Senior Project: The Holiday

1. I didn't do much of anything. I was bed ridden with a severe case of asthma and constantly on a breathing apparatus. I'm better now with the medication but still a bit sick.

2. The most important thing I learned is don't stay in the cold too long. I couldn't do much so there was not much learning.

3. I would talk to Dr. Shavel because he is one of the leaders of intervention procedures. I would also contact Dr. Mathews since he is head of the department and has a precise knowledge of my topic.

Monthly Blog: December

I haven't done much over this month because of my extreme asthma attack. I was diagnosed early on and couldn't really go to the hospital and get many mentorship hours. So far though, I am up to 108-110 hours. 50 of which are independent component.

November Extra Post

The mentorship has been going well. I've already help patch up patients cuts and delivered packets of blood to desired departments all over the hospital. I still make rounds with my mentor around the hospital, evaluating patients and consulting them of their upcoming procedure and/or risks. We also check up on them to make sure their vitals aren't fluctuating erratically and if they are, we try to come up with a possible plan to stop it whether it be medication or bed side observation.

Blog 9: EQ

1.I reviewed the rule-of-three of writing an EQ

2. a: It follows the frameworks of the rule-of-three.The reason is because it requires in depth analysis on types of weight loss and allows room for debate. It's clear and concise and gets the point across.
b: This follows the rules because it creates investigation and debatable information. The wording is clear and makes sense.
c: This doesn't really follow the rules because it is bias. The research can be very opinionated.
d: This follows the rule-of-three because information can be gathered from it and can be discussed. The wording is to the point and understandable.

3. What is the most important factor in a successful angioplasty?

Extra Blog 3

The mentorship is going successfully. I meet with me mentor, Oralia Aragon, every Tuesday from 2-6 and do a number of things. So when I arrive to do my mentorship, I ask Oralia if there is anything to do today. In this profession it's a joke because it is almost rare when there isn't something to do. On an average day we go and visit patients and diagnose and inform the patient. I take notes on how to great the patient and how to inform them as well as prescribing them for proper medication. Recently we seen a patient that had a heart attack and didn't know a word of English and was partially deaf and hard of vision. When asked if he had any family, he went on tangents of old stories of how he came to America from Cuba. As his attention began to come together, he told us we he had no family and his house maid is an "untruthful woman" and that she was the reason he was there, that she had poisoned his drinking water. The man was not deranged but confused and in a hospital you need to be ready for confusion, I've learned, and ready with an answer

Blog 8

1. What are the main factors of a successful angioplasty procedure?

• A factor for a successful angioplasty would be the knowledge of the coronary arteries. How can you navigate the heart without knowing which arteries to enter or what artery contains the blockage.
• Sanitation is a key component in every invasive procedure but most crucial dealing with a vital organ. The key to cleanliness is sterilization and temperature monitoring of the environment, keeping it cool.   

3. My most valuable source would have to be a duo. I have a source of a medical article called "Angioplasty with Stent Placement for Heart Attack and Unstable Angina" which focuses on the principles of angioplasty and stenting and "Coronary Anatomy and Blood Flow" which deals with the hearts blood circulation and anatomy with precise names and locations.

4. My mentor is Oralia Aragon, nurse practitioner of the Cardiology Department at Keck Hospital at USC. She deals with patients that have had angioplasties and other procedures for the heart as well as other parts of the body, diagnosing and informing the patients of what is going on.

Independent Component Approval 1

1. I plan on following my mentor all over the hospital and shadow her schedule and learn about different types of invasive procedures of the heart and coronary arteries and eventually start to assist her.
2. Oralia Aragon, my mentor, has agreed to let me shadow her and during the process, we go to every floor looking for patients on her roster that need attention. Before we enter the room, she briefs me on what is wrong with patient and what it means in simpler form. When we enter the room, she introduces me and then she goes through with the patient the things they need to know. When we finish our round helping patients, she sits me down in her office and she has me look at angiograms. Angiograms are x-rays of the coronary arteries using a dye that shows up in the blood stream. I look for legions or clots and look at the final comments the doctors have said pertaining to the angiogram and see if my findings match theirs and go back for correction.
3. Following a nurse practitioner that works in Pulmonary functions lab is already a great qualification as a mentor. Doing check ups on the patients is even a learning opportunity for people who have had invasive coronary surgery.