Exploring Post Recaps, 2016–2017
May 22, 2017
Lillian Hamill, Vicki Owen, Nick Holder, and Ryan Holliday, PhD Graduate Students in Clinical Psychology
During the last meeting of the year, Lillian Hamill, Vicki Owen, Nick Holder, and Ryan Holliday gave a presentation on Clinical Psychology. The meeting started with some activities on the importance of perspectives. The students went through different images that were interpreted differently among people according to their life experiences and perspectives. Then the group talked about what the profession is, their clinical work, their research experiences, careers in psychology (clinical, educational, cognitive, forensics, health, engineering, experimental, social, and sports among others), how to get involved in psychology-related activities in high school, and even went through a case study with the participants. The students actively participated in the case study, then concluded the meeting with many career questions.
April 24, 2017
Shirelle Figueroa, M.S. and Callie Hornbuckle, M.S., Genetic Counselors
The first speaker, Shirelle Figueroa, is a genetic counselor in the Advanced Diagnostics laboratory at Children’s Health℠. She gave some basic biology background about genetics and then talked about the different roles of a genetic counselor – gatekeeper, educator, and investigator to name a few. She talked about the role of genetic counselors and how they play a big role in monitoring genetic testing and reviewing tests for individual patients. The next presenter, Callie Hornbuckle, is a pediatric genetic counselor and structured her presentation in the format, “A day in the life of…” She talked about a sample day from her life as a pediatric genetic counselor and gave us different scenarios. She works with a team of other physicians using a multidisciplinary approach to serve the patient from a variety of different angles. Her job is to make sure to help the patient and the family of the patient to understand and cope with the diagnosis. Next, we did an activity on making a family pedigree chart. To end the meeting, we learned about the educational pathway (get a bachelor's degree, take the GRE, gain job shadowing and experience as a counselor, complete a two-year Master's program in Genetic Counseling, and pass the ABGE Board Exams).
March 27, 2017
Rahm Heymann, Clinical Assessment Specialist, Office of Medical Education
During our March 24 meeting, we held officer elections, followed by a presentation on Simulation in Healthcare education by Rahm Heymann, Clinical Assessment Specialist. Mr. Heymann uses high-fidelity simulators and task trainers to enrich medical student learning experience with realistic and fully interactive practice. After the presentation, students were able to interact with a training mannequin, practice intubation on a mannequin, as well as learn about the importance of simulation in health care education. At the end, we found out who got elected into office for each of the four positions (President – Varshini Suresh, Administrative VP – Dharshini Suresh, Programs VP – Shruti Bindingnavile, and Secretary – Brooke Aly). Congrats to the newly elected officers!
February 20, 2017
Franklin Olumba, Kingsley Oladeji3, Vanessa Norris, Jamael Thomas, Juan Reyna, Danielle Collado, Jesse Ortega, Erika Castro, and Akinjide Onifade (UT Southwestern Medical Students)
The February 20 meeting was led by second-year UT Southwestern medical student Frank Olumba along with several of his classmates. After a brief introduction to medical school and its requirements, students were divided into four groups. The groups' objectives were to learn different parts of a mock medical exam. One group focused on the eyes and performed eye tests by using ophthalmoscopes. The second group learned about lung tests and checked for any abnormal signs of breathing. Other groups practiced using stethoscopes to listen to the different sounds of the heart caused by valve closures, while some people tested the various reflexes of the body using a reflex hammer. Students spent about 5 to 10 minutes at each station learning the different parts of the medical exam and asking questions about the specific exam as well as medical school. The meeting was a big success among the participants!
January 23, 2017
Nancy Palacios, RN II; Houston Carr, RN II; Paula Jones, RN II; and Kathrina Siaron, RN II
Nancy Palacios, Houston Carr, Paula Jones, and Kathrina Sairon, all registered nurses at Zale Lipshy University Hospital, shared their experiences on why they chose a nursing career, what it takes to become a nurse, and a day in the life of an ER, Neuroscience ICU, PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit), and acute stroke unit nurse. After the presentations, students rotated among various stations (PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), vital signs, catheters, CPR demo, and fall risk) every 10 – 15 minutes to learn about different procedures and protocols. The nurses enthusiastically shared their experiences, and encouraged kids to follow their dreams and their footsteps to a rewarding career.
