Blog 25: Service Learning

LIA Response to blog:

    Literal

·       Log of specific hours with a total and a description of your duties

The log is located on the right hand side of the blog. I worked 110 hours this year.   I mainly worked in two different areas, the ER and the front entrance area. 

·       Contact Name & Number

(626) 579-7777  Mary K. in the volunteer office

    Interpretive

    What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

I experienced the hospital environment and connected with different people in different jobs at the hospital.   I realized after the 110 hours and some interviews in local oncology groups in the area, I prefer the smaller oncology groups versus the daily feel of the hospital.  

   Applied

  How did what you did help you answer your EQ?  Please explain.

Except for getting contacts to talk to, El Monte Hospital sent patients with cancer to other hospitals or offices, so I really didn't get much direct experience in helping me answer my EQ.   I did get contacts with radiologist and an oncology group located in West Covina.  I did learn much about the hospital environment which prepares me for a future career in the medical field.  

Blog 24: Independent Component 2

Literal

(a) Statement saying: “I, Jacquelyn Huynh Vu, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.” 

(b) Explanation of what you completed.

Similar to my first independent component, I am taking a math class at Cal Poly and I have completed an additional 30 hours (total of 110 hours) of volunteering at El Monte Hospital.  

Interpretive

Defend your work and explain how the significant parts of your component and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.

1.  Math class:  I am taking Pre-Calculus on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2:15-3:20 at Cal Poly.  

2.  El Monte Hospital:  Click here for my log of hours.  I volunteer usually two days a week for 3-5 hours at a time.  As a volunteer, I mainly help out with working in the front entrance and delivering things like flowers or working in the emergency room and helping with paperwork. And I have shadowed different people like their radiology therapist. 

Applied

How did it help you answer your EQ?  Be specific and use examples.

1.  The math class is helpful because it prepares me for Calculus.  For me to get into medical school or do something significant with patients with skin cancer, I need to take a certain level of math courses. 

2.  I am not working with anybody that specifically works with patients with skin cancer at El Monte Hospital.   But I am working in the hospital environment to give me a feel for what the field is like. For example, in working in the emergency room, I see the stress related to patients and workers when  there are serious issues going on there.  

Blog 23: Junior Interview

Interview: Stephany Huynh

Date: April 18, 2012

(1) What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?

For my senior project, I was debating between two topics: Autism teaching or computer engineering.  I ended up choosing autism because I am actually considering this as a career.

Feedback: I suggested to her that she do something that interests her but also something that helps her pick a major in college. 

(2) What do you plan to do to complete the 10 hours of service learning (working with an expert) which is due prior to senior year starting?  Note: They also have to complete the 50 hours during the school year.

So, I’ve gone to a meeting with the vice principal at East San Gabriel PAU.  I plan on starting before the school year ends.   However, when I went to the meeting Mr. Hollings (vice-principal) told me he will email a teacher and he will give me a call. 

Feedback: I suggested to her to not be reserved, participate as much as possible and ask questions. 

(3) What do you hope to see or expect to see when watching the class of 2012 present their two hour presentations?

I hope that I see different ways to manage time when presenting so that I can learn them.   I also want to learn about different careers in case something else spikes my interest for my senior project.

Feedback: I suggested she participate in and ask questions about all the projects she sees to get a feel for what they are doing.

(4) What questions do they have about senior project?  What additional recommendations would you give the 2013 student about senior project?  Be specific and note what you told them.

Should I join a club or ASB?  Do colleges look at this?

What additional recommendations did you give them?

Feedback 1: Be sure to stand out in the bigger components (2-hour, service learning, independent components, science, i-search, 3-column, 4^th interview)

Feedback 2: Stay current on research and use research checks effectively

Feedback 3:  I suggested to my sister to join ASB or start my own club.   I also told her to get involved with as many activities as possible senior year.  

Research Check 15

53. AV Chemotherapy Cancer Treatments and Side Effects

Expert: Dr. David Cathcart

• Color of the skin can reflect the side effect
• It can include deep sores, color changes, red flushed skin
• Dr. Cathcart is an occupational medicine physician at the Heartland Regional in Missouri

53. AV Dr. Mejia discusses skin cancer treatments

• Mohs is a surgerical procredure that helps you remove all the cancer cells and do less damage to the skin around it
• Mohs is also a same day procedure
• Dr. Mejia is also trained in plastic surgery techniques
• Discussing other options other than surgery, such as radiation therapy or a combination of treatments
• Radiation therapy (hospital), Scrape it and burn it approach, cutting it out, liquid nitrogen (for pre-cancer)
• Mohs is the balance or the best approach
• It is named after Frederick Mohs.  It is the removal of the skin cancer, examining the margins to make sure all the cancer is out. 
• .Discusses the 3 types of skin cancer, noting what I already know which is melanoma is the most dangerous one

53.  AV Dr. Meija does a follow up with a patient

• Dr. Meija removed the basal skin cancer. It was basal. It was on his head and 3-4 inches wide. 
• Dr. Meija had to do a plastic surgery after removing the skin cancer, but he was able to repair the scar.
• Skin cancers can do some serious damage to the skin around it also.

