Accomplished

I can honestly say senior presentations has definitely been the most difficult encounter throughout my Ipoly experience. Everything from creating a powerpoint to rehearsing my information has been STRESSFUL. Although, I do appreciate being able to be given the opportunity to research more on the career I wish to pursue in the future. I am know confident as to deciding to become a Neonatal Nurse. I feel like my researching skills have matured since the commencement of my senior project. Learning to effectively search quality research will help me once I start college.

I am ready to graduate and become a toro!

Blog 22: Senior Project Reflection

Title: Senior Project Reflection

Label: Presentation
Directions: Please answer the following questions and turn it in to the blog.
Due Date: The day after your block presentation by 8:00 A.M.

(1) Positive Statement
What are you most proud of in your Block Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

The biggest fear I had before presenting was that I wasn't going to be able to meet the 30 minutes required of talk timing. So I am most proud of being able to present and have meet the time requirement. Being able to gain some much more knowledge on the career I wish to pursue was also what I was most proud of. 

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Block Presentation (self-assessment)?

AE       P-   AP     CR       NC

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

Mentorship at Casa Colina worked for me because it helped me gain knowledge on the foundation of being a nurse and a feel of what its like to interact with different patients. My senior presentation worked for me because in the 30 minute presentation I didn’t make time so that was in the back of my mind. But thankful I succeed in meeting time for my presentation. 

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?

If I could go back in time to improve a component of my senior project I would go back to my 30 minutes presentation because I didn't meet time. I think I was just so nervous I talked super fast, although my time was super close I would have like to have been able to represent. 

(5) Finding Value

S    Senior project has been helpful to my future endeavors by leading me into deciding the career I will pursue in the future. Completing my senior project was one of the most difficult things I've had to do encounter throughout my IPoly experience because I've never really been good with communicating with others and never been a good presenter. Senior project has been very stressful yet very beneficial. Overall I truly appreciate what this project has taught me. And I find it very helpful that this senior project has allowed me learn to find and apply quality research. 

Blog 21: Mentorship

Title: Mentorship

Label: Mentorship 

Due Date: Tuesday May 13 by 8AM 

Content: 

LITERAL 

Link on the right side of my blog.
Ishna Mesa- Casa Colina

INTERPRETIVE 
What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
From volunteering at Casa Colina, the most important thing I have gained through my experience has been the opportunity to interact and work with different patients. It has helped be aware of how important it is to communicate effectively with patients.

APPLIED 
How has what you've done helped you to answer your EQ? Please explain.
My mentorship experience didn't help me answer my EQ because of the fact that I didn't have the chance to volunteer at NICU department. However, my interviews were useful and helped me answer my EQ. It made me realize that in order to ensure healthy growth communication needs to take place. 

Blog 20: Exit Interview

Title:  Exit Interview
Label: Exit Interview 
Due Date: Tuesday April 29 by 8AM 

Content: 

(1) What is your essential question and answers?  What is your best answer and why?

What is the best way to ensure a premature baby grows healthy?

1. By introducing the Creating Opportunities for Parent Empowerment program (COPE) informs parents on how to ensure healthy growth.
2. To provide good communication between patients and the NICU staff to help influence the decisions parents make for their babies. 
3. By assuring neonates get the right nutrition they need in order to reach the ideal weight to continue to grow and develop. 

My BEST answer would have to be the Creating Opportunities for Parent Empowerment program (COPE) because it informs parents on how to ensure healthy growth.

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

I got to my best answer with the help of successful interviews with NICU nurses and also through research. 

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

I had a problem with obtaining research for my first answer. I resolved it by using some of the websites Mrs.Pittman recommended. I also would've wanted to volunteer at a hospital that had an NICU department and would've wished for a NICU nurse mentor, but volunteering at a hospital setting with nurses and different patients was good enough. 

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

The two most significant sources to help answer my EQ would probably be all four of my interviews and my mentorship at Casa Colina. Working at a hospital setting helped me understand the foundation of being a nurse and having to work with different patients daily. It showed me how important it is to know how to communicate and interact with patients. 

