st. gianna health academy

St. Gianna Health Academy

By: Ashley Howell

:::Orientation Week:::

The first week of class was known as orientation week. We had three guest speakers come in and talk to us about different things. Kim Frankenburg was the first one who came into to talk to our class. She covered things about both the hospitals that we are shadowing at, she passed out maps to us, and then also gave us tours on both St. Francis and St. Joe. Greg Dick was the second guest speaker we had. He is the security cop around the hospitals. He talked to us about different warning signs we should pay close attention to, the call blocks located in the parking lots, and just other things we should know about. Mary Wiseman was the last person who came into speak to us, she came in and talked to our class about the importance of hand washing. This is when we devised our hand washing project, as well.

:::Rotation Thank You Letters:::

After each rotation we send thank you letters to each of the units we go to. We either make our own creative thank you letters or we make a professional thank you letter. Here are a few examples of the thank you cards I have done:

:::Hand Washing Presentations:::

We went to four different elementary schools where we went to different classrooms explaining the importance of washing your hands and the correct way to do so. We would go to the different schools every Thursday for four weeks. 1. TOPS 2. Clarke Elementary 3. St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton All Saints

:::SICU Thank You Letter:::

Front ViewBack View

:::Rehab Thank You Letter:::

Front View

Back View

:::NICU Thank You Letter:::

Front View Back View

:::Lab Thank You Letter:::

Back View

Front View

:::Radiology Thank You Letter:::

Front View

Back View

:::General Surgery Professional Letter:::

::: 5 West Professional Letter:::November 2 ,2010ATTN: 5WKimberly Schmidt St. Joseph Campus3600 E. HarryWichita, KS 67218

Dear 5W, Thank you for letting me follow you on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was a good

experience to get to see the different patients each day. Both Stephanie and Edith, who had come down to 5W from 6 Medical, where both very nice and talked me through everything they were doing. Each patient basically had a different thing going on than the next patient’s room who we went into. The weirdest thing I saw was the lady who claimed to be having spells and she was not the friendliest lady, but the nurse I was with handled herself very calmly and respectfully.

I learned a lot about all the different type of narcotics you were giving out, some of them I had never even heard of before.

Again, I just want to thank you for giving me such a good experience in 5 West. I hope everything is going well on 5W still.

Sincerely, Ashley Howell

:::OR Professional Letter:::October 28,2010ATTN: ORBrian SwallowSt. Joseph Campus3600 E. HarryWichita, KS 67218

Dear OR, Thank you for letting me follow you on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was

one of the most interesting units, probably because I have never seen anything like the OR. There was some pretty intense surgeries going on while I was I was shadowing these 2 days.

The first day the doctors all kept laughing at me, because of my facial expressions, probably because I was so surprised by everything going on. It was the most graphic thing that I have ever witnessed in person. The shows on TV are nothing like what actually goes on in the OR.

Again, I just want to thank you for giving me such a good experience in the OR. I hope everything is going well in the OR still.


:::Professional Letter to Rad. Tech:::November 5, 2010ATTN: Radiology TechRon ShipleyNewman University3100 McCormick Ave Wichita, KS

Dear Ron, Thank you for taking time out of your day to come in and talk to my health academy class about Radiology Tech. I learned a lot of things that I had no prior knowledge of before going into the seminar. I am actually interested in becoming a radiology Tech after your lecture, it seems interesting to be able to take pictures of patient’s and even be able to figure out what is wrong before the radiologist comes out with the diagnosis. Thank you again for coming in and talking to us.


:::Professional Letter to Nursing:::

November 5, 2010ATTN: NursingBernadette FetterolfNewman University3100 McCormick Ave Wichita, KS

Dear Dr. Bernadette, Thank you for taking time out of your day to come in and talk to my health

academy class about Nursing. I learned a lot about your talk and what it takes to become involved in the nursing field.

Newman sounds like a great college to get involved in if I decide to become a nurse in the future. Thank you for answering all our questions and giving us an overview of the nursing field.

