Blog 24: Last Presentation Reflection

(1) Positive Statement






What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?






I am most proud of the fact that I was able to get through it. I was super nervous the past couple of days and I thought I was going to faint. Once I got up there, I just did what I planned to do.






(2) Questions to Consider






a. What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.






I would give myself at least a P +.






b. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.






I would give myself a P for that because I tried hard to make my topic interesting even though it was really bland. I wanted people to enjoy my presentation.






(3) What worked for you in your senior project?






My humor and my exploration of other medical fields in order to further study mine definitely did work in my favor when it came to my senior project.






(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?






What didn't work was the fact that I was not able to always listen in to conversations in the examination room because it violated the law.






(5) Finding Value






How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.


The senior project has allowed me to overcome my fear of public speaking. It has provided me with new insight as to what hard work really contains. I feel I'm more prepared for what the world will through at me in the future than I was before.

Blog 23: Exit Interview Prep

Please be advised. The senior team will not conduct any exit interview in which the student has not turned in a passing notebook count and completed this blog. In addition, you are expected to dress as you would for a job interview.

Content:


(1) What is your essential question, and what are your answers? What is your best answer and why?

My EQ is: 

How can an optometrist best reduce patient non-compliance in their field? 

My answers are:

1.  Educating a patient in the risks of neglecting their eye care can reduce patient non-compliance.
2. Improving communication, not just between the doctor and patient, but also the doctor and his employees can improve the rate of patient compliance. 
3. Recreating the way the integrated eye care system works and functions can reduce patient non-compliance. 

My best answer would have to be communication.

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

My year of constantly having to defend my research as best as I could allowed me to fully realize to the extent of how important communication was in playing the role of reducing patient non-compliance. H.P Lovecraft once stated that, "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." This is true according to the results of my research. Doctors sometimes fear giving patients bad news, patients fear trusting a doctor. Though education  plays a big role in this as well, it is vital to first allow a patient to get comfortable with you as the optometrist. You can't just poke and prod at their eyes without asking how their day went or having a normal conversation with them. 

(3) What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?

I faced many problems such as, how was I to apply this answer specifically to my field of study.? Well I resolved this by asking more questions, studying more people, and by actually exploring other fields along side mine. What made my field special? Well, we work with eyes. Patients fear surgery all the time, especially if there is a chance of losing their eyesight not only to the surgery if a mistake is made, but as well as coming clean about any problems they have with their eyes. To a patient, especially in eye care, ignorance is absolutely bliss. 

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

Be prepared with evidence and specific examples to support any response. It is also significant to cite sources as you explain.

The two most significant sources I used were medical journals from ResearchGate.net which came in very useful. One such medical journal being written by an optometrist named Mark Swanson. He discussed what the role of a primary care optometrist was in the lives of their patients, especially with a disease like macular degeneration of the eye caused by age. Including this one, they had many medical journals for me to study most written by other optometrists not only all over the country, but the world as well. The second source I found helpful were a few Ted Talks about fear and what constituted fear itself in the minds of the human being. It was important for me to understand how it fear connected to patient non-compliance.  A Ted-Talk given by Karen Thompson, discussed what "fear can teach us." She gave examples through stories of sailors trying to survive the brutal storms on the sea. Thompson explained how we prefer to take the road more traveled in most survival situations and it doesn't always go as planned. How does this apply to eye care? Patients may not always choose to come to an optometrist when they feel something minor is off with their sight, they most likely blow it off and leave it alone. This can be especially dangerous if it is something as macular degeneration. If you don't catch a disease in its early stages, you risk losing your eyesight. 

Independent Component 2

Content:

LITERAL
“I,  Daren Lugo, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.”

(b) I used all my interviews in order to get an idea of what I would be focusing on in my videos.

(c) Component 2 hours have been logged.

(d) I have story-boarded, scripted, filmed, edited, and re-edited multiple commercials in order to convey my answers through the use of the camera.

