Northside Hospital has been a partner in my education in that the organization has shaped my views of a career in the medical field. Unlike the traditional classroom setting, Northside has provided me with a unique learning experience in which I can actively shadow real-life medical professionals and understand the day-to-day functions of a hospital. Needless to say, the real thing is much different from Grey's Anatomy.
A goal I have met during my time at Northside is that I have expanded my knowledge on patient care. Specifically, I have observed what quality patient care looks like, such as helping patients to feel comfortable and assuring they are well-cared for. As an important aspect of a career in the healthcare, being familiar with ways to provide quality care to patients will aid me as I prepare for a career in medicine. My goals for a career in healthcare remain consistent, and if anything, I have been reassured that working in a hospital as a doctor is the path I want to take. Shadowing at Northside has enabled me to further develop my passion for medicine as well as rule out professions within the medical field that I am not interested in pursuing. As nursing is a demanding job with little to no break time, I mainly aid the nurses I shadow by running different errands and being an extra set of hands when needed. For example, I make trips to the supply closet when nurses are preoccupied with a patient and need something that is not on-hand. Occasionally, I also make runs to the pantry when a patient needs a snack or ice chips, so that the nurse can attend to the patient's medical needs in the meantime. Overall, the relationship between myself and the workers at Northside is mutually beneficial as I am able to gain both experience and knowledge, as well as help the nurses I work with, making sure they have everything they need and can focus on their patients' well-being.
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My essential question:
What quality of care can I anticipate to provide patients with given the current demanding working conditions of medical professionals? I selected this topic for my essential question primarily because it is a current issue in the medical field for a variety of medical professionals. The nurses I have worked with at my internship have expressed their frustration and described their exhaustion as they are often understaffed, given 4 patients to care for rather than 5 on many occasions. The negative effect of nurse understaffing brings to question the efficiency of nurses that are overworked, and their ability to provide the highest quality of care to patients. In addition, several nurses have conveyed that this issue is not solely in Northside Hospital but in hospitals nationwide. As the working conditions for these workers are unhealthy and unsafe for both the workers and patients, I have developed in interest in both how much this issue has progressed in other hospitals as while as learning about what steps are being taken to resolve this problem. Through researching this issue, I hope to learn more about how to balance a career in the medical field while simultaneously providing the highest quality of patient care. An issue such as this endangers both medical professionals and their patients therefore I am interested in discovering more about how to prevent exhaustion and malnourishment as a result of overworking. I am confident that the answer to my essential question will support the idea that change/improved working conditions is necessary to provide quality care to all patients. My question reflects a desire to find out more about my topic in that issues such as these can potentially effect me in the future when I am farther in my pursuit of a career in the medical field. Through my internship, I have learned the importance of serving patients in a quality manner and my topic reflects my commitment to patients' well-being. My Profile:
As a senior at West Forsyth High School, I am currently working toward graduating this upcoming May. I am a Varsity football cheerleader at my school, as well as an active participant in several community service organizations. In addition, I work in the childcare center at my local YMCA, caring for and engaging with infants and children. Helping and serving others has always been a prominent aspect of my life as I value the meaningful impact I can have on the lives of others. Collectively, this passion for serving others, and a passion for science and working with infants has prompted me to pursue a career in the medical field, specifically an obstetrician. A profession in the medical field will allow me to devote my life to improving and caring for the lives of others. My Mentorship: Currently, I am mentoring on the Surgery floor at Northside Hospital Forsyth. I shadow different RNs every week which allows me to regularly experience a variety of patient care methods and interactions. Along with my assigned nurse, we complete rounds every few hours to check in on the patients and ensure that all their needs are being met. I observe charting of patient progress and updates as this is an essential component of patient care. Additionally, I am able to observe the distribution of medications, meals, and other necessities to patients as it contributes to quality patient care. This opportunity has granted me the ability to learn and experience the importance of patient care as well as given me a great example as to what quality patient care looks like. My Future: I plan on attending either the University of Georgia or New York University and majoring in Biological Sciences/Global Public Health Science. I hope to attend medical school after acquiring an undergraduate degree, and go on to purse a career in Obstetrics/Neonatology. My perception of my internship at Northside has changed in that I am able to see firsthand see how the hospital makes an impact on the community. Medical professionals establish meaningful personal connections with their patients on a daily basis and consistently have encouraging attitudes. Every patient I have encountered so far has conveyed their sense of gratefulness for how well they are being cared for, and appreciate the hard work of the nurses and doctors. Northside Forsyth has showed me the importance of these personal connections made and the way in which healthcare is much more than merely the medical aspects.
