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Depicted in the image above is me on my first day of my internship at Growing Healthy Children Pediatrics.

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In being asked to define what it means to be "professional" in my own terms, I would describe it as being...

-Determined and motivated to succeed in all one does

-Highly knowledgeable and skilled

-Presentable in one's place of work not only in dress, but in interactions and opportunities given

-Presentable of your best self every day no matter how you are feeling personally

Professional people "get the job done."

A dive into the following quote: "Professionalism is not the job you do, it's how you do the job."

I love the message of this quote and the new perspective it instilled regarding professionalism. I could not agree more with the statement said. I think in today's world there are standards for specific job types to be viewed as "professional" whereas this quote allows me to see it is not about the type of job you have, but rather your performance.

My deeper interpretation: The type of job you have whether that is to deliver pizzas or manage a team at a bank does not matter; there is a vast variety of job types, which ranges from what one may view as simple or more complex. With that, it does not matter the difficulty of the task at hand in which you are given. More so what matters, is the ability to complete the job well. Additionally, the determination and motivation to want to complete a job well with a determined attitude. Any job can be completed, but it is the ability you complete the job to that really matters most of all.

Someone at GHC who I think exemplifies professionalism is, Kelsey, the NP (Nurse Practitioner) I am interning with. I think this because as I spent my day with her, I was able to observe the following aspects of professionalism:

-As soon as she started the day, she immediately opened her laptop and began to prepare for the day by writing down all the patients she would be seeing for the day. As the time got closer to seeing each patient, she and I reviewed their charts (BMI, height, weight) to see if there were any abnormalities as well as any other medical issues or concerns specific to the patient that was noted by the nurse before going into the room.

-I thought the way in which she interacted with me was professional as well. When reviewing the patients charts she guided me through, answered my questions, as well as informed me of what types of questions to ask dependent on the patients age (which ranged from 6 months to 17 years old on my first day). When entering the room, she would introduce me to the children and their family. I thought it was professional of her to share with me the patients name when reviewing the charts to ensure I did not know them personally as well as give me the choice of entering the room if I did not feel comfortable.

-I observed her interactions with the families and how she spoke with them. One mom was really worried upon her child's diagnosis of walking pneumonia, but Kelsey was able to comfort her and calm her down in a professional manner. I was very impressed by her ability to speak with different cultures (language barriers) as well as so many different ages of children. She had unique ways of incorporating the questions I had learned to ask into the visit, which allowed her to complete the appointment efficiently. In one specific interaction, one patient was not performing what she had asked, which was to make deep breaths in and out so she could listen to her lungs. Kelsey then used the light from her otoscope (medical device used to look at your ears, throat and eyes), turning it on and off, as she told the child to act like she was blowing out candles. I thought this was very creative.

-The deep knowledge she had was also very impressive to me. Whenever a parent presented a concern for their child, she was able to diagnose it "off the top of her head" and provide treatment/prescribe medication suitable to their needs.

My 1st Day of Interning at Growing Healthy Children Pediatrics:

The night before the first day of my intern the nerves were really starting to get me and I was having trouble getting my mind off of worrying about the unknowns of my intern. The morning came fast and I was putting my scrubs on, still nervous. I got out to take my picture in front of the sign when I arrived and was a little relieved knowing I could go sit back in the car because I arrived early. I was filled with nerves walking to the door because I was not exactly sure what to expect on the first day. As soon as I walked in the door, I was greeted by the front office staff and immediately guided to the NP who showed me where to set my stuff. Everyone was super friendly and welcoming, which definitely helped calm my nerves. My first day was not super busy, which surprised me, but in the time there were no patients I was able to do some of my other work or talk with my NP. I was also surprised to see how fast I was in and out of the rooms because I expected it to have taken a lot longer, but her developed skill of professionalism allowed her to do her tasks quickly. I was able to watch her use different tools to clean chunks of hard earwax out of a patient's ear who also had an ear infection. Very interesting! Now writing this after my first day, I am loving my internship and 100% interested in this pathway, as well as eager to learn more about what being an NP has to offer.

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My Personal Strengths:

When working a group, I find I tend to gravitate to a lot of the roles that were listed (the project manager, the relationship builder, the strategic thinker, the creative role, the person that keeps the group on track and organized, etc.) because I am organized, favor responsibility/authority, and prefer things to be done the way I like them to be done. Out of all of them, I find I would be least likely to gravitate towards the relationship builder because even though I know the importance of building relationships to benefit the team, when a task is at hand, I just want to get it done and start immediately. I also say this because I am the one in the class who would raise their hand if the teacher asked who preferred to work alone over working in a group. I most closely would align myself with the role of the strategic thinker because not to think high of myself, but I do think I have academic strengths and skills in which I am proud of. Those types of things are not just handed to you. You have to work for what you want by putting in effort.