(e) With the amount of time and effort I put into these videos, I think it is proof that I have definitely done my 30 hours. It allowed me to show examples of my first two primary answers which are communication and education in optometry. I added a bit of humor to my videos in order to make it relatable to the audience I have aimed for. My friend, Brianna Moreno, can vouch for me as she did help me film my commercials over the last two months.

(f)How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped.

This project allowed me to get a better idea of what educating and communicating with a patient looked like from the outside in. It also allowed me to travel into the mind of a patient while scripting it. Of course it didn't come out as I hoped it would, at least not all of the videos, but I still did my best and had fun learning while making it. 

This is the mess I made after all the work that was done. Scripts, storyboard, film schedule, and notes. You can ask me for the folder full all these things if you need to. 

Here are just some of the videos I put together for my independent component. Enjoy. 

Grading Criteria

Log on a digital spreadsheet under Senior Project Hours
Evidence of 30 hours of work
Blog explaining and defending significance of component

Blog 21 - Interview 4 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?

The most important thing I learned from interview is that above all it is very important that people understand each other. Whether it be patient to doctor or doctor to staff, all of it has meaning and is so very important for a practice to function correctly. Working with kids is very similar to working with adults. I learned that fear of the unknown is something that can be helped. 

  2. How will what I learned affect my final lesson?

This interview has given quite a bit of food for thought. I believe this interview was very important because it allowed me to see things from an outside perspective. Yes, therapy and psychology is another field or area of expertise, but you wouldn't believe how important these things are when it comes to working with patients and people in general. 

Blog 20: Fourth Interview Prep

1. Who do you plan to interview? What is this person's area of expertise?

I plan to interview a principal from my old elementary who also happens to have a doctorates in psychology or an ophthalmologist right across from my mentorship. The principal will allow me to understand how children work as she also used to be a teacher and the ophthalmologist will help me understand his area better and how it ties in to integrated eye care. 

2. Post 20 open-ended questions you want to ask an expert in the field concerning your senior project. Your focus should be finding answers to your EQ.

1.  What's one thing you've learned about working with patients (students) in your field of work?
2.  How do your interactions differ with children than adults? 
3. Do you find yourself adjusting to the others' mindsets at all in order to better understand any worries? 
4. How do you keep your patients (students) calm in times of on-set panic or confusion?
5. Do you think there are changes to be made in the way people are taught to communicate with others? 
6. What are some things you learned about working with your staff in this field? 
7. How did you get into this field of work? 
8. What is the best thing about working in this field?
9. How important is the financial aspect of this field? 
10. How do you go about handling that? 
11. Is there anything you wish you could change to improve patients or students well-being? 
12. Have you yourself ever suffered from eye problems? (For Second Option)
13. As this field of work continues to evolve and more technology is created, do you think you will come to rely on it more? 
14. Do you think new technology in the medical area will reduce patient-doctor relationships?
15. Do you find yourself micromanaging a patients life in order to prevent any further problems? 
16. Are some patients or students difficult to work with?
17. Do you find yourself educating the patient a lot?
18. What are the risks of not having a good doctor-patient relationship?
19. How often do you connect with your patients on an empathetic standpoint? 
20. Is there anyone else I should talk to in this field?

Blog 19: Third Answer

EQ: How can an Optometrist best reduce patient non-compliance in the field? 

Answer #3: 

Recreating the way the system of Integrated Eye Care works will improve the way patients understand and see optometry.

• Getting rid of online eye apparel websites will not only improve the interaction between all parties but also will reduce the issues patients have with their lenses as they will actually be covered if they buy them from the actual office. (This one needs to be rephrased later.)
• Adding a family-friendly feel to the office will improve the way families view and work with optometrists and their staff. 
• Optometrists should always be aware of their finances so that they have some space to potentially improve anything that needs to be improved in the workplace, especially if it involves staff. 

The research source(s) to support your details and answer

• Interview 3 with Optician Betty A. Lugo
• "SightNation." Buying Prescription Glasses Online. WNY Optical Group, 26 July 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2016. .
• Cunningham, Derek N. "What Is ‘Integrated Eye Care?’." Review of Optometry® What Is 'Integrated Eye Care?' Review of Optometry, 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. .

