natalie’s professional portfolio

Fall 201

1

ST. GIANNA HEALTH ACADEMY

NATALIE’S PROFESSIONAL

PORTFOLIO

• During orientati on week we learned about the general rules of the hospital and got a tour of both St. Francis and St. Joseph’s Campus to get a feel for the environment and so we wouldn’t get lost!

• At the beginning of the program, everyone had to get a TB shot, to make sure no one is sick and take pictures for our volunteer badges.

• We met people, such as, Kim Frangenberg and Offi cer Greg Dick who gave us advice and taught us some special rules about the hospital to keep us out of trouble.

• Everyone was given a tour around the St. Francis and St. Joseph hospital so that everybody could be famil iar with everything and not get lost.

• Everyone was given the opportunity to volunteer at the Wichita Country Club Charity Classic.

ORIENTATION WEEK

MENTOR FORMS

After each rotation that I went on, I had my mentor fill out a form that showed my progress for the day.

MENTOR FORMS (CONTINUED)

THANK YOU CARDSI would make some formal an some handmade thank you letters for my mentors or unit directors. These are examples of the handmade letters.

THANK YOU CARDS (CONTINUED)

FORMAL THANK YOU LETTERS

FORMAL THANKS YOU LETTERS (CONTINUED)

FORMAL THANK YOU LETTERS (CONTINUED)

BLOGS

On rotation 10 I went to Labor and Delivery! It was crazy!! On the first

day, I saw two vaginal births. I was completely shocked and was not

expecting it to happen so fast. the rest of the day I followed a tech

because the nurses were just at the charge desk. I learned a lot from

the tech about the unit and about labor and delivery, including the

surgical aspect. On the second day, I saw one vaginal birth and one C-

section, which was really cool. They had to pull the baby out by putting

a vacuum on the baby's head. It was a very exciting rotation, but I

don’t think it is for me but I’m so grateful that I got to see so much!

Labor and

Delivery

On rotation 8 I was in the OR at SJC. I was really nervous for this rotation because I didn’t know what to expect. it was definitely the best rotation ever! It was amazing to see how the robot worked and all the different surgeries that were going on! On the first day, i saw a hysterectomy and my mentor showed me the uterus after it was out of the body! I also saw a bladder being removed! On the 2nd day I saw a prostate glad being removed! I was so surprised at how surgeons can remove something that seems so necessary and connect a few things to make everything work properly. My mentor, Rolf, was so cool!. He took the time to teach me what was going on in the surgeries before he put me in the actual operating room. Everyone loved their job in this unit. In the OR there was music playing the whole time and the nurses and doctors would sing and sometimes dance. I felt really comfortable and would love to go back to this unit because it was such a great opportunity!

Operating Room

On rotation 9 I went to the Pediatric unit at SFC. It was a fun

rotation. I liked the idea of working with children but the dealing

with parents part didn’t sound fun. They said they were having a

slow day and the next was kind of slow too so i just saw the

dismissals and admissions of a couple patients. This one little girl

was being sent home and she had a brain tumor removed and was a

little disoriented and that might last a while and her mother kept

getting upset with her because she couldn’t do things for herself. It

was really hard to watch this happening and I almost cried but it was

a good thing that my mentor warned me before I went in. Overall, it

was a good rotation!

Pediatrics

BLOGS (CONTINUED)

On my eleventh week in rotations I was placed in Lab. During the first day there I followed around a phlebotomist. He explained to me what she primarily does, which is go to different patients on different floors of the hospital to draw their blood. My second day in the Lab Unit I was taken to different areas around the spacious unit. First, I went to blood bank and learned about how the blood is handled before it is used for a blood transfusion, and then I went to another area where they take the small tubes of blood to see what the red blood count or white blood count is. Afterwards, I went to observe a machine that was very wide that would automatically analyze the blood and make sure there was nothing wrong with it. The last area I went to was microbiology where I was able to observe stacks full of Petri dish that contained all kinds of bacteria, then, I looked at them under a microscope. The whole time I spent in this unit I was able to learn a great deal and overall I had a nice time!

