The Recovery Room And Hear The Steady Beep Of The Vitals Machine

Flying into Toronto Pearson International Airport, I reflected on my extraordinary adventure overseas. I had been on a volunteer international medical mission across Vietnam, Nepal, and India over the last four months, immersed in the local culture while shadowing surgeons, anesthesiologists, emergency doctors, and pediatricians. Working closely with physicians, I took patient vitals and history, cleaned and bandaged wounds, observed surgeries, discussed anatomy and physiology, and recalled the hundreds of stories that patients have shared with me at the bedside--I relished every moment of it. My experiences taught me the immense level of responsibility, the importance of communication and collaboration, and even an appreciation for the limits of medicine. My time abroad helped reaffirm my desire to pursue medicine.

My interest in public health was piqued in the midst of my adolescence. The idea germinated with fearsome speed; after a series of fainting spells, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor and entered surgery one week later. As I lay bandaged and recuperating, I began to ponder my great fortune: I was alive, thanks to the skilled hands of the Chief of Neurosurgery at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Even as a young teenager, I could appreciate the scale of my privilege, and that many others would suffer tumors worse than mine thanks to carcinogenic environmental factors and a lack of access to quality healthcare. In a most unlikely way, my residence in this particular hospital setting was the catalyst for falling in love with this environment.

Per the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, from September 2009-September 2010, over 5 million Americans volunteered in the healthcare field. Similarly, a study done in 2004 stated that an average sized hospital, with approximately 450 beds, contributed an average of 70,515 hours to the hospital. This is the work of 42 clerical employees, thus saving the hospital approximately $1,260,000 a year. At Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, Texas, [number] volunteers, who are anywhere from ages 14 to “I stopped counting with the Beatles”, provided [number] hours over the Odessa community and saved the hospital administration [$$$] in the last year alone. Medical Center Hospital also has the volunteers operate a fundraising popcorn stand. This greatly contribute to lowering operational costs of the volunteer program, and allows for the Hospital to provide college scholarships for its teenage

As you all know, I have spent all of my professional career at ALSAC/St. Jude. Throughout this time, I have witnessed some amazing things that until this past month I think I have taken for granted. And I am not just referring to the miracles our doctors perform every day for our patients.

Apart from her academic accomplishments, Dr. Ochoa has dedicated her life to the service of others through medicine and mentorship. “I’ve known since I could remember that I wanted a career with the purpose of helping others. I have this burning passion for service work and I’m extremely lucky to be able to combine it with my love for medicine and education.” When away from the hospital, Dr. Ochoa spends her time mentoring minority and low-income students along with her husband and fellow HSF alum, Mauricio Segovia. Also, wanting to give back to her Latino community, Dr. Ochoa donates to scholarship organizations such as HSF and the New Orleans Hispanic Heritage Foundation Scholarship.

Mr. Zhao taught about the human body with such zeal and overwhelming passion, it encompassed me from day one. Though I had already planned on a being a pediatrician because I loved to care for kids, Mr. Zhao made actual medicine in relation to the human body another aspect of a health career to explore and love. You’re probably thinking, “Well yeah, you can’t just like people in the healthcare industry”, yet patient care, compassion, and sympathy play a definitive role in such a field. I’ve witnessed these elements of healthcare first-hand volunteering at Texas Children’s Hospital. I volunteered during the summer and do so now during the school year.

While shadowing physician assistants, I volunteered at The Mustard Seed Medical Missions, a nonprofit organization that provides medical care to those with financial hardships. My first day there I got to meet the staff who made it all happen – the two women who worked the front desk who answered phones and organized patient files, the nurse who manually took blood pressure and did a review of why the patient was attending, the phlebotomist who took blood in even the smallest of veins to run labs, the translator

