1. What are your career goals after earning your degree? My career goal after earning a degree is to share my personal story and encourage/educate others about renal failure, dialysis, diabetes and organ transplantation. Also, finding different ways to close the gaps of the disparities of these 4 areas in lower income classes and others. 2. What are you doing now to achieve these goals? What I am doing know to achieve these goals is sharing my personal story of diabetes, renal failure, dialysis and organ transplantation. The outcome of dealing with all, the struggle, the setbacks, the fear, opportunity, the outcome and the future. Showing others that it is possible to get everything that someone in a higher income bracket receives. And that it is nothing like the movies or television. 3. How will your current major help achieve those goals? My major is healthcare administration o o o o o o Learning policies and laws in healthcare Insurance policies Finances/Grants Professionalism Terminology Disparities ▪ Income ▪ Social environment ▪ Where help is needed ▪ Research ▪ Communication ▪ Validity of healthcare, food, clinics, hospital, education, literature 4. What extracurricular activities are you involved in that will help you for the future? S.H.E.A.- Student Healthcare Executive Association • Community service • Brainstorming • Food Banks • Speakers from areas of healthcare The Morgan Frazier Cancer Foundation Community Service- working at football stadium during the rodeo to earn money for the organization. This organization was found by her family to help with non-medical needs such as parking, rent, groceries and so on. Parking is extremely expensive and can really deplete finances will dealing with a sick love one. While Morgan was alive her parent often had to make the decision to feed Morgan’s siblings or pay for parking. I understand because there were times when my mom would park and stay because she didn’t have money for parking, gas or food. So many times, she stayed at the hospital with me and we would split my meals. Or until her social security check would be deposited or someone wired funds. There were times when I was hospitalized for 6 to 8 weeks at a time. This allows me to work with an organization that is so personal to me because I experienced the same circumstances. The difference is that Morgan died of cancer when she was 8 years old and I am here today. Running head: HEALTHCARE- CAREER SET UP Healthcare-Career Set Up Students Name University affiliation 1 HEALTHCARE- CAREER SET UP 2 Healthcare-Career Set Up Career goals after earning a degree Acquiring a university degree is a dream come true for a majority of university students. Completing a course successfully and graduating with better grades places an individual in a better position in the job market. For instance, a student has a choice to make the kind of career they wish to peruse. After completing school, students have different career goals and targets, they wish to make in life. Setting career goals will depend on the targets and goals an individual wishes to achieve at the end or during their career life. For instance, students may create their career goals based on the experience they have had while in school. They may also be based on reasons as to why they decided to take the course or maybe for personal reasons. Additionally, a student may set a career goal with a reason to improve the current system in the field at which they have specialized. Basing on the case study provided, my career goals will revolve around my personal experience. The reason as to why I chose to define my career goals to base on personal experience is because of the experience I have had with renal failure. Additionally, I am in the position to know and understand the exact pain, and suffering patients undergo. By changing my major to Healthcare administration, I wish to take care of renal failure patients. I am driven by the fact that I want to share my story with different people; patients mostly, about renal failure, dialysis, and organ transplant. Additionally, I will also ensure that I educate them on the importance of having dialysis as scheduled and be in the position to encourage them to stay strong. Due to the fact that treatment may be expensive, I will try to find ways and strategies in which to try and reduce treatment expenses. Being in the position to share and collect ideas from patients, I will be able to reduce discrimination when it comes to treatment and organ transplant. What are you doing now to achieve these goals? People set up goals that they are sure and determined to achieve. Whenever goals are set, strategies are put in place to help facilitate the process of achieving the goals. My career goals are all aimed at promoting and improving the status of patients with renal failure and organ transplants among other chronic and lifetime diseases. To be able to achieve the goal of educating and sharing precaution information to patients, I am currently sharing my personal story with patients in different hospitals. I make an effort of visiting hospitals where I meet patients and share my story. The fact that most patients are left alone it means that they lack someone who may understand their situation and tell them that all will be well. I have made appointments to several hospitals where I get some time with patients. It is during this session where I share my story and educate them on the way forward. It is through this session where I also get to make sure that I educate patients on the importance of dialysis and organ transplant. Being a victim of renal failure, organ transplant, and diabetes, I understand what it feels like to be ill. By understanding struggles and challenges involved, I am in the position to know the specific countermeasure that can be put in place so that to achieve the desired HEALTHCARE- CAREER SET UP 3 goal. Patients struggle a lot, more so when it comes to the point of getting proper medication. Challenges come in place where the cost involved is high, thus making accessibility to drugs by low-income individuals hard. By acting as a mediator, I am in the process of forming a group that will actively advocate for better medical services to patients. The group will also be able to advise and encourage patients to stay strong and focus on the future. Additionally, I am working hard to ensure that the gap between the wealthy and low-income patients is reduced and discrimination is completely eliminated. I involve all patients in conversations without separating them according to their social status. Involving all patients at the same time helps them interact