Concluding Sentence:

Using these details I will form a solid explanation of why this answer is so crucial to my project and how I intend to present it as so.

Blog 18: Answer 2

1. What is your EQ?

How can an optometrist best reduce patient non-compliance in the field? 

2. What is your first answer? (In complete thesis statement format)

Educating patients on the dangers of neglecting their eye health with greatly reduce patient non-compliance in the field.

3. What is your second answer? (In complete thesis statement format)

Improving communication skills between the Optometrist and his Opticians will therefore also improve communication with the patients reducing patient non-compliance in the field. 

4. List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.

A) The patient feels more comfortable when the office staff works like a family.

B) The patient will feel motivated to involve the doctor in their lives. 

C) The Optometrist and Opticians will be able to work together improving the experience of eye care.

5. What printed source best supports your answer?

• Cunningham, Derek N. "What Is ‘Integrated Eye Care?’." Review of Optometry® What Is 'Integrated Eye Care?' Review of Optometry, 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. .

6. What other source supports your answer?

• "Getting Kids Ready for Their Eye Doctor Visit." How to Prepare Young Kids for Their Eye Doctor Visit. VSP Direct. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.
• Liu, Lei and Mark Swanson. “Improving patient outcomes: role of the primary care optometrist in the early diagnosis and management of age-related macular degeneration.” Dovepress. ResearchGate, 18 February 2013. Web. 10 December 2015.

7. Tie this together with a concluding thought.

I plan to get more research supporting my second answer to make it as solid as my first answer that way I'm not a stuttering idiot in front of all of you.



On Friday, 2/26 for Advisory, you will be presenting what you have from this blog. The presentation is more like a share-out and should not last longer than 2 minutes. You don't need a visual, and you should not read what you have written.

Blog 17 - Interview 3 Reflection

Please copy these questions and answer them in your own blog. Attach a link to your video or sound file (at least 5 minutes of what you feel is your best portion). As usual, you'll want an appropriate image to lead this.

This was actually the full and complete interview.  


1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?

The most important thing I learned from this interview is that throughout just a decade of working in this field, things really never get old. I also learned that trust is something that you will need if you wish to work with a team such as the one I mentor with in Upland. I did ask some further questions afterwards to keep for myself as she was only prepared for the ten that needed to be there.

2. How has your approach to interviewing changed over the course of your senior project?

I'm a bit more straight-forward and I get comfortable with the people I am interviewing. I have found that the more comfortable and open that I am with them, the easier the interview is. I also now start to give the questions to the interview a week prior in order for them to prepare.

The text of this interview should be turned in to turnitin.com. A verification form for Interview 3 can be printed out from the Senior Project Packet link on the side of the blog. Do not forget to justify your mentor as an expert in your specific topic. 

Blog 16: Independent Component 2 Approval

Please review the component contract in the senior project packet. The Independent Component 2 is an opportunity for you to add a dimension of creativity and/or an additional outlet for research. The goal of the component is for you to explore your answers in more depth. On Friday, April 22, 2014, you will be turning in the following to your blog to prove completion of this component:

Blog post answering specific questions posted by senior team
Log of hours clearly delineated as Independent Component 2 on the senior project hours spreadsheet (with total number of hours included)
Evidence of the 30 hours of work (e.g. transcript, essays, tests, art work, photographs) as digital artifacts
For this blog post and approval, please answer the following questions.


1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

 I plan to script, storyboard, and film a few small commercials in order to represent what a patient will go through at the Optometrist. It will most likely be geared towards children to help them calm down a bit. 

2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

I plan to extensively script the commercial (2 Hours), Storyboard every scene and camera angle (1-2 Hours), Film for two full days (20 Hours),  draft edit (5 Hours), get my mentors approval (1 hour), and then edit the final draft of the commercials ( 3 Hours.) 

3. Explain how this component will help you explore your topic in more depth.

 It will allow me to explore my answers in more depth like my first answer which was education, my second answer will be based on communication, and my final answer will be recreation or how can I effectively recreate a system that will satisfy the needs of all patients. Making these commercials would allow me to gain a new perspective. I actually plan to have actors to help me out when filming. I plan to actually work with some child actors if I can get some. 