53. AV Treating Melanom

• 60,000 new cases every year
• People identified early can be helped
• There are 4 stages of melanoma
• Stage 1 and 2 is it hasn’t spread yet
• Stage 3 is when it has spread to the tumor
• Stage 4 is when it has spread past the tumor to your brain or other significant parts
• Excision is always the first step, but Stage 3 and 4 is to follow up with additional therapies.  Immunotherapy or radiation therapy is used as follow up after excision.  Radiation therapy is only used for Stage 4 or people who can’t be helped by surgery.  Chemotherapy is also used after excision if follow up is needed. 

53. AV Photodynamic Therapy

• No needles, just cream for this treatment
• The cream creates a toxin to kill the skin cancer cells
• The device has a UVC light that activates the cream and converts the chemical in the cream into a toxin in about 3 hours
• It kills the cancer cell and does not damage the skin around it
• They are working on making the Photodynamic machine smaller so patients can take home the treatment

54. AV  Skin Cancer Surgery

• Cancer is located on his chest

• Inject a needle of something around the skin cancer, probably to numb the pain
• Cutting around the cancer, where the surgeon was injecting the pain killer
• Then cutting out the skin cancer cell
• An assistant immediately puts a cloth on the area to stop the bleeding
• The surgeon then continues to cut to make sure they got all the cancer cell out
• It looks like the final step is to stitch up the wounded area

Blog 22: Answer 3

What is the best way to treat skin cancer?

Answer 3: Chemotherapy where the cancer cells are attacked by a drug that is either taken internally or applied on the skin.

Evidence:

• The drugs being used are specifically monitored and prepared to kill the cancerous cells in a patient.
• A drug called fluorouracil (5-FU) is used to treat basal cell and squamous cell cancers that are located only on the top layer of the skin.
• A drug called imiquimod is used to treat basal cell cancer that is located only in the top layer of skin.
• Two types of chemotherapy: Injection through the vein or topical cream (also a tablet).
• Only a few drugs (damouth regime) are for stage IV melanoma, usually chemo is for nonmelanoma.

Sources:

• Cancer of the Skin
• Julie Arroyo
• Daniel Rigel

Research Check 14

51. Berman, Russell. Skin Cancer: Surgical Management of Melanoma. NY Cancer Institute, 4 Aug. 2011. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j50ULW7vXa0>.

L: Three levels of treatment:

o   Local

o   Regional

o   Distant or systemic metastases

Get your pathology report

·      determines the surgical intervention

·      the stage of the tumors

·      deep, thickness

·      thickness of the melanoma is crucial to how it is treated

·      presence of ulceration (skin breaks down, such as bleeding)

·      mitotic rate tells you what to do also

I:  The pathology report is significant to understand so the oncologist team knows what is best for you.

Local (wide excision)

·      to remove the tumor cells, because melanoma does not go in a straight line

·      to reduce the cosmetic damage and muscle damage

·      Randomized trial done:  less than 1m thick, we take a 1 cm excision, 1-2 mm, we take a 1-2 cm, 2-4 mm, we take a 2 cm margin excision compared to 1906, they took the 2 in excision

·      Examples of how excision is closed

I:  Russell Berman shows significant gain over the last 100 years in the wide excision.  I am surprised how exact they can be to get the tumor. 

Regional (Lymph Node)

·      Surgery or removal hasn’t meant you will live longer, so much question regarding this process

·      If the node is negative, then the surgeon is done, if it is positive, then it is standard to look at again to see if it spread

·      The thicker the melanoma the more concerning it is

·      Offered to anybody with melanoma of 1mm or larger, but meant for larger mm

I:  Difficult to comprehend.  The thicker the melanoma, more likely it is called regional.   It seems like we have less success with this melanoma using surgery, almost sounded like hit and miss if we stop the spreading effectively the first time.

Systemic

·      Spreading to the brain, lungs, etc

·      Typically don’t think of surgery, but can go after each part using surgery

I: Didn’t speak much on it, because another speaker at the conference was going to speak on it. 

Multidisciplinary Treatment and follow up

·      Surgeons, Dermatologist, Medical Oncologist, Radiology Oncologist

I:  It is important to see there are many different roles in helping a patient.   This list does not include the assistants such as the radiologist. 

 52. US News. U.S.News & World Report, 21 July 2009. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. <http://health.usnews.com/health-conditions/cancer/skin-cancer/treatment>.

All skin cancers are treatable.  Surgery is the first option usually.

Sometimes the biopsy (the scraping of it to test it) removes it, “doctors use surgery, radiation therapy, topical chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy (treatment with drugs that become active when exposed to light), or a combination of methods to treat basal and squamous cell skin cancers.”

I:  There is no one thing a team can do.  It is whatever works.  Surgery is the first option usually though.

Moh’s surgery:  thin layer is removed

Cryosurgery:  freezes it

Laser surgery:  destroy the skin cancer

Electrodesiccation: scraping and burning

I: There are a number of additional treatments depending on the situation. 

Blog 21: Three-Column Chart

Three-Column Chart