My senior project was quite a wonderful experience. My physical project included a lot of listening and using applied knowledge to answer questions and figure out what could be wrong or what could be done to fix a problem. Each week, I had to read on a new topic relating to something I saw at the physician's office or something the doctor and I spoke about. I used that knowledge to infer on the different things I saw in the children and what's wrong or if anything is wrong. I had to work with the doctors and use everything they told me in order to know what they were talking about while working with the kids. In order to create my presentation, I had to be creative with what I put on my slides and really think about what I specifically wanted in it.
From my Capstone experience, I learned so much about what it's like to be a doctor and what happens behind closed doors. I gained a lot of hands-on experience and worked very closely with the doctors, nurses, and children. I interacted a lot with the children and was able to use the stethoscope, and perform tests for the patients. I increased my social skills by talking with people I didn't know and by being open ad friendly right from the start, knowing that it's important to create a relationship with the patients. I learned so much about what the doctors learn in medical school and I have pages and page of notes about every topic I researched.
The challenges I faced include transportation, money and getting sick. I had to take BART and Muni by myself and I had to pay for the train fees. I also had to be careful about what I touched and who I interacted with to be sure I don't catch a disease, get an infection or get sick. As well as those, I had to use critical thinking to answer questions and to make guesses and opinions about different topics.
Overall, my Capstone project was a great experience and very informative as well as interactive. I gained so much experience and knowledge and it has helped me decide in a future career as a pediatrician.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Capstone Log 14
Today: 4 hours
Running Total: 27 hours
Yay! Finally done with all of my hours! Today, I went in early in order to see some of the newborn babies. Turns out Dr. Kelly is on vacation this week and forgot to tell me when we scheduled this meeting two weeks ago, but Dr. Pickering was nice enough to let me shadow her for the day.
We started off by talking about the girl from two weeks ago who had the foreign body in her foot. She was negative for Hep B but it turns out her antibody count was low, so she has to retake the dosage of Hep B, which takes 6 months to complete. What a bummer. We also talked about intussusception and how a 10 month old had it and had to get surgery.
We saw a 3 week old girl who was completely healthy. Her eyes went a bit cross-eyed at times, but it's normal for newborns and will straighten out after 2 months or so. Her breathing is a lot faster than that of an adolescent because her lungs are smaller as well as her heart. Dr. Pickering made sure her soft spot was okay, that the pulse near her legs were there and that her hips didn't dislocate when they were pushed down on. The back was also checked and all of the skin, and small joints as well. This girl was very healthy and very happy.
We then went to see 6 month old boy from France who was also very healthy as well. In America, at childbirth, a shot of Vitamin K is given to ensure blood clotting so that the babies don't bleed out too much. However, in France, they take Vitamin K orally every week, which is quite strange. They even have a baby booklet that documents absolutely everything the baby is taking.
After the 6 month old, we went to check up a 12 day old boy who hasn't been gaining the normal amount of weight within the first few days. Supplements were added to the breastmilk, and the dosage has been increased in order to ensure that he is progressively gaining weight and the right amount of weight. We believe that the mother just isn't making enough breastmilk to satisfy the child's needed size. He also had these dark spots on his legs and back that look almost like bruises, but they're little birth marks that actually fade after a few weeks. And no, I didn't think his mother was abusive.
A 6 day old baby later came in who was also very healthy as well, however he had a bad case of jaundice. The mom explained that she wakes the baby in order to feed him because more feeding helps the jaundice go away, but jaundice makes the baby very sleepy and sometimes the baby refused to eat. So it's a bit of a Catch 22 on this case. However, he was very healthy and very alert. He cried very loud as well.
I then shadowed Dr. Taylor for a while because Dr. Pickering had a teenage girl physical. We saw a 10 month old boy who was very sociable and very happy. He rolled over for the very first time today and I was able to witness it! He had redness under the armpits but only because there's no air circulation there so some hydrocortisone was suggested. No baby powder! It supposedly could cause lung problems if inhaled.
After that, Dr. Taylor and I went to see a baby who had wheezing last month and several ear infections before. When I listened to the lungs, there was distinguishable squeaking, but there was no traction and he seemed very happy, alert, and not sick anymore. His lungs will definitely clear up in a few days. His left ear also has a landmass, but very nice light reflexes and no pussing in both ears. So hopefully the nebulizer helps with the breathing. And when feeding, he should not be laid down because it could push stuff into his ears and cause more ear infections.
To end the day, I went with Dr. Pickering to see a baby with a cast on his leg! Poor thing. I'm not sure as to what happened, but they supposedly have to straighten out a tendon, then cut the tendon through surgery and let the tendon regrow again. This baby also had very bad baby acne on the forehead, but it should clear up after the 1st month.
The day was very exciting and baby-filled. Unfortunately, it was my last day. Since Dr. Kelly wasn't there, I left the Mentor Evaluation sheet for him to fill out for next week and left a note saying that i'll drop by to pick it up. It was a great experience working with the doctors and the children. Maybe someday it'll be me mentoring a student in hopes of being a doctor!
Running Total: 27 hours
Yay! Finally done with all of my hours! Today, I went in early in order to see some of the newborn babies. Turns out Dr. Kelly is on vacation this week and forgot to tell me when we scheduled this meeting two weeks ago, but Dr. Pickering was nice enough to let me shadow her for the day.
We started off by talking about the girl from two weeks ago who had the foreign body in her foot. She was negative for Hep B but it turns out her antibody count was low, so she has to retake the dosage of Hep B, which takes 6 months to complete. What a bummer. We also talked about intussusception and how a 10 month old had it and had to get surgery.
We saw a 3 week old girl who was completely healthy. Her eyes went a bit cross-eyed at times, but it's normal for newborns and will straighten out after 2 months or so. Her breathing is a lot faster than that of an adolescent because her lungs are smaller as well as her heart. Dr. Pickering made sure her soft spot was okay, that the pulse near her legs were there and that her hips didn't dislocate when they were pushed down on. The back was also checked and all of the skin, and small joints as well. This girl was very healthy and very happy.
We then went to see 6 month old boy from France who was also very healthy as well. In America, at childbirth, a shot of Vitamin K is given to ensure blood clotting so that the babies don't bleed out too much. However, in France, they take Vitamin K orally every week, which is quite strange. They even have a baby booklet that documents absolutely everything the baby is taking.
After the 6 month old, we went to check up a 12 day old boy who hasn't been gaining the normal amount of weight within the first few days. Supplements were added to the breastmilk, and the dosage has been increased in order to ensure that he is progressively gaining weight and the right amount of weight. We believe that the mother just isn't making enough breastmilk to satisfy the child's needed size. He also had these dark spots on his legs and back that look almost like bruises, but they're little birth marks that actually fade after a few weeks. And no, I didn't think his mother was abusive.
