Blog 14: Independent Component 1

Literal

I, Allyana Salud, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.

My teachers Jeanette Ellis, David Greene, and Noemi Barajas (who filled in for Mr. Greene when he went on medical leave) as well as these 2 books helped me complete my independent component:

Comprehensive Medical Terminology by Betty Davis Jones 

&

Dosage Calculations by Gloria D. Pickar

I attended the course on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:40-5:10P

Syllabus

For my first independent component, I took a class at Citrus College. The Intro to Health Occupations course was a prerequisite for the Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) Program. Four different classes took the same course taught by several professors on Pharmacology & Anatomy/Physiology. Only the top 15% students out of all 4 classes would pass and be eligible to join their LVN Program.  

Interpretive

The class had a very rigorous schedule with tests almost every day. Every Monday and Wednesday I would lug my textbooks to study at school for the coming tests. Although it was a challenging course, I learned an extensive amount of information. Studying and class time is equal to over 30 hours of work as evidenced by me passing the class. I was accepted into the nursing program, but opted not to join the LVN Program in order to finish high school at iPoly. However, it was a rewarding feeling to know that I have what it takes. 

I have Transcript Evidence, which is also located at the right hand side of the blog.

Applied

The class has helped me develop a sense of medical terminology, familiarize myself with the human body, and what nurses do. In order to delve deeper into the topic of nursing I felt it was important to build on the basics first. I've learned how to examine patients, determine pathological conditions possible treatments, calculate dosages, properly document a Medication Administration Record (MAR), and know the legal side of nursing as well. When presenting on the topic of nursing a lot of medical jargon tends to come up. I can now easily break that down. For my activity during the 30 minute presentation the word hepatitis is mentioned. From class I know that "itis" means swelling or inflammation  and "hepat" means liver. Therefore, "hepatitis" is the swelling or inflammation of the liver. When I observe nurses and doctors at my mentorship I have a better grasp on what they're saying (body parts and pathology), can understand what's happening around me, and see how they work together with staff and patients. The class also helped me develop my first answer, which was Patient Assessments. We had a whole section on the topic and I learned how much emphasis was put on it and why.