December Blog Post

          Due to this month being December, there have been no marathons that I have been allowed to work at  and my mentor is in-between classes, so I have not been able to assist him in teaching a class. In order to continue my senior project work, I have been rereading the EMT and EMR textbooks that were given to me by my mentor. This has prevented me from forgetting some of the important details that I have learned throughout my mentorship. Also, due to some minor user-error, I needed to resupply and rearrange my medical equipment. By the end of Christmas Break, I should have my first aid kit and medical bag restocked.

Blog 9

1.   Review this.  Confirm by stating "I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ."


I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ.

2.  Review the following EQs and

• Tell us if it meets the rule of 3 criteria.
• Tell why it does or why it doesn't

a.  What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?

This EQ seems to follow the criteria. It provides a framework for studies, takes a stance and is specific.

 b.  What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?

This EQ could be more specific about which career field will be used for the basis of research.

 c.  What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?

This EQ does not seem to take a specific stance.

 d.  How can an Anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?

This EQ could be more specific about which kind of chronic pain.

3.  Based on your review of the rule of 3 and your experience with assessing four EQs, please write another draft EQ for your senior project.

What is the most improtant element for a bystander to know to effectively manage a medical emergency?

Blog 8

1.  What is your working EQ?

What is the most effective course of action a bystander can take in a medical emergency?
2.  What is a possible answer to your working EQ? Please write the answer in thesis format. 

EQ: What is the most effective course of action a bystander can take in a medical emergency?

• Treating the injured patient(s) to the best of your ability.
• Assesing and taking control of the medical emergency.

3.  What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ? 

My most important source is First Responder by J. David Bergeron and Chris Le Baudour, which is a textbook used in most California EMT/EMR classes. This helped me come up with my answer because it goes into great detail about incident assesments and the Good Samaritan laws, which protect citizens who try to help save lives in medical emergencies.

4.  Who is your mentor, or where are you volunteering, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

My mentor is my dad, whom is an EMT for the United States Forest Service and teaches incoming firefighters First Aid techniques. I work with him and other EMTs at marathons and I assist in teaching some of his classes. This relates to what I am doing by helping me learn new first aid techniques and allowing me to get hands-on experience in minor medical emergencies.

Blog 7

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

For my 30 hours, I will be working at a 100-mile marathon in Long Beach in November and a 24-hour marathon in January. I have worked at events like these before, but strictly as an observer. Now that I have a First Aid/CPR card, I will be independently treating patients as if I were an actual EMT. My mentor will be providing a first aid bag for me so that I will need to use my personal knowledge of the equipment to best treat the patients. 

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

For the event in November, my mentor will be taking short videos and/or pictures of me treating patients. As for the event in January, I have been discussing with Angel Flores the possibility of him coming with me and my mentor to the 24-hour marathon and using his photography expertise. This way, he will be able to receive experience and hours by taking pictures of the event for the event coordinators and, as a trade-off, he will be taking pictures of the EMT's and I treating patients.

3.  And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

These two events will help me better understand my topic because I will actually be using the knowledge I have acquired  in real-world situations. There is no better way of learning First Aid than by actually practicing it.

First Responder Bag

As part of my mentorship, my mentor wanted me to go through his medical bags a familiarize myself with the equipment. I took a picture of some of the items that I examined (shown in the picture above), most of which can be found in most EMT First Responder medical bags. The items in the picture are a stethoscope, a blood pressure cuff, a splint, an emergency blanket, a Pocket Mask (which is used to perform CPR without the need for direct contact with the patient), scissors, tape, gauze, sterilized water and several individual gauze pads.

Blog 6

1. Who is your mentor and where do they work?

My mentor's name is Robert Ethridge and he works with the Forest Service as an EMT.

2. What five questions will ask them about their background?

• How long have you been an EMT (including how long he was in each rank of EMT that he has gone through)?
• How long did it take to become an EMT?
• What classes and/or training programs did you have to take?
• Is there a higher rank of EMT that you wish to become?
• Were you in a profession, prior to your current one, that involved medical/first aid?

Blog 5

1. What positive thing happen as a result of what you have completed so far?

- The most positive thing that has happened from what I have completed so far would be the fact that I have become more prepared an emergency, medical or any other, due to the scene assessment and "taking charge" skills I have learned. Most of these skills were learned from m mentor and his co-workers.

2. Pick a piece of research or your interview. How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic?

- My Emergency Care textbook has been the most helpful because of the wide array of medical knowledge and 'rule-of-thumbs' for EMTs it holds. I have not tested my newfound knowledge yet in a real scenario, and I hope I won't need to, but I believe I have gained a better understanding of my topic rom this book.

3. What has worked for you so far in the senior project?

- My mentor has been a huge help in my learning process. He is constantly supplying me with textbooks to read and can answer any questions I have. 

4. What hasn't worked so far? 

- Something that has been a problem with my senior project is that there are few opportunities for community service, but I have planned to work at a couple of marathons, one in November and the other in March. I am hoping to eventually be able to assist my mentor with teaching his EMT classes.

