Blog 18: Third Answer

Content 

What is the most effective treatment for a patient suffering from Coronary Artery Disease?

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Undergo a Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery to graft a substitute blood vessel into your heart, re-routing blood flow around the clogged artery.

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1. Can "unblock" multiple blockages with a single bypass. Unlike angioplasty, which targets a single blockage, grafting a vessel in a bypass surgery can effectively reroute the affected vessel over multiple blockages.
2. Uses other blood vessels to reroute blockage. One of the most common vessels in the body to remove and graft to the heat is the Internal thoracic artery.
3. Very effective–the surgery isn't like an angioplasty, pushing the plaque against the vessel wall. It makes the affected blood vessel obsolete. It's as if your coronary artery started back at square one!

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1. How is CABG Surgery Done?
2. Angioplasty Versus Bypass Surgery for Coronary Artery Disease
3. Heart Disease: Should I Have Bypass Surgery?
4. Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in the Elderly: Pros and Cons after three-year follow-up

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Undergoing a Coronary Bypass Surgery is very effective because it uses another part of the body to fix the clogged artery and has a better efficiency than an angioplasty.

Senior Project, The Holiday

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

1. The main thing I did was more research. I want to change my EQ from rabies to have more options. The heart is interesting. So is the cardiovascular system. Maybe how to solve chest pains?

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

1. I learned that focussing on something too specific is ambitious, but not good in the long run. I'm specifically talking about my current EQ.  I need to change it. Body pains! But not with anaesthesia!

If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers of your EQ, who would you talk to and why?

1. My mentor and probably other people (doctors?) if I can. My mentor is knowledgeable in this area and I would like to hear his take on it. But to have a better idea, I will aim to ask more experts. Be it a doctor or not. Perhaps someone who deals with chest pains!

Change

I'm probably going to change my EQ. The cardiovascular system is interesting.

Werewolves

A man steps off the porch of his house. He feels a tingling sensation all over his body. It's a cold night, but he suddenly starts to feel hotter and hotter. His nails start to grow rapidly into sharp, morbid talons. The vest coat that he wore to protect himself from the frosty weather expands and begin to rip. The man looks up into the sky and sees the cosmic creation that started his transformation. His eyes shine a sickly yellow colour while reflecting the pure silver of the moonlight. Numerous wolves in the distance could be heard howling as if mourning of of their own. 

Werewolves.

Now, what do werewolves, a mythical creature from horror fiction have to do with the deadliest virus known to man? I'm reading Rabid: A Cultural History Of The World’s Most Diabolical Virus, a book about Rabies and the impact it has on history and culture.

"Rabies is a scourge as old as human civilization, and the terror of its manifestation is a fundamental human fear, because it challenges the boundary of humanity itself"

A quote by the authors Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy.

Seeing the effects of rabies does prove this statement; "...it challenges the boundary of humanity itself." What does rabies do to you? It paralyzes you. It makes you afraid of water. You develop aggressive behaviours. It kills you. Werewolves: Rabid? Check. Aggressive? Check. Afraid of water? I don't think so. It's an interesting connection to make. Is it possible werewolves were influenced by old century rabies victims? 

An article from Mental Floss that talks about the resemblance:
Scientific Reasons to Believe in Vampires, Werewolves & Zombies

Blog 9: EQ

I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ.

1. Provide a framework for studies (It calls for breadth and depth of research, Is not a yes/no question)
2. Takes a stance (Allows you to argue some point, Cannot be a recitation of facts or a list)
3.  Format (It is specific, The wording makes sense)

Review the following EQs and

• Tell us if it meets the rule of 3 criteria
• Tell why it does or why it doesn't

1. What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?
• It does not meet the rule of 3
• It is a little vague. Focussing it on a gender would really help the student on their research. Weight loss for women and men are different. Focussing on an age would be even better, but potentially difficult to find research on.
2. What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?
• It does not meet the rule of 3
• It is far too vague. If I could change this EQ, I would make the "conviction" a more specific crime such as murder or theft.
3. What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?
• It meets the rule of 3
• While it is questionably open [a customer] I believe it is appropriate due to the topic [hair stylist] because there are many different types of people that prefer many different types of hairstyles. Aside from finding research for it separate from mentorship, I believe it is an OK EQ.
4. How can an Anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?
• It does not meet the rule of 3
• It is very vague. I would prefer it to go more in depth on the type of chronic pain the patient is having. Chronic pain is a pain that lasts for a long time; I would rather see "...treat chronic pain caused by X disease/condition/illness"

I noticed there were EQ's from last year, so ruling them not meeting the rule of 3 makes me question myself.