Blog 19: Independent Component 2

Title:  Independent Component 2
Label:  Independent Component
Due Date:  Friday 4/25 by 8AM

Content:  

LITERAL
(a) I, Michelle Ortega, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) Ishna Mesa, RN and Unit support team coach at casa colina 
(c) Linked on the sidebar under "mentorship log"
(d) To complete my 30 hours for component #2, I volunteered at Casa Colina twice a week for about 8 hours or so. The days I would stay for as long as 8 hours I would do rounds of the east and west wing of the hospital and assist the patients. I would also help out the unit secretaries by making admission packets, putting together new admits charts, making copies, labeling, filing, and doing chart maintenance. 

INTERPRETIVE 
  

APPLIED
This independent component helped me understand that when working in a hospital setting with different patients it is important to communicate with them in a way thats comprehensive. Volunteering at Casa Colina has taught me to be repetitive when a patient is unsure about his or her conditions. To encourage them and always have patience towards them. And to shows them how supportive the staff is so that it can influence the decisions they choose to make. 

Fourth Interview..

Michele Atkins-Young was the fourth person I decided to interview. Out of all the interviews I did, I can say that this one was the MOST useful. She was very detailed and helpful as to answering my questions. She gave me a couple of items that are required to treat a premature infant. 

This is used to monitor the babies heart rate. 

 As small as it might look, this is the actual size of premature babies diapers. 

 This is used to take the babies blood pressure.  

This is an Intubation tube. A lot of the time when the babies are born early they are born with immature lungs. So the NICU put the babies in a ventilator and the tube is placed midway of the infants lungs so that with the help of the intubation tubes it helps provide the infants lungs with oxygen. 

Blog 18: Third Answer

Title:  Third Answer
Label: Research
Due Date:  Thursday March 27 by 8AM

Content:

What is the best way to ensure a premature baby grows healthy? 

Answer #3

By assuring neonates get the right nutrition they need in order to reach the ideal weight to continue to grow and develop. 

3 details to support your answer 

1. The lack of nutrients from a mother to the fetus throughout the pregnancy leads to adverse outcomes. Increases the risk to infection and abnormal developments. 
2. Neonates receive there nutritional needs through breast milk or formula milk. The formula has a higher amount of fat and protein that helps meet the special growth needs of the infant. 
3. Infants who are born prematurely need supplements to help them grow and develop, supplements contain extra protein, calories, iron. calcium and vitamins the babies are in need of. 

The Research source (s) to support your details and answers

Research Article: "Nutritional Requirements and parental nutrition in preterm infants"

"Neonatal weight gain and nutrition: Nutritional needs of a preterm infant"

Concluding Sentence 

It is important to understand the nutritional needs of a premature infant because of the critical conditions they face. 

New Admit Charts

There were 2 new admissions today and I got to put one of the patients charts together I first stickered the papers that needed to be labeled and then organized them under the tabs they are assigned to. These charts are made to help a nurse and doctor keep all of the patients records are organized and so thats its easily assessable we needed.

Red papers mean they need to be flexed to the other unit because the nurses on this unit might need more assistance 
with those patients.

A Red tab means that there is a new doctors order. 

When the tab is on green it means that orders have been processed but still have to be confirmed and signed off by the patients nurse.

Acuity is known as it's like a higher level of care means that the patient is in need of more Nursing involvement.

Acuity which known as a patient who is need of a higher level of care meaning that the patient is in need of more Nursing involvement but at casa colina is is referred to as a patient to be "heavy" meaning they are in need of a lot of assistance.

Blog 17: Fourth Interview

Title: Fourth Interview Questions 
Label: Interviews 
Due Date: Tuesday March 4, 2014 

Content:

1. What causes a premature birth?
2. What kind of care do premature babies exceed? 
3. What is the outlook for premiees who are born before 28 weeks?
4. What challenges have you encountered when birthing a premature baby?
5. What do you find most difficult when informing parents about there premature babies conditions?
6. How can a parent best be informed about their premature baby?
7. What information do you think is hardest for a parent to retain? Why? 
8. What do you find most difficult when informing parents about there premature babies conditions?
9. How do you try to best help a parent in making decision for their baby?
10. Why is it important to make sure parents have good communication with the doctor and nurse?
11. How does communication help meet a parents emotional needs? 
12. How can a parent provide comfort and developmental care for a premature baby in the NICU?
13. How can you make a patient best feel comfortable at the hospital? 
14. How can you determine if a patient is satisfied with their experience at the NICU?
15. Why is it important for a premature baby to get its appropriate nutrition? 
16. What special nutritional needs must a premature baby have?
17. What side effects could a premature babies treatments have? 
18. Being a neonatal nurse, why is it important to take in account a parents concerns? 
19. Do you think organization is a big factor in being a neonatal nurse? Why?
20. What do you think is the best way to ensure a premature baby grows healthy?