A 6 day old baby later came in who was also very healthy as well, however he had a bad case of jaundice. The mom explained that she wakes the baby in order to feed him because more feeding helps the jaundice go away, but jaundice makes the baby very sleepy and sometimes the baby refused to eat. So it's a bit of a Catch 22 on this case. However, he was very healthy and very alert. He cried very loud as well.
I then shadowed Dr. Taylor for a while because Dr. Pickering had a teenage girl physical. We saw a 10 month old boy who was very sociable and very happy. He rolled over for the very first time today and I was able to witness it! He had redness under the armpits but only because there's no air circulation there so some hydrocortisone was suggested. No baby powder! It supposedly could cause lung problems if inhaled.
After that, Dr. Taylor and I went to see a baby who had wheezing last month and several ear infections before. When I listened to the lungs, there was distinguishable squeaking, but there was no traction and he seemed very happy, alert, and not sick anymore. His lungs will definitely clear up in a few days. His left ear also has a landmass, but very nice light reflexes and no pussing in both ears. So hopefully the nebulizer helps with the breathing. And when feeding, he should not be laid down because it could push stuff into his ears and cause more ear infections.
To end the day, I went with Dr. Pickering to see a baby with a cast on his leg! Poor thing. I'm not sure as to what happened, but they supposedly have to straighten out a tendon, then cut the tendon through surgery and let the tendon regrow again. This baby also had very bad baby acne on the forehead, but it should clear up after the 1st month.
The day was very exciting and baby-filled. Unfortunately, it was my last day. Since Dr. Kelly wasn't there, I left the Mentor Evaluation sheet for him to fill out for next week and left a note saying that i'll drop by to pick it up. It was a great experience working with the doctors and the children. Maybe someday it'll be me mentoring a student in hopes of being a doctor!
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Capstone Log 13
Running Total: 23 hours
I did not shadow this week, but promised to go next Wednesday for the whole day since it's spring break. That way I can go in the morning and see more of the new born babies. It is then that i'll finish my hours and get my evaluation sheet filled out by Dr. Kelly.
For now, I have to read up on 5th Disease and the other 4 as well, including Roseola.
I did not shadow this week, but promised to go next Wednesday for the whole day since it's spring break. That way I can go in the morning and see more of the new born babies. It is then that i'll finish my hours and get my evaluation sheet filled out by Dr. Kelly.
For now, I have to read up on 5th Disease and the other 4 as well, including Roseola.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Capstone Log 12
Today: 2 hours
Running Total: 23 hours
Today was sweet and short. When I got in, Dr. Kelly and I went to see a 2 year old with a rash on her nose and a diaper rash. The mom thought the rash on the nose was a rash, but it actually was just the remains of a small scratch that's healing and probably collected some bacteria. It will go away in a couple of days. The diaper rash was quite large however and covered a large portion of the bottom. Dr. Kelly renewed a pre-existing prescription and changed it to 2% Hydrocortisone. The girl also received a measles vaccine because they are moving to Germany, where there is an outbreak of measles.
We then saw a girl who was sick with a high fever, and was very miserable; coughing a lot with a sore throat and deep breathing. We know right away that it isn't strep because cough is not associated with it. So Dr. Kelly checked her up and came to the conclusion that she probably had the flu. He did a flu test which involves a nasal culture. It looked very painful and very uncomfortable because the swab had to be shoved way up into the nose. I felt really bad for the girl, but it was absolutely necessary.
Dr. Kelly then had a physical with a teenage boy and I wasn't allowed to go in, so instead I went with Dr. Pickering for a pre-operation.
A 9 year old girl explained how when she was 5, she was running on the beach and stepped on something sharp, but thought nothing of it since there was no trace of anything stabbing through the skin. 4 years later, she feels more pain and can barely walk on that side of her foot. Her mother showed us x-rays which showed she had a piece of metal in her foot and it had snapped in half. We all came to the conclusion that it could be a hypodermic nail. The surgery is a simple outpatient surgery, and they'll put the girl under anesthesia, but the real concern is the chance of getting Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C or HIV. However, if the needle had those traces, the girl would've been infected long ago. And she has already had her Hepatitis vaccinations, so she's immune. But a blood test was taken to reassure that the girl has no disease. What surprised Dr. Pickering and I however, was the fact that the needle left absolutely no trace and no presentation until 4 years later. And it was never infected or swollen when the girl first got it.
Dr. Kelly and I then talked a bit about rheumatic fever and how it can come from strep and could cause rheumatic heart disease as well as brain damage and swollen joints.
I was also able to ask Dr. Kelly about Elephant Man, since we're watching the movie in class. He said that the movie and play were very wrenching and emotional compromising, but it's actually not completely rare to get this genetic disorder where your child ends up growing up with large tumors and sever deformity. It's called neurofibromatosis and Dr. Kelly actually has a patient with this genetic disorder who is 20 years old now and very severely deformed. The worst part is that there is no cure and no treatment.
For next week I have to read about the "5th Disease", which is literally called the 5th disease. I have to read on the importance of the other 4 diseases as well and focus on Roseola.
Running Total: 23 hours
Today was sweet and short. When I got in, Dr. Kelly and I went to see a 2 year old with a rash on her nose and a diaper rash. The mom thought the rash on the nose was a rash, but it actually was just the remains of a small scratch that's healing and probably collected some bacteria. It will go away in a couple of days. The diaper rash was quite large however and covered a large portion of the bottom. Dr. Kelly renewed a pre-existing prescription and changed it to 2% Hydrocortisone. The girl also received a measles vaccine because they are moving to Germany, where there is an outbreak of measles.
We then saw a girl who was sick with a high fever, and was very miserable; coughing a lot with a sore throat and deep breathing. We know right away that it isn't strep because cough is not associated with it. So Dr. Kelly checked her up and came to the conclusion that she probably had the flu. He did a flu test which involves a nasal culture. It looked very painful and very uncomfortable because the swab had to be shoved way up into the nose. I felt really bad for the girl, but it was absolutely necessary.
Dr. Kelly then had a physical with a teenage boy and I wasn't allowed to go in, so instead I went with Dr. Pickering for a pre-operation.
A 9 year old girl explained how when she was 5, she was running on the beach and stepped on something sharp, but thought nothing of it since there was no trace of anything stabbing through the skin. 4 years later, she feels more pain and can barely walk on that side of her foot. Her mother showed us x-rays which showed she had a piece of metal in her foot and it had snapped in half. We all came to the conclusion that it could be a hypodermic nail. The surgery is a simple outpatient surgery, and they'll put the girl under anesthesia, but the real concern is the chance of getting Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C or HIV. However, if the needle had those traces, the girl would've been infected long ago. And she has already had her Hepatitis vaccinations, so she's immune. But a blood test was taken to reassure that the girl has no disease. What surprised Dr. Pickering and I however, was the fact that the needle left absolutely no trace and no presentation until 4 years later. And it was never infected or swollen when the girl first got it.