The mission of this clinic fits perfectly with my passion for expanding healthcare to at-risk populations as I have been attempting to do this at the Syracuse Community Health Center and in Schenectady for several years. This interest is not only a passion but also one of my main goals to carry out as a physician. I believe the GW healing clinic is a remarkable organization that brings the entire community together. During my time at Union College, I have noticed that there is a clear divide between students and the surrounding community. Whether this is due to varying lifestyles, wealth, or in-group out-group dynamics, I seek out to integrate both communities. I do this by volunteering at City Mission, tutoring local youth, and hosting free events for local families. I believe that bringing together communities and eliminating invisible boundaries is critical as this is a major issue in my local hometown of Syracuse. At the SCHC, I observed that boundaries between providers and patients tend to create disharmony within patient-physician relationships by instilling distrust and discomfort. I would be able to contribute my passion for this goal, experiences in fundraising, and research to show the effectiveness of care this program

The memory of George’s struggles provides a continuous reminder of why I am pursuing a career in medicine and serves as a perpetual source of motivation. I have a responsibility to those less fortunate than me to work my hardest and to continuously improve, so I may grow to ensure that others do not needlessly suffer as George has. Moreover, the knowledge of healthcare inequities I have gained will allow me to bring the concerns of underserved populations to the Wake Forest School of Medicine and help foster the growth of physicians who are dedicated to aiding the disadvantaged. Medical school will undoubtedly be wrought with challenges; however, I am confident that dedication to ameliorate others’ suffering will allow me not only to thrive, but also enrich the learning experience of my peers.

At thirteen I began volunteering at Rex Hospital, which afforded me the opportunity to give back to my community and gain exposure to the medical profession. As a teen volunteer, I worked in the hospital’s gift shop and managed the mobile gift store. Hospitals can be daunting places: the hum of medical machines, the sterile hallways, and the anxiety that lingers in waiting rooms; however, the gift shop is often a respite. It plays a large role in the healing ethos of the hospital,

He has gone above and beyond the calling of his profession by volunteering two months of his time and services as an educator and medical provider. He worked with over 800 pediatric and adult patients, and collaborated

Recently, you received a letter highlighting some of the ways your generosity is making a difference in the health and well-being of our patients and our community. Your gift to the «Fund_Description_» allows Virginia Mason to be a recognized national leader in multiple fields – from cancer and orthopedics to nephrology, neurology and gastroenterology/gastrointestinal surgery. But we cannot do this work without your help.

Bone marrow aspiration and trephine procedures are performed to confirm diagnosis of a particular haematological disorder and have been an important procedure since the late 1920’s (Bain, Clarke & Wilkins, 2010). The scenario witnessed by the writer while on placement in a hospital setting was a bone marrow aspiration. Permission was sought from the patient having the procedure to discuss her in this essay. A pseudonym will be used and the patients name will be replaced with Margaret. Margaret was a 60 year old woman who had Myelodysplastic syndrome which resulted in a low platelet count (National Cancer Institute, 2014). Margaret had been admitted to the ward post a fall, she presented with excessive bruising on her left side and lower extremities. A decision was made by the multidisciplinary team for Margaret to undergo a bone marrow aspiration, providing information on the health of the bone marrow and the capability of blood cell production (Medline Plus, 2014). This procedure involves a needle been inserted into the bone and a biopsy of the bone marrow is taken (National Cancer Institute, 2014). The CNS played a number of roles through-out this procedure. Not only did she assist the doctor with the procedure she supported Margaret and used physical and emotional support to comfort her. The CNS worked in a professional manner and had her patient’s best interests at heart at all times. Margaret found this procedure very daunting and the CNS was able to incorporate her

This year I gained four new teammates and helped each of them adjust into their new roles while making sure they felt like they are a valued part of the Donor Ops teams. Taking the initiative, I am currently training our two newest teammates on how we use Raiser’s Edge and explaining to them all of our different processes. Going further, I on boarded our newest hire, Anna, who comes from outside the organization by frequently making her feel welcomed at the Share Our Strength and on our team.

When James Wilson walked into my office, I knew it was going to be a rough day. He was a blood pressure of 120/64, a pulse of 72, and he weighed 127lbs. My nurse handed me a clipboard that had his medical history on it. He was currently on prednisone and undergoing chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin’s disease. He explained to me how he had a chronic upper respiraory infection and a CBC revealed lymphyocytes less than 1000 per microliter. I immedietly knew that I had my work cut out for me.