Blog #10: Self Reflection

1. Currently,  I am receiving a P+ in senior project. I'm at a point where I can either let the dreaded "senioritis" take over, and start doing mediocre work to receive an average mark of a P or lower; or, i can go into 2nd gear and start doing extraordinary work to receive a much higher grade. I have been doing what is asked of me: research checks, interviews, and other tasks for senior projects, all of which have been at an above average standard. 
2. I am very proud of my current accomplishments for senior project. I have well above the required amount of service learning hours, and have all my independent task hours complete as well. However, I am most proud of my above average work on research checks; every piece of research I've noted have been rich and useful pieces of research. Whether it has been video lectures from Yale regarding genetics role on mental health, to scholarly journals from Cal Poly's research databases, I am learning something new every single week..
3. While most of my work has been above average, maybe I can start getting ahead of schedule by doing far above the required research requirements. Right now, we are all kind-of in a limbo due to model assembly, but the next time I pick up a video game controller on my time off, I can due a couple sources of research instead.

Blog #9: Science Proposal.

1. What is your hypothesis?

If patients are administered medications that contain methylphenidate and amphetamine to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), there will be no chromosomal damage in circulating white blood cells in these patients. 

2.  Identify the dependent (produced), independent (manipulated) and control variables in your hypothesis.

Dependant: Chromosomal damage.

Independant: Medications that contain methylphenidate and amphetamine to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Control: Patients

3. What is the connection between your science fair project and your senior project EQ?

My science fair project will address the claim that ADHD medications will lead to chromosomal damage. This relates to my senior project (psychiatry) because ADHD is a very common mental disorder that psychiatrists deal with. 

This science fair project will help me answer my EQ because in order for a psychiatrist to be successful, he or she must be fully aware of the medications they administer to patients. 

4.How will you perform the experiment?  Include the equipment you plan on using.

 I will be using statistics and data from a wide range of resources. These resources will include scientific studies and journals. 


5. Animal Biology and Physiology 

Blog #8: What I've Learned So Far

1) What have you learned how to do since you started working on your senior project?


throughout this senior project, one of the most important things that i have learned to do was to treat my volunteer hours as an actual apprenticeship or "service learning" opportunity, rather than just an opportunity to rack up community service hours. 


Every week when I go to the Kaiser LAMC Emergency room, I make sure to leave with a bit of knowledge that i didn't know before. From watching surgeons perform surgery, to asking nurses questions, I gain a bit of experience and knowledge every Sunday at Kaiser. 


So far, I've learned to a vast quantity of knowledge about medicine and the medical industry. From placing an EKG monitor on patients (i'm allowed to do this), to seeing a catheter inserted into patients, I've learned much first-hand. Also, alot about society through the medical industry; i learned facts such as 50-60%of homeless people in America have schizophrenia. 50% of patients admitted into the ER are due to drug and alcohol related emergencies. A large percentage of patients admitted into the Kaiser LAMC ER are homeless; i look at this large percentage from a humanitarian perspective about society. 


I am the only 17 year old that volunteers at this facility because it is mostly geared towards interns and students entering medical school, but luckily for me I have hookups that got me into this program (my mommy). I am very grateful and i make sure to take full advantage of this opportunity every week.


2) This is the badge that i take with me every week. I have access to any room and elevator because of this bad boy.

3. There wasn't a specific piece of research that changed my attitude towards service learning. however, psychiatryonline.org had a few articles that talked about the humanitarian aspect of medical care. So articles from psychiatryonline.org have allowed me to view patient care with a sense of empathy. Also, learning about medicine from a biology aspect made it easy to understand medical jargon and phrases, so that made it easy for me to focus on what exactly the doctors and nurses are performing.

Blog #7: Independent Component 1 Plan Approval.

1.
For independent component #1, I will be volunteering at the Kaiser LAMC Emergency Room. Through this volunteer program, i will be shadowing doctors (general surgeons, ob/gyn's, psychiatrists, etc...) as well as EMT's and registered nurses.

2.
I will drive down to LA every Sunday where i will do my 8 hour shift for the rest of senior year. so i will meat my requirement, and then some.

3.
My EQ is "what is are the best ways to becoming a successful psychiatrist?" I believe that being exposed to a wide range of medical practices ranging from setting up an EKG to surgery under local anesthetic will broaden my knowledge of the medical field as well as desensitize me a little bit. Also, i am able to sit in on psychiatrist, who come into the hospital daily, while he does evaluation on a mental health patient in the ER.

Blog #6: Defining the Essential Question.

1) What is your EQ?


My eq is "What are the best ways to becoming a successful psychiatrist?

2) Define the words in your EQ to make sure we are on the same page regarding what your EQ means.


By using the word "successful" in my EQ, I mean somebody who has mastered the study and medical treatment of mental disorders through psychiatry.


The "mental disorders" that i speak of are affective, behavioral, perceptual, and cognitive abnormalities in a human being. 


I used the plural form "best ways," because i don't think there is ONE right way to become a successful psychiatrist. There are alot of pieces to the puzzle and i hope to figure out the true correct answer to my EQ through this senior project. 



3) What are some possible answers to your EQ so far? 


a) The modern study of the human psyche is still a brand new topic in the field of medicine, so don't be afraid to refute notions in the treatment methods of psychiatry. 

b) I learned through my interview, that with with any line of work regarding the treatment of another human being, you must approach the patient with a sense of empathy and modesty. You have to be able to relate to the patients experiences and to his/her suffering. 



c) As a scientist, you must devote a large quantity of time studying the sciences outside of the office. Medicine and science are constantly changing before our eyes every single day, and if you must be able to keep up.