A way in which I can be more assertive at my intern site:

I think definitely feeling and literally being the youngest one at my internship can at times make it feel I am not as involved in the team for sure. Also, I think being surrounded by individuals who are highly experienced in the medical field can make it hard as well when this is my first time hands on in the field. I have however been speaking to my NP's other coworkers and been involved in conversations, which has put me at ease knowing I am included and involved in what's happening at my intern site.

I think to help overcome these feelings and be as involved as I can, I can continue speaking to everyone I encounter on the staff and ask them if they need any help when my NP does not need my help. The other day I was able to experience this to a small extent when going in the room with the nurse when she did a swab so I was able to witness it. I know I have personal growth with this aspect and hope that with this internship I am able to improve my contributions to teamwork.

New technology skills:

Some of these I have not personally used hands on directly, but have been observing how some of these technologies are used.

Otoscope - used to check ears, throat, and eyes.

Stethoscope - used to check lungs.

Thermometer - checks temperature.

Scale - measures weight.

Swab - used to test the back of the throat for strep.

Stadiometer/Detecto - used to measure height.

Computer software - used to track patient's records, visits, charts (weight, height, head), etc.

I think leveraging technology ethically in the workplace means to utilize technology that is available in your place of work consciously. Further, use the technology to help you complete a task, but use it with caution and in a way that avoids any trouble.

One little patient today gave the NP a hug as well as me which helped me feel included and made me feel she valued me. It was very sweet!

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Above is a photo of me with the NP (Nurse Practitioner) I am interning with, Kelsey.

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EQUITY & INLUSION IN THE WORKPLACE @ GHC - 7/19/2024

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EQUITY & INLUSION IN THE WORKPLACE @ GHC - 7/19/2024

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Equity - All members of an organization have fair access to opportunities and support.

Inclusion - A genuine sense of belonging to a community (in this case an organization).

Throughout my time there have been so many ear infections. Today, I grew curious and really wondered what she is looking for when looking for an infection. I learned a healthy ear will look like a clear "covering" over the ear drum and the light from the otoscope will reflect off of it. In the case of an infected ear, the light will not reflect off and the ear as well as the ear canal will be red. The ear may also be filled with fluid. In speaking of ears, today I was able to look in the otoscope and see a tube in an ear that can be used to help prevent ear infections.

At my internship site, I am the only intern as well as the youngest student my age at the pediatricians office, aside from patients of course. At first, I found this intimidating, but as soon as I walked in on my first day, this feeling was relieved. Everyone on staff at GHC was super welcoming and including. They asked me about me personally, which also helped to relieve these feelings. I also was complimented on my pink scrubs by many of the staff members, which helped ease this feeling as well. To ensure I have a seat at the table and am leveraging my skills and knowledge, I try to embrace confidence and a sense of belonging from the moment I pull into the parking lot in the morning. I also try to be involved in conversations, paying attention to whoever is speaking, and asking questions.

At my internship so far, I have not been super challenged to keep an open mind; however, when it came to days when I was super tired and the weather was nice, I was a little challenged since I would be inside all day and not out in the sun. I like getting a nice sun tan! I tried to stay positive and think of how lucky I am to be completing this intern, which quickly changed my lack of an open mind. This intern has been very eye-opening and I have been able to hear from new ways of thinking when it came to interactions with patients, diagnoses, treatments, etc. I was constantly learning something new each day, which allowed me to grow my knowledge substantially as well as apply some of those things to my own life.

At my current internship site, Growing Healthy Children, I have seen equity and inclusion play a role in creating a healthy work culture in the following ways (mostly through patient interactions):

Language barriers - In one specific check-up today, there was a Chinese family. The young boy went to school in China as his mom moved back to China. For the most part he spoke basic English, but some he was unable to understand. His father was able to speak to him in a language he understood to then help the young child answer the NP's questions regarding his health. This was very neat to see first hand.

Language barriers - In many situations, I have seen the NP I am interning with speak/interact with Indian families, which she has mentioned is a challenge, but also said she has improved a lot over the years. I think it is impressive her way of communicating with many different ethnicities.

Diverse staff - Diverse culturally & in age, it is mostly dominated by women however.

Family histories - In one situation, one birth mother was placed into jail and has a young baby. He got handed over to the woman's cousin as the birth mom has no desire to see her baby, as well as is not in the proper state to do so. Kelsey, the NP, is very inclusive of the family and treats them no differently because of the situation. I find this very inspirational as the care she showed towards this family after such a hard situation.

Family histories & medical histories - Another little girl the other day was 5 years cancer free after being diagnosed with Leukemia at 4 months old. This young girl too had parents who were drug users, which prevents her from seeing her birth parents, and she refers to her grandparents as mommy and daddy. This whole story really made me feel for the young girl for the hard life she has gone through. Kelsey once again was very caring for this girl regardless of her story, and was very proactive in her health because of her health history. Once again, making every patient she sees included and valued in such a welcoming environment.

