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.