Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Blog 23: Senior Project Reflection

1) What I am most proud of in my block presentation is being able to present all of the information I needed and teaching the students what I have learned throughout the year because I wanted to show the students what I felt passionate about and show them that this senior project is about expressing who you are. What I am most proud of in my overall senior project is all the information I found on Veterinary Medicine because I have never done a big amount of research like I did in this project and it felt good being knowledgable of this topic.

2) a. I would give myself a P in my block presentation.
    b. I would give myself an AE in my overall senior project.

3) What worked for me in my senior project is finding all the information I did for each of my answers and on my topic.

4) What I would have done differently to improve my senior project is go to different animal hospitals and ask to volunteer to be able to get more experience from not only one animal hospital. Something else I would have done differently is work on my final presentation a lot earlier than I did because I left everything to the last minute.

5) The senior project has showed me how to find extensive research on a topic and has taught me how to present for a long period of time without getting nervous. I feel grateful that I do not get as nervous as I did before doing my presentation. It has also helped me realize that I do not want to become a Veterinarian when I am older. It has helped me choose my career path and learn about something that I have dreamed of doing ever since I was a little girl.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Blog 22: Mentorship

Literal

  • Log of hours on the right hand side of my blog
  • Dr. Leonard Sigdestad, (909)825-3144, Loma Linda Animal Hospital

Interpretive
The most important thing I have gained from this experience is learning about Veterinary Medicine and what veterinarians do on a daily basis. It was important because all the information I learned I could use for my senior project and present it to the class. It was also very interesting learning about it through hands on situations. I also met knew people while I went to my mentorship. Volunteering at the Loma Linda Animal Hospital has also helped me decide that I do not want to become a veterinarian when I am older due to the suffering animals go through. Animals have a special place in my heart that I wouldn't bear being a veterinarian.

Applied
All of what I learned and all that I have experienced has helped me come up with my essential question and my 3 answers. I see a situation that relates to all of my 3 answers every time I go to my mentorship. At the beginning of the year I wanted to focus my essential question on surgical procedures because of preference. When I first started volunteering at my mentorship, I noticed that the hospital is known for performing surgical procedures. I got really interested in that topic and based my whole senior project on it. As I continued the school year and I got to the point of coming up with my 3 answers, I didn't know where to look, but I later realized that my best source of information is my mentorship. There I found my 3 answers that I felt really confident about it. My mentorship has helped me a lot in my senior project.

Monday, May 4, 2015

Exit Interview

1) Essential Question: How can a veterinarian best provide comfort to a pet during a serious procedure?
    Answer 1: The best way a veterinarian can provide comfort to a pet during a serious procedure is by making the environment of the hospital comfortable to be in.
    Answer 2: The best way a veterinarian can provide comfort to a pet during a serious procedure is by proper animal restraint and technique.
    Answer 3: The best way a veterinarian can provide comfort to a pet during a serious procedure is through their attitude at the animal hospital.

My best answer is my 3rd answer because no matter the environment of the animal hospital or the restraint techniques, the attitude of a veterinarian will always be a big factor to how an animal will act towards the vet and their staff. I have seen many times at my mentorship when my mentor is stressed and angered, the animals tend to act wilder and more likely to snap, but when he is in a very good mood, the animals tend to act more comfortable and not as stressed. Animals can detect a person's emotions through their tones in their voice and their body language. That is why the attitude of a veterinarian is important to how an animal will act.


2) It took me a while to figure out that my answer 3 was my best answer. At first I believed my 2nd answer, which is animal restraint and technique, was my best answer due to the amount of research I had on that topic, but I later realized that it didn't matter how a veterinarian or his staff held an animal, the way they act will always affect the animal. I see this at home and also at my mentorship. My dogs at home tend to act more skittish when I am angered and more comforting when I am sad. They feel the emotions that go through me. Same goes for the animals at my mentorship. Whenever my mentor, Dr. Sigdestad, is angered, the animals act the same way and don't allow us to work on them. When he is in a calm mood, they allow us to work on them. That is why I believe the attitude of a veterinarian really affects an animal when treating them and the vet staff want to provide treatment for the animal without unnecessary force.


3) I was having trouble figuring out my 3 answers to my essential question because I didn't feel quite confident in finding enough research for it, but I talked to the Senior teachers to explain what my ideas were and they helped me build 3 answers that I felt good about presenting on. I enjoyed researching the 3 topics and it helped me learn me more about Veterinary Medicine. Another problem I encountered was not being able to show my mentor my senior blog throughout the year, but I thought about what he had to do because he works long hours every day with a small amount of free time. What I decided to do is just go to my mentorship and learn from him there. Besides these 2 problems, I feel really good about my senior project and I am excited to present to the class what I learned.


4) The two most significant sources I have used to answer my essential question are a book called "Tell Me Where It Hurts: A Day of Humor, Healing, and Hope in My Life as an Animal Surgeon" by Dr. Nick Trout and an article called "How Dogs Sense Emotions" posted on a website called Dog Health. The book by Dr. Nick Trout has given me a great point of view from a veterinarian and what they do on a daily basis. It has helped me not only learn about what a vet does, but also how all of my 3 answers play a role in a veterinarian's animal hospital. The author talks about every answer in his book, helping me understand my essential question more. The article has helped me a lot on learning about my 3rd answer. It basically describes how a dog can sense a person's emotions. It demonstrates and explains why a dog reacts according to a person, in this case a veterinarian. It also helped me to be able to give a better explanation of my 3rd answer. These 2 sources have helped me write my I-Search paper and gave me information I could use for my presentation. 

Sunday, May 3, 2015

May Post: Treating a Horse

When I went to my mentorship yesterday, my mentor, Dr. Sigdestad, was treating a horse for an infection in her stomach. The problem that was occurring was that the horse wasn't able to go to the restroom and she was lying down, which means to a horse that it is going to die. She is 25 years old. My mentor gave her IV fluids to help with the dehydration, gave her pain medication and passed oil into her stomach with a tube to help her to pass what she has in her stomach. It felt amazing being able to help treat a horse for the first time, but saddening that she is in pain due to this sickness. I wish to help more animals like this horse and learn how to treat more exotic animals.