Goals:
Clinical experience
To accomplish this goal, I need to make my interest known to my mentor. I have already shared my interest with my mentor about this and he has invited to participate.
Creative writing experience
To accomplish this goal I need to take time to reflect on my experiences and think creatively about where I see a story.
Research experience
To accomplish this goal I need to be an active member in the neurocognitive study that will be beginning soon.
Other Goals:
Time management
Prioritizing my responsibilities
Spring 2022: In order for me to reach my goals of the semester I have to be more committed to finishing this race as strong as I can. I want to leave a mark that mirrors resiliency and determination to learn and grow. I will also need to gain skills in time management. In wrapping up the internship, there are more responsibilities that are added to show all of the work that I have done. My goals have changed since the beginning of the internship. I realize I wanted to accomplish all of my dreams in one internship. I think this was a great attitude for achievement, but kind of boxed me unto being disappointed. What I have been able to see is just how far my love for health and anthropology can stretch and that has changed my goal set to be more focused on inquiring in that area and making the most of it.
Obtain my bachelor's degree in Anthropology
Obtain my Doctorate's degree
Become a published author
Research and development in Medical Anthropology
Big Career Goal:
I would love to bridge the gap between the work of anthropologists and health care physicians to make their findings more accessible and helpful to each other.
Breaking it down
Graduate with my Doctorate of Anthropology
That means this month I need to plan the remainder of my BA coursework, so
From this internship, I would like to gain clinical experience, creative writing experience, and research experience. I expect to contribute time, effort, and my background knowledge.
Learning and Skills:
I am most excited to be able to have an inside look at the work of researchers and doctors. It has helped me gain insight into my true interests. I can see where I might fit into the medical field to some capacity. I am now feeling more inspired to be a clinician now.
I think that I am using skills of teamwork and taking criticism very well. This shows when I am working with Hannah and Tammy on the test preparation. We deliver it to each other so that we can have a good system down for the actual patients. I think I could improve with my communication. It is hard for me to keep timely with emails. Sometimes I feel that my mentors may be out of the know about me.
Description of Work:
My site has studied the patient outcome for children with ALL. My job is now to help with giving a test to the patient's post-chemotherapy to gain insight on areas that may or may not need help with as it pertains to learning and acquisition. This type of test is important because it will help to build a supplemental system that aids in the long-term cognition of patients who have had Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia during their childhood. Studies show that these patients have trouble later in life with doing well in school, making a livable wage, and being financially independent in adulthood.
The Workplace:
In the workplace, I have seen many different people be successful with various jobs and attitudes about their work. I want to be someone who offers great communication to everyone around them. It makes things so much easier. Relationships become stronger and it shows reliability. This is the area I want to grow in.
Spring 2022: I've been surprised to find out that the work for neurooncological research can become very busy. There's so much information to capture and it can become difficult to see the end goal when there is always so much to do.
This experience has allowed me to see a glimpse into patient life and the way that people of different demographics and cultures interact with healthcare.
As I am currently taking a class in applied anthropology, this internship is really helping me figure out the pathway I would like to take after undergrad. The class A201 discusses career fields, and medical is one of them. So, I get a front row view of how anthropology mixes with medicine.
Workplace: My internship is different than I expected because I am not in the actual Simon center very much. Most of my work is done from home, or it is done at a third-party cancer facility.
Career Goals: My current academic goals are to explore applied anthropology to its fullest in the field of healthcare. I have always been interested in it, and it has always been my first pick to the medical route. I also want to make sure that this is really want I want to do as far as my career goes. I am about 40 % sure that this is the right career path for me. To find out if it is, I am having weekly meetings with my mentor about his experiences and his knowledge of the experience of others. To learn more, I could take a class in the health field.
SUCCESSES:
I committed to my role.
When I knew there was more to make of this internship, I pushed myself to find it out.
I learned more about the work I would like to do.
I have been inspired.
I have gained more courage with my willpower.
CHALLENGES:
Balancing work and life have been very difficult for me.
My communication skills have needed some work.
Pushing myself past what I thought I was capable of learning.
Spring 2022: I am getting better at balancing work, school, and internship. I think this is because I have focused more of my willpower on these things that are very important to me. With more will power, I have more determination and courage in my decision making. So, when I say I will work on these areas I really do.
Life expectancies, number of surgeries, and chemotherapy treatments are common to be reported to a pediatric Neurooncological Physician database to calculate information, such as tendencies of patient's outcome and statistics of frequency. However, at IU Health there is a shift to highlight the daily life of the patient to determine, at a more informed level, treatment and causes for disease. Physicians at IU Health have come together to create a New Tumor Database that calculates for much more than the mathematical sequences of generalized data from a patient's case. This new format for entering data has taken on a qualitative approach. Along with the general data points above, we are including information such as child opportunity, area deprivation, and household material hardship. The goal is to make a concerted effort to explain the quality of life of the patient and characterize their long-term patient journey to provide the best patient care with an individualized approach.