Blog 24 – Last Presentation Reflection

WHOA I'M DONE!!! You have no idea how happy I am.

(1) Positive Statement
What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
I actually have a few things that I am proud of. In my previous presentations/lessons, I would only barely meet time, speak softly, look to much at the presentation or my notes, avoid eye contact with the audience, and have zero jokes (relevant jokes to keep the audience's attention).
Although I was nervous before my presentation, I presented well (according to my trusty friends in the audience and Mr. Pang). Throughout my presentation, Mr. Pang was passing me stickie notes to let me know where I was in terms of time and if he had any comments. Surprisingly, I ended up speaking for more than thirty minutes on quality research on my own. I was able to spend a little more than ten minutes discussing each answer.
Prior to my presentation, I had asked Starla and John (actually, John offered before I could ask) if they could give me cues throughout my presentation. If I was too soft they would cup their ears and if I was talking too fast they would signal with their hands. I saw Starla tell me to speak louder only once in the beginning of my presentation. During my activity, Donovan called me over and told me that my volume was good, staying constant after that one time Starla told me I was too soft.
Even though I had prepared a paper full of notes and reminders for me so that I would not look at my presentation slide, I ended up not using it. Unlike my other presentations/lessons, I did not forget anything when I saw the students watching and listening to me.
Once I saw the roster of students attending my presentation, I decided that I would make a seating chart and spread out my friends to each table in the classroom so that I would be encouraged to maintain eye contact with the audience. It worked!

(2) Questions to Consider
a. What assessment would toy give yourself on your block presentation? Use the component contact to defend that assessment.
I deserve an AE.
I did dress professionally (coat and stethoscope), have good volume and enunciation (like I mentioned earlier), maintained eye contact, kept the audience engaged (with scenarios, activities, relevant jokes, puns).
I also made an effort to engage more than one sense of the audience by walking them through a scenario while playing the sound effect of ringing in the ears (it was funny seeing them put their hands to their ears almost immediately after it began playing... mwahahaha). I did use my time wisely by discussing my three answers and having two relevant activities (props) and breakdowns after each one.
As for the justification of my answers, I had multiple sources of various types that I cited throughout my presentation. Mr. Pang even passed me a note "I love the references!" (he underlined "love" twice, actually)
I think my activity was well-executed not only because Mr. Pang got involved and seemed to enjoy it but also because during the breakdown when I was asking them questions, they were able to answer correctly.

b. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Use the component contract to defend that assessment. 
I think I deserve an AE.
I turned in everything on time to the best of my ability. If I couldn't turn something in on time (like one of my interviews), I communicated with Mr. Rivas and let him know of the situation.
I worked really hard this year not only because I wanted a good grade but also because I wanted to learn more about my topic and kinda prepare for when I become a medical professional in the future.

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
What worked was having the deadlines for sources. It kept me on track, knowing that I would slack off after a while of doing something really repetitive.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?
I wish I had done more mentorship and Independent Component 1 hours. I think I would have gained a lot more experience that could have added to the depth of each of my answers.

(5) Finding Value
How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.
As I previously mentioned, this senior project was kind of my own project to prepare me for when I become a medical professional.
I aspire to become a surgeon or a pediatrician and perform medical missions in the future, just like one of my mentors, Dr. Robinson Baron.

Exit Interview

okay, that's not true but there were a few times that I just wanted to give up because I was so tired

1. What is your essential question and what are your answers? What is your best answer and why?
Essential question: How can a team of medical professionals ensure the health and well-being of a patient?
Answer 1: Educate the patient **BEST ANSWER, YO!**
Answer 2: Give proper analysis and diagnosis
Answer 3: Provide patient-centered care

2. What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
At first, it seemed like each answer could be easily labeled "best answer" because of how it relates to the patient. To put it simply, I reviewed the differences between each answer and then chose the one with the most weight on improving a patient's recovery.

3. What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?
I did not really face any problems in the research aspect of my senior project. I did, however, lose one of my mentors after he flaked on me during my Independent Component 2 with him. Fortunately, my other mentor was able to refer me to another medical professional, a general surgeon, who was willing and happy to be my mentor for the rest of my senior project.

4. What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
The two most significant sources that I used to answer my essential question would probably be two of my last few sources:
• The Challenge of Patient Adherence by Leslie R. Martin
This article was very well written and did not only discuss the problem of lack of patient adherence but also discussed ways to improve patient adherence. In addition, it covered two of my answers (educate the patient and provide patient-centered care)

• Strategies to Enhance Patient Adherence by Susan R. Levy, Naresh Bellam, and Ashish Atreja
The authors of this article did research and tested various methods with different groups of patients of various medical cases to see which methods were most efficient. Although, the authors didn't go as in-depth as I wanted them to on providing patient-centered care, they did expand quite a lot on providing the proper diagnosis and treatment and educating the patient.