Networking is a very important tool to have. Within networking, there are strong and weak ties. Strong ties are more interpersonal than weak ties. Weak ties are usually people you do not know. Strong ties are definitely more comfortable to reach out to than weak ties. There are pros and cons to both ties. For this particular informational session, I used a strong tie. I went through my mother to reach out to her friend who is an anesthesiologist. An anesthesiologist is a physician trained in anesthesia, the insensitivity to pain, especially during surgery or other noninvasive procedures. I have had no contact with her previously. I just thought for somewhere to start, it would be good to ask my mother if she knew anyone in the health profession. If there is one thing I am sure about, it is I want to work in the health profession as a physician. However, there are many specialties for a physician to partake in. Therefore, I thought it would be helpful to interview someone who falls into this criteria.
The interview itself went well. She was a very sweet person. I assumed because she had previous experiences working with patients when they felt most vulnerable. At first, I was nervous speaking with her. I did not know what to expect. Was she going to be able to answer all my questions? Were these questions too personal? How were they going to make her feel? I did not want to intrude into her personal moments. By the end of the interview, all the questions above did not exist anymore. She made me feel comfortable enough to ask her anything. I was able to get a real perspective on her career and the path she took to get there. In her first years of her career, she said her most difficult decision had to be the balance between work life and home life. Making sure she was able to provide for her children financially was just as important as being there physically. Strangely, she described the relationship between her work and children like being between a rock and hard place. Her career and children both make her happy and are very dear to her heart, but they also both require a great devotion of time. So what does she do to balance both, and not give too much of her time to one over the other? This question was a process for her. It was not an answer she got over night, but an answer that came with much trial and error.
With the example above, you can also see that when faced with difficult decisions most times she did not have the answer, but she took advantage of the trial and error process. If something did not work, she would find something else and try again until she reached the results she wanted. As far as what was not helpful, it was not helpful to think answers were going to be developed over night. It was not helpful to think you could do everything yourself. She explained the big picture as she only being one piece to the puzzle of helping individuals in the hospital. Everyone was a puzzle piece, and needed each other to get the big picture, or the results they wanted. Not one person could be every puzzle piece. She said when first working in her career she wish she would have asked more questions. She wish she did not take as much time to dive head first into her career. She wish her nervousness would have subsided quicker. To her younger self she just wanted to say be hungry; therefore, ask questions and be selfish in your career. Be the one to speak up, and not be scared of the response. Be the one to find the answers you are looking for. Do not just take someone’s word for it.
In her career, there was an ethical or values-based dilemma that stood out to her the most. She would not go into great details about the situation, since certain laws are in place to protect the individual. However, she definitely touched on navigating the issue in the generic sense. In short, a patient needed to be resuscitated, and she was unable to help them. As far as her way to navigate these dilemmas, she asks herself a series of questions. Does this decision fall in line with her, and the patient’s values? Will she regret this later? Is any harm taking place? In conjunction, she talks with other colleagues in hopes of new information, or thoughts, being brought to the table.
Throughout this informational session you can see where new learning has been gained as a result of speaking with my professional. I am now aware of the difficulties that may arise when becoming a physician, especially a specialized one. I know it is better to ask questions and ask for help. One is definitely not expected to have all the answers. The meaning of this new information is more than what one sees. This information will guide me in my future endeavors. It will make me think twice about things, especially since someone’s life is in my hands. Ultimately, this information will allow me to not have to make the mistakes that someone else did.
The interview itself went well. She was a very sweet person. I assumed because she had previous experiences working with patients when they felt most vulnerable. At first, I was nervous speaking with her. I did not know what to expect. Was she going to be able to answer all my questions? Were these questions too personal? How were they going to make her feel? I did not want to intrude into her personal moments. By the end of the interview, all the questions above did not exist anymore. She made me feel comfortable enough to ask her anything. I was able to get a real perspective on her career and the path she took to get there. In her first years of her career, she said her most difficult decision had to be the balance between work life and home life. Making sure she was able to provide for her children financially was just as important as being there physically. Strangely, she described the relationship between her work and children like being between a rock and hard place. Her career and children both make her happy and are very dear to her heart, but they also both require a great devotion of time. So what does she do to balance both, and not give too much of her time to one over the other? This question was a process for her. It was not an answer she got over night, but an answer that came with much trial and error.
With the example above, you can also see that when faced with difficult decisions most times she did not have the answer, but she took advantage of the trial and error process. If something did not work, she would find something else and try again until she reached the results she wanted. As far as what was not helpful, it was not helpful to think answers were going to be developed over night. It was not helpful to think you could do everything yourself. She explained the big picture as she only being one piece to the puzzle of helping individuals in the hospital. Everyone was a puzzle piece, and needed each other to get the big picture, or the results they wanted. Not one person could be every puzzle piece. She said when first working in her career she wish she would have asked more questions. She wish she did not take as much time to dive head first into her career. She wish her nervousness would have subsided quicker. To her younger self she just wanted to say be hungry; therefore, ask questions and be selfish in your career. Be the one to speak up, and not be scared of the response. Be the one to find the answers you are looking for. Do not just take someone’s word for it.
In her career, there was an ethical or values-based dilemma that stood out to her the most. She would not go into great details about the situation, since certain laws are in place to protect the individual. However, she definitely touched on navigating the issue in the generic sense. In short, a patient needed to be resuscitated, and she was unable to help them. As far as her way to navigate these dilemmas, she asks herself a series of questions. Does this decision fall in line with her, and the patient’s values? Will she regret this later? Is any harm taking place? In conjunction, she talks with other colleagues in hopes of new information, or thoughts, being brought to the table.
Throughout this informational session you can see where new learning has been gained as a result of speaking with my professional. I am now aware of the difficulties that may arise when becoming a physician, especially a specialized one. I know it is better to ask questions and ask for help. One is definitely not expected to have all the answers. The meaning of this new information is more than what one sees. This information will guide me in my future endeavors. It will make me think twice about things, especially since someone’s life is in my hands. Ultimately, this information will allow me to not have to make the mistakes that someone else did.