4. Post a log in your Senior Project Hours link and label it "Independent Component 2" log.

I have done so. 

Your answers to the questions should be supported with details and examples for the senior team to understand what you plan to do. Once we review your Blog Post 16, your house teacher will discuss with you the approval of your plan. If it is approved, please start working on it. If it is not approved, your house teacher will explain why. It is your job to address the concerns so you can get your component approved. Additionally, any changes requested must be addressed to your house teacher well in advance of the completion date for full credit on the assignment.

Lesson 2 Reflection

1.What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

I am most proud of my activity and the fact that I got over my fear of public speaking. Everyone seemed to enjoy my activity and enjoy my presentation. It was chaos yet it was still fun to play the game during my activity.

2.

 a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

I would give myself a AE or at least a P because I feel I did great, it was way better than what I did before. I hit all my points, I provided in depth explanations and was able to make people laugh.

b. Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.

I made time on my research talking time and I also hit all the points needed, I referenced my mentor more than once and explained how my answer was used in real life scenarios more than 3 times.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?

I think what worked for me in terms of presenting was just being myself, I tend to be a very humorous person and allowing myself to joke around a bit made me feel a bit more comfortable and confident. I have also been working on my presentation for a couple of weeks so just preparing before hand definitely helped. I also recited my presentation to other people over 5 times.

4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

I may need to adjust the activity a bit and I need to learn how to speak a bit slower. I feel like I rushed myself. I also feel I should write more detailed note-cards although I didn't read off my note-cards as much as I thought I would.

5. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?

I have already planned out all of my answers and my second answer is going to be about communication between the doctor and his opticians and so on and so forth. Optometry doesn't just work by itself it also includes working with the other branches of the eye medical field so having good communication among the staff is as important as anything else. 

Independent Component 1

LITERAL
(a) Write: “I, ___Daren Lugo___, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents __30__ hours of work.”
(b) I worked with my mentor Betty A. Lugo who is an optician at Dr. Donald H. Spaulding's office in Upland, CA. She has worked in that office for over 13 years and has also worked at other offices before this one.
(c) I have updated my hours with all the stuff I have done.
(d) For the last two months  I have been doing extra hours at the office as well as learning new things about how to correctly work with patients.

INTERPRETIVE 

Since I've been working my extra thirty hours I have been able to shadow, study, and observe the opticians and the Optometrist himself. The opticians have a better understanding of how to engage the patients in such a way that is effective and efficient. I sometimes was able to assist the patients myself and most of them were elders and very kind. 

This is me on 1/26/2016

On 1/26/2016, this recent week, I was able to take photos because there weren't many people there. I am usually not able to take photos because it makes the patients a bit uneasy. I was able to take photos before this but it was way back in December and there weren't many. 

Photo taken by mentor

Here in this picture are the walls of frames that I have to clean off every time I am in there. I usually start off with these first, On this day I was a bit hindered by the fact that I actually fell off a stole while dusting behind the top row of frames. It hurt but I was okay. 

This is me on 12/30/2015

This is one of the pictures I was able to take a month before the ones above. On this day I did my usual filing, cleaning of glasses, and was able to assist a couple of patients. This was the day that the doctor spent more than 45 minutes with a patient on. Usually examinations are supposed to be 15-20 minutes max. One of the patients left angry this day. What a shame. 

Here is another picture of the office. 

Here is me in front of the office. It's a pleasant little area. 

Here are some of the files that I have to organize and put into alphabetical order. If patients have an appointment within the next week or so, I pull the files and put them in order based on the time they come in. 

APPLIED
Allowing me to work more hours helped me to observe and study the patient-doctor relationship a bit better. It allowed me to grasp more information as to how much non-compliance affects the field. People put a lot of trust into the doctor and they expect him to be the best he can at his job. He has chosen his opticians wisely and all of them together have great chemistry.

Grading Criteria


Updated log in Senior Project Hours Link (Check)
Evidence of 30 hours of work (Check)
LIA submitted to blog (Check?)