Thank you again for coming in and talking to us.


:::Blogs:::

This week I was in the Rehab unit at St.Francis. I followed Ashley and we went around and saw 4 patients, who we took on little walks, and two of them went upstairs for the first time since being in the hospital. It wasn’t the best rotation, but it was a good hands on experience.

On Tuesday I was in the NICU. I think I went in there with to high of expectations, because I didn’t get to hold or

feed any little babies like some of the other students who have been there. I was with a nurse who had two babies. One of the babies weighted 1 lbs 5 oz. The baby was tiny

and her skin was so thing, her mom was 33 years old and already has 9 children all of which she doesn't have custody of. The other baby weighed 3 lbs 4 oz, the mom was tested positive for marijuana, but the baby was most

likely going to be able to go home with the mom.Overall it was a good day, it was a very heartwarming

place and the nurses in there take their job very seriously and love what they do.

This week I was in Radiology. The first day I saw just a couple chest xrays, that are required before a patient goes into surgery. Then I saw a 49 year old who decided he need to be sedated to get a

feeding tube but in, he was a bit of wimp and complained the entire time, the radiologists were pretty upset with the man. The second day we went and got xrays of a guy in SICU who had

broken his tibia in about 6 places, they said it was one of the worst xrays they have seen. Then i was

taken into the ER to check on an 11 month old was abused by his father. We had to make sure

there wasn't any broken bones which there wasn't. It was a good week and I learned a lot.

This week i was in SICU. It was a very overwhelming experience. I got to see a man having surgery on his abdomen,

a man who fell 20 feet off his room and caught his neck on patio furniture while falling, a man who was on suicide

watch who thought he was going to leave. The second day i saw a man who had been in a car accident and

been thrown 35 feet from his car. He was in a coma and had internal bleeding

in his brain. I talked with the man's wife and the wife's friend for quite awhile, i ended up crying for a few minutes while they talked about him.

I enjoyed my time in the SICU a lot, the doctors were nice and friendly, but i would never

be able to work in that type of environment, because i am to sensitive of a person.

:::Blogs Continued:::

I think it would be interesting if we had a video conference with a doctor at the Mayo Clinic. We could talk about what he/she does, how they enjoy their job, and what advice they have for us. We could also talk to the doctor's patients about how their experience in the Mayo Clinic is, although I’m sure most patients don't enjoy being in the hospital, we could talk to them about how they are treated, what their illness is, and how their recovery is going.

1). Cover Letter

2). Resume

3). Reference Page

:::Professional Resume:::

Objective: My objective is it to be a physical therapist’s

assistant. Experience:

Babysitting ( 2004-Present ) Wichita,KS have babysat for the past six years. I have numerous

families that I offer to baby-sit on a regular basis.

Working at Firework stand ( 2008-2010) Helped stock the firework stand, worked the cashier,

and ran errands for the owner.


Newman University (2010) Wichita, KS Medical Terminology (3 Hours)

St. Gianna Health Academy ( August 2010- December 2010) Surgical Intensive Care Unit Operating Room Emergency Room Observed in thirteen more hospital units Learned how to: take blood pressure, listen to the heart ,

parts of the stethoscope, check reflexes, and listen to the lungs.

Kapaun Mount Carmel High School ( 2007-2011) First Aide Class 2 years of Spanish


Volunteer Work Lord’s Diner (2009-Present) Mom’s morning out at Folger’s Gymnastics

( 2004-2007) Cheer Clinic for Magdalen Middle

School(2007/2008) Cheer Clinic/ Mom morning out for Cheer

Fusion(2008-2010) Church Nursery ( November 2009-Present) Kapaun Firework stand( 2007-2010)


Awards Team Captain of Kapaun Girl’s Varsity Soccer team

2010-2011 All State 2009 & 2010 3 time letterman First Team All Region 2009 All Region Team 2010 10th place at Gymnastics Nationals on beam 2007

Certifications Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation 2009 First Aide 2009 Food Handler’s 2010

:::Lecture Reviews:::

Family Physician

Dr. Summerhouse was a family physician who was involved in the medical field for 35 years. He is the father of Denise Clarke-Hang. A family physician is a doctor regularly consulted by a family in time of medical need. Dr. Summerhouse informed us about the long hours put into being a family physician. It is normal for you to go days without sleep or going days without seeing your family.

