Jarian- Week 7

It is my last week at the cancer center and everyone is taking notice. I was told several times by several different people that I should ask for a job when I get back from Innsbruck. Even the boss has told me that I have done things much quicker than he would've ever expected. This week I put all of the chart reviews onto a spreadsheet, and I did an analysis report based on each of the topics in the review. I pointed out declining trends, strengths, points where corrective action was needed and points where preventative measures should be taken in order to prevent the topic from falling below unacceptable reviews. My last day on the job the staff threw me a lunch party, got me a card, and wished me the best of luck. I am so thankful for the seven weeks I have spent with the staff of the North Broward Cancer Center.

Jarian- Week 6

This week I finally finished thinning out all of the charts in the file room, so my boss gave me another task. Similar to the chart reviews that I did with the Radiology Department, I now had the job of evaluating the patient charts for the Oncology/Hemotology and Chemotherapy Departments. I started out by going back to the Medical Records Department, where I had to do chart reviews for the last 3 months of 2010. Then, I reorganized all of the charts that were in the medical records department under the cancer center section. I then came back to do the chart reviews for 2011 and 2012. My boss commented at how quickly I got the chart reviews done.

Jarian Week-5

This week I was still spending most of my time thinning out the patient charts in the file room so that there was more room in there to file away charts. I also spent a lot of time on the phone calling patients who have not come to the cancer center in a while to see if they were still around (as in not dead). It may seem like a very depressing job, and to some extent it really was. But the cancer data center needs that information to determine if people need other kinds of care, or if they need their patient charts anymore. The hardest part is having to hear from the spouse or daughter that the patient has passed away. Its a hard job, and something I didn't want to do, but, understanding that it was something that was necessary for the data center, I did what I could.

Jarian- Week 4

This week I have been given the task of thining out the remaining charts in the filing room. This was no easy task. I had to take each chart, look through them and take out what was old and not needed in the chart anymore. This was a very tedious job, and it kept me busy for the entire week. I am still not done with it all. But this task also had things to teach me about the Oncology/Hemotology department that I never would have learned in the Secretary's desk. I learned exactly where each item was in the chart (a tool that I will need later on in my several weeks here), I learned what labs were from which laboratory, and I learned how the Cancer Center used to run before I was there. While boring, the task was not only important for my learning, but it was important for the entire process of going paperless (which is the original intention of thinning out the charts in the first place). I am excited to see how my work progresses throughout the next few weeks.

Jarian- Week 3

It is week three and I have learned how to do most of the secretary's job (there are complicated things that I will not learn in 7 weeks), I have efficiently run blood up to the lab, I have found patient charts for the next days' office visits and chemotherapy visits, and I have found charts for the staff that need to look into something specific about the patient. But, of course, like every comfort zone, we must find ourselves out to grow. My boss just gave me a new (temporary) assignment. He determined that I was up to the challange of doing the Radiology Department's Chart Reviews. These charts were unlike the ones that I have become familiar with; however, after a few minutes of instruction and showing me where to find the topics of evaluation in the charts, I immediately set to work the Chart Reviews. They took me the entire week, but I finally finished it on Friday afternoon (missing Monday didn't help me much either). The chart reviews were interesting to me because it gave me insight not only on the things that Radiology looks at keeping track of, but it gave me a good base as to the inner workings of the Radiology Department.

Jarian- Week 2

When I think about service, and the service I am providing at the Cancer Center in North Broward Medical Center, I think about what I would define as two different types of service: Direct and Indirect. This week I was asked to clean up the file room by taking all of the old patient charts (2010 and older) to the medical records department. Then, I refiled all of the charts that were in the overflow cabinet. This task, which makes it easier for the staff to find charts and allows for the charts to fit nicely into the filing system, is what I would consider indirect service. I believe that direct service is working directly with the people who need the service. An example of this is working with children at the YMCA, the Little House Next Door, or at the Chisholm Center. Another example of direct service is Habitat for Humanity. Indirect service is service that helps the people who need service by making it easier for them to acquire the services, or by assisting the people who make the service possible for the people in need. An example of indirect service is the border collie rescue that trains the service dogs to make it possible for the people in need to have the service dogs in a timely manner. My job at the cancer center is definitely indirect service because I am helping the patients by making it easier for the staff (and the physicians) to do their jobs.

Kou Week 2

I began volunteering at Florida Rural Legal Services on Monday, June 18. This organization provides legal services to low-income families. On my first day, I made a few calls to Mexico to speak with some farm workers who were mistreated while working in the United States. Last Wednesday I was able to go to Immokalee with two of the paralegals and see first-hand the problems that some of the low-income families face. It was a tiring but emotional day. Most of the families that came in were migrant workers. There are not any legal services in Immokalee so Wednesdays are the only days that the families can come in for legal advice. Some families just came in to get something translated. Most of the people were either Haitian or Hispanic. It was an interesting week and I learned that most farm workers are underrepresented and treated unfairly.