Internship - New Rotation, New Department

Today is the beginning of the new CCE rotation, where we all move to a new department, and brand new CCEs arrive to their first shift. My first rotation began on March, and ended yesterday on May 31st. I will be leaving Tower 7: Oncology, and moving to Tower 9: Acute Rehabilitation. My previous floor is where most first timer CCEs go, as it was in my case. This morning, I visited my old floor to see my old home, happily greeted by the nurses and CNA's that I worked with for so long; it was a great feeling. I ran into a level II CCE on her first shift. I was delighted that the nurses asked me to "show her the ropes" and get her accustomed to the various routines of the floor. I showed her that each room's whiteboard needed to have the name and extensions of the Nurse, CNA, and Charge Nurse. I showed her where each and everything we'd need for the floor was located. I taught her how to make a bed, how to make rounds, take vitals, etc. etc. It was a very invigorating feeling teaching another so many of the things you learn the hard way. In retrospect, I'd really enjoy trying another rotation on Tower 7, simply for that reason. But then again, I still have yet to give Tower 9 a chance, and I look forward to seeing the different things I'll experience there.

Internship - Week 1 review

Again, I began my internship as a CCE at the hospital before the Junior year Internship period. Although it wasn't my first time serving shifts, I really became involved once Internship began. I was able to serve 5 consecutive 8-hour shifts from Monday to Friday, and even a 12 hour shift for my last time on Tower 7. I feel like I learned so much during this past week, even though I'll be transitioning to a new department today.

My favorite part thus far has been building a very close relationship with the staff that I work with. The nurses began learning my name, which is fairly rare for CCEs. They became very comfortable asking me for help, and we'd always enjoy conversations. The staff not only felt like the employees I help, but colleagues, equals, and ultimately, friends.

The main part of my work that I'd like to improve is my ability to find tasks to complete. There's often times where the floor is not too busy, patients are content, and nurses are doing computer work. I try my best to get anything that can be done, done. I want to be able to always be on task, doing something. Even if it's a trivial job, it's at least getting something done.

Overall, being at the hospital more and more makes me enjoy it further. I really look forward to the remaining Internship period, and I'd love to continue my internship even through college, if possible.

Internship - Day 4 - Interview

As my internship at Palomar Hospital is not under one single mentor, I asked questions to the various nurses and nurses' assistants about their job. It allows many more perspectives to be heard. I didn't want to interrupt the nurses during their extremely busy workflow, so I asked each a quick question in passing.

Why nursing? What got you interested?

"I knew healthcare was what I wanted to do coming into college, so I went ahead with it."

-Joy, RN

"My husband died in room ***, and after being a mother for a while, I decided to be a nurse"

-Barbara, RN

"I was a caretaker for a few years and thought it wasn't enough. So I'm here today, working here for 11 years."

-Louise, CNA

"It's a very enjoyable, yet stressful job. I find it challenging and fun at the same time."

-Sylvia, CNA

What's a typical workday like?

"Although my priority is my patients, I do spend much time logging in notes into the computer regarding each patient's condition. It's important that this information is tracked and accounted for."

-Megan, RN

"Begins and ends with the patients. They are the number one priority here; We're here to make their recovery more comfortable."

-Grace, RN

"There's really no such thing as a "typical" work day, for every single day has something new to teach us. Some days you'll enjoy it, others you wont. It's important not to neglect any one patient or lessen the care you give them based on what kind of day it is."

-JoDeanne, RN

What is the education required of your position?

"An LVN (licensed vocational nurse) generally requires about 2 years of college, and an RN (registered nurse) anywhere from 4-5 years. One can become a CNA (certified nurse's assistant) in under a year."

-Lorna, LVN

Why did you choose to work here at Palomar Hospital?

"I used to work at nursing homes before coming here, and it's an overall much better place to work."

-Linda, RN

"I like the hospital environment much more than, say a doctor's office or clinic."

-Pacita, CNA

What is your favorite thing about working as a nurse (other than general income)?

"Helping patients, or another human being in general, makes it a very rewarding career"

-General response from all nurses.

Internship - Day 1

Today was the very first day of the 11th grade's Internship program. Each students goes to his or her respective place of internship to begin working for the first time. For Jaleh Najmi and I, though, this will be our 3rd month at our internship thus far.

Today was my very first double shift, from 7am to 3pm; each shift is normally 4 hours at a time. Though it began as any other previous shift I've served, it soon became quite an eventful day. The RN's or CNA's have never called upon me to take patients' vitals signs, though I have been trained to do so. Today I was assigned to take vitals for about half the patients on my floor. These vitals include blood pressure, temperature, Oxygen saturation, pulse, and respiration. It was very enjoyable to test several patients for these diagnostics, and it provided me with a sense of fulfillment in what I do.

