Pre-Med Core Fieldwork Experience:

Observation and Reflection Process

Name: Zaira Santiago A/B Day: A

Advisory Teacher: Vinson Junior/Senior: Junior

Location or Agency: Memorial Hospital

Prepare:
Prior to your first visit to your fieldwork location, please answer and reflect on the following
questions:
1. What do you know of the location you will be visiting? What services does the
organization provide? What do you understand your purpose of the fieldwork trip to be?

To be honest I didn't really know anything of the location I will be visiting because I never went
to memorial hospital so I didn’t know the hospital that well.

2. If you are visiting a specific department, what is their primary focus?

The specific I am going to visit is the cardiac and the primary focus is to take care of the
patients with heart problems or breathing problems.

3. What aspects of mental health do you imagine you will see during your observations?

During my shadowing observation I imagine that the mental health that I am going to se is a
lot if people with dementia or maybe a lot that has anxiety.

4. What bias (or preconceived ideas) might you have about the location you will be visiting?

The will be more older people than younger

5. Please do some brief research on your location. Cite your sources as you look for
information on their mission statement, stated services and clientele supported.
Observe:
During your FIRST visit​:
- Take a look at your surroundings and read them as if close reading a text. Record your
observations in this section

- Pay attention to sensory details: signs posted, languages you hear, colors of the offices
and uniforms. Does your location have a certain smell or feel? What sounds do you
hear? Etc.

Shadowing Date: Response: Today was my first ever fieldwork shadowing. It was very
1/17/18 interesting. The surrounding was quiet. I got to go into a patient room
and I guess it had a little accident so the room smelled ummm
disgusting. The color of the uniforms of the nurses was like a blue I
didn’t get to see a lot of what the doctors were wearing because they
were in their offices.

- Try to take notice of your reactions (emotional and physical) to different elements of your
department and reflect on why you might be reacting this way.

Shadowing Date: Response: Today was fun much better than the last time I went to
2/15/18 shadow. I did make more question than last time like “ How do you know
when a patient has a high blood pressure?”. For me this shadowing was
more interesting since I got to shadow a care partner nurse in the cardiac
department. Many of the patients were old people that can’t really do
anything by themself so that is where the care partner nurse comes in to
help the patients that needs help. Something that was interesting for me
was that I got to actually help like changing the sheet of the pillow and
the bed. I got to also experience a person with dementia how they
actually do. One thing did actually got me sad was seeing someone that
was actually connected with a breathing mask because she actually
looked that she was dead.

- Ask questions of your department contacts. Record your questions and answers here.

Shadowing Date: Response:

- Jot down notes as your fieldwork is happening or upon arrival back at school. Record
those answers here. For example: Who is your shadowing guide? What role do they play
in the department? Did the department feel busy? Empty? What were your observations
about work flow? Patient care? (Transcribe any notes you took in the section below)
 Shadowing Date: Response:

- Ask questions of the industry people you encounter relating to your potential career
choices and mental health issues they'd see as important to consider.

Shadowing Date: Response:

Reflect:
After your return from shadowing each day, take a few minutes to reflect and answer the
following questions.
1. Describe a few specific highlights or observations from each day and a lesson (big or
small) you took away from each. Consider lessons that may be taken away from
negative experiences or challenges in your day as well as positive ones.

Shadowing Date: Response: Today was an interesting day for me, I got to experience for
1/17/18 the first time how nurses work with patients. I got to shadow a nurse
named Aaron. At first he was just telling me what he does and he started
to ask me what I wanted do and kind of medical field I want to study. After
talking for some minutes we got to see how the patients were doing. He
introduced me to the patients he was working with. He also taught me how
the heart rhythm work like what does the big line represents and yeah. I
thought when I go into the department I was going to shadow it was going
to be a little bit louder than being quiet most of the time. I also got to
experience what nurses do when they are looking at nurses.

2. A. After your ​first​ visit: How did the experience meet, exceed, or fall short of your
expectations? How does this inform your expectations or preparation for your next visit?
What can you do to enhance your experience next time, if applicable?

Shadowing Date: Response: Today was a fun day because I got to show a care partner
2/15/18 nurse in the cardiac department named Monica. It was fun with her she
game a lot of tips like what to do when the patient needs help or like
what not to do. I also got to learn what the care partner nurses actually
do. I never actually never knew what they were and what they did.
 B. On ​subsequent​ visits: What connections) can you make between what you saw
and the role of mental health within this career path or mental health needs within your
community.

Shadowing Date: Response:

2/15/18