Senior Project Blog 3: Purpose

Connor L -

Hello everyone! Welcome to week 3 of my senior project!

This week has been a chaotic one as I have been focusing on my readings and preparing for my shift from shadowing to volunteering at St. Joseph’s Hospital. I have been spending my time working on reading about coping mechanisms and how to ensure a work-life balance as a nurse and doctor, though I still believe I need more time to gather more data from my readings. Since I have not had a lot of time to gather more surveys at St. Joseph’s due to my volunteering orientation at St. Mary’s and readings, I traveled to a smaller emergency center that is part of Carondelet Health.

I traveled to St. Raphael’s Emergency Center at the beginning of the night shift and was lucky to meet a very kind and wise doctor as well as a few very sweet and supportive nurses. My surveys with them were some of my favorites as they had more time to actually talk to me, and the advice and stories they gave me really opened my eyes to what it takes to be a nurse or doctor. Specifically, the discussion of why someone wants to work in the medical field and how this can help them deal with the mental stress of hospital work, as it gives them a motivation to keep on going, really spoke to my heart. When I interviewed them, they engaged me and allowed me to critically think about my position as a future medical student. Why do I want to be a nurse? Initially, I was hesitant to incorporate any of my personal experiences or feelings in this project as the main topic of study is doctors and nurses. However, I believe a topic such as mental health is important and affects every aspect of life. As a result, I believe that my personal experiences are important to my study.

My goals for the next few weeks are to work more on my readings and independent research so I can have further foundational knowledge on mental health in hospitals, and to figure out how I’m gonna manage my surveys and duties as a volunteer at the front desk and ICU. I appreciate all of your continued support these past few weeks and until we meet again.

Connor

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Comments:

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    karthik_a
    Hey Connor! Sounds like your project is coming along well! Can you elaborate more on what you learned through your readings? Looking forward to your next update!
    March 3, 2025 at 8:53 am - Reply
    Marta Kozlowska
    Connor, I am so glad you are reflecting on this question yourself. Often, people start truly thinking about their "Why" way later in life, after they may have committed too much to a particular program or career. Getting this experience as early as possible will without a doubt be beneficial to your medical journey. However, I think it is also important to keep in mind that in high-stress work environments people will often tell you to "Remember your 'why'!" as a way to justify less-than working conditions or practices that otherwise could be improved. I am curious if you can elaborate on the nuance of this response in your project later!
    March 3, 2025 at 12:03 pm - Reply
    vera_m
    Hey Connor! Im glad you had a good time with the doctors and nurses! What was your favorite piece of advice they shared with you?
    March 3, 2025 at 4:29 pm - Reply
    herron_b
    Connor! I love to see that you're adding your own anecdotes and experiences to your project! How long will you be shadowing at St. Raphael's, it seems like you're having much fun there!
    March 3, 2025 at 4:47 pm - Reply
    connor_l
    Hey Herron! Thank you so much for your comment! I had a lot of fun at St. Raphael’s and it was really fun because I was there during the night shift so I got to see the hospital at night, which to be honest was kind of creepy. I was only at St. Raphael’s unplanned last Monday as I wanted to get some surveys done. However, I plan to hopefully return once again for my data!
    March 5, 2025 at 2:26 pm - Reply
    connor_l
    Hey Vera, I really appreciate your comment! I would have to say that my favorite piece of advice from the doctors and nurses was to remember your motivation and keep on going even when things get tough. I really feel like this advice is useful and applicable to everything in life, not just the medical field, and I really feel like I try to apply it in my everyday life as well.
    March 5, 2025 at 2:27 pm - Reply
    connor_l
    Karthik! It’s really nice to hear from you! So far in my readings I have researched ways to improve my data collection in my surveys by reading an article that talked about how to approach physicians about mental health and how to engage in a efficient yet caring conversion about depression. Additionally, I have researched more about the stigma of mental health struggles in physicians and how to approach the controversial topic to help eliminate it. I believe that my research will help me move forward more effectively with my surveys and allow me to begin creating a more better narrative for my main question.
    March 5, 2025 at 2:28 pm - Reply
    connor_l
    Hi Ms. Kozlwoska! Thank you so much for your well thought out comment and discussion! I definitely agree that remembering your why can be a problem with the context of justifying stressful working conditions, and I feel like doctors and nurses do this because the work environment is almost always stressful. Often the hospital is stressful and burnout is a common occurrence, and I believe that these medical professionals need support and in a sense appreciation for their hard work. However, many do not get that support and that’s why these personal motivations are important and helpful for them. I still want to research more about this and I will definitely address this in my final project!
    March 5, 2025 at 2:29 pm - Reply

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