Blog 16: Advisory Meeting #2

Title:  Advisory Meeting #2

Label: Presentation

Due Date:  Thursday 2/27 by 8AM

Content:

What is the best way to ensure a premature baby grows healthy? 

Answer #2
To provide good communication between patients and the NICU staff to help influence the decisions parents make for their babies. 

3 details to support the answer

1. When parents feel dissatisfied in the lack of communication with the NICU staff, their stress and existing anxiety increases, finding it more difficult in establishing a close relationship with their baby. 
2. Trust and sense of being known and affirmed helps reduce a parents worries. Communication with the parents should be responsive, open and reflective. 
3. The communication helps meet the emotional needs of a parent, and proves how supportive the NICU is and can be. 

The research source (s) to support your details and answer

Research article: "Strengths and weaknesses of a parent-staff communication in the NICU"

Article from the journal of Perinatology: "Communicating with parents in the NICU" 

Concluding Sentence
Satisfactory communication with the parents and NICU staff is the best way in ensuring a healthy premature baby.

Born at 19 weeks

Today at Casa Colina I came across a nurse, I helped her do paperwork in the nursing station and she had asked me a couple questions one of them which was "why did you volunteer here? do you wish to pursue this profession?" I told her that I wanted to become a neonatal nurse and she told me that was wonderful that she's thankful for NICU and its nurses. Karina Moreno the nurse told me that she gave birth to premature baby Brandon Alexander Moreno at just 19 weeks into her pregnancy on November  29th. Karina told me that brandon was held in an incubator at the NICU and that he had to have 4 eye surgeries due to excessive scar tissue. Brandon Alexander Moreno had to be hospitalized for about 5 and a half months before he was discharged. Karina seemed very satisfied with her babys stay at the NICU.

'

Premature baby at 19 weeks 

baby at 36 weeks 

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval

Title: Independent Component 2 Approval
Label: Independent Component 
Due Date: Thursday, 2/13 by 8AM

Content:
1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours. 

• For my 30 Hours I plan on continuing my mentorship hours at Casa Colina in La Verne. At Casa colina I will do rounds of the east and west side of the hospital meaning going through each and every patients rooms. I will help provide patients with any necessities they might desire. Along with being an extra help for the nurses at Casa Colina by helping them put together the patients chart. In which has forms that the nurses use daily to record patients pains or medications they might be on. 

2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

• To show evidence of the 30 hours I will be completing, I will be posting pictures of what  the work I am assigned to do along with logging in my hours daily on my mentorship log.

3. And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

• Working with the nurses will help me comprehend the aspects of working with patients who are in need of objects and aren't capable of obtaining the objects themselves. 

Blog 14: Independent Component 1

Title: Independent Component 1 
Label: Independent Component 
Due Date: Friday 2/7 by 8AM 

LITERAL 
(a)“I, Michelle Ortega, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.”
(b) Ishan Mesa, nurse at Casa Colina
(c) Linked on the sidebar under "mentorship log"  
(d) To complete my 30 hours from my independent component 1, I attended Casa Colina twice a week for about 4 hours a day. Everyday is different sometimes I'm put to do rounds meaning I have to check in with patients and see if I can help them with anything they need. Sometimes I do paper work and put incoming admins charts together. When I do rounds I get to interact with patients but sometimes its difficult because it isn't as easy to communicate with them due to some patients having hearing problems or not being capable of speaking. 