He came to our class on Friday, September 17 to explain and inform of us how to go about becoming involved in the medical field. If someone is interested in becoming an advanced training nurse then they would need a four year degree. A physical assistant would need a four year undergrad degree plus a two year degree in the medical school. To become a full licensed doctor one would need a four year undergrad degree plus four more years in medical school. Even though they are already considered a full licensed doctor, they must also have two to three years in residency. Each state has their own set of rules on what it takes to have a medical license. Having a medical license isn’t a right, but rather a privilege.

His talk made me really think about what it is I want to be when I grow up. I am highly considering becoming either a physical therapist or a pediatric nurse. Both of them will take hard work and long years of study. His talk was very informational; I didn’t know exactly what it exactly took to become a nurse. He had great passion for his job; I hope to be as interested in my job as he was.

( Dr. Summerhouse Lecture)

:::Lecture Reviews:::Psychology

Carissa Coleman came into our class to give a talk over psychology. She talked about how to get involved, different types of psychology, and her study. She began in social services in New Mexico, where she helped people with HIV. She was surrounded by different psychologist when she was working in New Mexico; this is when she finally found the career she wanted to become involved with. She is study community psychology, which is the study how the well being of people and how they adapt in certain situations. Her actual interest in commutative study is in relationships and the relationships in nursery homes between the residences and the patients. She wants the nurses to help out the patients, not because of the task at hand, but rather so that they can get to know the patient and actually want to help them.

The most popular field of psychology is clinical. A few other types of psychology is development, which is how the person develops and how quickly or slowly they develop. Another type is creative psychology, which has to with problems that a person encounters and the way they are given justice.

She told us that it is very important to search out the knowledge that you will need to get involved with your career. It takes long years to be certain of what you are interested in. If you are interested in psychology then you need to get involved with something dealing with science. Psychology is a four year study; you are given up to nine years to get your PhD. You then have to design a dissertation, which is a research study. You design an experiment and then you actually carry out the experiment and then you record your results and tell about what you learned.

( Carissa Coleman Lecture)


Radiology Tech

On Friday, November 5 2010, we went to Newman University to listen to a presentation on Radiology Tech. Ron Shipley was the man who gave us the presentation. There are different things that a radiologist tech is required to do such as provide patient care, position the patient, select proper amount of radiation exposure, and assist the radiologist. When Mr. Shipley says that he must provide patient care, he means he must set up nursing care, ethical practices, radiation protection, and quality assurance measures. It is the job of the radiology tech to make sure that when he is positioning the patient that there are lots of bed and that he positions the body to see if there are any problems. Assisting the radiologists is important, so that the radiologist can make a diagnosis. There are different types of machines that a radiology tech can use to take pictures of the body such as an MRI, sonogram, use nuclear medicine, PET, or a myocardial perfusion, or CT scan. Radiology Tech is a 2 year associate degree of study. There are different ways that can make an x-ray more affective depending on the type of thing the radiologist is trying to figure out. The MRI is the best type of X-ray when you are trying to look at something going on within the soft tissue of the body. A Sonogram is an x-ray that uses sound waves which then transfers them into an X-ray. Nuclear medicine is the opposite of an X-ray, the radiation comes out of the patient. The myocardial perfusion is an X-ray that looks into the heart and what is going on in that area.

