About Me
I am currently a second-year student here at IUPUI majoring in neuroscience while also on the pre-physician assistant degree track. I decided to major in neuroscience because throughout high school anatomy, physiology, and biomedical science courses, I always found the most interest in neuroscience. I throughly enjoyed the complexities of the nervous system and wanted to dive deeper into the specifics behind neuroscience. I also decided to major in neuroscience because it is an extremely multidisciplinary field as it combines topics of biology, chemistry, calculus, and many more into one focal topic of the nervous system. Additionally, I am also on the pre-pa degree track as I have always been passionate about healthcare and helping those around me. I chose the physician assistant track because I value the lateral mobility across specialities that being a PA provides. As a neuroscience major I would love to specialize in something like neurosurgery or neurology as a PA however, I am also passionate about emergency medicine as I work in an emergency department and love the complexity and variety of cases that I am exposed to. Additionally, I have also always had an interest in the gastrointestinal system and love learning more about the gut microbiome which makes my internship site a perfect place for me to gain experience and a greater level of knowledge in this aspect of science. Due to my interests in all of theses different fields of neurology, emergency medicine, gastroenterology, and more I am passionate about becoming a PA and potentially experiencing all of these specialities throughout my career in medicine.
Teamwork
I believe that one of my main strengths as a team member is my determination and willingness to participate and learn new things. I personally feel as though when I am faced with a difficult subject or issue I will dedicate a significant amount of time working towards that issue to allow myself a better understanding of the topic. Additionally, I am always passionate to learn more about topics that interest me and will put fourth an extra effort to learn from my coworkers.
My previous experiences have taught me that teamwork is extremely important to me and valued. Through working in a hospital I have realized that teamwork is essential within healthcare. Due to the sheer number of patients that we may see in a day it is impossible for one person to do it all thus demonstrating the importance of teamwork. My roles in the emergency department allow for the nurses and providers to do their jobs. Due to this aspect of my job, I have learned that being on a team requires communication and for each member to do their job. Additionally, I enjoy being able to communicate with others as this provides incredible teaching opportunities. This experience has taught me the importance of clear communication through being able to discuss healthcare with coworkers or discuss conditions, treatments, and overall health with patients.
My Experiences and Skills
In addition to my internship studying the gastrointestinal system, I also work for the Hendricks Regional Health hospital organization. Within the hospital organization, I work as an EKG tech within the emergency department. This position allows me to triage all patients who come into the emergency department focusing on getting vitals, EKGs, blood glucose levels, histories, and more. In addition to the patients in the emergency department it is also my responsibility to administer all EKGs within the hospital including all inpatient floors such as the ICU, Med floor, and more. As an EKG tech, I am also responsible for setting up and administering heart monitors on patients in the emergency department and inpatient floors. These heart monitors will track the patients heart rhythm and alert us of any arrhythmias the patient experiences. This job has exposed me to numerous incredible experiences in health care and has allowed me to develop critical patient care skills. Additionally, this position has allowed me to encounter a number of unfortunate yet incredible medical emergencies like strokes, atrial fibrillation, STEMIs, traumas, and so much more. Throughout this position I have also developed a greater understanding of the healthcare field as a whole through working with clinicians, nurses, techs, and other vital members of the healthcare field. As a neuroscience major, I was also given the opportunity to participate in developing study materials for the annual Brain Bee competition. The Brain Bee competition is an international spelling-bee like competition in which high school students answer questions related to neuroscience. Throughout this volunteer work, I was able to create PowerPoints, study guides, and practice exams for Brain Bee competitors. This experience helped me to create a greater understand of many topics within neuroscience as well as allowed me to help others to learn a topic that I am extremely passionate about. These two experiences mentioned both display examples of working to help others and both relate to the topics of science and healthcare.
Within each of these responsibilities of mine I have learned about numerous things that I enjoy. Most importantly I have learned that I love helping others. Throughout working in a health care setting I have had the privileged to work directly with patients and aid in their treatment. Through working with patients I have had numerous heartwarming encounters and meaningful interactions with others which displays my passion and enjoyment of helping others. Additionally, I know that I enjoy talking with other individuals such as coworkers, patients and their family members, or my group members while creating the Brain Bee study materials. Lastly, I really learned that I enjoy the teamwork atmosphere through working with the numerous practitioners, nurses, techs, and other members of the healthcare field. I enjoy working with others in a teamwork like atmosphere as everyone has responsibilities and can help others when needed and this atmosphere helps to create great interactions with others. These things are important to me and make me feel as though a career in healthcare is a great fit due to my values.
