Prompt #1: A CAPStone Internship is more than just doing some job for the 2nd semester of your senior year, it is an investigation of the industry of which you are a part. So to get the ball rolling for you, write about what your initial/preconceived idea of the industry is/was before you started working for your particular company/organization. If you have a point of delineation for where this perspective started, include it. (For example, maybe your initial understanding of this industry stems back to the fact that your aunt or grandfather was involved in it and he spoke about it at the dinner table or at family gatherings.)
When I was around eight, my two year old brother became really sick with Kawasaki disease. He spent days at Boston Children's Hospital and although I was only about eight, I was amazed and inspired by the doctors and nurses and all that they did. After running tests on my brother, they discovered that he had little holes in his heart and that he would need open heart surgery to fix it. It amazed me that people would be going to go into his body, into his heart, and make him better. The Boston Children's Hospital has since been a place that inspires and astonishes me with everything that happens within their walls.
When I was around eight, my two year old brother became really sick with Kawasaki disease. He spent days at Boston Children's Hospital and although I was only about eight, I was amazed and inspired by the doctors and nurses and all that they did. After running tests on my brother, they discovered that he had little holes in his heart and that he would need open heart surgery to fix it. It amazed me that people would be going to go into his body, into his heart, and make him better. The Boston Children's Hospital has since been a place that inspires and astonishes me with everything that happens within their walls.
Prompt #2: What is the goal of your industry? Customer satisfaction? Expansion? Profit? Research? How do you know? Is it static, or does it change?
One Mission is a pediatric cancer charity that does whatever it takes to get kids and their families through cancer. One Mission programs help bring joy and smiles during a fearful time by giving various types of support to the kids and their loved ones. All of the programs they fund directly benefit the patients with cancer, the families who support them, and the medical community around them. The programs and services rely solely on philanthropic support, and although their goal does not change, but varies from patient to patient.
One Mission is a pediatric cancer charity that does whatever it takes to get kids and their families through cancer. One Mission programs help bring joy and smiles during a fearful time by giving various types of support to the kids and their loved ones. All of the programs they fund directly benefit the patients with cancer, the families who support them, and the medical community around them. The programs and services rely solely on philanthropic support, and although their goal does not change, but varies from patient to patient.
Prompt #3: What does it mean to be an employee of a company/group/industry? Declare your definition here. Then, reflect on it.
To be an employee of a company/group/industry means to have goals, be involved, and enjoy what you're doing. For example, my supervisors, Heather Strauch and Bridget Buckley, play a huge role in making the resource room run as smoothly as it does. From organizing different events, to finding the right arts and crafts project for a patient, it is clear and visible that they enjoy their jobs and are involved with the families and patients. They have each pushed me to step outside my comfort zone, take on new responsibilities, and to make goals of my own that will allow me to learn and grow into a greater part of the industry.
To be an employee of a company/group/industry means to have goals, be involved, and enjoy what you're doing. For example, my supervisors, Heather Strauch and Bridget Buckley, play a huge role in making the resource room run as smoothly as it does. From organizing different events, to finding the right arts and crafts project for a patient, it is clear and visible that they enjoy their jobs and are involved with the families and patients. They have each pushed me to step outside my comfort zone, take on new responsibilities, and to make goals of my own that will allow me to learn and grow into a greater part of the industry.
Prompt #4: Answer the following question in relation to your industry: Is there an endpoint to learning at your job? Do you want there to be? Whatever you choose, explain your answer.
There is no clear endpoint to learning at my job, and I would not want there to be. There will always be new patients, new illnesses, new medication, new treatments, the list goes on. It excites me to learn about a patient and their diagnosis, although I am obviously not living their lives, it allows me to learn a little more about what they are going through and how they are feeling. Learning all these aspects in the industry allows me to be better while I am there and to make their journey a little more smile-filled :).
There is no clear endpoint to learning at my job, and I would not want there to be. There will always be new patients, new illnesses, new medication, new treatments, the list goes on. It excites me to learn about a patient and their diagnosis, although I am obviously not living their lives, it allows me to learn a little more about what they are going through and how they are feeling. Learning all these aspects in the industry allows me to be better while I am there and to make their journey a little more smile-filled :).
Prompt #5: How would the world be different if your industry didn’t exist, or if it were to somehow disappear? Speculate and ponder.
If my industry did not exist it would make the lives for patients with cancer even harder than it already is. There would be no events to brighten up their days, no resources to learn more about their diagnosis, no tools available for support, and a lot more that helps families get through their experience. I am very grateful to be able to be interning in this industry that does exist and goes above and beyond for their patients.
Prompt #6 All of you should have time to have lunch at your jobs--it’s part of your worker rights. What’s lunchtime like? Do you eat with employees, or do you eat on your own? Do employees eat together regularly, or must they eat what they can when they can? How does the way lunchtime is treated at your job reflect the job itself?
Lunch time in the Resource Room differs from day to day and from person to person depending on availability. I will often sit with a certain patient, between the hours of 12pm-1pm or so, while their mom takes a break for lunch. Afterwards I will grab lunch downstairs in the cafeteria for myself. If the resource room is quiet I will eat my lunch in the cafe and sit alone or bring it up to the room if otherwise. The other day I was having a really busy day and around 3 pm I got a chance to grab something to eat, but I ran into a patient I've built a friendship with and he was eager to play. He was looking for something to do and came down to the cafe to have lunch with me! Definitely my favorite time I had lunch there.
Lunch time in the Resource Room differs from day to day and from person to person depending on availability. I will often sit with a certain patient, between the hours of 12pm-1pm or so, while their mom takes a break for lunch. Afterwards I will grab lunch downstairs in the cafeteria for myself. If the resource room is quiet I will eat my lunch in the cafe and sit alone or bring it up to the room if otherwise. The other day I was having a really busy day and around 3 pm I got a chance to grab something to eat, but I ran into a patient I've built a friendship with and he was eager to play. He was looking for something to do and came down to the cafe to have lunch with me! Definitely my favorite time I had lunch there.
Prompt #7 Sometimes there can be a rather fine line between work and play. How does your industry attempt to play? Is it productive? Should it (does it have to) be?
A lot of what I do at my industry is play with patients and try to distract them from their diagnoses. The age range of the patients I interact with is between the age of 3 and 25 so "playing" varies from making stuffed animals disappear behind my back, to intricate arts and crafts activities. Aside from playing, l attend weekly rounds where nurses, doctors, phycologists, child life specialists, social workers and other staff members gather to discuss updates on the BMT (bone marrow transplants) patients on the floor and in the ICU. Attending those rounds allows me to accommodate the care and play I provide for each of those patients. Playing with them is productive because in order to be healthy and happy, one has to feel healthy and happy!
A lot of what I do at my industry is play with patients and try to distract them from their diagnoses. The age range of the patients I interact with is between the age of 3 and 25 so "playing" varies from making stuffed animals disappear behind my back, to intricate arts and crafts activities. Aside from playing, l attend weekly rounds where nurses, doctors, phycologists, child life specialists, social workers and other staff members gather to discuss updates on the BMT (bone marrow transplants) patients on the floor and in the ICU. Attending those rounds allows me to accommodate the care and play I provide for each of those patients. Playing with them is productive because in order to be healthy and happy, one has to feel healthy and happy!