and share quality information on how to improve medical services. It is at this time patients come up with ideas of how to be united and reduce the social gap. Using ideas collected from patients is essential as I present the information as general information that will improve their health status. How will your current major help achieve those goals? My current major is Health Care Administration, which is a course that offers healthcare education. My career goals revolve around taking care of patients, which means that my current major is suitable for providing education and useful information. Additionally, my major is also able to provide a medical point of view on all matters relating to my career goals. Additionally, Health Care Administration is a wide subject that can provide vital information in different fields directly related to my career goals. For instance, Health Care Administration can provide information on learning policies and laws in healthcare, insurance policies, finances or grants, professionalism, terminologies used and disparities. The information mentioned earlier is essential in helping me achieve my set career goals. For this reason, a clear description of how each subject is necessary will be posted. Learning Policies and Laws in Healthcare Healthcare Administration can discuss policies and laws that are involved in healthcare centers and career. By learning and mastering all laws governing healthcare career, I am in the position to understand my limits. The fact that I am focusing on sharing my story and educating patients, some laws prevent a health caregiver to disclose and share particular information with patients. Health caregivers are also protected by law in some cases more so when it comes to the point of accessing information and seeking justice for patients. With a better understanding of healthcare policies and laws, I will be in the position to carry on my mission with great caution. Insurance Policies Being in the position to understand how insurance policies work, especially health insurance, it will help me be in the position to advocate for equality. Advocating for equality in treatment will mean that all medical expenses will be covered by medical insurance. An insurance policy will be in the position to support for equality since everyone pays for insurance and no one has to be discriminated. It will help me be able to advocate and achieve my goal of reducing discrimination and equal medical attention and bills. HEALTHCARE- CAREER SET UP 4 Professionalism Training as a Healthcare Administrator does not only focus on taking care of patients and mastering how things are done in the career. It molds an individual and makes them present themselves professionally. The fact that I am a Healthcare Administrator means that I have to operate and behave in a manner that shows me as a professional in my career. Working as a profession improves my chances and trust with patients thus making them feel at ease thus being in the position to increase chances of getting ideas that will enhance their well being. Terminology The fact that Health Administration deals with the welfare of patients, it means that an administrator has to be conversant with medical languages. Being in the position to understand basic terminologies used in the hospital makes me be updated and enlightened on all activities and actions taking place in the hospitals. It also helps me be able to achieve my goals more so when it comes to the point of talking and sharing my story with patients. Disparities Healthcare administration helps us understand the kind of great differences existing in the system. For instance, I can understand the differences that exist between the high and low-income individuals. Additionally, I am also able to understand differences that exist on the validity of healthcare, food, clinic and education in a healthcare system. The information is essential as it will help me know the exact activity and step to take in dealing with a critical situation. Also, being in the position to understand all difficulties in the society helps me be able to identify where a current issue is and how to handle the problem. For this reason, I will be able to achieve my career goals without any difficulty whatsoever. What extracurricular activities are you involved in that will help you for the future? Learning in class has had a significant theoretical effect on my career. However, I have involved myself in extracurricular activities that have improved and boosted my practical experience. For instance, I am an active member of Student Health Executive Association (SHEA) which focuses on improving our practical experience in the field. The association is well organized in a manner that it gives us an opportunity to participate in community service, brainstorming, and food banks and meet different speakers of Healthcare administration. Participating in community service is an essential activity as it helps us have a feeling of the real world situations. It also helps us get confident in all activities we partake and prepares us for future tasks. Meeting and interacting with different professionals who share their experience with us improves our knowledge and technical know-how of how to handle issues. Additionally, I have also worked at The Morgan Frazier Cancer Foundation as a social work where I helped in contributing money to the organization from a football match. Being in the position to meet and interact with many people has helped me gain HEALTHCARE- CAREER SET UP 5 confidence and courage. It is a quality that will help me in future when it comes to the point of interacting and mobilizing people. MY STORY At the age of 12 I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes otherwise known as juvenile diabetes. This was the same type that killed my father at the age of 31. One sunny day after he dropped my oldest brother off at school he was on the way home with me 3 months and my other brother 3 years old. His blood sugar dropped and he crashed head on into a tree and died instantly. My brother and I survived the crash. I had a scratch from glass and my brother had a fractured pelvis. When I was diagnosed my mother and I worked together to keep a tight hold on my condition but often struggled. By the age of 17 I was diagnosed as a “brittle diabetic” meaning my body usually did whatever it wanted to do no matter how hard I tried. Senior at Sam Houston State University Age: 22 Close to graduating with a communications degree I got really ill one day and learned that I had to get my gallbladder removed. Surgery went well but some numbers were off