they pan out, and to finish up my interviews, so I can chose a professional to mentor me, and so I can start going on mentor visits. Once I get to the point where I have to start choosing my mentor, I know I will have a hard time deciding because there are so many advantages to each of the professionals I interviewed, yet each was so different and centered around different topics (the two that I’ve gone on so far were both big and less of a drive. Hopefully, after some time in the near future, I am able to watch th film. I predict that the interview at the clinic will be more interesting because the other interview is on zoom. This zoom interview would be my first on zoom, I hope it’s just as engaging as the others. Let’s hope I get two for two in the upcoming weeks!
My Love-Hate Relationship With Children
11/8/2021
Last week, I was able to attend the interview Dr. Vidaurri and I had set up. The interview took place at Children’s Medical Plano, a pediatric hospital only 10-15 minutes from my school. While the interview was very different from my first interview, it was just as informative, and just as interesting. My last interview was more about the specifics of being an anesthesiologist, but this interview focused more on college and medical school applications. As it is the winter of my junior year, the discussion of how important grades really are couldn’t have come at a better time, because as the year winds down the workload is getting more difficult. Seeing this hospital made me realize that I might enjoy working in pediatrics, and it definitely isn’t something I should rule out just because of a potential aversion to children. Hearing Dr. Vidaurri describe the hospital and various things that they do to keep the children happy made me realize how nice it would be to work in an environment like that. I was extremely appreciative of the chance to meet Dr. Vidaurri, and maybe hope to see her again sometime in the future. Her upbeat personality and hardworking character will make my decision of choosing a mentor even more difficult (in the best way possible).
Physicians in Plano
11/1/2021
This week, I have another interview with an anesthesiologist who works at a Children’s Hospital in Plano. I am most excited to ask about how working in children is different from working in adults, and gaining an idea of how gender roles are in play in the medical field. I frequently wonder if there are any problems in the workplace based on gender, and observing how these are seen in this specific setting will be interesting. In fact, for my next research assessment, I might take a break from articles for my original work in order to find one on gender inequality in anesthesiologists in the US. I am hoping this interview goes as well as my first interview did. I am becoming increasingly aware of the difficulty in contacting and meeting anesthesiologists due to a shortage in workers and the pandemic, and take each interaction I have with professionals with respect for their primary duties, and their increasingly heavy workload. My third interview may be in the works with an anesthesiologist from US Anesthesia Partners. Im hopeful that I will be able to finish all three interviews sometime soon, so I can pick my mentor as the semester and year winds down.
Treadmill
10/25/2021
When using a treadmill, people can’t just start off at the fastest setting and go on like that the entire time they are exercising. They need to work up to it, getting more used to each setting and the increase in intensity and pace. The pace of ISM has been progressing much like that of this hypothetical treadmill. During the first nine weeks, the pace of ISM seems to have been much slower than this nine weeks. Its only been two weeks, and you can already notice the difference in the number of assignments that need to be done, the quality of work, and the progress regarding interviews and professionals. In terms of getting interviews, I still have not been able to reach many professionals or secure the said interviews. Today, I am planning on emailing a couple of professions whose emails I have collected from LinkedIn, and hopefully they will check their emails more often than their LinkedIn. While I have not yet reached the climax of the treadmill workout, the problems I am facing remind me of a running limit that is unnecessarily hard to overcome. Only through much practice and development will one be able to move past this limit. On another note, our original work proposal was recently due. Although my idea is creative, it certainly is ambitious, and both my teacher and I are worried that contacting that many anesthesiologists will be very difficult, especially in light of the pandemic and hospital staff shortages. All things considered, I am somewhat stressed out as of right now.
Calm Before the Storm
10/18/2021
Today in class, my ISM teacher informed the students that the second nine weeks would be the hardest and most work-intensive period of ISM. I realized how true this statement was after I saw that there are two assessments due this week. Although I’d like to say everything is going smoothly at this point, I have to admit that I am having trouble scheduling interviews with professionals due to their busy lifestyles and their unpredictable schedules. For example, I have almost scheduled another interview with an anesthesiologist at Children’s Health Plano, but we have lost contact in the past few weeks after she asked when I am available for the interview. I understand that her schedule is very busy, so I am keeping an open mind and trying to schedule interviews with other professionals. Last week, I volunteered at a concessions stand for the football game of a middle school in my area, and one of the moms knew an anesthesiologist. She took my number and told me she’d reach out for me. I hope this works out, because LinkedIn is becoming somewhat difficult to use. Nevertheless, this is just another challenge to overcome, and in order to be a successful student, I must learn to overcome and adapt to curveballs such as this one. I will keep trying to schedule interviews and hope that I am able to find at least the required two more.
