Service Dogs

I found an article online at servicedogs.org titled, "The Interview- Shannon and Noble" by Shannon Martin. The article was about a woman who has a service dog named Noble and how he changed her life. The article explains how one day she went for an interview and when asked the question "How has Noble changed life in the Martin house?", she didn't know how to respond. She goes on to explain how she couldn't put into words all the changes that her service dog brought to her house. Of course all of the changes were good; she says the dog gave her love, motivation, and strength. From helping Shannon with tasks such as handing her something she can't reach or closing the door behind her, to greeting her when she comes home or cuddling with her in bed, Noble helps her complete simple tasks, comforts her, watches over her, and brings her happiness at all hours of the day. Noble has completely changed Shannon's life for the better. I really thought this article was cool because it was written from personal experience. It was sweet how highly she talked about her service dog. He does so much for her and truly makes her life better. I wonder if Shannon has someone who helps continue training Noble or if she helps train him herself? Service dogs greatly benefit not only people with disabilities but also the dog's trainers and the rest of the community.

Shark Tank Reflection

For my formal proposal and Shark Tank presentation, I feel like I used most of the same techniques that I normally do. I wrote the formal proposal in one sitting and then continued to come back to it and make corrections until I felt like it was the best that it could be. For my Shark Tank presentation I only included visuals that represented the main points that were made in my proposal. I started with a little bit of background about the hospital, which I felt wasn't the most exciting introduction, but that is something that I could work on. Secondly, I used pictures of the building and the logos for the organizations that it is involved with. I felt this was probably the best part of my presentation. Lastly, I felt like my conclusion during the presentation was weak and I could have been more persuasive. Overall, I think that my formal proposal was better than my Shark Tank presentation because I included a more persuasive argument in the proposal and I think I may have shortened my presentation too much. I definitely think one of my strengths was providing information about the hospital and reasons why I felt it was worthy of further research in my formal proposal. A weakness of mine was probably going too quickly through my Shark Tank presentation and not making it extremely interesting or elaborating on the points I had to make about my topic. For the next main project I will spend more time working on a more interesting introduction and a stronger conclusion.

Kentucky Children's Hospital #3

I found a short article online at http://kchcancersurvivors.weebly.com/. The article was titled "KCH Pediatric Cancer Survivor Picnic". This article explains how the staff from the Kentucky Children's Hospital, hosts a picnic for patients from KCH that have battled or are battling cancer. While at the Pediatric Cancer Survivor picnic, the kids can participate in games, win prizes, eat some of their favorite foods, and have fun. This day is used as a "break" from all of the treatment that the kids go through on a daily basis and allows them to truly act like kids and celebrate being a cancer survivor. This article makes me wonder if the hospital has any other events like this that are held for the kids? And if they do, what kind of events are held? Do the kids contribute to ideas of what they would like to have at the picnic? Does anyone else help out with the hosting of the picnic besides the staff? If so, who? I really liked this article because I like the idea of letting these kids be kids, even if it is just for a day. I also like that the staff of the KCH hosts it. This really shows how much the staff cares about their patients. I feel like this would be an amazing thing to be a part of, getting to make a kids day just by hosting a picnic for them. This article also kind of relates to some of my other posts about UK Healthcare having  great staff that cares about their patients and that are passionate about their work.

Kentucky Children's Hospital #2

I found an article online at www.kentucky.com. The article is titled "Kentucky Children's Hospital nurse donates kidney to 3-year-old patient" by Bill Estep. This article is about how one nurse at the Kentucky Children's Hospital was so attached to one of her patients that she gave him one of her kidneys. The newborn boy, Ben, had a blockage in his bladder which caused his kidneys not to function properly, resulting in a collapsed lung. Doctors said that he would need a kidney transplant as soon as he was able. Once he weighed 20 pounds, they started looking for a match. They were not able to take a kidney from either parent and after testing many close relatives, the list of possible donors was declining quickly. Beth Warren, Ben's primary nurse in the hospital became very close with the young boy, and cared for him as her own. When the opportunity arose, she got tested and was a perfect match for Ben's kidney. After the surgery, Ben is feeling a hundred times better, and his family couldn't be more grateful for Beth. This article was very touching. I would like to use this example to add on to the argument hat UK Healthcare has outstanding staff that does everything they can for their patients. But I am curious if Beth was close to any other patients? Would any of the other staff had done this if they were in Beth's shoes?

