Hey all,
My summer in Houston is coming to an end, but it seems like there is still so much to do before my plane leaves on Saturday!
For our final projects, we are required to prepare a research paper as well as a presentation of our findings. While this is not necessarily that difficult (Augie has prepared me well), it is VERY time-consuming! Every little detail has to be perfect! My mentor has been great about providing me with LOTS of feedback about both parts of my project and they are coming together, little by little.
My mentor had me, our research coordinator, and our secretary over for brunch on Sunday morning which was just lovely. Her kids were adorable and it was so fun to see everyone outside of the office setting. It continues to amaze me how she balances being a nationally recognized authority on cancer psychology and being a mom at the same time. What a great role model!
I had the opportunityto job shadow again last week, but this time it was at St. Luke’s, another hospital down here in the Medical Center. Ironically, St. Luke’s is the name of the hospital where I was born and where my dad currently works in Iowa! My experiences with the SLPs there were awesome, as I got to see a lot more neurogenic disorders there than I have seen at MD Anderson, which is what I am really interested in. Neurogenic disorders are disorders that result from some kind of damage to the brain or other parts of the nervous system. St. Luke’s is well-known for its cardiology department, and sometimes the nerves that supply the speech mechanisms get damaged during heart surgery, so that’s where the SLPs come in. They also have quite a few stroke patients. All of the SLPs I have shadowed this summer (9 TOTAL!!!) have been great about not just letting me observe, but teaching me as well. It is amazing how much you can pick up in one day that would have taken much longer to learn in a classroom.
We’re still finding time to have fun amidst all of our busy-ness at work. One of the girls in our group is turning 21 this week so I’m sure once all the presentations are done that will be a good excuse to kick back, relax, and celebrate!
Well I’d love to stay and chat but I’m off to another job shadow in the head and neck center–my last one : (
I might stop by the gift shop on my way over and see what kinds of souvenirs I can bring home with me! The next challenge will be fitting it all in my suitcase! (don’t worry mom and dad, I didn’t buy another whole suitcase like I did in Thailand!)
Love
Katrina
Posted on July 26th, 2010 by katrina-jensen
Filed under: Katrina Jensen
Be sure to pack the BBQ sauces you are bringing back with great care! See you soon.
Dad
I hate it when your summer ends as part of my online social life seems to come to a hult too – I will miss your blogs as they are so uplifting!!! Thanks for keeping us so informed and sharing your summer with us. Hope to see you on the 7th- is that right that you are coming to SD???
Thanks for blogging about your summer experience in Texas, Katrina. It was a great way to keep up with y’all! I hope you enjoyed your time in my native state. I believe it was about as hot and muggy here in the QCA as in Houston this summer. I grew up in Beaumont just to the east of Houston. We used to say that living in Houston was like living in a dog’s mouth.
Hope you got some good ‘cue while there, and best of luck with the reports this week.