Dr. Kelly and I then talked a bit about rheumatic fever and how it can come from strep and could cause rheumatic heart disease as well as brain damage and swollen joints.
I was also able to ask Dr. Kelly about Elephant Man, since we're watching the movie in class. He said that the movie and play were very wrenching and emotional compromising, but it's actually not completely rare to get this genetic disorder where your child ends up growing up with large tumors and sever deformity. It's called neurofibromatosis and Dr. Kelly actually has a patient with this genetic disorder who is 20 years old now and very severely deformed. The worst part is that there is no cure and no treatment.
For next week I have to read about the "5th Disease", which is literally called the 5th disease. I have to read on the importance of the other 4 diseases as well and focus on Roseola.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Capstone Log 11
Today: 2.5 hours
Running Total: 21 hours
Today was slow-paced, but still very exciting nonetheless.
When I got in, we talked about headaches and how vomitting is sometimes caused by headaches. Dr. Kelly explained to me how too much pressure in the brain will push down and hit the brain stem, which is the source of many functions including eyes, ears, and several physiological aspects, and cause vomitting. He told me that there are ways to relieve pressure in the brain through steriods and medicines. But another way to get rid of pressure on the brain is to drill a burr hole, also called trepanning, and to release blood and therefore release pressure.
We first saw a 7 month boy who had a fever. However, when we walked in, he was very happy and cheerful, playing with his toys which is a good sign. His throat was red and he had sporatic, painful coughs, but he was completely healthy. Just a small cold to set him back.
We then saw a boy who had hit his head very hard on the concrete. He remembered everything that happened which was a good sign, and there was no bleeding from the spot of impact, nor from the ears and areas around the head. No broken skull, not even a visible bruise. He was nauseous, but we concluded that it was probably from the stress of the injury.
I was able to sit in with a normal 18 month checkup, and during this checkup, several questions are asked about milestones and progression of the child in order to sort of test for autism. MCHAT is the name of the questionnaire, but even Dr. Kelly didn't know what it stood for. It won't directly determine if the child has autism, but it's mandatory now to take the test either way. This boy, however, was very active and very responsive and definitely not a candidate for autism. He's healthy and smart, increasingly improving motor skills and learning abilities, and he loves to run around and climb on everything. The hills of San Francisco will definitely be a fun place for him to roam.
To end office time, we saw a boy who had a low grade fever, but was very cranky and irritable. He was teething as well which made everything worse. And to top it off, he had Roseola. It's a viral infection that results in a fever and a rash. The boy had small pink spots on his back and torso which indicated that he had this infection. It's not contagious though, and with proper care, it will go away within a few days.
I was then allowed to go with Dr. Kelly to the CPMC on California Street to witness a checkup for a newborn baby, which was very exciting. I walked into the nursery and was able to see some of the babies in care there. Dr. Kelly and I discussed some of the paper work, making sure the delivery was okay and the baby came out okay. She had a 6/9 Apgar score, which is good, and she was very healthy; 7 lbs, 21 inches long. The labor was 16 hours and the baby was born today at 2:18 pm. We then went in to see the baby. Dr. Kelly checked the head, which was swollen, but it was okay. He checked for broken collarbones, checked the lungs, posture, and muscle tone. The baby hadn't eaten yet, but that's actually normal for the baby to not eat for the first 48 hours. She was just extremely tired, so she slept a lot of the time. Ultimately, she was very healthy.
For next week, I have to read about the Apgar test performed on babies when they're first delivered.
Running Total: 21 hours
Today was slow-paced, but still very exciting nonetheless.
When I got in, we talked about headaches and how vomitting is sometimes caused by headaches. Dr. Kelly explained to me how too much pressure in the brain will push down and hit the brain stem, which is the source of many functions including eyes, ears, and several physiological aspects, and cause vomitting. He told me that there are ways to relieve pressure in the brain through steriods and medicines. But another way to get rid of pressure on the brain is to drill a burr hole, also called trepanning, and to release blood and therefore release pressure.
We first saw a 7 month boy who had a fever. However, when we walked in, he was very happy and cheerful, playing with his toys which is a good sign. His throat was red and he had sporatic, painful coughs, but he was completely healthy. Just a small cold to set him back.
We then saw a boy who had hit his head very hard on the concrete. He remembered everything that happened which was a good sign, and there was no bleeding from the spot of impact, nor from the ears and areas around the head. No broken skull, not even a visible bruise. He was nauseous, but we concluded that it was probably from the stress of the injury.
I was able to sit in with a normal 18 month checkup, and during this checkup, several questions are asked about milestones and progression of the child in order to sort of test for autism. MCHAT is the name of the questionnaire, but even Dr. Kelly didn't know what it stood for. It won't directly determine if the child has autism, but it's mandatory now to take the test either way. This boy, however, was very active and very responsive and definitely not a candidate for autism. He's healthy and smart, increasingly improving motor skills and learning abilities, and he loves to run around and climb on everything. The hills of San Francisco will definitely be a fun place for him to roam.
To end office time, we saw a boy who had a low grade fever, but was very cranky and irritable. He was teething as well which made everything worse. And to top it off, he had Roseola. It's a viral infection that results in a fever and a rash. The boy had small pink spots on his back and torso which indicated that he had this infection. It's not contagious though, and with proper care, it will go away within a few days.
I was then allowed to go with Dr. Kelly to the CPMC on California Street to witness a checkup for a newborn baby, which was very exciting. I walked into the nursery and was able to see some of the babies in care there. Dr. Kelly and I discussed some of the paper work, making sure the delivery was okay and the baby came out okay. She had a 6/9 Apgar score, which is good, and she was very healthy; 7 lbs, 21 inches long. The labor was 16 hours and the baby was born today at 2:18 pm. We then went in to see the baby. Dr. Kelly checked the head, which was swollen, but it was okay. He checked for broken collarbones, checked the lungs, posture, and muscle tone. The baby hadn't eaten yet, but that's actually normal for the baby to not eat for the first 48 hours. She was just extremely tired, so she slept a lot of the time. Ultimately, she was very healthy.
For next week, I have to read about the Apgar test performed on babies when they're first delivered.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Capstone Log 10
Today: 3 hours
Running Total: 18.5 hours
"We're not just us, we're the germs we carry."
Wise words of Dr. Kelly; studies show that there are actually more germs in our bodies than actual cells that make up our bodies. Quite an interesting tidbit for the curious readers.