Kentucky Children's Hospital

I found an article on http://kykernel.com/ called "Mascot brings a smile to childrens' faces" by Morgan Eads. This article is related to the Kentucky Children's Hospital's mascot, Stitches. Stitches is a wildcat kitten that became a mascot for the hospital in 2008. The purpose of Stitches was to help cheer up patients at the Children's Hospital. Auditions were held for the role of the mascot and the article tells about the girls who took the position and why they did. The girls talk about how being a mascot takes more work than one would imagine. They say it requires creativity, patience, and quick thinking.  Although the costume can get hot inside and be a bit tiring, they say that in the end, seeing the smiles on the kid's faces is completely worth it. Some questions I have are, could the hospital possibly have another mascot in addition to Stitches? What kind of events do the mascots attend? Do they visit the other UK healthcare facilities? How did the idea of Stitches come about? Personally, I also love working with children. Pediatrics is a field that I am interested in. I don't think I would want to be a mascot, however this article does make me want to do some kind of volunteer work for the hospital. I might use the information specifically about Stitches in a documentary if I were to create one about the Kentucky Children's Hospital. But, I would also like to combine it with more background and history of Stitches and include the same thought I had in a previous post about how the staff for UK Healthcare are very caring and passionate for their patients and their job.

Markey Cancer Center

I found an article on uknow.uky.edu titled, "UK Doctor Competing in Triathlon to Benefit His Cancer Patients", written by Allison Perry.
A triathlon is a three part race in which participants usually compete in running, swimming, and biking. The Louisville Ironman is a triathlon that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 26.2 mile run, and a 112 mile bike ride. The article explains how Dr. Jonathon Feddock, a radiation oncologist, competed in the race to raise money for the brachytherapy program at the Markey Cancer Center. Brachytherapy is a form of radiation that is intended to treat a cancerous tumor without effecting any parts of the body surrounding it. Since this type of treatment is very limited, the Markey Cancer Center must treat patients from all around the state. With a growing number of patients, the program is in need of a more efficient system. Funds would help to combine all areas of the hospital that involve brachytherapy and improve equipment. The renovations would also improve staff efficiency, allow the doctors to see what they predict to be double the amount of patients per day, and improve the patient's experience. These changes are almost essential as Kentucky has some of the highest cancer rates in the nation. For me, this also raises a couple of questions, such as, could these funds benefit any other area of the hospital? If so, which areas? And what would improve? Do any other doctors compete or participate in any other type of fundraisers for the hospital? What could these changes mean for the overall health of Kentucky? This article was very informative and fun, however I probably would not use this source as a topic for a documentary. It did show readers how passionate the staff that work for UK healthcare are, which could be a good point to bring up in a documentary about any of the healthcare buildings on campus. Also, I think it would be a good source to reference when talking about service in the community. This article definitely provokes more research on UK healthcare in general, and more specifically, the Markey Cancer Center.

Student Medical Reserve Corps

    When looking at a list of organizations offered at UK, I came across one that caught my eye. The information about the Student Medical Reserve Corps (SMRC) on getinvolved.uky.edu was very brief, so from there I went to the National organization's website and found more details there. SMRC is basically a group of volunteers that promote health and safety to their local community. The organization was created after 9/11 by the government in an attempt to inform citizens how to prepare for and respond to natural disasters and other unexpected events. Volunteers participate in activities such as emergency shelter, health screenings, first aid, and many, many more. Many volunteers are medically trained or have an interest in the medical field, however some have no medical background at all. This organization is great for anyone with an interest in public health and/or administration. It can provide great training and experience. However, I wondered what cities these organizations are located in and if anyone can volunteer? Why was it created after 9/11 and not earlier? Do these volunteers take the place of other emergency services such as the police or ambulances? This organization is one that interests me and one that I would want to learn more about.

Good Samaritan Hospital

       
     
         
        I found the homepage for UK's Good Samaritan Hospital at         http://www.ukhealthcare.uky.edu/goodsamaritan/.

       This site goes into detail about the services offered at the hospital, information for patients and families, about the hospital, and overall satisfaction with the services provided there. Founded in 1888, the Good Samaritan has a long history of providing great service to it's patients. They also have a good volunteer base. A variety of services are offered ranging from asthma and allergy services to cosmetic surgeries. This state-of-the-art care is not something to be ashamed of. Many links on the building's website allow for easy ways to find out how to become part of such an outstanding team whether it be by volunteer work or employment. As I read more about the hospital, there were many things that I began to wonder, such as, has the hospital made any renovations or additions since it was built? Does it plan on adopting more programs?
           I have great interest in starting a career in the medical field, so I think this would be an interesting space on campus for me to explore. Plus with great facilities and staff, I might find that it is something that I want to be a part of in the future or that I want to be in some hospital, or maybe it will point me in another direction. Ether way, this is something that I want to learn more about.