Reece Museum

            

After my amazing experience at the Reece Museum at East Tennessee State University last semester, I decided to go back and see what new material they had on display. Unfortunately, they are between exhibitions at the moment and on the day that I went, the main room was blocked off for a group of students defending their theses, so the experience that I had this time was not quite the same, however it was not bad. I was still able to see some amazing pictures that had been both drawn and painted and even without the large displays that I experienced last time, I still enjoyed seeing the imaginations of the artists come to life on the page.

            The drawing that spoke the most to me today was one that is found in one of the small side rooms, and it was a picture of a fishlike creature swimming in the ocean. This creature was entangled in a free-floating net and surrounded by trash such as a plastic bag, paper, oil, etc. It looked pained and was an all-together emotion evoking picture.

I have been raised with salt water in my veins. The ocean is my absolute favorite place to be and I cannot imagine anything more relaxing than being completely surrounded by perfect blue water. When you look out at the ocean and its massiveness, all of your troubles seem to be so very small and insignificant. Therefore, seeing this image and knowing that it is not far from the truth, saddens me. The amount of trash that is in our oceans is appalling and I feel as though it is something that many people do not think about on a regular basis. Having this image on display is a terrific way to raise awareness for what is happening to the poor creatures who have to deal with humanity’s ignorance.

As per usual, Reece Museum did not disappoint. Even though the experience did not have the same feel as the last, the artwork still moved me. I am also very excited for their next exhibit which should be going in late summer/early fall centered around the Holocaust, its events, and the survivors. 

Final Shadowing Hours

            Yesterday, April 21, 2017, I completed my 20 hours of shadowing at Finch Family Medical Care in Bristol, Va. for my Spring 2017 Colloquium project. A few things that I was able to learn more about during this shadowing session are the office’s on site lab phlebotomist, drug reps coming in to discuss new medications, and how the providers deal with the drug problem that plagues northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.

            This week I was able to talk to the office’s onsite phlebotomist and watch as she drew the patient’s blood for testing. I was also able to see the order forms and the importance of drawing differing amounts for different purposes. I also talked with both the phlebotomist and the Nurse Practitioner about why certain tests were ordered if a patient was experiencing a specific set of symptoms. I was able to see the process all the way through, at least from the office side, of ordering the blood tests, drawing the blood, labeling the tubes, entering the samples in the computer, centrifuging/storing the samples, and billing for the tests performed. This again, was a completely different kind of shadowing experience than what I had seen before and it taught about yet another side to the medical field and all of the professionals that it involves.

            I was also able to talk to a few of the drug reps who come into the office to speak with the providers regarding new medications or treatments that they are promoting for their companies. I was able to listen to them describe the benefits and side effects of the medications they were discussing and why it would work better for certain patients more than it would for others. These interactions were interesting from all stand points, however I was saddened to see the differences in the levels of respect that these representatives gave to the different providers. It was obvious that they held more respect for the physician than they did for the nurse practitioner. Some of them would not even enter her part of the office to speak to her. This fact frustrated me highly because after speaking with and shadowing the nurse practitioner, I was able to see how much of herself she puts into her work and how smart she is. I also learned that she is going back to school to receive her DNP (Doctorate of Nurse Practice), at the end of this time she will have attended school for a longer time period than the physician at this office and the only thing that the physician can do that she cannot is sign a death certificate. Knowing this, it was upsetting to see them treat her as though she were lesser simply because the initials after her name are FNP and not MD.

            This leads me to something that I have seen ongoing, not only in this practice, but also in other practices that I have shadowed, and that is drug abuse/misuse. Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia are number nine in the nation for this issue. I was able to see first-hand how adamant some patients are in requesting controlled substances such as pain medicine (Morphine, Norco, Lortab, and Percocet) and benzodiazepines such as Valium, Xanax, Ativan, etc. When shadowing the nurse practitioner I was able to witness some patients are extremely angered by the fact that she will not write them for long term pain medication but would rather send them to pain management or send them to a specialist to find out exactly what was going on and more effective ways to help. One aspect that I found slightly funny, as did the other professionals in the office, is when certain patients would come in and request a specific medication such as those listed above by exact name and dosage and give you a time limit for how quickly they needed it called in and how long they wanted it to last. It is funny to see the attitude change in the patients from when they come in at the beginning and are sweet, gentle, and quiet until they find out that they will not receive their medication and they become agitated, hateful, and in some instances belligerent. Seeing these reactions gave me an idea of how bad this situation really is in our area.