Who is Emerson?
10/11/2021
Last Thursday, the ISM students of Frisco ISD attended the business symposium at Emerson high school. This event consisted of enlightening advice and stories from recent graduates, college students, and professionals in a variety of fields. Although most of the professionals that attended the symposium were in fields more related to computer science and business, it was still a great experience to hear how people got to where they are in their life and to meet others pursuing similar paths as me. Some of the students attending the symposium were studying interesting topics I hadn’t even considered, such as musical theater and biomedical engineering. The time the students spent together allowed me to forge new connections and meet new people. The best part of the symposium? The free metal water bottles. I’m joking, of course, but it was such a nice gesture to provide the water bottles for each student. In other news, I feel as though I’m very close to confirming my second interview. The anesthesiologist I am planning to meet seems like a very smart, driven professional who could pass down a lot of knowledge. This is only if she isn’t too busy, which is a recurring problem when trying to ask for interviews, since anesthesiologists have so much work to do. All in all, last week was a very exciting one, and I can’t wait to see where this interview will go.
How to Spell "Symposium"
10/04/2021
For the two weeks after my first interview, the pace of ISM has been more relaxed and calm. This pace is in anticipation of the business symposium. In all honesty, I didn’t fully understand what the business symposium was until just a couple days ago, though I’ve known about it for a while. In the ISM Student Locker(an informative google doc. of the many components of ISM), there was a presentation addressing the business symposium. This presentation covered arrival directions, etiquette, and how to address business professionals. From this presentation, I was able to gather a general idea of what to expect from this symposium. I am very excited to be able to meet with professionals who may connect me with others in the field I am studying, as well as professionals who are in my field and will be able to share their experiences with me. On another note, I’ve returned the laughably giant shoes, and gotten a pair that won’t make me trip with every step. This past Friday, the ISM students have had to submit their original work proposals, which was more nerve-wracking than exciting (at least at this point), but I’m excited to see where my idea heads, and I hope she likes the idea I have come up with. The proposal was longer and more descriptive than I expected it to be, but I appreciate the clarity an in-depth proposal gives someone viewing the original work for the first time. I sincerely hope my original work is every bit as useful and impressive as i intend it to be.
Where in the World is Medical City?
09/27/2021
Today was an extremely hectic day. I contacted a professional, planned an interview at Medical City Hospital, and attended the interview all in the span of two and a half hours. I feel as though I’ve finally begun to understand just how hectic the schedule of an emergency physician is. Nevertheless, the interview clarified much more than I was expecting, and provided me with invaluable knowledge. Admittedly, I was a little nervous going into the interview. There was so much that could have gone wrong. I could’ve somehow been in the wrong place, my shoes could’ve fallen off (they were laughably too big), it could’ve been unbearably awkward, among other scenarios. I soon realized these scenarios were all hypotheticals designed by my own mind to prohibit me from partaking on a successful interview. In all honesty, there wasn’t enough time for me too be too nervous, as the whole process happened so fast. Dr. Aleem provided me with information I might not have otherwise been able to get, and he was extremely kind. His laid back personality put me at ease, and conversation flowed naturally from us both. Now, I’m excited to attend the rest of my necessary interviews, especially if all of the professionals are as helpful as Dr. Aleem. Our original work proposal is due this Friday. This project requires at least 15 hours dedicated to its completion, and seems like a lot to take on. I already have a few ideas for my original work, and look forward to the help I may receive from professionals in order to complete it.
