Welcome

This summer I will be working at Kaiser Permanente for six weeks. During the time I will be working at the hospital, I will be attending a weekly ROP class. Thanks to this ROP class I will learn how to become a successful future employee.
I will experience many new things while working in the Surgical Sub-specialties department at the Kaiser Permanente of Petaluma. During this time, I will be announcing what I have seen and experienced at the hospital. I will be also telling my readers about the organization and the necessary steps that need to be taken to become a successful employee at Kaiser Permanente. I hope you enjoy my blog and can give me great feedback.

My Resume

Ahmed Munshi

OBJECTIVE
Acquire training and knowledge in preparation for a career in medicine.

EXPERIENCE
• ROP/STC Advanced Internship class 2008:
o Reflection and analysis of work situation.
o Design and produce online communication.
o Conduct industry, organization-specific and educational research.
Summer 2008 hospital Internship at Kaiser of Petaluma: Sub-specialties department.

SKILLS, ABILITIES, AND INTERESTS
• Hard worker, diligent, punctual, and responsible.
• Know where I want to be in the future.
• Thinks of other possibilities that are not seen.
• Able to keep my opinions open.
• Experienced Photographer.
• Computer –literate: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and able to use Adobe Photoshop professionally.

EDUCATION
Novato High School Junior
Honors English, Honors World History, Honors English.
Enrolled in AP Biology, AP English, AP Calculus, and AP U.S. History


EXTRA ACTIVITIES
• Bike Rider
• Varsity Tennis for Novato High School, 2007-2008

Internship Description

I am considered a Surgical Sub-Specialty intern for Kaiser Permanente. As an intern my duties include getting supplies –like gloves and surgical masks– and making sure that they are always there. I also observe surgeries. The Sub-Specialty branch only observes a few cases. There are surgeons that move from one Kaiser to another on a daily basis. Take Dr. Spencer and Dr. Lin for an example. They are two surgeons I observed on Thursday. They are podiatrist, or doctors who specialize with feet, who move from one Kaiser to another. While observing them, I saw a bunion removal. It was a great experience. I saw the surgery from the first incision to the last stitch. In the operation room my duties was to watch the surgery and stay out of the way of the surgeons. During the time I am in the hospital I have to wear scrubs. When I am in the operating room I have to wear a surgical mask and a hairnet and shoe covers. The whole room is sterile so I cannot touch anything in the surgery area. Along with Dr. Spencer and Dr. Lin, there was an anesthesiologist, and two assistants. The assistants were nurse Michelle and nurse Jeanne. Before the surgery started, Dr. Spencer put on music from his computer. I have also spent time with Dr. O’Brian in GI. During my time with him I have seen him perform a colonoscopy and an esophagogastroduodenoscopy. A colonoscopy is when the doctor takes a endoscope and puts it the rectum and checks the colon for cancer of other harmful substances. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy is when the doctor takes an endoscope and puts it down the throat and checks the esophagus.

I also observed hernia operations while shadowing Dr. Nankovic. Those were one of the more interesting operations. I was amazed at how the hernia actually looked. Also the surgeon had to cut and remove the hernia using a cautery machine. The machine looks like a little flat-headed screwdriver with a yellow handle a blue wire connecting it to a machine. The tool then releases a strong electric current that cuts the hernia without releasing blood. The surgeon also uses a cautery machine to stop blood from gathering into the area where the surgeon is working. The surgeon then places a strong wire plastic like gauze in the area where the hernia protruded from so it does not form again. I saw three umbilical hernias and one inguinal hernia. In the umbilical hernia the incision was placed right above the belly button. In the inguinal hernia the incision was placed near the bottom right abdomen near the pelvis.

The next day I saw another colonoscopy. This colonoscopy was much different from the other. The patient was exposed to radiation a few years ago and was bleeding when he went to the bathroom. Dr. Shah, the doctor I was shadowing that day, had to use an endoscope and see what was happening. While exploring the patients intestine Dr. Shah realized that the radiation caused blood vessels to protrude in the intestine. This was causing the bleeding. So Dr. Shah used a cautery machine to seal the blood vessels and sent the patient on his way. While examining the colon, Dr. Shah showed me the small intestine.

Organization Overview and Culture

Kaiser Permanente is a health care association. They have their own clinics all around the country. They provide health insurance to their customers. They provide health care because it is a necessity to our modern world. People are always getting hurt and sick. They not only provide health care services, but also health care insurance. The top people in my area of Kaiser go as Manager Carol Paz, Dr. DeMayo, and his assistant Linda, then myself. There are many more different doctors and assistants. The hospital is energetic and hardworking. The workers are very social and talk a lot. But when they are talking to their patient, they give the patient their full attention.The service that Kaiser is providing will be needed in the future. It does not matter if it is five years or a hundred years in the future, people will still be getting sick and hurting themselves. Health care is one of the more important products in the modern world. Health care advances alongside with technology and science. More and more tools and techniques are being found. It is clearly visible that Kaiser Permanente and other health care providers are advancing. Not only are they advancing in the industry, they are making more and more money. According to Hoovers.com, Kaiser Permanente had a revenue increase of 9.9 percent from December of 2006 to December of 2007.1 It also had a revenue increase of 10.6 percent from December of 2005 to December of 2006.2

1 Hoovers.com: Financial Reports: Download Kaiser Permanente Financial Reports. http://hoovers.com/kaiser-permanente/--ID__112244,target__financial_reports--/free-co-samples-index.xhtml (Accessed July 16, 2008)

2 Ibid

Career Path to Top

To become a surgeon or any other doctor is a very difficult task to do. You have to take many science classes so it is recommended that you take as many science classes possible in high school. I will take a surgeon to give you an example. Surgeons treat diseases, injuries, and deformities by invasive methods, such as manual manipulation or by using instruments and appliances. You need many skills like reading comprehension, active listening, critical thinking, active learning, and science skills. You have to take many, many courses to acquire a job as a surgeon. A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. Then you need on the job training. This is called a residency. Few schools that have pre-med courses are USC, UC Berkeley, and UC Davis. These three schools also provide medical school programs. The average cost per year of tuition in these schools is around $18,000. The wages of surgeons depend on the type of surgeons.

How My Internship Fits/Does Not Fit My Future

This internship fits my future because I want to become a surgeon and this gave me a perfect example of what it is like to be one. I experienced many new things and it gave me a much broader sense of what I want to do. Not only did I shadow surgeons I shadowed many other positions like a physician, surgeon, dermatologist, anesthesiologist, medical assistant, GI physician, and nurse. In the end I am very glad I participated in this summer internship.

Advice to new interns

If you are trying to experience a summer internship, which I highly recommend, you should contact your schools career center. You should also sign up the earliest you can so you are higher on the list of possible interns. You shod not be afraid to ask questions. The doctors are more than glad to help you or give you information. They actually enjoy it. If you want to be in a specific department ask to be placed in it. Ask if you can help with anything, there's always something to do.