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Kelsey, the NP I have been interning with went on vacation, so today, I was able to continue on my internship with one of her nurses, Isabelle.

Feelings invoked by the term "networking:"

Communication

Relationships

Reliance

Comfort

Relief

What have I gained from my network & what I might be able to provide in return?

My brother and I have been patients at Growing Healthy Children Pediatrics (my internship site) since we were both little, so my family and I have formed a relationship with them. Through this internship, I personally have been able to grow a relationship with a lot of the staff at GHC. One person who I have grown the most with is Kelsey, the NP I have been following, who is also the NP who I see as a patient. As we have been spending the last couple of weeks together, we have found similarities within that have helped us connect like our love for shopping, coffee, getting our nails done, and my pink scrubs! Not only have we grown on a personal level, but we have talked about her journey to becoming a NP. Through this I have learned she went to UK for 4 years to get her nursing degree, to then work downtown while getting her 2 year Family NP license. I am considering attending UK's nursing program, so I found it very beneficial and helpful that she has already been through it and is willing to help guide me along the way. She can also tell me all I need to know about it! She also gave me advice and told me to do travel nursing before settling on a job, which I thought was nice and am definitely considering.

Because I have shadowed many people on staff like Isabelle (who also went to UK) and January, I have them to talk to whenever I need advice or guidance in the future for schooling or my career. This is also nice because there are many different individuals who have different experiences at different and similar places, but all ended up in the same workplace specializing in the same field.

I think in return if I network through them I could offer a simple act of thanks and appreciation/recognition. I think sometimes people in healthcare get taken advantage of because so many people are constantly asking them things outside of the work hours and workplace, and with that, do not get recognized or thanked for what they are doing. Through the Presenting Yourself Workshop in the beginning of the summer, I was also able to learn the importance of saying thank you...it can go a long way. Lastly, I could use the guidance given to me to then give to others later down the road.

What is one thing I plan to do to keep the network I've gained active beyond this internship?

Reach out regularly/keep in touch

Maybe meet with them as it gets closer to college/nursing school applications to sit down and offer their time to help me/answer any questions I may have

My NP has 2 kids and mentioned how busy her schedule is, so I could continue to develop the relationship and help babysit her kids for her

Visit the pediatricians office occasionally

Another internship/job shadow there/work there in the future...I have been asked if I would do this again there next year, and I am highly considering

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Leadership - Reflecting on Interview with a Leader - 7/25/2024

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Leadership - Reflecting on Interview with a Leader - 7/25/2024

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What was the process like for me?

When coming up with the questions I wanted to ask Kelsey, I thought of questions similar to what I have been asked for JFLI related things about leadership. Here are some of the following questions I asked:

1. What skills do you think one should have to be a leader?

2. How has your definition of a leader changed as you have gotten older?

3. Would you consider yourself a leader in your workplace? How so?

4. How have you grown as a leader at GHC, and how did you accomplish this growth?

5. What leadership traits do you feel you excel in? What leadership traits could you work on?

I really enjoyed having the chance to interview a leader at my worksite and get their perspective on being a leader as well as leadership. I felt almost a relief and very inspired as I completed this interview about her steps and growth/new understanding of leadership as you gain more experience.

What takeaways did I draw from my interview?

One of the major takeaways I drew from my interview was that you can grow and adapt as a leader. I think this is important to hear because as a young teenage girl who does not necessarily seem she fits the standards of a leader that society has established, this is very motivating. Another takeaway, which I have not thought much on in the past when thinking of a what a leader is, is that leaders have the ability to "jump on" whenever help is needed with any task, even if it may not be "your job."

What traits about leadership resonated with you most?

In my interview, Kelsey had pointed out leadership skills she thinks she does well and one's she could improve. I found many similarities in traits, especially in one's to improve. She had mentioned in her change of role from an RN to NP her communication skills have improved and she said she thinks she excels in this. After watching her interact with patients and her coworkers, I would agree. I think communication is personally a skill I lack in, but it is reassuring to know there is much room for improvement. One trait she said she could improve in was delegation. I think this resonates with me well. Like her, I often find myself signing up for a lot of things/a lot of tasks, but do not ask for help. I remember her saying she does the same, but does not ask for help from her nurses and team members, and instead tries to do it all on her own.

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Career & Self-Development - Letter Reflection - 7/26/2024

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Career & Self-Development - Letter Reflection - 7/26/2024

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What feelings did reading this letter (the letter I wrote to myself on the initial orientation) invoke in you?

Pride

Accomplishment

Deserving

Sentimental

Did you achieve goals you set for yourself during this experience?