            This experience, as a whole, has been not only educational, but has also been so fulfilling. I was able to see multiple sides of the medical field throughout this experience and I feel that I am more aware of the road that lies ahead of me as I continue to strive for my dreams of becoming a doctor. I have gained a deeper appreciation for all whose jobs go into making an office work at its highest capabilities, and I have learned so much about the connections between the seemingly separate medical communities in our local area. I have enjoyed these 20 shadowing hours, and I hope to continue this learning experience both in this family care office and with other specialists in the area.

Charlotte's Web at ETSU

            Last week, I was able to see a production of Charlotte’s Web by the East Tennessee State University Theatre and Dance Department in the Bud Frank Theatre on campus. This production told the classic story of Wilbur the Pig in a new and creative fashion that left the audience in constant excitement for what was coming next.

            The costumes for this play were slightly different than what I was expecting because they did not give the characters the normal animalistic attributes that I normally think of when I picture the play in production. Even so, this lack of animalistic characteristics actually gave the animals a more humanistic feel that made the major points of the play easier to connect to.

            This play also incorporated aerial dance in the characterization of both Charlotte and her children. I was originally curious as to how the department would pull of this character, and was pleasantly surprised to see that this was the form that that they had chosen. Witnessing the tricks and flips that she performed both on the metal web frame and the silk materials hanging from the top of the stage, left the entire audience in awe. Not only was the dancing pulled off flawlessly, but her speaking/acting portions were not in the least hindered by the extra strength she had to put into the acrobatics. Witnessing this performance was awe-inspiring on its very own, only adding to the production.

            The cast for this play did a fantastic job of keeping the audience enthralled throughout the entire production. One actor in particular was my favorite to watch simply because he played 4 roles that never ceased to get a laugh (the actor playing Homer Zuckerman, Uncle the pig, a narrator, and the rooster). It was very obvious that the cast enjoyed what they were doing and wanted to share this joyous experience that they were having with everyone else.

            Overall, this production was a pleasure to see. The ETSU Theatre and Dance Department earned every laugh and applause they were given, along with so much more. It was evident that a lot of hard work and passion had been put into this production and it made me excited to see what they decide to perform next semester.

Volunteering

            This semester, for my volunteering hours, I chose to spend my five hours at a local government housing facility in Bristol, cleaning/cooking for, and simply spending time with the older generation who resides there. My five hours has been spread over the past two weekends and I hope that I will find the time to continue my work there, and not let this be the end of my volunteering there.

            Over the last two weekends, I have swept, mopped, and dusted the apartments of both an elderly man and elderly woman living within this governmental apartment complex. I have also helped to prepare and serve their dinner to them. More importantly than both of the actions stated above, I have been able to talk to them, or more accurately listen to them, and learn more about their lives and where they came from. I would sit on the couch and they would sit in their recliners and they would describe to me the world that their eyes saw as they were growing up.

            The elder man spoke of his many sibling, 8 to be exact, and how they would run around town as small children and get into all kinds of mischief. He also tells me of the hardships that he has endured, and how he got all of those rough calluses covering his hands. He talked to me about his roofing business and the friendships that opened up to him. He told me about meeting his wife for the first time, and trying to capture her attention by making her jealous. He told me how they ran away from home when he was 21 and she was 15, and got married. He laughed as he described the first dinner that she had ever made for them, remembering how badly she scorched the beans and burned the cornbread, and how he ate every single bite anyway, 2 servings of each to be exact. He talked about watching his kids grow and have children of their own, and how he didn’t feel old enough to be a grand-father with the oldest getting ready to turn 27. His laugh was infectious and his stories were captivating. Just listening to him you could almost taste the blueberry bread pudding that his mom used to make when he was little.

            The woman that I was able to sit with and talk to told me about her brothers growing up and how they had always picked on her. She remembers them tugging on her braided pigtails and trying to steal her glasses. She tells me of the picnics that her “momma” and “pop” used to take her on. She says if she tries really hard she can still smell magnolia trees and feel the warm sun on her skin. She remembers her whole family coming together for Christmas and how excited her and her brothers were when they received oranges and bananas in their stockings. She tells me about her husband and how when they were still “courting” he talked of joining the army. She was only 16 at the time and she feared that if he enlisted, she would not be able to see him anymore. She voiced her fears, he agreed, and they too eloped in the middle of the night when everyone else was sleeping. They made it back before daybreak and kept their marriage a secret for 3 weeks before finally telling her mother. She says that she had such a good life, and she misses those she has lost, but now at the sprite young age of 94, she would not give back a single day.

