1. While writing your paper, what did you learn about the research process?

While I was writing my paper I learned about how to conduct research on NC Wise Owl.
This was a difficult challenge because all of the elevated language in the sources and
the length of the research I found. I had to also learn how to determine whether a 15
page source had the information I needed to sufficiently collect enough information to
cover what I needed to in my paper.

2. How was the research related to your mentor hours?

I did a lot of research on technology and how it has changed the field of nursing. When I
was mentoring I was able to see how that technology was incorporated into their
everyday lives. For example, each nurse and doctor has an ipad and computer that are
all connected. Paige (nurse) can read all about the information about the patient before
she goes in and talks with them. Then when she goes into the patient she can take
notes on her condition and complaints. Those notes go directly to the doctors database
so she can read them over before and during her patient’s check up.

3. Summarize the mentor hours that you completed.

I arrived at Lakeshore Women’s Specialist in the morning dressed in my scrubs. I when

they opened and I was given a tour of the office. After I set my things down I sat in a
chair at the counter and Paige showed me our schedule for the day. She saw a steady
flow of patients with 30 minutes between each appointment.

The majority of our patients came in for a pap smear. We would lead them back into their
room and give them a gown. Then after we did that we proceeded to go outside and
Paige would debrief me on if the patient had any history. For example, our first patients
was on a new brand of birth control. Paige told me we would ask how that was going
and how she felt on it. We went into the room and the patient told Paige she was feeling
good and liked her new birth control. Then Dr. Mashburn came in and proceeded with
the checkup.

After the patient left Paige and I stripped the bed and wiped it down with Clorox wipes.
Then we recovered the bed with paper. We went into the small side room where the sink
and microscope were and she showed me how the tools were cleaned. After scrubbing
them with a scrub brush they are placed in a special machine that looks like a
dishwasher that emits rays that “zap” the tool clean and ensure all bacteria are killed.

A few of her other patients came to talk about they kind of birth control they were on or
wanted to go on. Specifically, an IUD was just inserted in one patients and Paige asked
her questions about how she was feeling on a daily basis, if she felt uncomfortable, or
unusual. The patient reported back nothing negative and said she had no complaints.

After their last patient Dr. Mashburn asked Paige if she would do her botox. We walked
into the cosmetics room and Dr. Mashburn proceeded to draw dots in white pencil on her
face where paige would insert the botox. Dr. Mashburn allowed me to take pictures and
explained how as women age they developed crows feet and other wrinkles in their face.
This can result in a mad looking resting face, which studies have shown directly
 correlates to how the patient is feeling. So, by getting botox and removing these
wrinkles, the patient will feel better not only because they look better, but because of
there new resting face.

4. How did working with your mentor affect your understanding of the topic area and
/or the professional world?
I understand the different types of nurses and how crucial their role is in patient care.

a. If you mentor was not directly related to your topic, what did you learn
about the profession that can be translated to any future professional
setting?
I wrote about nurses in hospitals not in small practices so Paige was not the
exact type of nurse I did my research on. I learned about how many different
types of nurses there are and how they change their roles to fit the area they
work in.

b. If your mentor contributed to the development of the product, how were

they involved?
My mentor gave me a lot of pamphlets I could gather information from.

5. How did creating a product and completing the hours challenge you personally?
I would not consider myself “artsy” in any way. So this product challenged me greatly
because it was completely art based. I had to first create storyboards of each PSA. This
was difficult because I had to draw each and make many different drafts.

6. Do you feel prepared academically and emotionally for the presentation?

a. If not, why? What challenges do you still face to feel prepared?
I do feel prepared. Having to film myself and rewatch it helped pick up on bad habits I did
like if i had to many “ums” or if I looked down too much. It also helped me realise what
order I wanted to cover my information and research from my paper to make it best
make sense with my mentor hours and product.

7. How did the entire process “stretch” you as a learner and as an individual?
This entire process stretched me as a learner and individual because my mentor was
extremely quiet and had that typical “small nurse voice” and was not as outgoing. This
did not prevent her from being a good nurse, but when we first met I feared that our
difference in personality would prevent us from connecting. But, after hanging out with
her for the first hour or so, we connected and I just had to adapt and instead of being as
outgoing and loud as I usually am, I toned it down to her level so we could better work
together, which I feel worked well.

8. Other than time management, describe an obstacle you encountered and how you
overcame it.
I had to overcome a few obstacles. The first obstacle was when I arranged to meet with
my mentor, before she could work with me I had to interview with the doctor so she could
make sure I was a good fit for the office. This was stressful because I wanted to be a
perfect fit, but I wasn’t sure what they were looking for. I just had to be myself and hope
for the best, so the stress was an obstacle. The other obstacle I faced was not being
 able to meet my mentor until my mentor hours. This was because she was not in the
office during my interview. So, since I had no idea what she was like, I wasn’t able to
“prepare” how to act with her. The final obstacle was making my product. I was having
trouble with ideas on how to make the PSAs not boring like a slideshow with a voiceover.
So I decided to make my videos more interesting with a sense of suspense.

9. What “life skills” did you acquire and how will they help you in the future?
I acquired many life skills from my menor hours. One patient we worked with complained
to Paige about pains she had already come in for. After sitting for 8 minutes listening to
her complain in anger about how she is still in pain and how all she wanted to do was
see the doctor and not speak to Paige, Paige asked the patient if she was taking her
prescription. The patient responded with no because she claimed their were not working
fast enough. Paige asked how long she had taken them before stopping and the patient
responded with only 2 weeks. Paige had to calmly explain she needed to take them for a
longer period of time for them to work and the patient got angry and asked to speak with
the doctor. I learned from Paige patience and good communication skills and how to
work with difficult and stubborn patients.

10. If you had to go back and do parts of the project again, what would you do
differently?
I would draft my videos earlier because I had to resubmit my forms after realizing that I
had better ideas after I drafted my original ideas. I would also take notes while I
completed my mentor hours because they told me a lot of details about the job and I
now feel like I can’t remember as many of them as I originally thought.

11. Based on the entire Pride Project experience, do you plan to pursue this field as a
career or college area of study? If so, why? If not, why? Please be specific.
I do not plan on pursuing this career because after spending my day with Paige I
realized she did the same thing ever day on a 30 minute rotation. I think some of the
influencers of this was the fact that she worked in a small office and her patients usually
come with a small range of issues. My perception on the field may be different if I
mentored in a hospital with a faster more upbeat atmosphere.