Essential Question

My essential question was," How can we prevent injuries that could have been avoided by simply educating people on ergonomics?"
The major factors that lead to injuries like carpal tunnel and back pain stem from bad posture and a weak core. good posture is having your shoulder's relaxed, core tight, and sitting straight up. While sitting your posture should be the same but with feet flat on the ground, elbows relaxed at your sides, wrists straight,a nd the material you are typing should be eye level to prevent any neck strain. Abdominal muscles are connected to your back, hips, and pelvis. If it is weak it will lead to compensation on your other body parts which creates pain. To event these injuries it is important to take 3 minute beaks frequently while working and making sure you are practicing good posture. I learned a lot about how to prevent these injuries to make me healthier. It was cool to do a project that I might to in college. Now knowing that if I want a good project I need to research not only things based on my question but supporting evidence. Next time I do this I will try to find actual case studies and spend more time researching. I presented my information with a prezi and did exercises and stretches with my views to interact and make it a more personal project. I chose this subject because at my internship majority of the people that come in had some sort of back, neck, or shoulder pain. That can all be caused from having a weak core and poor posture. If people were educated about the damaging effects of sitting at a computer and over-working can have on the body, it might decrease the chances of one having those injuries.From watching other projects I learned how important stretching is and how technology is beginning to take over the nursing occupation. From my presentation to the ones I have seen I thought the project went very successfully. Being separated into our passion groups was good because I got to see questions that other people with my passion had, which interested me. Personally, I would've liked to present I front of the whole class just because it would've been fun to teach 30 beginning college students good tips to prevent carpal tunnel and back pain. We will all be glued to a computer soon to finish college homework so it would be good to know some quick exercises now so they can start to practice.

Personality Test: Accurate or Not?

Holland Code Quiz: SEC
Realistic: 6      Investigative: 2    Artistic: 1    Social: 12    Enterprising: 11    Conventional: 7
Job Titles: Educator Administrator, Preschool and Childcare Center/ Program, Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers, Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Officer.

Myers-Briggs Test: ESFJ
Extravert: 50%  Sensing: 9%   Feeling: 12%  Judging: 3%

"Warmhearted, conscientious, and cooperative. Want harmony in their environment, work with determination to establish it. Like to work with others to complete tasks accurately and on time. Loyal, follow through even in small matters. Notice what others need in their day-by-day lives and try to provide it. Want to be appreciated for who they are and for what they contribute."
More: 
http://www.typefinder.com/personality-type-tf/ESFJ

    Doing the personality tests are quite interesting. I probably wouldn't do them in my free time but they remind me of the tests that come in TigerBeat Magazine 'or other magazines I read when I was younger. It's hard to generalize personality types, it seems as if there are so many different combinations then the ones included in the descriptions.
     I did not think that the Holland Test was very accurate. I like kids but I feel I would excel better in an environment where I can socialize and educate young adults or older. All of the jobs they matched I could not see myself doing, maybe because I have been so passionate about physical therapy. The traits that the jobs required resemble somethings I would need to be a physical therapist, such as, patience for patients that need that extra explanation, problem solving to create an affective treatment plan or maybe find a diagnosis, organization so patient charts do not get mixed up and everything is documented correctly, and so much more.
     The Myers-Briggs test was pretty accurate. I have a ESFJ personality type which basically means I am easy to work with and very attentive to people around me. Everything that was described matched up to me pretty much perfectly. I aspire to help people and assist them in healing to improve their quality of life. Taking a test that actually resembled how I think I am as a person was very satisfying. At Starbucks and my internship I see these traits as I act with customers and patients. Even my mom says I'm a people pleaser, which at times can be bad. I put other people in front of myself and sometimes I'm the one that gets hurt from it.
     These tests should not determine the view you set for yourself. The only person that can tell you what kind of personality type you are is you. Even though they are fun to do and when you get the answers you want to hear, it feels good. Especially if you take the, "Which Jonas Brother will you pair well with?" test from Tigerbeat, and get Nick Jonas as your perfect match.

SuccYES

     Everyone has different goals they spend their life trying to reach to become, in their eyes, "successful". Success can be defined in a number of ways. To me success will be found when I'm sitting amongst a crowd of thousands of other proud family members, with my husband, watching my child or children graduate high school. As cheesy and cliché that may sound, to me it is a mile stone in my life knowing that my children worked hard to get to the next chapter of their lives with my help. It is known in order to be successful you have to work hard and excel in everything you do. Being a good example for my kids, I hope, will encourage them to pursue a career they are passionate in. I want to share my knowledge about life, education, and anything else that might help them become successful for themselves.
     My standards for success have come from the environment around me. Living in San Ramon it is a standard to go to college after high school. Seeing people in this valley drive nice cars and live in extravagant houses then traveling outside of this circle to a place to see a city not as "rich", is eye opening to how lucky we are to live in such a nice community. The life I live now is wonderful; I am safe in my house, my parents love and encourage me, I get a fantastic education, and so much more. I want my children to live a life that is similar. My parents work hard not only to keep a roof over our head but to teach me valuable life lessons about giving a 100% or not letting anyone step all over you. Success is more than money and materialist things, it's about how you use your time on earth to spread you knowledge with others, family or not. In order to live a life I see is successful, I will do anything. I have a goal that I want to achieve and nothing will get in the way of me getting there.