Today was a very very busy day! Amazing how much can be squeezed into 3 hours. I'll try not to ramble.
When I got there, we went to see an 8 month boy who has had diarrhea, He took antibiotics for an ear infection, which could've been the cause, however the antibiotics were in effect last month which disproved our observations. The common cold simply caused his irregular bowel movements.
We then saw a 6 month girl for a checkup and diaper rash. Dr. Kelly was asking for the milestones, and she's very healthy, having reached most of the major milestones at 6 months. She sits up and was smiling at everyone. I was allowed to listen to her lungs and Dr. Kelly pointed out that her breathing is a lot faster than that of what a teenagers would be, which is no surprise at all.
After that, we quickly went in to see a boy who said he had his ear cleaned yesterday only to go home and find blood coming out of it. Dr. Kelly looked in his ear and concluded that the passage towards to the inner ear was scratched on accident and will heal on its own.
We saw a boy who has frequent headaches and has had it going on for many many years. Dr. Kelly checked everything and he was okay, so he sent him to get a CAT scan, a blood sugar test and a sodium test. If he drinks too much liquids, it could dilute the salts in his body and unbalance the fluids, causing more headaches.
A boy with a major speech delay then came in. He is 3 years old, however, he rarely talks. He only says "yes", "no", and "baby", which is very very unusual for a child this age. But his mother was not worried because there is a history in the family of major speech delay like his. Even though he doesn't talk, it has nothing to do with attention span problems because he'll listen to stories, and sit down and solve puzzles. And Dr. Kelly said it has nothing to do with intelligence, which surprised me as well because the boy can only count to 2 and doesn't know any colors or anything. He won't talk at all, doesn't interact too much, and doesn't make noises. It was quite intriguing to me to see a boy this age not say anything. But with proper speech therapy, he'll come to speak perfectly well one day.
Next, we saw a girl who had a minor eye infection, and the mother was scared it could be contagious. It is contagious but will only spread if the girl touches the gunk in her eyes, touches something else and then another child comes around, touches the same thing and touches their own eyes.
To end the day, I was allowed to sit in with another prenatal but this time with experienced parents. However, they still had lots of questions. What surprised me is the fact that they're having a home delivery, with a midwife. I was unaware of the fact that midwives still even exist. Dr. Kelly doesn't strongly approve or recommend home deliveries because many complications could occur and distance from the hospital puts the mother and the newborn at a risk of not having the right instruments and tools around if something goes wrong.
For next week, I have to read a little bit about coxsackie A6 which connects to my topic from last week: hand foot mouth disease. It's a fairly new virus though, and is similar to the other hand foot mouth disease: EV71. I also have to read about headaches, which could better educate me on a more personal level since I get headaches a lot.
Running Total: 18.5 hours
"We're not just us, we're the germs we carry."
Wise words of Dr. Kelly; studies show that there are actually more germs in our bodies than actual cells that make up our bodies. Quite an interesting tidbit for the curious readers.
Today was a very very busy day! Amazing how much can be squeezed into 3 hours. I'll try not to ramble.
When I got there, we went to see an 8 month boy who has had diarrhea, He took antibiotics for an ear infection, which could've been the cause, however the antibiotics were in effect last month which disproved our observations. The common cold simply caused his irregular bowel movements.
We then saw a 6 month girl for a checkup and diaper rash. Dr. Kelly was asking for the milestones, and she's very healthy, having reached most of the major milestones at 6 months. She sits up and was smiling at everyone. I was allowed to listen to her lungs and Dr. Kelly pointed out that her breathing is a lot faster than that of what a teenagers would be, which is no surprise at all.
After that, we quickly went in to see a boy who said he had his ear cleaned yesterday only to go home and find blood coming out of it. Dr. Kelly looked in his ear and concluded that the passage towards to the inner ear was scratched on accident and will heal on its own.
We saw a boy who has frequent headaches and has had it going on for many many years. Dr. Kelly checked everything and he was okay, so he sent him to get a CAT scan, a blood sugar test and a sodium test. If he drinks too much liquids, it could dilute the salts in his body and unbalance the fluids, causing more headaches.
A boy with a major speech delay then came in. He is 3 years old, however, he rarely talks. He only says "yes", "no", and "baby", which is very very unusual for a child this age. But his mother was not worried because there is a history in the family of major speech delay like his. Even though he doesn't talk, it has nothing to do with attention span problems because he'll listen to stories, and sit down and solve puzzles. And Dr. Kelly said it has nothing to do with intelligence, which surprised me as well because the boy can only count to 2 and doesn't know any colors or anything. He won't talk at all, doesn't interact too much, and doesn't make noises. It was quite intriguing to me to see a boy this age not say anything. But with proper speech therapy, he'll come to speak perfectly well one day.
Next, we saw a girl who had a minor eye infection, and the mother was scared it could be contagious. It is contagious but will only spread if the girl touches the gunk in her eyes, touches something else and then another child comes around, touches the same thing and touches their own eyes.
To end the day, I was allowed to sit in with another prenatal but this time with experienced parents. However, they still had lots of questions. What surprised me is the fact that they're having a home delivery, with a midwife. I was unaware of the fact that midwives still even exist. Dr. Kelly doesn't strongly approve or recommend home deliveries because many complications could occur and distance from the hospital puts the mother and the newborn at a risk of not having the right instruments and tools around if something goes wrong.
For next week, I have to read a little bit about coxsackie A6 which connects to my topic from last week: hand foot mouth disease. It's a fairly new virus though, and is similar to the other hand foot mouth disease: EV71. I also have to read about headaches, which could better educate me on a more personal level since I get headaches a lot.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Capstone Log 9
Today: 2 hours
Running Total: 15.5 hours
Today, the office wasn't very busy. When I got there, Dr. Kelly made a phone call to a mother concerned about her 18 year old daughter. She's been having fainting spells in the morning because she gets dizzy after waking up. But apparently it's fairly common to faint in the morning. While we waited for his 4 o'clock, we talked about what I had to read up on for this week, which was Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), which is a subtype of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). I found an article from the NY Times about a boy who had used a drug that usually treats ADD patients, however he didn't have the disorder and abused the drug instead. It led to his addiction and reliance on the drug and when it was no longer available to him, he hanged himself in his closet. Dr. Kelly questions whether it's an actual disorder, and since the percentage is so high, it's actually "normal" to have ADD. There is a lot of controversy with it and the way people perceive it to actually be.
Dr. Kelly told me how this week, there are a lot of patients with earaches and congestion. There was a patient who had earaches as well as coughing and congestion. There was a lot of pressure in his right ear and water in his left, but no ear infection.
