Blog 14: Interview 3 Preparation

For this interview, you will prepare 10 open-ended questions that focus on your newly approved EQ (in fact, your first question can be your EQ).  Remember, all interviews must be done in person unless they are specifically approved by your house teacher.  Additionally, one person may be interviewed a maximum of two times.

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?

• For my third interview I plan on interviewing a Geriatric Doctor. I have been looking for doctors around my area I just need to call them to ask. If I don't get to interview a geriatrician I would try a nurse at a nursing home. 

2.  Verify that you have called your interviewee to schedule an interview.  What is the date and time of the interview? 

• I can't verify that I have called anyone because I haven't, I'm still trying to find someone who will let me interview them.

3.  Phrase an open-ended question that will help you find research resources that would help to answer the EQ.

• Well if I wanted to look for a research for my EQ I would first ask them my EQ, and then I would ask them if they have any resources that would help me. However, my EQ really isn't a resources questions its more of talking to people who work or have a sort of connection to senior citizens.

4.  Phrase an open-ended question that will help you think about other useful activities you might do to help you answer the EQ (IC2, possible experts to talk to, etc).

• "Who else can I talk too that will help me answer my EQ?"

5.  Phrase two open-ended questions that help you to understand your interviewee's perspective on an aspect of your EQ.

• "Based on your experience with older adults, what are things that you think could help an elder?"
• "What are recommendations that you give your patients that isn't medications?"
   

Blog 13: 10 Hour Mentorship Check-In

1. Where are you doing your mentorship?

• I do my mentorship at James L. Brulte Senior Center in the city of Rancho Cucamonga.

2.   Who is your contact?  What makes this person an expert?

• My contact is my mentor Laurie Portillo. Laurie is in charge of the volunteers and also helps with events that the center has. She spends a lot of time with different senior citizens. And my favorite thing about her is that she loves her job, every time I see her, she always has a smile on her face. This shows me that she actually cares for the senior citizens and wants them to be happy at the center.

3.   How many  hours have you done during the school year? (Summer Mentorship Hours and Mentorship Hours should be reflected separately in your Senior Project Hours log located on the right hand side of your blog).

• So far, from what I have recorded I have 10.5 hours that I did during school and 20.16 hour that I did during summer, so in total I have 30.5 hours, 30 more to go!

4.   Succinctly summarize what you did, how well you and your mentor worked together, and how you plan to complete the remaining hours.

• What I do at the center is help in the gym, here I check that the seniors who come in have a card that tells me if they can be use the gym and the equipment. While doing this I get to talk to the seniors who come in and I notice the different kinds of seniors.
•  My mentor and I get along well, I can ask her anything with no problem. She's been very helpful with my senior project. 
• I plan on completing the rest of my hours by going to the center every Friday for three hours. This semester, the only time I went was when I didn't have school (expect the days I did this week), so I only did what I was required. I think if I try to go every Friday I will be able to complete more than 60 hours, which is what I want to do. 

Blog 12: Holiday Project Update

1.It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you do over the break with your senior project?

• During the break I worked on research notebook and a bit on independent component. While researching I start to think about what I will be doing for independent component #2 and who I will be interviewing for interview #3. I wanted to go to my mentorship, however the center was closed during the break.

2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why?  What was the source of what you learned?

• The most important thing I learned during the break was that there are not many geriatricians, doctors who care for the elderly, they are only a few. I learned this from an article I was reading called "The Way We Age Now" written by Atul Gawande. At first I found it hard to believe, so, I looked up online how many geriatricians there were in my city, and according to vitals.com , there are only 59 geriatricians in my city compared to 526 pediatricians. 

3.  Your third interview will be a 10 question interview related to possible answers for your EQ. Who do you plan to talk to and why?

• After I learned that there aren't many geriatricians I want to try and interview one. If that is not possible I want to interview a senior who goes to the senior center to ask them about the impact the center has had on their lives.