 "Knowledge gained through experience is far superior and many times more useful than bookish knowledge." -Gandhi 

Goals: Setting Them and Keeping Them

     I have never written down any of the goals I've set for myself, short term or long term. If I have a lot of things todo I'll make a check list but nothing to track my progress on the "bigger picture". Taking the time to write out my specific goals was enlightening yet frightening. It's easy to write down what you would want to do, but taking into consideration the steps you need to follow through and how long it may take. I am the kind of person that likes to get things done as soon as possible, so seeing a list of things only time can take care of intimidates me. It is up to me to actually follow through with these day to day steps in order to achieve my goals. In the long run, setting up this list really set a path for me to achieve what I would like in an efficient manner. 

    A basic goal I have for myself is become healthier and get in shape. I would call this a lifetime goal because when I am older it is something I want to continue doing. If I want to be healthy I need to work out at least three times a week, eat less processed food, and drink a lot of water. Cheating on my diet or missing one day of the gym will not kill me, but if I want to reach my goal I can't let those, "Oh it's one day," or "I'll work it off later," excuses take control and become and everyday thing. 

     With me leaving for college in a few months I need to get my study habits up again. Second semester senior year has me really procrastinating, which I have never done in the past. So I don't bring these bad habits to college I need to start fixing them now. For statistics, I will start doing my reading and taking notes. At the time it may seem like an inconvenience but it will prepare me for the test and keep me from falling behind. I can read more books in my free time instead of watching Netflix. It is so much easier to sit in bed and turn my brain off than engage in a book, but reading will make me a much more knowledgeable person. 

     A long with me leaving for college, I want to strengthen my relationships with my family so they know just how much they are doing for me and how much I appreciate it. I don't see my dad too often so I want to take time to go and see him more. With my mom, I want to do more things around the house for her and be less snappy. I tend to have a short temper lately because of all the stress of school and college but I really need to think before I react, she's been nothing but good to me. My grandparents do so much for me and I want to find a way to repay them. I will continue to work hard to make them proud but they deserve the everything.

     My friends mean everything to me. With the distance of college splitting us up. I don't want us to grow apart. I haven't been spending that much quality time with them which I should start doing. We need our girls nights every now and then to just relax. Keeping in touch will not be a problem but while we are away we should stay in contact. They are people I hope to be friends with for a long time. 

     It will take me awhile to finish all my school, because I want to be a physical therapist I will need to get my bachelors and then a doctorate, which is a total of about seven years of school, and maybe more if the requirements change. Let's just average 10 years, in those years I need to continue to work hard and make a name for myself. By taking every opportunity presented to me and giving my 110% to everything I do, I will get to where I want to be. It will take a while but if I put in extra time and do extra research just to expand my knowledge of the field it will help.

     

Bucket List

Just some things I'd like to do before I die:

1. Get married
2. Have kids
3. Get an internship for the University of Oregon Ducks Football team
4. Be an Athletic Trainer for the Warriors
5. Become a Physical Therapist
6. Get a tattoo of something meaningful to me
7. Crowd Surf
8. Go to the Grammy's
9. Go to Fiji                        

   

   Fiji

10. Skydive in Fiji
11. Eat pizza in Italy         

    

    Venice Italy

12. Go to New York on New Years    

    

    New York on NYE

13. Be in the newspaper
14. Save a life
15. Bring the homeless care package
16. Go to airport and buy the first ticket leaving
17. Live in Canada for a few months
18. Go whale watching in Alaska
19. Meet the Queen of England
20. Sing the national anthem at a sports game
21. Go on a road trip with my friends
22. Go to EDC                                        

    

    EDC

23. Go to Burning Man
24. Be a back up dancer for a headline tour
25. Cook with Paula Dean
26. Have comic book of my life made
27. Do donuts in a convertible Ferrari         
28. Create an app
29. See the Fairy Pools in Scotland    

    

    Fairy Pools in Scotland

    

    Donuts in a Ferrari

30. Live by the beach
31. Ride the London Eye
32. Have sushi in Japan
33. See the Northern Lights    

    

    Northern Lights

34. Learn how to do the splits 
35. Go on an African Safari
36. Sit in the Hot Springs in Iceland                                              

    

    Hot Springs in Iceland

37. Pay a strangers bill at a restaurant
38. Learn how to surf
39. Have a gyro in Greece
40. Go to all 50 states
41. Buy a house for my mom
42. Get fit
43. Jump in a pool full of Jello
44. Adopt a German Shepard    

    

    German Shepard

45. Cage dive with sharks
46. Go scuba diving                                                               

    

    Greece

47. Take my family on a really nice vacation
48. Be an extra in a movie
49. Give a generous donation to a charity
50. Pay back my grandparents for all they do for me
51. Actually do the things on my bucket list

One Book Down...