I Finally Learned How to Navigate LinkedIn
09/20/2021
I’ve finally learned how to properly use LinkedIn, and now use my resources to connect with professionals in the field. This prospect is very exciting and I can’t wait to go on an interview. Speaking of interviews, I have received my first message back confirming at least a call or an email about an interview. I am now eagerly awaiting her message.Through LinkedIn and the connections I already had, I’ve learned how important it is to create an extensive network, and the advantages it may give you now as well as in the future. In other news, I’ve now completed three research assessments, and my articles are beginning to be comprehended and understood better in my mind. The article I completed the most recently addressed how anesthesiologists were affected by COVID, specifically in low population MDCs such as Israel. Because it’s an MDC, the lack of resources wasn’t as big of an issue as it could of been, but hospitals and anesthesiologists were understaffed. Despite that, because of the low pop. and government policies to protect people, there weren’t many cases of COVID needing close monitoring (ventilators) and only one anesthesiologist was diagnosed with the virus. How quickly the anesthesia directors responded to the interview the researchers sent out indicated how on top of things the physicians were. At least for the moment, they weren’t completely overwhelmed. This article really made me consider how much COVID has affected the healthcare system, not just in my area, but throughout the whole world. I’ve also wondered how different factors in different areas have affected how many people have COVID in one region. Among the factors I thought of, the most prevalent seemed to be economic status, population, proximity to others, education, and government policies. When I shadow my mentor in the workplace, I hope to observe how COVID has affected the healthcare system around me.
The Beginning of the Beginning
09/13/2021
As the first month and a half is coming to an end, it’s been decided that it’s time for the students of ISM to branch out and contact professionals in order to begin conducting interviews for mentors. The task seems somewhat daunting, but at the very least I am getting a new suit and interview experience out of this ordeal. Although it seems scary now, I couldn’t be more excited to finally start getting out there and finding a mentor. This just puts me one step closer to one day being able to make a difference in the world. This week, I read an article about stressors for anesthesiologists, the authors describing the positives and negatives of their workplace. The job satisfaction was said to be very high, but the stress put on anesthesiologists from their environment, and the hardships of facing so much blame while dealing with deaths in patients influences them to have a very negative outlook on life. This leads to higher rates in divorce, home/family issues, and in extreme cases, even suicide. When I am observing my mentor in the field, I hope to observe the environment to assess the truth of these dynamics. Because of this article and the experiences the authors have been through, aspiring physicians like me can be prepared for what we may have to experience in the future, and how one may be able to avoid such negative conditions.
Decisions, Decisions...
09/06/2021
Recently, I read an article about how local anesthesia is underutilized in inguinal hernia repairs in northern Ghana, and it was the most interesting research article I’ve read in a while. What seemed to be a long, tedious assignment over reading and annotating an article actually turned out to be an assignment I enjoyed writing. Over the past two weeks, the pace of ISM has increased rapidly, and the ISM coach has assured us students that it would only be more hectic and fast-paced from here. Im very excited to see what the future holds for this class and most of all, I am excited to start interviewing mentors. Our first research assessment was due on Friday, and I decided to talk about the article I read. I was surprised to learn that inguinal hernia repair is one of the most common surgeries performed in the world. The results of the study showed that most physicians in northern Ghana preferred regional anesthesia to local anesthesia, despite the benefits of local anesthesia. This was due to a lack of education about local anesthesia and international guidelines (which recommended local anesthesia for hernia repair). I hope to take my learning further, branching off from this article into others about the importance of different types of anesthesia, and over the course of the next few weeks, I want to set a goal for myself; I hope to find more research regarding anesthesia in economically disadvantaged areas of the world. This pertains to one of my ultimate goals of helping physicians in third world countries provide healthcare for people who can’t afford the help they need.
08/30/2021
Anesthesiology is a big part of medicine, and affects millions of people everyday. It is a career I would love to be involved in, but first, there are many challenges to overcome. A big milestone that I consider integral to the process of becoming an anesthesiologist is getting into shadowing/mentorships, a big part of the ISM program. The process of being accepted into this program was rigorous, but definitely worth it, since, as I mentioned before, it would set in place one of the foundational milestones in my journey to the medical field. To get into ISM, applicants had to get recommendations from all their teachers, write an essay on their beliefs about ISM, and sit through an interview posed by the ISM coordinator. This long process built up the anticipation I had held for this program. So far, the other students and I have started our digital portfolios, updated our LinkedIn profiles to connect with professionals, and have begun to work on our speech proficiency. By next week, I hope to become familiar with writing assessments, and in the next couple of weeks, I hope to analyze a couple of articles regarding different forms of anesthesia. Last summer, I took part in a summer program at Columbia University, where professors would lecture about neurosurgery, and I was informed about PubMed.gov, a database for credible medical articles. Using this website, I hope to improve my skills of analyzing articles relating to my topic of interest. This past week, I have discovered that time management is a huge part of this program, and that I need to improve it. I have also learned that my ability to give speeches needs practice, and I need to improve on it. The beauty of ISM is that I can work on all of these areas needing improvement before it really matters, in the workplace.