ST. GIANNI CATHOLIC

HEALTH ACADEMY

By Tiffany Tran

ORIENTATION WEEKThe first week of Health Academy was quite

interesting. I did not know what the expect and was a bit nervous, but Mrs. Hang made us all feel welcomed. We had a nice tour around

both St. Francis and St. Joseph hospitals. Several individuals involved in the Health

Academy came in to welcome and inform us on the expectations in which we needed to fulfill. Officer Dick informed us on where we were to park everyday and how to get ahold of security in any situation. Lastly, a surgeon showed us how to “scrub in” for whenever we

go on rotation in the operating room.

HAND-MADE THANK YOU LETTERS

PROFESSIONAL THANK YOU LETTERS

ROTATION 1: CICU

My first day in the CICU was very interesting. I was able to obtain information on why each patient was in the CICU and how the nurses took care of them. I followed a nurse who was caring for a 31-year-old woman diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. She has not been able to move any part of her body nor could she speak. The second day of my rotation I was able to feed and give medicine to the patient through a feeding tube attached to her stomach, take her temperature, and record her blood pressure/pulse. I also had the opportunity to watch a physical therapist work with her which was very fascinating because even though the patient could not speak, she was able to smile at the fact that she is slowly improving. Another thing that I had the opportunity to gain knowledge on was dialysis. There was a patient in there who was being treated for her kidney failure with a method known as hemo-dialysis. I learned that in hemo-dialysis, your blood flows through a tube that removes toxins and fluids. the clean blood is then put back into your body. The two major causes of dialysis are hypertension and diabetes. Patience must go to treatment three times a week.

ROTATION 7: ORMy rotation in the operating room was

intense! I loved every minute of it. The first day I watched a lady get colon resection surgery. There was a section in her abdomen that looked like a tumor which they had to remove. It was quite gruesome, but surprisingly I was able to handle it. The tools used in surgery look quite intimidating, there was one that I found especially interesting. It was a double-staple gun that cuts into the tissue and seals each end of the split tissue to stop the bleeding.

The second day, I observed a hip surgery. The patient had an infection in his hip from the hip replacement he had about ten years ago. Everything I saw looked so unreal. The way the doctors handle the tools and body parts was interesting. In the operating room during the hip surgery, the doctors had rock music playing loudly, which made me a little more comfortable. Overall, I had an amazing time in the OR.

ROTATION 9: NICUFor my 9th rotation, I went to the NICU. I have been

looking forward to it for a long time so it was a really nice experience. I love how the NICU is like another world separated from the hospital. The nurses were very welcoming and nice to me. The first day I followed a lady named Donna who had 3 patients. Two of her patients were twins who were 3-4lbs and about two months old. I got to hold one of the babies for a while and he was adorable. I also helped bottle breast milk. 

The second day I followed a nurse named Heather. She gave me a nice tour of the unit. She had two pairs of twins who she had been working with for the day. Two of her twins were little girls who were only about 2lbs. They were born at 24 weeks so they were in critical care. The other twins were only about a week old and were almost 4lbs. I really liked this unit and would like to come back to visit so that I could see how much the babies have grown and improved on their health.

ROTATION 10: BURN UNIT

For my 10th rotation, I went into the burn unit. I was really nervous because I was not sure if I could handle seeing all the nasty burns on people. For the first day I did not really follow a person, but I sat and watched a power point about burns and burn management. The pictures on the power point made me want to vomit - It was definitely not a good time. But then I shadowed a nurse named Trish while she dressed a patient. The patient was a man who got into a farming accident with a machine. He had fallen and got wound up in the propellers of a machine(I think). His left arm was wound up in the electric wires and the whole left side of his stomach had second and third degree burns. Both of his legs also had burns on them. The doctors had to cut off his left arm because it was so stretched out. To cover up his burns on his stomach, they used cadaver dissection. This was pretty gross to see. The second day, I followed a nurse named Emily, and she had been taking care of the same patient who I saw the day before. Her other patient had an infection on his right leg which looked disgusting.. but I did not get to see much.