The part of my internship that has surprised me the most is the individuals that I have had the opportunity to work with. All of the nurses I have been placed with are extremely kindhearted and very willing to teach me what they know. Despite their long hours and tiredness, I have been greeted with a smiling face every day and been so fortunate to learn a lot. These individuals enhance my learning experience and make me excited to go to my internship each week. One of the major parts of my internship that has stood out to me is the way in which the routine is so consistent each day, doing rounds and distributing medicine, yet so different in the necessities of each patients. The only aspect of this internship that could be described as boring is the charting, but even this task is vital to patient care. I have learned that in this line of work, time management is imperative because there is always something that needs to be done/someone who needs help. In addition, stress and exhaustion are struggles for many medical professionals, so I have learned the importance of taking care of oneself in order to adequately take care of others. Overall, the adversity of a job in the medical field is unquestionably outweighed by the amount of satisfaction that comes from helping and caring for others. Crystal Martin’s article, “The Effects of Nurse Staffing on Quality of Care,” investigates and establishes a relationship between a nurse’s number of patients and patient satisfaction. Her description of this relationship contributes to my research by providing detail on the different aspects of patient care that are affected by nurse staffing. The inclusion of data and statistics from medical professionals to support the writer’s claims adds credibility to my ideas regarding nurse understaffing’s negative impact on quality of patient care.
This source was helpful because it prompted me to consider other factors that result from nurse understaffing such as varying patient recovery as well as how nurses themselves are affected by higher workload. My potential topic focuses on the function of nurses specifically in a hospital setting, therefore, this article provides further insight into a current issue that is prominent in many hospitals. Martin’s research will allow me to explore how nurse staffing has developed to overcome the various problems presented in her article.
http://growingleaders.com/
In the blog post, "Growing Leaders," Tim Elmore describes the negative reputation of interns in today's society due to their lack of interest and preparation for the workforce. He introduces an idea developed to counteract this very issue. The writer resolves that an internship should be established as "a long interview," in which interns not only learn, but are also observed as potential job candidates. Through the implementation of this new idea, both employers and interns can benefit as the latter can learn more by having a better attitude and work ethic, while employers gain a more interested and invested group of interns.
Elmore's idea applies to my mentorship and myself in that I am utilizing this experience to simulate having a real career in a hospital setting. The knowledge I acquire and lessons I learn could very well carry over into a future career in a hospital and it is imperative for me to practice the work ethic I would demonstrate. In addition, my mentors are the individuals with experience and the people contributing to my learning experience therefore it is important to make a good impression and convey a positive attitude about the work we are doing. I'm order to accomplish this, I will exhibit the top qualities of interns, as stated by Elmore, of teachability, initiative, responsibility and energy in my mentorship. I will show teachability by being an active listener, initiative by offering assistance, responsibility by being prepared and punctual, and energy by continually asking important questions and showing interest. In this article, I found the idea that my generation is receiving a bad reputation for laziness and unpreparedness in the workforce most relevant to myself as I hope to convey a strong character as an intern and/or employee in hopes of improving the view of my generation's workers in the eyes of the employers. A good work ethic is a crucial tool for success when working in a professional setting due to its ability to reflect a person's passion for the work they do by the amount of effort they put in. Interpersonal skills, initiative and dependability are the main components of work ethic. Interpersonal skills allow us to effectively communicate and work with others to achieve a com
The Occupational Work Ethic Inventory is a resource I was able to utilize in the analysis of my work ethic in comparison to the work ethic of others. By taking this test, I discovered where my strengths and weaknesses lie among the different components that comprise work ethic, which include: interpersonal, initiative and dependability. As we interact with different audiences, our mannerisms and ways of expressing ourselves vary depending on how we are trying to present ourselves and what we are trying to communicate. For example, when among a group of friends, people tend to use colloquial and relaxed language to express how they feel because there is no pressure of trying to make a good impression. In contrast, we speak to employers much differently as we use formal language and make intellectual comments so as to convey to potential employers our ability to be professional and show our qualification for a job. In addition, the forms of communication with regards to our audiences differ due to the expectations of our listeners. There is no expectation to act or portray ourselves a certain way among our family and friends. This lack of expectation is credited to our familiarity and comfort with our audience because of prior interaction with these people. On the other hand, potential employers expect job candidates to put their best foot forward, and utilize their interactions with these people to determine whether they would like to hire them. Therefore, making a good impression in this scenario is crucial for success and conveys the importance of effectively communicating our strengths and personalities as a worker.
In my mentorship, key points for communicating with my mentors will consist of being professional, respectful, and analytical when it comes to observing them in their workplace. It is a privilege for me to gain such an enriching experience and as such, I plan to be respectful of my mentors and their work. As I plan to work in a similar environment in the future, it is important for me to act professionally to simulate a possible future career and learn about the expectations. Additionally, I will demonstrate my strong interest in the healthcare field to my mentors by asking meaningful questions to encourage conversation about important topics that could be useful to me as a I plan for a future in healthcare. The "Getting Ready for Your Mentor" article conveys the importance of an internship and introduces several strategies and tips on how to be successful as an intern in the workplace. For example, before starting it is recommended to take care of general house-keeping, such as asking where to go, what time to arrive, where to park, and required dress code. Also, for the first few weeks of an internship, the article advises interns to arrive early and start becoming familiar with the work environment through observation. Discussing important details such as scheduling, as well as setting goals and expectations for the internship are also important conversations to have with our mentor as we begin. A few additional strategies to ensure we are get the most out of our internship include: being professional, showing enthusiasm, and immersing ourselves into our internships by learning as much as we can about our work. As interns, it is also imperative for us to always be doing our best work, take initiative, network as much as possible, and begin building our career portfolio for the future.
Finally, as internships come to a close, it is a good idea to leave on a positive note by personally thanking the mentor for providing us with such a great opportunity |
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