Yes! Some of the goals I had set for myself in the original letter were to:

See if this pathway/field was something I would consider through this experience

Step out of my comfort zone and ask questions/be involved in the workplace

Grow to be more independent when communicating with adults - I especially feel more independent in more ways than communication as I normally do things with a group of friends, and I did this all on my own...I am proud of myself

What areas for future growth might you still consider?

I think some areas for future growth that I might still consider are getting out of my comfort zone more quickly. I think towards the end of the internship I was comfortable with everyone, but it took me a couple of days, because I find it hard to put myself out there sometimes especially in front of people who are older than me and in places/experience I am new to.

What role does this experience play in your growth as a leader?

I feel this experience plays a major role in my growth as a leader as through this internship, I was exposed to different types of leadership in different workplaces/sites that I am not normally exposed to. I was also pointed to other leadership skills that I may have not thought of before or necessarily thought were important, but I was able to see through this experience how important some of the leadership skills were. I think for me personally, signing up and completing this internship was a big step for me as well as a big accomplishment. It has helped me realize where I exceed as a leader, but also where I can grow and improve as a leader. I am excited to use my new skills this school year and share with everyone what I learned!

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5 Chairs Section:

I consistently find myself in more of the 1st and 2nd chairs mentally, but react as if in more of the 3rd chair. Ultimately, I wish I could react as if I was in the 5th chair. I say this because I often find myself easily upset with situations when they do not go my way and I find myself doubting/questioning myself as well as decisions I make. I also find myself being slightly judgmental. However, I am deep down always trying to put others first and understand things from their perspective, but it is hard when not thinking about it.

I think this might influence the time spent at my internship site as it will help me to be more aware of my body language that I give off so those around me don't jump to conclusions thinking I am not happy to be there, etc. I think this also helps me to think about how I observe other peoples behaviors in the workplace as well. Specifically in pediatrics and working with kids in healthcare, I think it is extremely important to be far from the 1st chair and strive to be in the 5th chair. I think this because it is extremely important and detrimental to be understanding of how others (patients) are feeling as well as their families. As well as to be sympathetic and have a huge heart for those who come into the office with a sickness, a huge fear of visiting the doctor's office, or simply just a yearly check-up.

Communication is written, verbal, and nonverbal. I will demonstrate each during my internship in the following ways:

Written

- Through text messages or emails I may find myself having to send to my mentor or the NP I am following. Specifically today, I was given direct contact by phone number to the NP I am interning with in case I needed to text her if an emergency happened or if something unexpected was to come up causing me to be late.

Verbal

- Throughout the day I communicate with my NP as well as her other coworkers and patients (and their families). My NP and I communicate most about each patient, especially about what their charts say/look like, medical history, etc. Today, I had the opportunity to communicate with multiple people in the pediatricians office. I communicated with the front desk when walking in to ensure they knew I was there for my internship with Kelsey. I also communicated with my NP's nurse for the day, January, when she showed me how to swab one patient's throat to check for strep. January and I also had general conversation about me, which was nice because it made me feel more included and involved, less of an outcast.

Nonverbal

- Because I have picked up on the routine of going into patient's rooms, I know without the NP having to tell me when it's time to go into a new room. I can tell this by nonverbal gestures such as her standing up from her chair. Whenever she does this, I know it is time to go see a patient before she even says anything; however, she eventually does.

I think within the semester I would like to improve my verbal communication. I know I have the basics of communicating verbally with other individuals, but I would like to grow in feeling more comfortable/confident when talking to individuals who are older than me. I definitely think that with this internship and being surrounded by adults who are all older than me and having to interact with them as well as parents on the daily is going to help me achieve this tremendously.

Communication playing a role in my internship environment:

- My NP today was not 100% confident in her treatment she was going to prescribe for one young boy, so she had to communicate with one of the older doctors to double check as well as get his opinion on what she was going to prescribe.

-There is daily communication between the patient (and families) when asking/answering questions, general conversation, etc.

-I think it is especially unique the vast variety of ages you communicate with in this field. You have to be very skilled when talking to young children in a way that best fits them, but also allows you to get the information you need. There are older children who you have to speak to in a whole different way, but still trying to get mostly the same answers. You also have to communicate with the parents, which is a whole other age group and could be intimidating. In all, you have to be socially aware of who you are speaking to and be able to communicate with many different types of people.

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Something at my internship I have observed/heard about that I want to learn more about:

-Down Syndrome Patients - down syndrome specifically as well as the interactions

-Relationship between the stomach and anxiety

-Lymph nodes and drainage

-Pediatric Oncology - what it is like to work in the field

-Cancer patients & remission

-How drug using parents (before, during, and after pregnancy) impact their children

-G-tubes

My research question: How does vaping in adolescents affect their academic performance?