INTERPRETIVE 

Made Patient and Education folders for incoming admits 

Added Extension number stickers to the patients tv so that it was easier for the patient to see and access

APPLIED

• This component helped me understand the foundation of being a nurse because it showed me how important it is to know how to communicate and interact with patients. Volunteering at the Hospital has helped me get a feel of what it would be like to have to work with patients and has taught me to be aware of how important it is have patience towards the patients. And I have realized that when working with patients and premature babies patience is key. 

Blog 13: Lesson 2 Reflection

Title: Lesson 2 Reflection

Label: Presentation
Due Date: The day after your lesson presentation by 8:00 A.M.

Content:

1. Positive Statement
What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

I am most proud of the information and the program I spoke about because I felt like it helped my classmates get a feel on what its like to care for a premature baby.

2. Questions to Consider
       a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

       AE       P         ( AP)      CR       NC

       b.     Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.
I think I deserve an AP because I didn't meet time but I believe I had good information and followed all the other requirements.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?
In my lesson 2 presentation what worked for me was talking about the COPE program. 

4.  (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

If I could back I would've extended my speaking time 2 more minutes and had a timer with me so that I know where I was at in time.

5. Finding Value
What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?  

I think my answer would be something to do with treating premature baby disorders and diseases they encounter. 

Alphabetizing patient paperWERRRK

The last 2 days I've gone to volunteer at Casa Colina Ive had the worst luck in showing up those days because Infection control department is in need of a lot a help. Its ok I don't mind doing paperwork but I rather help patients out.

I was given a huge stack of incoming employee paperwork and had to do reorganize everything and put it in alphabetical order. 

I made a total of roughly 100 copies. I didn't know that some copy machines were capable of stapling as well! It made life 10x easier. 

Blog 12: Third Interview questions

Title: Third Interview Questions
Label: Interviews 
Due Date: Thursday January 16th by 8AM

Content:

1. What is the best way to ensure a premature baby grows healthy?
2. What kind of nutrition does a premature baby need? 
3. Why is it important to avoid alcohol and drugs during pregnancy? How does it affect the infant? 
4. What information is most important that a parent should know when feeding the infant?  
5. What health problems do premature babies encounter? How can it be best treated? 
6. How will a premature infant grow and develop normally?
7. If parents have any questions on raising a premature baby other then asking the nurses is there any program that can help them be informed?
8. Why is it important to make sure that the parents are informed on treating the baby right? What are possible risks if they don't?
9. What follow up care does a premature infant require? 
10. Will the infant have long term health problems due to being born premature?

Blog 11: Mentorship 10 Hours

Title: Mentorship 10 hours check 

Label: Mentorship
Due Date: Friday January 10, 2014 by 8AM.

Content:
1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?

     -At Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation in La Verne 

2.   Who is your contact?

     -Ishna S. Mesa 

3.   How many total hours have you done (total hours should be reflected in your mentorship log located on the right hand side of your blog like your WB)?   

     -Total of 22 Hours

4.   Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.

     - The 3 days I've volunteered at Casa Colina I walk through the east and west side of the hospitals and go into rooms and ask patients if they are ok or in need of anything. I call nurses and help them if they need any extra help. I also do paperwork, I put together admission packets for incoming patients, I go trough each paper and label them with the patients adressograph (sticker w patient info). 

Blog 10: The Holiday

Title: Senior Project, The Holiday
Label: Research
Due Date: January 7, 2014 by 8AM

Content:
1.  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?

• Of course, it is important to work on our senior project at all times. Over my break I finally got through with all my shots and started volunteering at Casa Colina. Today I was at the rehab center for about 5 hours and I got to interact with patients. I went through the rooms and asked patients if they were in need of anything. I also put 5 incoming admits charts together and labeled each of them with the patients name. 

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

• From volunteering, the most important thing I learned from it was to always greet patients with a smile and to always keep in mind that these patients aren't as a capable as we are so to always be patient towards them and provide them with anything they need in regards to their conditions. (By in regards to their conditions I mean if a patient would like water or any sort of nourishment I have to check in with his or her nurse because the patient might hold swallowing precautions.)

3.  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? 

• Regarding a 10 question interview related to my EQ, I would talk to a Neonatal Nurse because the answers she and or he could provide me will be more accurate as oppose to answer that can be found on the internet.