Laboratory

On rotation 5, I was at the TSICU. I have been to the MICU but I definitely like the TSICU much better. There was a lot going on and it is one of my favorite rotations yet. The first day there wasn’t much going on except a lady who claimed that a nurse hit her in the middle of the night but she was a bit batty! It was investigated and there was no issue by the way. The second day was great because my mentor taught me so much and informed me greatly. I got to see a tube go through someone’s nose all the way to their stomach. The patients were interesting and it was a busy unit the 2nd day. I had a good time!

TSICU

LECTURE PAPERS

LECTURE PAPERS (CONTINUED)

RESUME

COVER LETTER AND REFERENCES

POSSIBLE CAREERS

I have also been thinking about being an optometrist. Optometrists are the main providers of vision care. They examine patient’s eyes to diagnose vision problems, test depth and color perception, and test their ability to focus and coordinate the eyes. Optometrists can prescribe glasses, contacts, or they may provide vision therapy or low-vision rehabilitation. You have to take courses in math, English, physics, chemistry, and biology for four years on undergraduate school in order to be accepted into a school for optometry and then the program is about four years long. It may also take a year of residency, so a minimum of eight years of schooling. Optometrists make about $70,140 to 125,460 a year. Optometry caught my interest because the human eye fascinates me. It seems like it would be a fun occupation but after researching other options, it might not be for me. I could shadow an optometrist in order to get accepted into one of the programs.

Optometry

Benefit Median Amount

Base Salary $97,429

Bonuses $2,467

Social Security $7,642

401k / 403b $3,796

Disability $699

Healthcare $6,507

Pension $6,393

Time Off $12,295

Total $137,228

POSSIBLE CAREERS (CONTINUED)

I am interested in becoming a dental hygienist because I would be able to work with people of all ages. I always enjoy going to the dentist because the dental hygienists are friendly. I am very teeth obsessed so I feel like I would enjoy this occupation. Only a high school diploma and college entrance test scores are required for entrance into a dental hygiene program. Courses such as biology, chemistry, and math would help prepare for this occupation. Some programs require one year of college before acceptance. This program grants an associate degree, but some offer a certificate, a bachelor’s degree, or a master’s degree. Most dental hygienists make between $55,220 and $78,990, which is very high for only about two or three years of college! I have an uncle who is a dentist, so if I want to pursue this career then I could ask to observe or maybe even help out at his office.

Dental Hygienist


Base Salary $58,149

Bonuses $16


401k / 403b $2,210

Disability $407

Healthcare $6,507

Pension $3,723

Time Off $7,159

Total $82,620


Upon researching, I came across an occupation that I have never heard of. I learned about a speech pathologist and became very interested in this career. This career caught my eye because it seems like it would be a very rewarding occupation and it would involve working with children. I also read that you have to have patience for this career and I believe I would be good at it. Most speech pathologist jobs require a master’s degree. Courses in anatomy, physiology, and the development of the areas of the body involved in speech, language, and swallowing are needed in pursing this career. Speech Pathologists earn around $50,330 and $79,620. They diagnose and treat patients and help prevent disorders related to speech, language, cognitive communication, voice, swallowing, and fluency. They may have to treat someone who has had a stroke or may have been in some sort or accident. Speech pathologists must track patient progress and have a plan for their progress. I could volunteer at the hospital to learn more about this career.

Speech Pathology


Base Salary $64,013

Bonuses $46


401k / 403b $2,434

Disability $448

Healthcare $6,507

Pension $4,100

Time Off $7,884

Total $90,333


Lastly, I researched a staff nurse. I am not very interested in this occupation but it could always be a possibility if I learn more about it. The good thing about being a nurse would be interacting with many different patients! There are many different directions that being a nurse could take me. They treat patients, educate patients about their medical condition, and give advice to family members. They also chart medical histories and symptoms of the patients and help with tests and analyzing results. They can operate medical machinery, administer treatment and medications, and help with rehabilitation. They earn between $51,640 and $76,560 a year. In order to enter this occupation, nurses must complete an associate degree or bachelor’s degree program. After they have completed that, they much complete a national licensing examination to earn a nursing license. I believe that Health Academy will prepare me for this occupation as well as volunteering at the hospital.