( Ron Shipley)


Nursing

On Friday, November 5 2010, we went to Newman University to listen to Bernadette Fetterolf where we listened to her presentation on Nursing. You gave us a presentation on what we should look for, what makes a good nurse, and the different requirements it takes to become a nurse. There are different things that make a good nurse such as things like: a love for science, people, learning, working as a team, and enjoy being on your feet. There are different places for a nurse to work such as a hospital, research facility, or a school clinic. Nursing is a job that requires lots of nursing. The nursing field is predicted to be short 500,000-1,000,000 nurses in the next 20 years. The starting pay for a nurse is 19 dollars an hour.

Nursing requires an associate degree a 2-3 year study with prerequisite classes, such as regular classes like chemistry, English, and communications. Most programs like if you receive a BSN which makes things a lot easier because it is more flexible, you are prepared more, and you can receive different pay in different places.

Most colleges will look at your curriculum, our mission and philosophy, and our admissions from nursing schools. Newman for example admit twice a year and accept 32 students. It requires a minimum GPA of a 2.75, no more than 6 liberal arts left, and then you must undergo a complete interview.

( Dr. Bernadette Fetterolf)


Respiratory Therapy

On Friday October 29, 2010 we went to Newman University where we listened to Meg Trump. She gave us a presentation, showed us a video, and let us participate in some hands on experiments dealing with respiratory equipment. A respiratory therapist is a health care professional specializing in respiratory therapy and is most commonly found in intensive-care units, emergency rooms, operating rooms, and other critical care areas within a hospital setting. A respiratory therapist is all over the place dealing with new born babies, people in critical care, and the elderly people. They have huge responsibilities when it comes to making sure that a person is breathing correctly or that there is no obstruction of the airways. The need for respiratory therapists is always on the rise, so it is a good profession to get involved with, not only because of the need for them but also because they receive great pay. The average annual salary is around $52,000.

The area of technology is always rapidly changing so it is the job of the respiratory therapist to stay on top of their education to know what is going on. Becoming a respiratory therapists is not all that difficult it is a good entry level job, associates degree which requires 2 ½ years of study. If a doctor does not have a respiratory therapists then they would not be able to tell if enough oxygen was getting to the patient, therefore respiratory therapists are very important when it comes to the medical field.

(Meg Trump)

:::Lecture Review:::

Zoo

On Friday, November 12 we went to the Sedgwick County Zoo, where listened to Dr. Bryant, who is a veterinarian and then we also got to listen to the heart beat of a chicken, horse, and a goat. We got to see the different technology that the vets use to check the animals to make sure that the animals are developing correctly. They use different methods to check up on the animals, such as checking their heart beat, EKGs, blood pressure, radiology, and they can also perform almost any type of surgery that a human can undergoes.

I learned that the smaller the animal, the faster their heart beat is. Out of the three animals, the chicken’s heartbeat was by far the quickest. With all the new technology they can now record the sound of the heartbeats, so that they can send them to different labs to see if their animals are properly breathing. My favorite part was being able to do the hands on part of the talk, being able to listen to the animals heart beat, it was really interesting and gave us a better understanding of what you do on a day to day basis.

I want to personally thank Dr. Bryant who gave us such a great explanation over all the different parts of the heart, which I found to be very beneficial. You and your assistant showed us a lot of things that I have no prior knowledge of. I really enjoyed being able to see the size of a bird’s heart compared to the size of the giraffe’s heart, it quite a vast difference. I really enjoyed your interest and devotion to your job; it made the talk even more interesting.

(Dr. Bryant)

:::6 Top Career Choices:::

1). Physical Therapy2). Certified Nurses Assistant3). Massage Therapist4). Home Health Aide5). Trauma Nurse6). Radiologist

::: Mentor Form Week 4:::

:::Mentor Form Week 5:::


Only one day of rotations this week.

::: Mentor Form Week 8:::

:::Final Reflection:::

This class has gave me the hands on experience that I have been wanting to have. It has showed me that I really am interested in the medical profession. My favorite part about this class was being able to follow around different doctors and nurses in each rotation.

THE END

Destin, Florida 2010