Personal Narrative: Mercy Medical Center

I took an Anatomy class my Junior year, and I really liked it. I had always maintained an A in the class. It was very fascinating learning about the body. There are so many things that I didn’t even know and this got me more interested in obtaining a career in the medical field. When I was younger, I had always wanted to be a doctor. When I entered high school , I sort of changed my mind. I was doubting in become a doctor because it was going to take to many years. I wasn't sure if it was going to be worth it but now I am. This year I decided to take a medical terminology class and a medical assistant front office class. I'm so happy that I decided to take them because now I know for sure I want to study in the medical field . These subjects

As I exit the locker room, I strap on my black cleats and tighten my gloves. I grab my silver helmet with the lightning bolt logo, touch the sign that says “Play Like A Champion Today,” and walk into the tunnel. Finally, we hear our team’s name, and we run onto the field ready to defeat the fear of losing embedded in our minds. The opportunity arose, and whether we seized it or not, this would be my last game. We took away from that day more than just a win, or a loss. As somber as I was to let this moment go, I knew I had not let my team down. There was no anguish, no agony. These lessons from football have carried over in my journey to become a physician. I knew I wanted a career in healthcare, and football has better prepared me for that.

My second clinical day at Mercy Defiance Hospital, progressive care unit, was overwhelming but rewarding and very educational. Through the 8 hours I was there, I learned a lot. I engaged myself in many self-directing learning practices to futher promote my professional growth. My first time interaccting with my patient,I was joined with my clinical instructor. While in the room, I got to listen to to my patients heart, lungs, and bowel sounds. I was able to see and examine the patients ostomy bag, as well as help them to the bathroom. There were ways that I can improve my professional growth, suchas,having the confidence to not second guess my self about things to do in assessments. For example, I know how to assess the lungs, I should not second guess where to listen for the sounds. One of my goals for next week dealing with professional growth would be to have the confidence to know what I have learned and use it. My second one being to go into the room with a confident attitude and believe in myself.

A music box like sound twinkled with a bright tune throughout the hospital. Its tune was heard from the quiet and calm patient rooms, through the long white hallways, and to the comfortable hospital lobby where I stood waiting. I wonder what that sound was? Well, who cares? I’ve got other things to worry about. It was my first day of volunteering at the Fountain Valley Regional Hospital. The first tasks I was assigned were to greet, to help, and to escort visitors to their destination. My shaky hands were clasped together in an attempt to stay calm. Jeez I hope I don’t get lost while escorting a visitor.

My second clinic rotation is internal medicine and I’ve had many encounters, both with patients and colleagues, which have made me pause and reflect. One of those encounters, in particular, will still be on my mind long after I finish typing this reflective journal. The patient at the center of it all is a lady I’ll refer to from here on as “Mrs. Flowers.” Mrs. Flowers is an 81 year old female with dementia and diabetes. She arrived on our unit with a diabetic foot infection that had progressed from a simple toe ulcer to wet gangrene. Over the last 2-3 months, gangrenous changes encompassed the distal half of her left foot. During pre-rounds, our medical team unanimously agreed that we would contact surgery for a consult. At time, it was obvious

For my project I have been volunteering at Rogue Regional Medical Center. I started volunteering at the hospital in July, I now am still working to complete all of my hours. My previous hours were spent with gaining training so I could be successful in my volunteering. Also I worked with employees of the hospital to learn the lay out of the hospital. My project has had bumps along the way but I have worked them out and I’m now getting close to finishing my hours.

This week I found myself in the OR. Lakewood Ranch Medical Center specializes in orthopedics. Specifically hips and knee replacements. This day one hip and three knee revisions were on the list for the day that I was able to witness. The surgeries themselves were something to see but the meat of the day was the nurse I was assigned to. He demonstrated and educated me to the duties of the RN in the OR: Stocking the general supplies needed, assisting in bringing the specific tools and supplies needed for that surgery, documenting everything from orders to supplies to medications, prepping the patient physically- cleaning and draping the patient leaving the surgical site exposed, assisting in the cleanup and turnover of the surgical suite.

Throughout my entire school career I was always an average, energized, active student who loved playing many sports including basketball, football and track. At the begging of my junior year I had an argument with my coach about not starting for my junior year and I became livid and immediately quit. After I quit basketball I started skipping school, I would skip Monday’s, Wednesday’s, and Friday’s because I didn’t think there was a point to going to school anymore. I made friends with some older kids who didn’t share my same interests and had already dropped out of high school. I began getting into multiple screaming matches with my mother and felt unwanted. I started partying for my first time, and began to not go back home and

Imagine there are four children with their own fully functioning hospital where we nursed the ill back to health. Some may question why I, an eight-year-old, was one of those four children who maintained a hospital. The thing is, it wasn’t just any hospital, it was a “Roly Poly Hospital” that my friends and I felt was necessary to create to save their lives. From a young age, I always enjoyed studying life and that’s how this little hospital started. It sounds a bit odd, but I promise my intentions were pure. I just wanted to help animals and this was my way. Looking back, I definitely wasn’t doing any good for those poor bugs, but I was certainly enjoying learning about their basic functions. This was probably my first and fondest memory of

Everyone’s passion is different, whether it’d be drawing, cooking, fashion, etc. Mine so happens to be learning about health. Choosing this as my passion was easy because learning how the body works and how it reacts to different viruses and diseases or medicine is fascinating. I also enjoy helping others and putting their needs before mine. This passion takes me into building a career out of it by going into the medical field and becoming an RN. Knowing that becoming an RN won’t be easy won’t change my mind for my career but it will only want me to work harder and not stop trying. The best way to be prepared for the future is planning everything out which is something I will try to do.

Three years ago my grandpa got very sick, and was admitted into Hospice. Every day I watched as CNA’s and nurses took care of him, helping our family. The support of those caregivers made me want to be a CNA for the summer, and possibly pursue a career in the medical field. Helping people has always been a passion of mine. The happiness I feel by helping others, is what I strive for. Compassion and kindness are two of my most valued traits. I would not be the person I am today without them.

appointment at the St.Cloud hospital four days from that day. For a while I kept it to myself because it wasn’t something I could or even wanted to brag about.

On November 30th, 2015, I ventured to the Santa Monica Convalescent Center to spend time with patients in the dementia ward. At first, I thought I would not enjoy spending almost two hours with people who were unable to be cognitively present due to varying degrees of dementia and Alzheimer’s, which impairs their ability to retain memories and sometimes returns them to an almost baby-like mindset. However, I soon formed several bonds with many of the residents there. A woman named Kathy, a volunteer from nearby Presbyterian church, handed out copies of well known Christian hymns and soon everyone was chiming in as best as they could. I then sat down across from a woman named Alice and asked her about her life. She is an elderly African American woman who answered my questions with very opinionated and interesting answers.

The sharp scent of chlorine fills my nostrils as I crane over the microadjuster, determining whether my Platinum/Iridium wire tip is done reacting. Waving away the fumes, I observe the bubbles fizzling out, turn the voltage off, and twist the tip out of the machine. At 163 nanometers wide, it’s the sharpest tip I’ve etched this summer.

In all of my previous experiences in the healthcare field, I have not had a single moment or challenge that I disliked about the profession. Even working as a scribe, I absolutely loved the change of pace in working a late night shift at one hospital and then getting up several hours later to work another shift at a different hospital’s ED. With this in mind, the question of naming one single aspect of being a physician I think I would like best is a difficult one to answer. As so many other premedical students, medical students, and current physicians, I love the satisfaction of solving a problem to help someone. This is truly what I expect to like most as a physician, particularly when working with a patient who suffers from several chronic