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- 1. Brittany Beach Project YES! Staff Intern Reflection Essay: Mentor Project When I started this project, I knew what I wanted to do. I have been certain about being a doctor for most of my life. I became even more certain when I babysat child with a Congenital Heart Defect. The first time I ever babysat him, it was scary experience. But, I knew that kids like him were worth the schooling and money. From this moment on, I wanted to be a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon. I wanted to shadow a doctor at a hospital for my project, but I knew that would be hard to do with a doctor¨s schedule. I contacted hospitals in my university¨s area and was lucky to have found a nurse that would allow me to shadow her on the pediatric in patient floor. Then, a couple of days before I started my project, I emailed her to make sure thing were okay to continue for paperwork and etc. She informed me that she could no longer allow me to shadow her. I was upset and worried this project would not ever get picked up. I decided to try to volunteer at the hospital and to trust God would help me figure the rest out. The project was a mess and I was seriously worried. I was volunteering at the hospital and I was in my third year of college at a brand- new university 1,500 miles away from home. I got involved in an organization for PreMed students called Alpha Epsilon Delta or AED. I had a great semester with them and stopped the search for a mentor. I was volunteering just about every week with Habitat for Humanity or a 5K run for the various hospitals around the university. But, one day in November I realized that I needed a mentor to help me fill out the paperwork so I called my mom and told her what was going on. I told my mom, how I wish I had someone like Mrs. Kari, our next-door neighbor and my
- 2. Brittany Beach Project YES! Staff Intern Reflection Essay: Mentor Project mom¨s friend. My mom said, why not ask her? Turns out, it was the best thing I ever did. I had the easiest time with my project after finding Kari as my mentor. The project did not go how I wanted it to go in the beginning, but it was definitely a project that I learned a lot from. My first semester, I shadowed a state renowned facial plastic surgeon in surgery at his practice in Orange Beach, AL. I loved every moment of this shadowing experience. I saw Dr. McCollough interact with patients in their post surgery visits. He showed a group of us, his plastic surgery clinic. It was also at this time, we later watched a surgery he was performing, where we asked questions and met his other physicians. It was my first-time shadowing and was all made possible by my participation in AED. In conjunction with AED, I was also volunteering my time at the Children & Women¨s Hospital, working the Treehouse. The Treehouse is a place for younger kids comes to play games, play with toys, and let out some of the energy. I will occasional see parents come and get movies for their child as we house an extensive movie area from A-Z. The hospital I volunteer at, doesn¨t only have a Treehouse, they have a Class Act. ClassAct is for older kids in school or kids who like to do art projects. They are the creative people; I have worked in ClassAct a couple of times. It is a busy room. Through my first semester, I was seriously depressed but the only thing that kept me going were my monthly trips to a yellow ribbon event. I had friends and a family that were so supporting. I didn¨t do to well on my grades, but this second semester, has been very redeeming. I momentarily changed my major to Leisure
- 3. Brittany Beach Project YES! Staff Intern Reflection Essay: Mentor Project Studies with a concentration in Therapeutic Recreation; because of my first semester¨s final grades and because of the volunteering work I was doing at the hospital with my Child Life Specialists. I didn¨t want to change my major in the beginning, but maybe I was meant to do something else. So, I gathered information from my mentor and we looked. I met with a career counselor and I knew that I really wanted to go back to PreMed after I did, so I did. I got a car and have been able to do even more shadowing lately. I was able to shadow a pediatric cardiologist. A field I considered entering. The experience was so incredible that I knew this doctor life was for me. I was allowed to meet the doctor¨s resident who allowed me to listen to a child¨s heart. I got to hear the difference between an infant and a teenager heartbeat. I got to hear a murmur in a child¨s heart, as well as, learn to read an echo of a child¨s heart. As far as school goes, second semester has been tough, but the grades are better. I definitely struggled that first semester and if I could do this project differently, I would but I definitely would not change the amazing people I did it with. I want to thank my mentor, Kari Laudenslager, the incredible Project YES! Interns who gave me advice, and lastly, the kids I met during my time at the hospital. I am so happy to be a Project YES! Staff Intern. I may not be returning to YES, but these moments and experiences will always be with me.