The main event of the day, though, was in the morning at about 9:30am. As comprehensive and superb as Palomar's health care service is, patients do inevitably pass away. This was the case for one patient that morning, and 3 of us CCE's were privileged to assist the nurse in the body-bagging process. The group composed of the patient's nurse, a CCE level I (college), Jaleh, and myself. It was definitely a fortuitous moment, for it's a job that's not often done.

It's always a great feeling to assist a patient, even in the most minimal ways. There's a hidden type of gratitude that radiates from a thankful patient, who's in a very vulnerable state. I had a patient who required excessive cleaning and frequent bed changes, for his linens were often soiled. Once you clean up a person's bodily excretions, you feel that intangible gratitude; that the patient trusts and likes you.

"What are you excited about learning through this internship experience?"

My future ambition is to someday become a physician, and I tentatively dream to become an anesthesiologist. Though that's very far in the future, I really hope to begin experiencing what the health care industry is like. I'm excited to learn about the different responsibilities each person has in terms of a patient's care. I'm intrigued by the many different people that contribute to any single patient. I'm also ultimately interested in basic knowledge of diseases, illnesses, medications, human anatomy, etc. It would make a great basis for me to learn from.

Internship - Letter of Intent

Hello,

My name is John Torres, and I am a junior at High Tech High North County this school year. As part of my school’s philosophy of acquiring workplace skills in a real-world environment I am required to complete an in-depth internship in a business setting.

I would love to be given the opportunity to contribute my time and energy at the Palomar Pomerado Health clinic hospital. I've always had an interest in the medical field, and I'd find the chance to volunteer as an intern a privilege.

My internship would entail a three week full time immersion at your work site Monday through Friday, beginning Monday, May 24th, and concluding three weeks later on Friday, June 11th.

I have many past experiences working not only as an intern, but as a worker in general. I spent the last two summers as the assistant IT administrator, performing tasks to help the IT admin. I'm able to prioritize my tasks and current assignments, and I go the extra mile to make quality work. I also adapted to having an authority figure to report to.

My ambition is to gain knowledge and experience in the medical field. I hope to learn about the many basic procedures that are performed every day in hospitals. This experience will provide me with prior knowledge when I aspire to study medicine.

If you have any questions or request any further information feel free to contact my internship advisors.

Dr. Anne Gloag - agloag@hightechhigh.org

Matt Leader - mleader@hightechhigh.org

Jennifer Howard - jhoward@hightechhigh.org

Andrea Frias - afrias@hightechhigh.org

Networking Interview

Tell me a little about yourself

My name is Juan Torres, and I'm a nuclear engineer at the San Onofre power plant.

Tell me about this organization/company

The full name is San Onofre Nuclear Generator Stations, or SONGS, and we provide electricity to millions of homes and buildings in California.

What is the purpose of this organization?

To provide nuclear power, versus the very common gas and oil power.

How did you acquire these skills?

I went to the Mapua Institute of Technology in the Philippines. I feel like this is where i received most of the knowledge I needed to have this job.

What advice do you have for me?

No matter what, be honest. Especially when you're wrong, or screwed up. The best thing to do is admit your mistakes, and learn from them. It's better for yourself, and better for the company.

What questions did I forget to ask? Anything else you'd like to mention?

Don't settle on a career. One could never know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Think what you love doing, and what you could imagine yourself doing for a long time.

Internship -Life Outside High School Reflections

1. Describe your view of life beyond high school.

There are several different paths I could take after high school. The primary step following high school is definitely college. Without a proper education, I highly doubt I'll be able to find as many opportunities. Any UC (University of California) school would be preferable, though many other colleges would equally suffice.

2. What questions do you have about our world? What do you wonder about? What are you moved to go out and do or learn about on your own time?

I often wonder about the many different functions of the human body. I always question diseases and sicknesses. I wonder the millions of factors that contribute to their spread, and the factors to combat them as well. I also always question human behavior and interaction. I'm intrigued in the way that humans react to certain things, and how certain personalities act differently.

3. In terms of work or a profession, based on my current interests and opportunities, a job in the medical field would be my ambition. Specialty is still debatable, but any type of job in medicine would be preferable.

4. To achieve my current goals, there's definitely a number of steps to take before reaching them. I know that my first prerequisite is education. No doctor can be licensed without proper education. The school itself is an enormous obstacle in itself, as an additional decade in school can be excessive.

5. What qualities or characteristics did you see in the people around you that you want to develop in yourself? Why?

The one quality I'd like to improve in myself would be productivity and initiative. I see so many people with great work ethic, who never seem to exude a stressful attitude. This is one thing I highly seek.

6. How do interpersonal relationships and/or collaboration influence your understanding of life outside of high school?

It's said that with experience comes knowledge. Being able to learn from my experience, and especially mistakes, will allow me to know what to do in many encounters.