November 10, 2023
Problem Solving:
Throughout my life I have had different ways when it came to solving challenges or problems. I often start trying to solve the problem as soon as it’s brought up. I don’t like to ignore it because I feel more stressed if it’s just there. I sometimes complain when there’s a problem, but I always still go through with it and solve the problem regardless. I identify the problem pretty easily most of the time unless it’s something complicated then I tend to procrastinate, but eventually I'll do it. I always push through till I find a solution unless it’s something way beyond my control and I have nothing I can do about the problem.
One experience that was hard or challenging was figuring out how to get 50 hours of mentoring with working part time and go to school at the same time. I solved this by talking to both my mentor and my boss at work to figure out ways around it and doing my homework beforehand so I had time to mentor and work. Some problem solving strategies I use it getting to the source of the problem and figuring it out from there and finding ways to solve it. Things I have learned from myself as a problem solver is that I want to get things done and out of the way as soon as possible and don’t want it to stress me out.
Whereas, in my mentors line of work one of his challenges he often goes through is staying constantly busy and forgetting about small things here and there. Often times he is stressed out and when I need him for something— I don't want to text him too much to make him more stressed about things for mentoring. One of the strategies I had to solving this problem was to sit down and have a conversation with him about it and reassured me that it’s okay for me to text him if i need anything.
Problems in high school are much different then in the workplace. Problem solving is different in mentoring because you get to learn from your mentors and how they work with challenges and solve them. Taking what I learned from mentoring will help me in the long run, because when I start an actual job that’s relating to my career it will make it feel like I'm in the same environment as what my mentor was during mentoring.
Mentoring Experience:
This week was my first time going into my mentor site and being a mentee under Dr. Thomas Sweeney at Columbus Oncology and Hematology. I learned how not all patients are okay with allowing a mentee or intern to walk into their appointments with the doctor. This is due to patient comfort and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) law. HIPAA is a federal law that requires the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient's consent or knowledge. So this allows me to not interact with a patient in public if I was to see them or discuss a patient’s medical records with family members or another individual. Due to the HIPAA law, any medical facility you walk into, you’re obligated to sign the form before working with them for the protection and privacy.
As my first day mentoring I have learned that it’s okay if a patient says no to having a mentee or intern in the room with the doctor. I personally felt a little hurt when I heard a patient didn’t want me in her appointment with Dr. Sweeney because I just wanted to learn, but I had to realize that these patients are going through a traumatic experience and probably don’t need more people seeing them through this process. So with this mentoring experience I hope to learn if this medical field is the right fit for me.
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