Registered Nurse


Base Salary $61,430

Bonuses $523


401k / 403b $2,354

Disability $434

Healthcare $6,507

Pension $3,965

Time Off $7,625

Total $87,578


In researching numerous healthcare careers, I have found four that I have found to be extremely interesting and might like to pursue in the future and another one that I might be interested in. The first career that I am seriously thinking about is Pharmacy. I am hoping to go to Kansas University and be accepted into pharmacy school. After researching, I have learned that pharmacists can go in many different directions with this field. They could be involved in research by developing new drugs and testing their effects. They also distribute prescription drugs to individuals and advise their patients, physicians, and other health practitioners. I am interested in pharmacy because I would love to talk one on one with patients. It would be great to counsel the patients on dosages, interactions, and side effects of medications. I learned that pharmacists also have to monitor health and progress of their patients to make sure that they are using their medicine safely and the correct way. It would be great to establish relationships with the patients and to see them regularly. To become a pharmacist, I will have to earn a Pharm.D. degree from a school of pharmacy. It takes two years of schooling before you can be accepted into the program and then four years in pharmacy school. The last year is used to work alongside pharmacists in different environments and different fields on rotations. To be accepted into the program, courses such as chemistry, biology, physics, humanities, and social sciences would need to be completed. Shadowing a pharmacist or working as a tech would hopefully increases the chances of being accepted into a program and get a job after graduating. The average salary of pharmacists is $92, 67p to $121,310. Pharmacy would be a great program to go into because there are many different directions that it could take me.


Base Salary $106,394

Bonuses $264


401k / 403b $4,053

Disability $747

Healthcare $6,507

Pension $6,826

Time Off $13,127

Total $146,077

Pharmacy

MEDICAL EQUIPMENT

The stethoscope was one of the many medical equipments that we used. I t was used to be able to l isten to the heartbeat and the breathing rate of a person’s lungs.

We also used a blood pressure monitor to fi gure out a person’s blood pressure, which can be seen as systol ic over diastol ic .

To check the diff erent refl exes, we used the refl ex hammer, or the percussion hammer.

I l e a r n e d a l o t d u r i n g my ti m e at S t . G i a n n a H e a l t h A ca d e my. I t wa s a n ex p e r i e n c e I w i l l n eve r fo rget a n d o n e t h at I a m ex t re m e l y g ratef u l fo r. I h a d t h e p l e a s u re o f v i s i ti n g va r i o u s u n i t s a t t h e h o sp i ta l s w h i c h gave m e a n i n s i g ht o f t h e d i ff e re nt o pti o n s h e a l t h ca re p rov i d e s . T h e l e c t u re s at N ew m a n a n d i n t h e c l a s s ro o m p rov i d e d a d d i ti o n a l i n s i g ht i n to s p e c i fi c ca re e rs . I n ow fe e l m o re p re p a re d fo r my f u t u re a n d w h at I wa nt to d o w i t h i t ! I a m p l a n n i n g to att e n d Ka n s a s U n i ve rs i t y n ex t fa l l a n d m a j o r i n p re -p h a r m a c y. I a m sa d t h at i t i s ove r b e ca u se o f t h e m a ny f r i e n d s I m a d e a n d t h e ex p e r i e n c e s I h a d . I wo u l d p e rso n a l l y l i ke to t h a n k M rs . H a n g fo r a l l t h e h a rd wo r k t h at sh e p u t i n to t h e c l a s s a n d fo r g i v i n g m e t h i s o p p o r t u n i t y t h at n o t m a ny st u d e nt s h a d . I wo u l d re co m m e n d t h i s co u rse fo r a nyo n e w h o m i g ht b e t h i n k i n g a b o u t a ca re e r i n h e a l t h ca re !

REFLECTION

natalie’s professional portfolio

Education

blood bank

blood transfusion

mysecond day

lecture papers

red blood count

white blood count

different patients

unit directors