Ear infections could be potentially fatal if not properly treated and could spread throughout the area surrounding the ear. It could get to the point where one whole side of the face could become paralyzed.
Dr. Kelly then explained Huntington's Chorea disease, which is a neurological disease and is distinguished in 30-40 year old people and above with involuntary movement of their limbs and then possibly dementia.
Lastly, a girl came in with hand-foot-mouth disease, with which the name seems so informal that it was hard for me to believe that it's a real infection. A mother was concerned if she can get it from her daughter, and yes she can. It's characterized by a sore throat and rashes on the hands or feet. It's also my next topic to read up on for next week. I'm excited to learn about it, it's quite intriguing.
Running Total: 15.5 hours
Today, the office wasn't very busy. When I got there, Dr. Kelly made a phone call to a mother concerned about her 18 year old daughter. She's been having fainting spells in the morning because she gets dizzy after waking up. But apparently it's fairly common to faint in the morning. While we waited for his 4 o'clock, we talked about what I had to read up on for this week, which was Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), which is a subtype of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). I found an article from the NY Times about a boy who had used a drug that usually treats ADD patients, however he didn't have the disorder and abused the drug instead. It led to his addiction and reliance on the drug and when it was no longer available to him, he hanged himself in his closet. Dr. Kelly questions whether it's an actual disorder, and since the percentage is so high, it's actually "normal" to have ADD. There is a lot of controversy with it and the way people perceive it to actually be.
Dr. Kelly told me how this week, there are a lot of patients with earaches and congestion. There was a patient who had earaches as well as coughing and congestion. There was a lot of pressure in his right ear and water in his left, but no ear infection.
Ear infections could be potentially fatal if not properly treated and could spread throughout the area surrounding the ear. It could get to the point where one whole side of the face could become paralyzed.
Dr. Kelly then explained Huntington's Chorea disease, which is a neurological disease and is distinguished in 30-40 year old people and above with involuntary movement of their limbs and then possibly dementia.
Lastly, a girl came in with hand-foot-mouth disease, with which the name seems so informal that it was hard for me to believe that it's a real infection. A mother was concerned if she can get it from her daughter, and yes she can. It's characterized by a sore throat and rashes on the hands or feet. It's also my next topic to read up on for next week. I'm excited to learn about it, it's quite intriguing.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Capstone Log 8
Today: 2 hours
Running Total: 13.5 hours
When doctors get sick, who do they go to?! Dr. Kelly has laryngitis, so today he didn't really have any patients. Instead, I tagged along with Dr. Pickering. We saw a nine year old boy who had a nasty cough and a high fever which lasted over the weekend. His symptoms showed that he has the flu, but his breathing said it could have been pneumonia. He took a chest x-ray and Dr. Pickering allowed me to see the images, front and side view. They showed that he had a lot of mucus and congestion, but definitely no pneumonia. The doctors were thinking it could be bronchitis, but nobody can really tell just by looking at x-rays.
Dr. Kelly then had a patient, a little boy who was about one. He's had a cough for the past 2 months already and uses a flow vent for when he's wheezing. Fortunately for the child, he hasn't been wheezing since the end of January, but unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to use the stethoscope to listen to a child that wheezes and compare to normal breathing. But we're glad he's healthy.
Dr. Kelly then allowed me to go with him into a prenatal with a soon-to-be-parents couple. A prenatal is basically a visit with the parents before the birth of their child in order for the parents to ask questions and get familiar with the pediatricians and actually establish a pediatrician for the new child instead of having one assigned. They asked questions about diapers, sunlight, and bringing the child out into crowded places. It was interesting to hear about what you are supposed to do and what you're not supposed to do with a new born baby.
After the prenatal, Dr. Kelly talked to me about rotavirus, which by the way, has an amazing vaccination that works stupendously. He talked to me about how rotavirus causes extreme diarrhea and it causes intussusception, which is when part of the small intestine gets pushed and invaginated into the large intestine. It causes tremendous pain and the part that gets stuck will die, causing the rest of the small intestine to die and then causing death. Most children get rotavirus several times during childhood which builds their immune system, so adults almost never get it.
For next week, I have to read about attention deficit disorder (ADD). It really is an interesting topic, seeing as how I know many people who have it.
Running Total: 13.5 hours
When doctors get sick, who do they go to?! Dr. Kelly has laryngitis, so today he didn't really have any patients. Instead, I tagged along with Dr. Pickering. We saw a nine year old boy who had a nasty cough and a high fever which lasted over the weekend. His symptoms showed that he has the flu, but his breathing said it could have been pneumonia. He took a chest x-ray and Dr. Pickering allowed me to see the images, front and side view. They showed that he had a lot of mucus and congestion, but definitely no pneumonia. The doctors were thinking it could be bronchitis, but nobody can really tell just by looking at x-rays.
Dr. Kelly then had a patient, a little boy who was about one. He's had a cough for the past 2 months already and uses a flow vent for when he's wheezing. Fortunately for the child, he hasn't been wheezing since the end of January, but unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to use the stethoscope to listen to a child that wheezes and compare to normal breathing. But we're glad he's healthy.
Dr. Kelly then allowed me to go with him into a prenatal with a soon-to-be-parents couple. A prenatal is basically a visit with the parents before the birth of their child in order for the parents to ask questions and get familiar with the pediatricians and actually establish a pediatrician for the new child instead of having one assigned. They asked questions about diapers, sunlight, and bringing the child out into crowded places. It was interesting to hear about what you are supposed to do and what you're not supposed to do with a new born baby.
After the prenatal, Dr. Kelly talked to me about rotavirus, which by the way, has an amazing vaccination that works stupendously. He talked to me about how rotavirus causes extreme diarrhea and it causes intussusception, which is when part of the small intestine gets pushed and invaginated into the large intestine. It causes tremendous pain and the part that gets stuck will die, causing the rest of the small intestine to die and then causing death. Most children get rotavirus several times during childhood which builds their immune system, so adults almost never get it.
For next week, I have to read about attention deficit disorder (ADD). It really is an interesting topic, seeing as how I know many people who have it.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Capstone Log 7
Today: 2 hours
Running Total: 11.5 hours
Sometimes I hear the doctors talking to patients about the most bizarre things. But today was normal. When I came in, Dr. Pickering was on the phone and asked if someone was sensitive to butter. But her tone was very unconvincing. Made me laugh.
Dr. Kelly was phoning patients when I arrived; he spoke about how parents often worry about green stool in their newborn (which is absolutely normal) and eating habits (which could mean a small sore throat or simply no hunger). First-time parents are usually the most skeptical and always have, in the doctors' eyes, some silly questions.