Based on your review of the rule of 3 and your experience with assessing four EQs, please write another draft EQ for your senior project.

As an internist, what is the most effective way to treat unvaccinated patients with rabies?

If I do that, my current answers that i have would become useless, but it would literally force me to know every single particle that makes up the rabies virus.

Blog 8: Research and Working EQ

What is your working EQ?

What is the most effective way to treat a patient with rabies as an internist?


What is a possible answer to your working EQ? 

What is the most effective way to treat a patient with rabies as an internist?

• Understanding the chief complaint to be able to start diagnosing the patient. You need knowledge of the disease before you can start treating the patient.
• Knowing the patient's medical/[social] history. Knowing the medical and social history of the patient is important because in order to effectively treat a patient, you must know everything about them concerning their health.
• Do a physical exam. [Any exam/test, really] These tests can help you diagnose the patient as well as lead you to a treatment.

What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ?

My summer mentorship at the UCI Medical Centre helped me come up with answers to my EQ. There, I learned the procedures doctors must take to effectively and efficiently treat a patient. 


Who is your mentor, or where are you volunteering, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

Dr. Francisco B. Fuscaldo is my mentor. I'd usually go to his office in LA for mentorship, but sometimes he visits my mum's office since he's my mum's client.

He is an internist and I'm interested on how he could help me answer my EQ. While I won't be able to fully interact with the patients, I'm able to observe.

Blog 5: Project Reflection and Working EQ

Positive Statement:

What positive thing happen as a result of what you have completed so far?


Today I went to the doctor's office to do my mentorship and interview. I asked a question about being an Internist and he went on a long speech about what he believes they do. I want to do that. That is, not only know the information, but use the information. I'll become a doctor. I will.


EQ Content: 

Pick a piece of research or your interview. How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic?


Article Title: Physician burnout affects patients too
Info: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/07/health/la-he-the-md-20100607

Just like what the OBGYN at the UCI Medical Centre said, Primary Care professions such as Internal Medicine are decreasing. A huge cause for this is that other specialties such as orthopaedic surgery pay nearly twice as much. Another factor is burnout, which affects the entirety of the medical profession. I believe knowing the pros of something is fine, but knowing the downsides is even better. Senior project isn't just a school assignment. It's a tool that will help me prepare for the future. Might as well make the best out of it.

The fact that primary care physicians also encounter burnout is interesting. Many would think that surgeons, who hardly sleep, would mostly be the ones that get burnt out. My point is, Internal Medicine is only one out of the many specialties in the medical field. Knowing how burnout affects not only the doctors, but the patients too is important.


What has worked for you so far in the senior project?

I really do like the idea of researching. Frankly, my problem with it is where to find good articles. Many studies and dissertations are interesting, but are way too specific for me to effectively use for my project.

I have an idea on what I'll do for my activities though, that's a long ways away. I had the idea since the summer, but since I thought of my EQ (subject to change), I might have to rethink them.

I'm surprised I was able to waltz right into the doctor's office and so informally talk to the nurses today. So I think that's a step up for me.


What hasn't worked so far?

While I know I want to do Internal Medicine, it's pretty hard to find research on it. What's hard isn't finding information on how to become a doctor, definitions of medical jargon, or the pros and cons; it's the type of research that will be used for my senior project that I'm having difficult with. More specifically (and more accurately) what is hard is narrowing down my research to find what is really helpful for my project.