5.  What is a potential question you would like to study this year?  (working EQ) What do you plan to do for mentorship?  If you haven't found a mentor yet, then discuss where you are currently looking and who you are talking to to find it. 

- A potential EQ that I would like to study is; What is the most effective course of action a bystander can do in a medical emergency?

For my mentorship hours, I will be volunteering at marathons and hopefully by assisting my mentor with teaching  his EMT classes

First Aid Kit

This is a basic first aid kit that my mentor helped me create with supplies that can bought at most CVS's and Rite Aides'. It consists of several different kinds of Band-Aids, including 8 pierce patches, 1 butterfly bandage (designed to keep deep cuts closed), and 1 Spider-Man Band-Aid. I also like to keep a set of Triple Antibiotic ointment packets in my first aid kit in case of possible infected injuries. For little cuts and scrapes, I keep a 'Neo-To-Go' Neosporin spray canister. All of these items fit in a small box that can fit in your pocket and is perfect for most minor injuries.

Blog 4

1. Who do you plan to interview? Why?

For the first interview, I am interviewing my dad, whom is my mentor. I picked him because out of all the people I considered interviewing, I am most comfortable talking to him. Another reason why I picked him is because we have similar schedules, so it was very easy to schedule the interview.

2. You have to ask 5 questions.  What additional questions do you plan to ask? 

I do not have any additional questions to ask at the moment, but I am planning on having follow-up questions to my mentors' responses. This will help me as practice for the next interviews.

Blog 3

Topic: First Aid

I will most likely be able to grow in the ESLR's because of the projects that I will participate in this year. My senior project will make me a better I-Poly Citizen, whom "assumes responsibilities for his actions and respects and acknowledges the rights and responsibilities of others," due to my new position in ASB. Earning money for the senior class had become my only priority in ASB, so I will need to learn how to step back and let the senior ASB team handle it and focus mainly on the Treasurers' duties. Becoming an Effective User of Technology will also be helped by my senior project, because of the wide array of continuously improving technology in the First Aid realm. I will constantly research such technology and see if I may acquire some access to it through my mentor. The Model Assembly will help me grow in the Effective Communicator because, from what I have heard about the project, I will need to coordinate with my group members in an appropriate an effective fashion to create a proper debate. Last but not least, senior year in general will force me to step up to the the challenge of learning on my own through constant research for the Model Assembly and my senior project. Knowledge will not be handed to us anymore, and it is good that we learn that fact now before college.

Summer Mentorship

1. Summer Mentorship Log

2. Robert Ethridge
(909) 297-9272

3. What questions were raised because of the 10 hours of experience?

• How are the rules and regulations of an EMT different depending on the region?
• How is seniority among EMTs determined?

4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

In my opinion, the most important thing I learned from this experience was proper emergency assessment. Knowing how to effectively deal with a medical emergency, even if you don't know how to treat the injured person(s) can save lives. Previously, I had always believed that treating the patient was always the first and only objective, but this can cause even more damage.

5. How did what you did help you choose a topic?

I have decided to stick with First Aid as my topic because there is still so much to learn and having this knowledge can come in handy one day. I have also learned that I now have a wide array of EMT's that I can ask if I have questions thanks to my mentor's class. I think I may have my EQ be "What do you need to effectively handle a medical emergency?" I can divide this question into three answers; knowledge, equipment and calm incident assessment. The latter would most likely be my best answer, because I learned in the First Aid class that this is the most useful skill to have.

Senior Presentations

1.) The senior presentations that I viewed are; 

Marathon Running by Bobbie Rodriguez

Designing Haunted Attraction by Lucas Acosta

Horticulture by Danielle Carlson

Criminal Investigation by Gawen Grunloh

Social Media Networking by Mariah Caputo

Yoga by Alyssa Soberano

Firefighting by Joseph Luna

Fashion by Arista De La Riva

Theater Technician by Dolores Rios

Music Journalism by Jose Cadena

Marine Conservation Biology by Eric Reynolds

Body Building by Dina Sambo

Homelessness by Lauren DeVaughn

Equine Assisted Therapy by Amber Meek.

2.) I have already asked the seniors many questions regarding projects next year, but I something I never asked was; What are the Research Checks for and what do we research? It seemed like every week, the seniors had another research check due.

3.) It seems to me that the most important part of the senior project was the ability to create a specific essential question and effectively answer it in the senior presentation without going astray. A few of the presentations I viewed did not seem to answer their own essential questions.

4.) I am considering doing my senior project on First Aid. I have always enjoyed learning medical techniques from my dad, whom is an EMT, and helping people who are hurt. Ever since freshman year, it has pained me to hear how little people know about first aid. Some people that I know don’t even know what to do when they receive a burn. I want to try to teach some of the basic First Aid techniques that I believe everyone should know and can do at home.