I went in with Dr. Kelly for a physical with a 10 year old boy who still occasionally wets the bed at night, which isn't too common at his age, but not very rare either. He explained to me about a special hormone called antidiuretic released by the pituitary which is not released when you're dehydrated, therefore you don't urinate. I asked if this boys pituitary didn't release any, but he said no. Which confused me a bit, because then there's no real reason why he still wets the bed. But he's taking medication to supply antidiuretic so that it doesn't happen anymore.
We then saw a boy who came in with a sore throat, cough, and high fever. Once he said there was a cough, then we knew it couldn't be streptococcus because cough doesn't come with it, but we tested it anyways. After Dr. Kelly took the swabs, he allowed me to do the actual "lab test" to determine whether the strep was positive or negative. Gina helped me and it was pretty simple. I like performing the little tests with the tubes and the special enzyme drops and everything.
After I was done doing the test we met with a 7 year old girl who has asthma. She had a physical but we discussed her drug intake. She takes a liquid every morning for heartburn and then uses the inhaler twice a day in the morning and at night for her wheezing. She fortunately is not on steroids Dr. Kelly and I were talking about how oral steroids especially in children, can ruin bones and joints and cause several other problems. He told me a story of a lady who was in her 40's but had to get both hips replaced because her doctor prescribed her oral steroids and only those.
We talked a bit about how doctors rarely ever use the brand names for drugs, such as Tylenol, Advil, Pediacare, etc. He believes that parents should know the ingredients and know the real uses of each drug instead of giving their child Tylenol for a runny nose. Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, sudafed; these should all be in the parents' vocabulary and they should be aware of their uses.
For next week I have to learn about rotavirus, which I know absolutely nothing about. So it should be an interesting topic for me to read on.
Running Total: 11.5 hours
Sometimes I hear the doctors talking to patients about the most bizarre things. But today was normal. When I came in, Dr. Pickering was on the phone and asked if someone was sensitive to butter. But her tone was very unconvincing. Made me laugh.
Dr. Kelly was phoning patients when I arrived; he spoke about how parents often worry about green stool in their newborn (which is absolutely normal) and eating habits (which could mean a small sore throat or simply no hunger). First-time parents are usually the most skeptical and always have, in the doctors' eyes, some silly questions.
I went in with Dr. Kelly for a physical with a 10 year old boy who still occasionally wets the bed at night, which isn't too common at his age, but not very rare either. He explained to me about a special hormone called antidiuretic released by the pituitary which is not released when you're dehydrated, therefore you don't urinate. I asked if this boys pituitary didn't release any, but he said no. Which confused me a bit, because then there's no real reason why he still wets the bed. But he's taking medication to supply antidiuretic so that it doesn't happen anymore.
We then saw a boy who came in with a sore throat, cough, and high fever. Once he said there was a cough, then we knew it couldn't be streptococcus because cough doesn't come with it, but we tested it anyways. After Dr. Kelly took the swabs, he allowed me to do the actual "lab test" to determine whether the strep was positive or negative. Gina helped me and it was pretty simple. I like performing the little tests with the tubes and the special enzyme drops and everything.
After I was done doing the test we met with a 7 year old girl who has asthma. She had a physical but we discussed her drug intake. She takes a liquid every morning for heartburn and then uses the inhaler twice a day in the morning and at night for her wheezing. She fortunately is not on steroids Dr. Kelly and I were talking about how oral steroids especially in children, can ruin bones and joints and cause several other problems. He told me a story of a lady who was in her 40's but had to get both hips replaced because her doctor prescribed her oral steroids and only those.
We talked a bit about how doctors rarely ever use the brand names for drugs, such as Tylenol, Advil, Pediacare, etc. He believes that parents should know the ingredients and know the real uses of each drug instead of giving their child Tylenol for a runny nose. Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, sudafed; these should all be in the parents' vocabulary and they should be aware of their uses.
For next week I have to learn about rotavirus, which I know absolutely nothing about. So it should be an interesting topic for me to read on.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Capstone Log 6
Today: 3 hours
Running Total: 9.5 hours
When I got to the office, Dr. Kelly was already in with a patient, so Gina asked me to hang out for a while. When he was done, he told me about how an 18 month-old boy had a case of speech delay and he barely spoke, which by his age, could mean Autism. But he believes it's not Autism, and simply just a speech delay. Everybody grows at their own pace.
We then met with a little boy named Mason who had a high fever of 104.5 as well as wheezing. The parents said to have gone to the clinic the night before where Mason was diagnosed with an ear infection in both ears and was given amoxicillin. However, Dr. Kelly checked and found nothing. And with his better and more experienced judgment, told them to stop the antibiotics because Mason was okay.
Dr. Kelly allowed me to use the stethoscope several times today to listen to the lungs of a child who was wheezing before and a child who was healthy with normal lungs at that moment. There was a big difference between the two, as for the child who was wheezing had longer exhales. But it was very cool to listen through the stethoscope. I want to buy my own.
It was great to be able to connect everything from today with what I learned about asthma from last week. The parents of Mason were concerned with asthma, which wheezing could be a symptom of. In my study, I learned that antibiotics (eg. amoxicillin) in early life can result in a higher chance of getting asthma when you're a bit older. There's no specific reason why, but it could do with the fact that you don't properly build up your immune system. Dr. Kelly explained to me how asthma happens, with the bronchioles and how air needs to be pushed out because of the inflammation, which is why people wheeze.
Dr. Kelly then talked with a patient who had shingles and explained to me how it's like chicken pox. They only come back in certain spots and in the same spot every time, which has to do with dermatomes, which I plan to read up on my own just for my own personal advantage.
He then talked a bit about Occupational Therapy, which he thinks is absolutely pointless. If a child doesn't like to, for example, get dirty, someone will suggest OT. It doesn't mean there's a problem if a child doesn't like something, it could just be part of their personality. However, an occupational therapist will always find something to diagnose, which Dr. Kelly doesn't agree on or enforce.
Richard III has an interesting story about scoliosis and I plan to read up on that as well.
For next week, I have to study on childhood leukemia. Like the book My Sister's Keeper. Can't wait to broaden my knowledge on the matter, considering that my family has a history of cancer.
Running Total: 9.5 hours
When I got to the office, Dr. Kelly was already in with a patient, so Gina asked me to hang out for a while. When he was done, he told me about how an 18 month-old boy had a case of speech delay and he barely spoke, which by his age, could mean Autism. But he believes it's not Autism, and simply just a speech delay. Everybody grows at their own pace.
We then met with a little boy named Mason who had a high fever of 104.5 as well as wheezing. The parents said to have gone to the clinic the night before where Mason was diagnosed with an ear infection in both ears and was given amoxicillin. However, Dr. Kelly checked and found nothing. And with his better and more experienced judgment, told them to stop the antibiotics because Mason was okay.