Also, finding another mentor for the other interview is going to take some work. I can get in touch with many doctors. (Honestly, many are general practitioners. I have connections!) So I'll have to decide on stretching out to find another internist, or interview a general practitioner to ask him about what he does in contrast to what an internist does.


Finding Value:

What is a potential question you would like to study this year? (working EQ) 

What is the most effective way to treat a patient with _____ as an internist?

Researching specifically on a single disease is incredibly wise. The issue (challenge is more accurate) is how that disease will be treated differently as an internist That's probably what research is for!

What do you plan to do for mentorship? If you haven't found a mentor yet, then discuss where you are currently looking and who you are talking to to find it.

Well, my mum knows many doctors and the only thing stopping me from talking to them is.. me talking to them. I mean, I have a mentor who I can talk to, but his schedule isn't exactly reliable so I'll try to find someone who is.

The problem is that the doctors my mum knows are mostly general practitioners. I don't mind Yellow-paging to ask to speak to doctors, but I would rather have that sense of familiarity with my family than a new experience with a total stranger. Better step out of my boundaries.

A Big Problem

Article Title: Medical Students Confront a Residency Black Hole
Info: http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2013/04/01/medical-students-residencies/

So I found this article whilst researching about Internal Medicine. It talks about how this year, hundreds of medical school graduates were unable to get a residency position. This is extremely concerning because medical school prepares you for the real world of medicine and most of your knowledge will be put on the line during your residency.

During residency, you'll be trained in a particular specialty of your choice. This is where doctors become true masters of their craft. Depending on what programme you join, surgeons become surgeons. Internists become internists. Students become doctors. 

When medical school graduates are unable to get a spot in residency, this is a huge problem: they've studied for years only to be cut out when, I believe, is the most important part of their career. According to this article, medical schools are graduating more students than there are residency positions. The answer? Open more spots! In March, several lawmakers passed a legislation that will add 3,000 – 4,000 positions over 5 years. This is a good solution for now.

Another issue this article mentions is the decreasing amount of primary care doctors and residency positions. Many students are rushing forward to specialties such as dermatology or laproscopic surgery. (The pay is nearly twice as much, which is appealing)

While I was at the UCI Medical Centre, I was able to talk to an OBGYN. She said that there is a serious lack of primary care doctors. Her statement makes sense: students train for years of their life. Why not be paid a lot? Personally, I want to be a surgeon. I wouldn't mind training for Internal Medicine either, but residency positions are incredibly important; something that this article helps me to understand.

2013 2-Hour Presentation Reflections

What presentations did you see?

Consultation Pharmacist – Gina

Special Needs Behavioural Consultation – Clara

Real Estate – Cleo

Web Design – Xavier

Forensic Photography – Nicole

Dance Choreography – Valerie

Film Directing – Amanda

Scope Surgery – Taylor

Deaf Culture – Rachel

Mexican Folk Art – Gohan

Molecular Biology – Alissa

Foley Art – Evan

Teaching Algebra – Alexis

Violin – Alexa

What questions do you have that haven't been answered about the senior project?

1. I've seen some of the teachers during the presentations tell the student that they've made the time. Is there a minimum time for talking?
2. Most of the presentations I saw were fantastic and engaging but some I could tell were rushed. How much time do they have to prepare for this presentation? (Not reasearch, but the presentation)
3. The presenters repeatedly cited their info (books, mentors). Is this necessary during the presentation?

What is the most important part of the senior project based on what you are seeing in the 2-hour presentations?

I believe that your answers of the Essential Question are the most important part of the Senior Project. The Essential Question is important too, but that is a driving-force that guides your answers and focusses the topic. The content of the presentation seemed to be the three answers; most of what they learned was put into them.

What topic are you considering doing and why?

I don't have an absolutely solid idea, but I've been considering Family Medicine. My Mother's Uncle is a family physician, and he's willing to mentor me if I'd like. I believe the most important thing in this world is our body. It's really the only thing that we have from birth to death, so taking care of it is incredibly vital. Learning about it and how to treat illnesses could help me for college!