     Lights & Sirens: The Education of a Paramedic, by Kevin Grange, is the story of a Paramedic in Los Angeles, California. At the age of 36, Kevin Grange enrolled in the UCLA- Daniel Freeman Paramedic Education Program, considered the most intense paramedic training program in the world. The book followed Grange through the traumatic days of a paramedic; the traumas, the emotion, the strength, etc. It was very eye opening into how intense and quick the world of a paramedic is. Those men and women have to be on their best game 24/7 and be prepared for whatever may be thrown at them. The things they see and encounter takes a lot of courage and strength to work through in order to save a human life. Teamwork was the overall theme of this autobiography, which is an obvious and important factor when working in such an urgent environment.

    My favorite part in the book was when Grange had to go into the labor and delivery ward (L&D  ward), at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica. It is part of the paramedic training that the paramedics must spend at least a day in the L&D ward in order for them to prepare to deliver a baby in the field if necessary. That day, Grange helped deliver four new borns. Two of which had some health problems but were resolved with the correct treatment. The third baby Grange was on his own to assess after the birth. Everything when smoothly and it was actually kind of nice to read about something more than sickness and death. The rest of the chapter was just as interesting, but a little more sad and depressing. Finishing his time at the hospital he did basic medical things; IVs, ECGs, blood sugar levels, checked with patients, etc, but on his second shift a seven month old child, completely different than the ones previously mentioned, came in the ambulance with a 'Do Not Resuscitate' order. Grange was puzzled to why a seven month old would have a DNR order. He assumed because of child abuse but the baby was actually diagnosed with brittle bone disease, osteogenesis imperfect, which the life expectancy isn't more than a year. Grange and the other doctors worked together to get the baby stable, which was a success, but Grange knew it wouldn't be stable for much longer.  The doctors never gave up and in the end helped this baby and family. There are always goods and bads in the life of the paramedic and some are harder to take than others.

     My favorite quote was actually in my favorite part as well. "As I walked across the room, holding that little life in my hands, I felt the greatest joy and couldn't help but consider that moment as complementary to my experience in the cadaver lab. As paramedics, we'd see dead bodies- stiff and discolored with rigor mortis and lividity- but we would also welcome babies into the world."         (pg. 169). When I read this quote I felt strangely calm. We work our whole lives to be someone great and successful, to do what we love and make a living off of it. New borns are a blank slate, they can be anything they want to be, the options are endless. The power of holding a baby is very promising and soothing, they don't know what you have been through or what you have seen, they don't understand. Grange witnesses the terrible aspects of life everyday, seeing those traumatic events may cause you to forget how innocent, pure, and naïve we once were.

       This book relates to my iQuest area of interest because it is in the medical field. I want to help people, my profession may not be as intense but I still want to make a difference in people's lives while working with a team. Giving my all to better one of my patients just so they can improve is very important in my career goal. My eyes were opened to all of the things that could potentially go wrong in everyday life. Those trauma patients, after all their treatment, are going to need a physical therapist to help recover, not all lives are saved from just in the hospital. If a person is considering going into the medical field I highly recommend this book. You also get educated about just basic protocol paramedics have in the field and different injuries that could happen. Overall,

just a very interesting book that is easy to read and draws attention.

TED Talks

Before this post I have never watched a TED talk and I never knew how informative they actually are. I watched one by Cosmic Mihaiu in March 2015, who is a physical therapy entrepreneur who used computer software to change physical therapy, called "Physical Therapy is Boring- Play a Game Instead". Himself and three other colleagues created a computer software called Mira that makes physical therapy for children, adults, seniors, and other types of patients fun. Patients go to physical therapy but the problem remains with continuing the exercises at home which makes the patient heal in a longer amount of time . This software makes the exercises less boring and more fun with interactive games designed specifically for that patient. The exercises can be done along side your physical therapist for motivation and interaction. Plus, at the end of the session your progress is tracked for you to see if you improved, your strengths and weaknesses, and your speed. Your physical therapist can see the whole report of your session and base the next treatment off of your progress. It was really interesting that just this software can detect all your movement and progress with out even talking to a person. This will definitely will decrease healing time frames and further injury prevention. Right not it is only used in ten countries in Europe and the U.S. so hopefully this software begins to take off. When I did my physical therapy that was a major problem for me, actually doing my exercises at home. This software can increase patient productivity and make physical therapy better as a whole. I would recommend this TED talk because it is very enlightening on how technology is changing physical therapy. By the time I am a physical therapist more and more software agents will come out to aid the rehabilitation process and maybe make in more efficient in motivation people to actually do their prescribed exercises.


Cosmin Mihaiu TED talk