My Journey
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My 'First Mentor Visit Is This Thursday'! I am excited to be able to use the time I have in ISM class to go learn more about the field I am interested in and to discuss with my mentor about what my future in ISM holds. I do plan to loosely follow my product plan, but I have received some feedback from Dr. Joe and he shows a bit of doubt when it comes to my idea for my final product. So, with his feedback, I know that some revisions need to be made to my product proposal before I take the time to start proceed with the process. I do have some other ideas, so I will bring that up either before the mentor visit or after, as Dr. Joe has a very busy schedule and limited time in between seeing his patients. Other than that, last week I researched cranioectomies which I found to be very interesting. Taking out part of the brain seems like an impossible procedure, so I find it fascinating that something like this was made possible with the use of advanced medicine and technology. If I were to find a way to make my original final product proposal work out, then I would want to do a craniectomy if it is realistic with the materials and sources that I have available. Although I am discouraged by this sudden change in plans, I know that in the end, everything will work out and I will make a product that I will look back on in future years and be proud of.
This week, I am hoping to 'Plan For My First Mentor Visit' with Dr. Joe. Although I will be going to a place that I am very familiar with, my father's office which I have visited on numerous occasions, I am still excited to go there to actually observe his work. I am hoping that this will be the week that I begin to go onto mentor visits, but if that is not the case, then next week is also a great week to start. His background check has already been approved, so we are good to start whenever. I have already constructed my product calendar to pace myself as I make my way to April, which is when my final product is due. This coming mentor visit I am hoping to watch him work, establish a visiting schedule, and to go over the mentorship handbook along with the product calendar. This is just a list of what I could possibly get done with Dr. Joe, but I do not expect that we will get through all of that in the span of an hour and a half or so. He has to see his patients and there is little time for him to idly chat with me. I am guessing that a lot of this will be covered prior to the mentor visit and I will be mainly following him around his office as he works. Nevertheless, I am extremely excited that this week may be the week that I get to go on my first mentor visit.
In the time that school has been in session since the end of our winter break, I have been working with my dad to get through the mentorship application process so we can begin the actual mentorship. Since that has been my main focus for the past few weeks in ISM, I'm going to discuss what I anticipate I will do in the next coming weeks. Although my schedule is busy with the original work speech approaching and completing assignments for the course, I want to make my final product "construction" plan/schedule early so that if any setbacks occur, I can quickly get back on track. Making the plan early will also allow me to fully understand and think through who I want to contact again from the interviews I conducted. I am excited to be contacting professionals I interviewed before who I did not end up being able to work with further this semester. That aside, regular mentor visits will begin very soon, and I am excited to be able to go to my mentor's office to see the patients he works with and how he helps them. I do know what my dad does generally during his appointments with patients, but I know it will be much more interesting being able to see it in person. So, after completing my weekly assignments for ISM, I am fully committed to making the 'Completion Of My Final Product Schedule An Early Goal.'
The week has finally come where I got a mentor. But, it's not the mentor that I was planning on having when I first started my ISM journey. 'My Dad Is My Mentor.' And, I am not unhappy at all. I am excited to work with someone that I am very familiar with, and I am also excited to be able to see what my dad does as a neurologist. Something I do regret is that I am interested in neurosurgery more than neurology, so having a neurologist as a mentor was not ideal. But, after talking to Coach Goff, she opened my eyes by explaining how the two are very closely connected, so in this semester of ISM, I will be able to see the neurology side of neurosurgery. Nevertheless, I am excited to finally be moving forward in my ISM journey, as recently I have hit a stump. It was discouraging not having a mentor and receiving news that UTSW would not be accepting any non-paid interns. Even though this outcome was not what I had initially planned for ISM, I cannot wait to be able to learn more about neurosurgery and to finally begin working on my final product.
With this, 'Winter Break Is Over' and I am ready to get back into the ISM flow. I am disappointed that my initial goal of having a mentor in November was not accomplished, and even now, I do not have a mentor. I am still hopeful as I work to make the mentorship work, but in the meantime, I will work hard to complete my ISM work and to continue working on my final product in addition to researching more about neurosurgery. I look forward to this semester as I set new goals that will help me move forward to the end of the school year. Some things that I am thinking about include how I will schedule mentor visits and what I will learn on these mentor visits. I hope that through the mentorship that I am trying to get, I will be able to learn more about their research and watch surgeries of the neurosurgeons that they work with. Something that I still need to do is complete my tasks from my last interview with Michael Levy. He suggested that I ask my counselor if there are any hospitals that are in need of volunteers or have a contract with my school. He also gave me some research papers to read through so I could learn more about some of the research that he took part in or had access to. There is much to do, but I am so excited to be a part of ISM again this semester.
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2022
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