Dr. Kelly allowed me to use the stethoscope several times today to listen to the lungs of a child who was wheezing before and a child who was healthy with normal lungs at that moment. There was a big difference between the two, as for the child who was wheezing had longer exhales. But it was very cool to listen through the stethoscope. I want to buy my own.
It was great to be able to connect everything from today with what I learned about asthma from last week. The parents of Mason were concerned with asthma, which wheezing could be a symptom of. In my study, I learned that antibiotics (eg. amoxicillin) in early life can result in a higher chance of getting asthma when you're a bit older. There's no specific reason why, but it could do with the fact that you don't properly build up your immune system. Dr. Kelly explained to me how asthma happens, with the bronchioles and how air needs to be pushed out because of the inflammation, which is why people wheeze.
Dr. Kelly then talked with a patient who had shingles and explained to me how it's like chicken pox. They only come back in certain spots and in the same spot every time, which has to do with dermatomes, which I plan to read up on my own just for my own personal advantage.
He then talked a bit about Occupational Therapy, which he thinks is absolutely pointless. If a child doesn't like to, for example, get dirty, someone will suggest OT. It doesn't mean there's a problem if a child doesn't like something, it could just be part of their personality. However, an occupational therapist will always find something to diagnose, which Dr. Kelly doesn't agree on or enforce.
Richard III has an interesting story about scoliosis and I plan to read up on that as well.
For next week, I have to study on childhood leukemia. Like the book My Sister's Keeper. Can't wait to broaden my knowledge on the matter, considering that my family has a history of cancer.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Capstone Log 5
Today: 2.5 hours
Running Total: 6.5 hours
Tiring, tiring day indeed. But in the end it's all worth it and I absolutely love going to the office and learning new things and seeing the children. When I arrived, Dr. Kelly and I discussed the milestones I read about for last weeks homework. We talked about the development a bit and how children constantly mimic and learn from everything that's around them. He described how neurological development starts at the very top and works its way down. When infants are brought into this world, they use only their eyes to look around, then they slowly start turning their heads, and then their torsos. They discover their hands and fingers, their belly-buttons and their feet and toes, then they crawl and walk and then run. However, they later on become aware of their genital parts, which is why they start to potty-train at an older age instead.
After our small discussion, we saw a girl who was sick; wheezing with stomach aches and headaches and a temperature of 102.7 degrees, which is relatively high body temperature. After the regular process, Dr. Kelly told me to look at the bottom of her eyelids, which showed a red/pinkish color, different than normal. That color indicated that she did indeed have a viral infection, most likely the flu. Interesting to see how simple symptoms, like discolored eyelids, can pose as signs of an infection.
After seeing the girl, Dr. Pickering had a question about a boy with reoccurring hip pains. They did tests however, and it showed that nothing was wrong. Dr. Kelly said he was normal and it was fine, no signs of inflammation. What he did explain to me however, was that children usually get muscle pains here and there or maybe a painful infection. It then goes away. But when a small pain comes back within the same vicinity of the previous ache or pain, then they perceive it to be the same thing that was there before, so it's half psychological that they feel that way. They can scream in agony, claiming that something hurts, but in reality, it's perfectly healthy. Their past experiences heighten their sense to feel what it was before, when it's really nothing at all. (I also think it's an attention-grabbing technique), but I'll still spot some sympathy.
I met another adorable little boy(similar to last week) who is allergic to amoxicillin, but that doesn't matter because he gave me a flying kiss when he left. However, Dr. Kelly did say that although people may be allergic to a specific medicine, they'll still prescribe it if it's absolutely necessary, which concerns me a bit. Wouldn't that only make things worse? But I trust the Ph.D.
A boy later came in with a wart on his knee. I was given the joy of sitting in the room as Dr. Kelly shaved the wart with a scalpel and then froze it with liquid nitrogen. Dirty work in the office, but somebody has to do the job.
After that, we met with two boys whose growth charts were compromised. It showed that they completely stopped growing and were actually shrinking. And the way it was shown is supposed to say that they were losing weight as well as not growing any taller, which is impossible unless there is a serious condition they have. But they were both perfectly normal, just a bit rowdy. Goes to show that nobody is perfect, and somebody messed up the growth chart from a previous checkup.
To end the day, Dr. Kelly told me a story of a very inspirational woman who, with her team, discovered the ultrasound technique to produce images. Amazing lady.
For next week, I have to read up asthma and everything about it. Please excuse the length of this post, I got slightly carried away.
Running Total: 6.5 hours
Tiring, tiring day indeed. But in the end it's all worth it and I absolutely love going to the office and learning new things and seeing the children. When I arrived, Dr. Kelly and I discussed the milestones I read about for last weeks homework. We talked about the development a bit and how children constantly mimic and learn from everything that's around them. He described how neurological development starts at the very top and works its way down. When infants are brought into this world, they use only their eyes to look around, then they slowly start turning their heads, and then their torsos. They discover their hands and fingers, their belly-buttons and their feet and toes, then they crawl and walk and then run. However, they later on become aware of their genital parts, which is why they start to potty-train at an older age instead.
After our small discussion, we saw a girl who was sick; wheezing with stomach aches and headaches and a temperature of 102.7 degrees, which is relatively high body temperature. After the regular process, Dr. Kelly told me to look at the bottom of her eyelids, which showed a red/pinkish color, different than normal. That color indicated that she did indeed have a viral infection, most likely the flu. Interesting to see how simple symptoms, like discolored eyelids, can pose as signs of an infection.
After seeing the girl, Dr. Pickering had a question about a boy with reoccurring hip pains. They did tests however, and it showed that nothing was wrong. Dr. Kelly said he was normal and it was fine, no signs of inflammation. What he did explain to me however, was that children usually get muscle pains here and there or maybe a painful infection. It then goes away. But when a small pain comes back within the same vicinity of the previous ache or pain, then they perceive it to be the same thing that was there before, so it's half psychological that they feel that way. They can scream in agony, claiming that something hurts, but in reality, it's perfectly healthy. Their past experiences heighten their sense to feel what it was before, when it's really nothing at all. (I also think it's an attention-grabbing technique), but I'll still spot some sympathy.
I met another adorable little boy(similar to last week) who is allergic to amoxicillin, but that doesn't matter because he gave me a flying kiss when he left. However, Dr. Kelly did say that although people may be allergic to a specific medicine, they'll still prescribe it if it's absolutely necessary, which concerns me a bit. Wouldn't that only make things worse? But I trust the Ph.D.
A boy later came in with a wart on his knee. I was given the joy of sitting in the room as Dr. Kelly shaved the wart with a scalpel and then froze it with liquid nitrogen. Dirty work in the office, but somebody has to do the job.