ROTATION 12: NCCUFor my 12th rotation, I went into the NCCU.

The first day was not very interesting. I followed a nurse who had one patient who had a stroke, but she was being taken to get tests done when I got there. Another one of her patients was very critically ill and had just been back from surgery so he was sleeping most of the time.

I really liked the second day of my rotation, although it was on a Saturday. I expected it too be really slow and boring but my nurse, Lisa, was awesome. Her patient had been in there overnight because of stroke-like symptoms. After a variety of tests were done, they found out that she had two brain tumors. This lady had a history of breast cancer. When the doctor came in to tell the family, he had said that the brain tumors looked more like cysts formed on the surface of the brain, which would be easier to remove since it is not dug into her brain. I felt so bad for the family. We then took her to get a CT scan which would determine whether she would be able to have surgery to remove the tumors or not. Overall, I really liked my second day in the NCCU.

MENTOR FORMS

RESUME COVER LETTER

RÉSUMÉ

REFERENCE PAGEEnglish Teacher: Clair Pennycuff

Psychology Teacher: Renee LaFever

Work Manager: Amiee Dominguez

CAREER LIST- ENTRY LEVELLicensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

Under the direction of a physician or registered nurse, licensed practical nurses care for those who are sick, disabled, or injured. In order to be an LPN, one must complete a State-approved training program in practical nursing to be qualified for licensure. A high school diploma is required for entry, although some programs are part of a high school curriculum. An exam known as The

National Council Licensure Examination is required in order to obtain licensure as an LPN. One would need to be observant, emotionally stable, sympathetic, and have good decision making and communicating skills.

Physical Therapist AssistantPhysical Therapist Assistants work under the physical therapist, helping them

provide treatment to improve patients’ mobility, treat physical disabilities, and relieve pain. They also assist in providing exercise instructions,

therapeutic methods such as mechanical traction and ultrasound, massage, and gait and balance training. Most clinics require one to have a high school

diploma. Assistants are trained on the job and most employer provide clinical on-the-job training. Having hands-on clinical experience is vital in

being an assistant. In most states, an associates degree is also required to become an assistant. Physical Therapist Assistants have to be well

organized, detail oriented, and caring.

CAREER LIST – LONG TERM

Physician’s AssistantPhysician’s assistants practice under the direction of physicians and surgeons. They

are trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive healthcare services as directed by physicians. Physician assistants must have experience as a

registered nurse, emergency medical technician, and paramedics. They should also have a desire to serve patients and be self-motivated. One must also have a good

bedside manner, emotional stability, and the ability to make decisions in emergencies.

PsychologistPsychologists study the mental process and behaviors of humans and animals. They

do this by looking for patterns that will help them understand and predict behavior. Psychologists often use scientific methods, ethics, or procedures to test their

philosophies. A doctoral degree is required for individual practice as a psychologist. Psychologists with a Ph.D. or Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) qualify for a wide range of teaching, research, clinical, and counseling positions. Important qualities would

be sensitivity, compassion, and the ability to lead and inspire others.

AnesthesiologyAnesthesiologists are physicians who care for surgical patients and pain relief. This

long term career requires completion of a premedical program at an accredited college or university, a bachelor’s degree, and a certificate from the American

Society of Anesthesiologist or the American Board of Anesthesiology. Those who would like to become a physician must be able to serve patients, self-motivated,

and capable of surviving long hours of education and training.

LECTURE REFLECTIONS

FINAL REFLECTIONAfter High School I plan to continue school at KU or here at WSU. I hope to major in pre-medicine, but right now I am still undecided. After college I would like to start a career somewhere in the west

coast.

Health Academy has opened my eyes to many of the possibilities in healthcare. I am so thankful that I got the opportunity to be in

such a great program. Through each rotation, lecture, and research project I have gained more knowledge than I would ever imagine. This class has showed me many things that I did not think I would ever be able to experience. I can truly say that I will miss this class

next semester. Thank you Mrs. Hang for giving us all a great experience!