            I am so glad that this is the place I chose to spend my volunteering time. Both of those discussed above said that they do not receive many visitors and family phone calls are few and far between. I could tell that just by listening, I had given them something that they had so been longing for. I have learned so much from them, even in this short time. I have learned the importance of hard work and never feeling you are too good to do anything. I have learned what love looks like and how important it is to stand up for what you believe in. More than anything, I have learned the importance of listening; truly listening, not just enough to respond.

            Volunteering is meant to help people, and I learned that even the simple act of showing someone that you care and that what they have to say matters, is one way of helping them.

            “Helping one person may not change the world, but it could change the world for one person.”  - Anonymous

Boland Undergraduate Symposium

            A few weeks ago, I was able to attend the Boland Symposium at the Millennial Center in Johnson City, TN. This symposium consisted of several ETSU senior students, a large portion who are members of the Honors College (including my great-grand big), who were presenting their theses. I was only able to attend for a short time, but there were so many presentations that covered material ranging from snapchat to medical research and the amount of effort that was put into these presentations and the time leading up to them was evident.

            I was able to attend the presentation by Laura Cabaniss, “The Role of Attitudes and Motivations as Major Factors in Acquisition of Spanish as a Second Language.” I have never actually taken a Spanish class before, but rather took several French courses in high school. I loved every minute of those classes and still attempt to speak as much of the language as I can as to retain what I learned then. This presentation was very interesting to me because even though I myself do not currently study Spanish, the language and the learning process regarding becoming fluent in a new language has always been of major interest for me.

            Laura discussed the techniques she used for gathering information such as speaking to professors on campus who teach these classes and having their students fill out an attitude survey. These surveys gave her the basic information she needed, including demographics and confidence/attitude ratings, to be able to calculate how the attitude affected the students’ ability to retain the information and do well in the class. She was able to see correlations between those who were taking the class because they truly wanted to learn the language (those majoring/minoring in Spanish, or those who just enjoy it) and those who were forced to take the course to take care of a credit they need to graduate. She used all of this information and created numerical data depending on attitude score that each student was assigned based on the information they provided her with.

            Watching her give this presentation was not only interesting for the fact that her topic was one of high interest for me, but also because I was able to see what myself and my peers would be doing in a short period of time. Not just with this presentation, but with all of the other presenters that I spoke with, you could see their excitement, fear, nervousness, and, after they presented, relief that radiated from them. This was a huge moment that they had worked so hard for, and being able to see their excitement at its coming to fruition, made me excited to begin this stressful, mentally/physically taxing, and so very rewarding process. Seeing them present reminds me that I can do it, I can make it and become everything I want to be, I just have to believe in myself and put in the work to get there.

Shadowing Update

            Over the last few weeks, I have been able to continue my shadowing hours at Finch Family Medical Care in Bristol, VA. As of now, I have completed 15 hours total of shadowing, and I am beginning to feel sad that this experience will soon be coming to an end. For these last visits to the clinic, I have been able to shadow not only the Physician and the Nurse Practitioner, but also so of the Certified Nurse’s Assistants and Radiology Technicians that work there as well. I had never really thought about shadowing nurses since I have always been interested in becoming a provider, however, when the opportunity was offered to me, I felt it would be good exposure to another aspect of the medical field. I have most definitely gained a new appreciation for everyone who works in the office because if even a single link was missing, the care provided would not be offered in a viable manner. Every job, from the secretaries to the nurses and finally to the providers is essential in order for a patient to receive the best possible care.

            I have been able to see the nurses collect the patient’s vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, weight, temperature, etc.). I was also able to witness them performing a PT/INR check for cancer patients or others who generally have very thin blood or are on blood thinners. This test tells them how long it takes for the patient’s blood to clot. They then report this number to one of the providers and they decide whether or not it warrant a change in medication dosage.

            I also shadowed them while they were scheduling radiological tests, and scheduling appointments with other specialists throughout the area. It was very interesting for me to see how interconnected all of the medical practices in our area are. I feel that one issue that plagues many Pre-Med and Med school students is the idea that they are so much better simply because they do or do not have the MD after their name. I think that everyone who is entering a medical profession should be required to shadow medical personnel of all types to see that one person does not make the team. In order to provide true medical care, it takes everyone doing their jobs and working together.

I have gained so much more respect for every piece of the medical team through this shadowing experience,  and I cannot wait to continue on this journey of shadowing and learning more about every aspect of what I hope to do in the future, and learning more about the terrific, hardworking people I will have the opportunity to work with once I get there.