Mentorship is among the countless opportunities we are provided with at MSMS; this program gives students an insight to a field in which they possess an interest in by shadowing a mentor.

Dr. Kayla Hester of the social studies department is this year’s Mentorship coordinator. There was a Mentorship meeting this past Thursday, December 1, where students who possess an interest in this program were able to write down their fields of interest in hopes of being placed there.

Mentees are required to observe a minimum of three hours per week and record hours with a time log signed by the mentor. There are several essays assigned in order to challenge students to learn more about their field of observation and exhibit what they have learned.

Over the course of the semester I have mentored in both the respiratory and mother/baby departments under respiratory therapists and registered nurses.

I observed and experienced the nurse-patient relationship and was introduced to medical terminology in each field.

During my time in respiratory, I was introduced to charting and documenting observations of patients for students in a respiratory program. I also became familiar with procedures such as an arterial blood gas which is used to evaluate a patient’s oxygen level by taking blood from an artery opposed to taking blood from a vein.

My mentors primarily aid the mothers or post-surgery female patients, however I did have a few experiences with newborns. I observed a case of neonatal jaundice which was being treated by phototherapy. Neonatal jaundice is the yellowing of an infant’s skin due to complications with the liver. Neonatal jaundice is commonly treated with phototherapy where the infant’s skin is exposed to ultraviolet light.

Each week I have learned and been introduced to something new. My mentors have gone out of their way numerous times in order to make sure I am observing everything I possibly can and that I understand what is happening.