so doctor sent me to a specialist. I found out that I was in stage 4 renal failure and fortunately had not experienced any signs. It took 2 months between diagnoses and me going on dialysis. Dialysis was one of the hardest things I ever experienced in life. I administered dialysis to myself at home for about a year until I got an infection. Then I had to go to the center 6 hours day 3 days of the week. Though I was 22 I cried daily and my mother sat with me every day until I realized how selfish I was being. I was the youngest patient there and that was a struggle. I wouldn’t speak to anyone but the nurses. I would stare off into space and to but never watched what was on. I frequently thought of ways to harm myself because I felt like that would be better than where I was. 6 hours every Monday, Wednesday and Friday Watching every drop of blood be cycled out of my body and 40 others Sitting next to others who can’t control their bowls Couldn’t eat by themselves, walk or know when they needed to use the restroom Sit next to them on Monday to find out they died Tuesday and someone new is in the seat Wednesday I met a transplant doctor at Methodist Hospital in the Medical Center because of my age they felt I was a viable candidate for a kidney transplant. He assured me that no matter how long it took he was going to get me well to live my best life. But I needed to take some test and maintain my health. I lost weight Stayed out of the hospital Stayed well (no colds, flu or anything) Went to every dialysis treatment Went to every doctor’s appointment I some was approved by the board and received my letter on the transplant list. It only took 9 months to get the 1st call. And I almost fell out of the bed! They ask a few questions before they say come in when have an organ for you. Until they got to the last question “have you taken antibiotics in the last 30 days?” I said yes because I had just taken my first dosage of antibiotics due to a repertory infection. The next words I heard were “I’m sorry we can’t offer these organs to you due to we will not get a clear diagnosis of the body accepting the organ if antibiotics is in the body” I was devistated and cried for days! This was not a journey that I was on by myself so many people shed tears along with me. That was the day I decided to never take an antibiotic until I received my transplant. Time passed and I continued on with my new normal when I received another call telling to be prepared because there was a match in the area but there was another person who was a match as well. That patient was more of a match than I was so the organs went to them. November 14, 2014 I was moving around a preparing to call my grandmother because it was 77th birthday and a call came in asking the same questions as before. I was ready this time! I went in and my doctor said this organ are going to change my life. The average time for the surgery was 3 to 5 hours but I was on the table for 12 hours. I said in the hospital for 10 days and finally went home excited. When I went in for my 3 days follow up I looked bad but felt worst. I was admitted because I had a fever of 102, couldn’t breathe, no fluids and could barely walk. When my fever hit 105 they knew the kidney had failed. They had to remove the rejected kidney or within the next 12 hours I was going to die. This was the day I think I cried more tears then the Atlantic Ocean. But again, this fight was not a solo fight. My doctor had to send in another doctor to tell me because he was in the hallway crying. My mom left the room because she couldn’t hold it in. I thought I had bad days before this is the one that hurt the most. I cried silent tears until they wheeled me into the operating room and when I woke up I continued to cry. Soon I had to go back to dialysis and all I heard were questions and that it would be ok. I was suspended from the transplant list so I could lose some weight and let my body heal. I also received a pancreas transplant and that held up well. So uncontrollable blood sugar would no longer wreak havoc on my body. I became stronger and was put back on the list. November 14,2014 again my grandmothers birthday! I received a call before I could call her. It was the hospital calling to say there was a kidney for me. The whole process with smooth and I was home in 4 days. It is still a struggle but I make things work. Most have to see the doctor 6 months or 1 year I go every 6 weeks and take labs every week. My body has started to reject the kidney and not by any fault of my own. I guess it doesn’t like foreign objects. But I do whatever I can to live life to the fullest. I have helped 5 individuals go through the process. By encouraging them that financial is not a setback. I have recommended my doctor. When the process got hard or challenging I would encourage them. Asked several family members to be donors. How to care for themselves and what is available to them. 80% of my family members suffer from the same condition but did not know that this is possible or available to them. And they have sought out the process and are taking better care of themselves. TRANSPLANTS • November 14, 2012 • November 14, 2014 My grandmother’s birthday Refused any family member’s offer to give me a kidney. Only a cadaver because I would never want something to happen later on in their life. This all occurred by the age of 27 Now continuing my education by changing my major to healthcare administration. I want to educate to the community what is available to them and find different was to bring programs and education to the community. Application Essay Topic: What are your career goals after earning your degree at TSU, and what are you currently doing to achieve those goals? How will your current major help you achieve those goals, and what type of extracurricular activities are you involved in that will also help you for the future? Be very specific. Essay must be a minimum of 500 words. Grammar, spelling, sentence and paragraph structure will all be considered in the evaluation of the essay. (Attach separate sheet if necessary.) Application Essay Topic: What are your career goals after earning your degree at TSU, and what are you currently doing to achieve those goals? How will your current major help you achieve those goals, and what type of extracurricular activities are you involved in that will also help you for the future? Be very specific. Essay must be a minimum of 500 words. Grammar, spelling, sentence and paragraph structure will all be considered in the evaluation of the essay. (Attach separate sheet if necessary.)
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