Blog 14: Third Interview Preparation

EQ: How does an anesthesiologist best ensure a patient's safety and comfort for surgery?

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?

I plan to interview an anesthesiologist at UCLA by the name of Dr. Zhuang T. Fang. He is a clinical professor at UCLA's medical school.

2.  Verify that you have called your interviewee to schedule an interview.  What is the date and time of the interview? 

I have not yet secured an exact date, as schedules are still being worked out.

3.  Phrase an open-ended question that will help you find research resources that would help to answer the EQ.

How does an anesthesiologist best ensure a patient's safety and comfort for surgery?
What do you do in your daily routine to ensure that your patients are safe and comfortable?

4.  Phrase an open-ended question that will help you think about other useful activities you might do to help you answer the EQ (IC2, possible experts to talk to, etc).

Could I have the opportunity to observe one of your lectures sometime?
I plan on taking a CPR course soon, what other activity would you suggest that could help me further my research and understanding?
Do you recommend any text for me to look into?
Who do you recommend I interview next?

5.  Phrase two open-ended questions that help you to understand your interviewee's perspective on an aspect of your EQ. 

Have you always wanted to be an anesthesiologist?
Why did you choose anesthesia?
Describe a typical day at work.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
You are a professor? Why did you decide to teach?
What do you teach your students?
What advice do you have for students looking to pursue this specialty?
What mistakes or experiences have you encountered over the years do you wish you had known before?
What are some of your most memorable experiences?
How does an anesthesiologist best ensure a patient's safety and comfort for surgery?
What do you do in your daily routine to ensure that your patients are safe and comfortable?
Would I be able to have the opportunity to observe one of your lectures sometime?

Blog 13: 10 Hour Mentorship Check-In

[My mentor and I preparing for a surgery.]

1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?

I'm doing my mentorship at Desert Valley Medical Hospital in Victorville.

2.   Who is your contact?  What makes this person an expert?

My mentor is Dr. Richard Kakes. He has been an anesthesiologist for with over 25 years of experience.

3.   How many  hours have you done during the school year? (Summer Mentorship Hours and Mentorship Hours should be reflected separately in your Senior Project Hours log located on the right hand side of your blog).

25 hours (mentorship hrs.) + 30 hours (IC hrs.) = 55 hours (mentorship hours + independent component hours)

4.   Succinctly summarize what you did, how well you and your mentor worked together, and how you plan to complete the remaining hours.

I have observed several surgeries with different anesthesiologist (mostly with mentor) and with each case being different, I have the opportunity to ask questions and my mentor explains thoroughly what he does and why he chooses to. I'm never afraid to ask questions of any of the anesthesiologists I have sat through surgeries with. To complete the remaining hours, I plan to continue this as I have learned a lot through observing real life situations.

Blog 12: Holiday Project Update

[This is a photo of one of the gall bladder removal procedures I observed.]

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you do over the break with your senior project?

I observed an ankle surgery, an appendectomy, a circumcision, an several other procedures during my winter break. I also spent my New Year's Eve at my mentorship because my mentor was on call that night. I got to observe a few c-sections as well as a number of other surgeries throughout the day.

2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why?  What was the source of what you learned?

One of the important keys to note about anesthesiology is to know the patients like the back of your hand. Every person is different and reacts to medications differently. One wrong move can have major consequences. A specific instance to note was when I watched the circumcision of a 10-year-old boy. It was the first pediatric case I had watched while at mentorship and I learned from  my mentor that as a reaction to the anesthesia, children more often than not wake up crying.

3.  Your third interview will be a 10 question interview related to possible answers for your EQ. Who do you plan to talk to and why?

My mom has friends that work at UCLA's Medical Hospital and I hope to land an interview with one of the anesthesiologists. He is very knowledgeable about the craft and even lectures at the medical school.