After that, we met with two boys whose growth charts were compromised. It showed that they completely stopped growing and were actually shrinking. And the way it was shown is supposed to say that they were losing weight as well as not growing any taller, which is impossible unless there is a serious condition they have. But they were both perfectly normal, just a bit rowdy. Goes to show that nobody is perfect, and somebody messed up the growth chart from a previous checkup.
To end the day, Dr. Kelly told me a story of a very inspirational woman who, with her team, discovered the ultrasound technique to produce images. Amazing lady.
For next week, I have to read up asthma and everything about it. Please excuse the length of this post, I got slightly carried away.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Capstone Log 4
Today: 2 hours
Running Total: 4 hours
Great day in kiddie land. When I got there, Dr. Kelly and I talked a bit about influenza and the different types. He then had a physical with a 16 year old male so I wasn't allowed to go, but instead I went with Dr. Pickering because she had a patient with headaches in the back of her head, which isn't too common. Reminds me when I used to get terrible migraines and had to take an x-ray because they couldn't figure out what was wrong. I never really did know what was wrong. No mass growing in the little girl though! Just some bad fever headaches. She was happy that the ER did the MRI already and that the girl was able to sit through the whole process. Dr. Pickering also talked with me a little bit about influenza, which is actually a very interesting topic and a lot more serious than people perceive it to be.
I went with Dr. Kelly to see his next patient which was a 15 month old little boy named Quin and let me just say that he was absolutely adorable. He was sick last week but is getting better now and he's healthy and he's so cute and I want to steal him.
We then saw a little boy who fell on his arm a couple days ago, and it's been hurting so they took an x-ray and he unfortunately fractured his wrist :/ I felt so bad for him because when Dr. Kelly touched it and bent his arm a certain way then he started crying and screaming because it hurt so much. And I know how he feels too because I broke my arm in 6th grade.
To close the day Dr. Kelly talked about the different things doctors look for in exams - in both toddlers and adolescents, and certain milestones they expect at certain ages. He lent me a book called "What To Expect The First Year" and told me to read some of it. I'll try to really get in depth with knowing those milestones and know what doctors actually look for when physicals are performed.
I was going down the elevator and a lady saw me holding that book and gave me a dirty look. I hope she didn't think I was pregnant or anything.
Running Total: 4 hours
Great day in kiddie land. When I got there, Dr. Kelly and I talked a bit about influenza and the different types. He then had a physical with a 16 year old male so I wasn't allowed to go, but instead I went with Dr. Pickering because she had a patient with headaches in the back of her head, which isn't too common. Reminds me when I used to get terrible migraines and had to take an x-ray because they couldn't figure out what was wrong. I never really did know what was wrong. No mass growing in the little girl though! Just some bad fever headaches. She was happy that the ER did the MRI already and that the girl was able to sit through the whole process. Dr. Pickering also talked with me a little bit about influenza, which is actually a very interesting topic and a lot more serious than people perceive it to be.
I went with Dr. Kelly to see his next patient which was a 15 month old little boy named Quin and let me just say that he was absolutely adorable. He was sick last week but is getting better now and he's healthy and he's so cute and I want to steal him.
We then saw a little boy who fell on his arm a couple days ago, and it's been hurting so they took an x-ray and he unfortunately fractured his wrist :/ I felt so bad for him because when Dr. Kelly touched it and bent his arm a certain way then he started crying and screaming because it hurt so much. And I know how he feels too because I broke my arm in 6th grade.
To close the day Dr. Kelly talked about the different things doctors look for in exams - in both toddlers and adolescents, and certain milestones they expect at certain ages. He lent me a book called "What To Expect The First Year" and told me to read some of it. I'll try to really get in depth with knowing those milestones and know what doctors actually look for when physicals are performed.
I was going down the elevator and a lady saw me holding that book and gave me a dirty look. I hope she didn't think I was pregnant or anything.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Capstone Log 3
Today: 2 hours
Running Total: 2 hours
First day on the job(shadow)! I actually learned a lot more than I expected for the first day and it was a very hands-on experience. Pediatricians have quite the busy schedule, so I jumped right in and we were running back and forth for the most part. I was allowed to see patients with him and observe the things that the children came in for, ranging from stomach aches to burned fingers to superficial staph infections and so much more. I did small errands for the doctor and I worked with a nurse for a bit. I was able to behold and partake in the evaluation of a urine test and a strep throat test, both of which are easily conducted. A boy with phimosis was prescribed a steroid antibiotic and a few children were given flu shots and whooping cough shots. Several parents called stating their child has a fever with such-and-such symptoms, which I learned, helps to evaluate whether the fever will go away soon, or whether there is an infection. It was very interesting to see what happens behind closed doors. Since it's flu season, my mentor requests that I read up a bit on influenza to broaden my knowledge about it and we can talk in depth next week.
Hope I don't get sick.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Fiscal Cliff Response
Regarding the Fiscal Cliff Policy, the Republicans and Democrats have very different views. The Fiscal Cliff is the policy taken in order to decrease the nation's deficit. The congressional Republicans are not pleased and do not want to enforce several spending cuts and increases on taxes. They want to only increase taxes for limiting tax breaks, like income tax deductions. However, the Democrats are strong supporters and are willing to work hard on the crisis.
The way I conducted my research included using appropriate and formal terms, using key words, and checking to see if sources are reliable. I used the "advanced search" option and typed in the most important words. I avoided websites that didn't seem reliable and used sites such as Huffington Post and CNN. I also made sure the dates were recent and the people who wrote the articles weren't random people with biased opinions. Using key words was the most helpful and gave me several and more reliable sources.
http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2012/12/13/poll-americans-support-gop-position-fiscal-cliff/
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/04/politics/obama-congress/index.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/13/fiscal-cliff-poll-pew_n_2292151.html
The way I conducted my research included using appropriate and formal terms, using key words, and checking to see if sources are reliable. I used the "advanced search" option and typed in the most important words. I avoided websites that didn't seem reliable and used sites such as Huffington Post and CNN. I also made sure the dates were recent and the people who wrote the articles weren't random people with biased opinions. Using key words was the most helpful and gave me several and more reliable sources.
http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2012/12/13/poll-americans-support-gop-position-fiscal-cliff/
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/04/politics/obama-congress/index.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/13/fiscal-cliff-poll-pew_n_2292151.html
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Capstone Log 2
Finally found a mentor! Slight change of topics however; the dance teacher I asked to shadow declined my request and very inconveniently did so 3 weeks later than I expected. My options were narrowed, but now it's all okay! Last minute mentor-hunting was a thrill, yay. I am now going to shadow a pediatrician at the doctor's office starting next Wednesday. Can't wait to start!
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