4) What has been your most important source and why?  Be specific.  If it is a person, name them and what they do, if it is an article, book or video, name the title and author.  


I have used a few quality sources through books and articles, but my most valuable source in terms of quality was Interview #1. I conducted the interview with my father, Dr. Bishara Shahin, who has worked in a private practice as a psychologist for over 25 years. With a lengthy career studying human behavior and mental illnesses, Dr. Shahin's answers were of top quality and provided me with a great deal of knowledge. 

Blog #5: second interview questions

I will be interviewing Dr. Owen K Tsuchiya, MD. Dr Tsuchiya is a Psychiatrist, and has been a good friend of my father for many years. After knowing Dr. Tsuchiya for all these years myself, I have taken great interest in the field of psychiatry. Dr. Tsuchiya is one of the smartest men i have ever met, yet he is very down-to-earth, so I know that he will answer my questions with honesty and with great knowledge. As a possible mentor, Dr. Tsuchiya is very qualified to teach me the ins-and-outs of psychiatry.



1) What initially attracted you to the field of psychiatry?
2) What were the rigors of medical school?
3) What is a typical day for you?
4) In your opinion, what is the best part about being a psychiatrist?
5) What did you major in college? why?
6) With today's competition, what do you think i should major in college?
7) What are the advantages of owning a private practice?

Blog #4: Presentation Reflection

1.  In what way did the first interview affect your presentation?  Please explain, be specific and use an example.


The interview with my father Dr. Shahin was very beneficial because it gave me a solid understanding about the world of clinical therapy. However, my presentation was on sleep and what he told me in the interview consisted more of the pros and cons of working in a clinical/counseling setting. Sleep is very dear to me, and i knew of it's importance on the human psyche, so i was glad to present on that.

2.  What would you say stood out about your presentation performance and why?


I came to my presentation dressed professionally, so that my peers could take my presentation seriously. My presentation was layered, like an onion; I lured them in with some amusing facts, then i tied it back to my senior topic (psychiatry.) Also, the transitions were were smooth in my opinion. I also tried to engage the audience several times and I had a pretty decent visual visuals.

3.  What was the most challenging to do and why?

I got kinda choked up in the beginning of my presentation for some reason, maybe because it was the first formal presentation of the year. But i was able to regroup and I finished strong.

Blog #3-Senior Project Presentation 1

The objective of my five minute presentation is to give students a quick rundown on sleep. Sleep plays a huge rule on the human body, and I feel that this topic is often misunderstood by most people. My topic is Psychiatry, so a presentation about sleep would be relevant because sleep cycles can play a magnificent role on a persons mental health. 


1) I'll begin by asking students by random selection, "why do you sleep?" I expect answers such as "to rest ." After that, will move on to my introduction (hook), to further explain the mysterious topic of sleep.


2) After the audience's answers, I will move on to the introduction or the hook, by giving a few fun facts about sleep that most people do not know. This hook will engage students and will hopefully succeed in, well, hooking them in. These fun facts will include statistics on the most popular sleep positions and other statistics. 


3) I then plan on explaing how certain sleep patterns such as insomnia, sleep deprivation, irregular REM cycles, etc. can affect the human psyche. 


4) After explaing the irregular sleep patterns, I will explain how a psychiatrist often works with patients to cure these sleep disorders such as medications and other treatments.


5) to wrap up my presentation, i will check for understanding by asking student the consequences of certain unhealthy sleep patterns, and hopefully this will open the eyes (no pun intended) of my classmates.


6) for my visual, i will bring a poster with a few different illustrations, graphs, and statistics relating to sleep.

Blog #2: Interview Check

1. Who are you interviewing and why?


A:
I will be interviewing Dr. Owen K Tsuchiya, MD.  Dr Tsuchiya is a Psychiatrist, and has been a good friend of my father for many years. After knowing Dr. Tsuchiya for all these years myself, I have taken great interest in the field of psychiatry. Dr. Tsuchiya is one of the smartest men i have ever met, yet he is very down-to-earth, so I know that he will answer my questions with honesty and with great knowledge. As a possible mentor, Dr. Tsuchiya is very qualified to teach me the ins-and-outs of psychiatry.


2. What additional questions will you ask them (in addition to the 5 we require)?


A:
1) What initially attracted you to the field of psychiatry?
2) What were the rigors of medical school?
3) What is a typical day for you?
4) In your opinion, what is the best part about being a psychiatrist?

Blog Entry #1 What is your topic? Why?

The topic that I chose for my senior project is Psychiatry. I chose Psychiatry for many reasons; all my life I have been exposed to psychology due to the fact that my father is a psychologist. Whether it's the occasional newspaper article regarding psychology in the news, slid under my door, or teaching me how to deal with difficult personalities through a scientific method, my father has made the study of the brain a passion for me. However, a dream of mine would be to become a physician, but at the same time, psychology has always been embedded into my life. So why not combine the best of both worlds? As a psychiatrist, I can study the mind, brain, and behavior but at the same time I can prescribe medication, conduct physical examinations, and order & interpret laboratory tests like any other physician. 

After I spend a year studying this topic in high school, I hope to pursue my goal of medical school and residency once i finish my undergrad work.