Field trip to Enemy Territory

So I have terrible news. During my internship we were forced to go behind enemy lines to the U of A Medical Center downtown. Fortunately many of my fellow interns are also ASU students so we banded together and even chanted "Go ASU!" a few times while in the building.

All joking aside, I really enjoyed this tour because it was amazing to see the new technology at work in the medical center. Before, med students often had to practice sutures on pig's feet but now they have real life skin samples that are kept wet to maintain moisture and realism. It was incredible  to see all the new technology. Our tour guide reminded us that while med students do have access to great technology many students do not know how to respond when technology doesn't work so they aim to give students a well rounded experience and solutions on how to respond if traditional medical technology is not available.

My favorite part of the tour was the simulation lab. I have worked in a simulation lab before so it was really cool being reunited with the mannequins (no they aren't called dummies). I had never seen a mother and baby simulation before so I got to experience that. I will attach a picture of this experience below. I was amazed at the baby, it felt so real.

While U of A may be a natural Sun Devil enemy, I was truly impressed to see how advanced the school was and how dedicated the staff are in ensuring that their students are fully prepared to work in our medical community.

Grad School

I have posted recently about how fast this semester has gone by but it honestly is so true! It really is crazy to see how time flies. I have been thinking about grad school lately. I would love to be able to get out of Arizona and explore a different city. It is a bit scary to think I would be off on my own. I am thinking about getting a dual masters in Public Health & Public Policy because I have a lot of interest in working in healthcare. Working at AzHHA has really made me realize that I would be very happy working in the healthcare industry. I also have a passion for policy so I am afraid to give that up. I want to maybe someday work with other policies such as education but am worried it is too broad for a stand alone Masters.

I am curious to know what others are thinking about in terms in Master's programs?

Research Assistant

I have recently started working as a research assistant and I have enjoyed it thus far. My job is to go through scientific articles and journals regarding life as a post-doctoral graduate. I am a bit overwhelmed at the moment about how many articles I have to go through and am hoping that my supervisor will allow me to have part of winter break to complete this.

I am very excited to have this opportunity and have learned so much. I never would have imagined that I would be able to help out a professor. Anyone have any helpful tips for reading and analyzing scientific journals fairly quickly?

Thanks.

Public Service Through AzHHA

My internship through Arizona Healthcare and Hospital Association has been an eye opening experience. The organization is very community based and the people that work here really strive to do their best so that the community, specifically hospitals benefit through the legislative work that AzHHA does. One specific element really spoke to me. AzHHA is working to reduce the stress and anxiety that comes at hospitals when doctors and nurses have to talk to patients about how they want to die and their general plans regarding death.

AzHHA employees want to make sure that patients have a comfortable experience when talking about death and have developed a system of Life Talks that make talking about death not so scary and so that people have their wishes honored if a situation occurred where a healthcare provider would have to make a decision about their life such as if they want to donate organs or die naturally.

AzHHA in general is a public service organization that serves to meet the needs of the Phoenix healthcare community. By bridging existing gaps AzHHA hopes to create healthcare solutions so that patients have an easier time using the healthcare system. AzHHA is also nonprofit so their work and energy is truly mean't to go back to the community.