Here is the official video for the place I do my hours at. The Optometrist shown in the video is my old mentor. I have now switched over to one of his opticians also shown below.

My current mentor: Betty A. Lugo

Blog Update - Mentor Change

I have changed mentors from Dr. Donald H. Spaulding to his optician Betty A. Lugo my aunt because I feel that it would best to work with the opticians as they have a better understanding and perspective of how things work between the Doctor himself and the patient. On top of that Opticians not only work with Optometrists but also Ophthalmologists. Working with them will help me learn new things in the Eye Medical Field.
-DCL


(My decision has been approved by my house teacher.)

Blog 14: Third Interview Preparation

How can an optometrist best reduce patient non-compliance in the field? 

For this interview, you will prepare 10 open-ended questions that focus on your newly approved EQ (in fact, your first question can be your EQ). Remember, all interviews must be done in person unless they are specifically approved by your house teacher. Additionally, one person may be interviewed a maximum of two times.

1. Who do you plan to interview? What is this person's area of expertise?

I plan to interview either another optician because I think they have the best perspective of the patients or an ophthalmologist that I currently know of for a new point of view. 

2. Verify that you have called your interviewee to schedule an interview. What is the date and time of the interview?

I have not yet scheduled an interview but I will by the end of next week most likely and it will get done. 

3. Phrase an open-ended question that will help you find research resources that would help to answer the EQ.

Can you tell me what certain things I should be looking out for when studying and observing the patient and doctor relationship? 

4. Phrase an open-ended question that will help you think about other useful activities you might do to help you answer the EQ (IC2, possible experts to talk to, etc).

What are some interesting things that you've learned in your experience working in this field? 

5. Phrase two open-ended questions that help you to understand your interviewee's perspective on an aspect of your EQ.

What's it like for you when you converse with your patients?

Are there ever times where you need to be careful with how you talk with your patients? 

Blog 13: 10 Hour Mentoship Check-In

1. Where are you doing your mentorship?

I am doing my mentorship at the office of  Dr. Donald H. Spaulding, OD in Upland, California. It is a small office in the city surrounded by other offices of multiple practices. 

2. Who is your contact? What makes this person an expert?

My contact is Dr. Donald H. Spaulding who has been an optometrist for many years. Even before I was born. He studied in Michigan and came to California to open his office. If my mentor cannot call himself, one of his opticians will call on his behalf. He tends to extend the time of his check-ups so he is busy on most days. His opticians have worked with him for many years.

3. How many hours have you done during the school year? (Summer Mentorship Hours and Mentorship Hours should be reflected separately in your Senior Project Hours log located on the right hand side of your blog).

Throughout the school year, I have done a total of 52 hours, plus a total of 31 for the independent component. Things can get very repetitive in the office and I am also trying not to get in the way of my mentor.

4. Succinctly summarize what you did, how well you and your mentor worked together, and how you plan to complete the remaining hours.

During my time in the office, I was treated just as the opticians were and I'll also got to observe the patients and the doctor while working behind the scene. The main focus of my mentorship is to observe and study the way the doctor himself interacts with the patients but lately I've been thinking of changing my essential question.

Blog 12: Holiday Project Update

1. It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school. What did you do over the break with your senior project?

Over the break, I actually did work in the office at which my mentor works. All I really did was observe the patients, listen into conversations, organize files, and keep the office clean. I'm in a very difficult situation where I can't really disturb the motion of things in the office so I do my best to observe all that I can.


2. What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why? What was the source of what you learned?

The most important thing that I learned was that patients enjoy talking. They enjoy communication. I believe one of the reasons for this is that older people don't really communicate with people as much as they used when they were younger. This might seem a little depressing, but that's just the way things went for them. The source of this information was just observing all the patients themselves talking to the opticians and with the Doctor.

3. Your third interview will be a 10 question interview related to possible answers for your EQ. Who do you plan to talk to and why?

I still have not planned this part out yet, but I have a few ideas. I may actually talk to an ophthalmologist across the parking lot from my current mentorship. The reason I would talk to an ophthalmologist is because they deal with the patients who fear surgery. He is a surgeon.