PHI DELTA EPSILON

APRIL|2014 Skip to Contents

Sam
Find out about the Care Extender Program available at UCLA. PG. 2

+
CALIFORNIA THETA CHAPTER EST. 2007

-Mission StatementPhi Delta Epsilon International Medical Fraternity creates physicians of integrity with a life-long commitment to our guiding principles of philanthropy, deity, and education through fellowship, service, mentoring, and formal training in leadership, science, and ethics.

Hafridha

See how volunteering impacts lives. PG. 3

Cameron

Learn about the leadership position at Cope Care Extender . PG 4

Jane

Read about the Cope Care Extender Program at Glendale Adventist PG 6

Courtne See what you missed at Mellad y

and Dianas AMCAS 101 PG 7

+
~Fun Fact~
Due to the fact that there is no gravity to separate the gas and liquid in the stomach, astronauts can't burp in outer space.

Greetings Brothers and Sisters

Welcome to the Second Edition of PhiDE (CA Theta) Spring 2014 Newsletter! Spring break is here and a well-deserved rest is needed for all of us both physically and mentally. Take the time to relax, sit back, and enjoy what our newsletter has to offer for our curious and interested minds. In this edition, we will have members describe their experiences in a hospital setting, learn about new discoveries in the medical field, and more! From all of us, we wish you good health, wonderful endeavors, and a safe spring break. Best Regards, The E-Board Samantha Cappuccino, Amanda Rosales, Devon Terraciano, Gabriela Rubin De Celis, & Dennis Villa, Jr. P.S. Hang in there everyone, summer vacation will be here before you know it!

THE CENTRAL LINE

APRIL|2014

Getting exposure to these types of situations gave me a new perspective on patient care, hospital environments, and how I see myself fitting in to the medical world.
I choose clinical volunteer work because I wanted to get more exposure to being in the medical environment. I was part of the Care Extender (CE) program at UCLA, which was a great inside look in to one of the best attempts before getting in, but its well worth fighting for. You can visit the UCLA CE website (http://www.uclahealth.org/site.c fm?id=74) or ask me for more information about the program and interview process. In my volunteer experience, I have seen, smelt, and slipped in every possible bodily fluid there is. And I know to some that would seem like a turn off, but because of that exposure I now know I can handle the less glamorous side of patient care. It is better to get this exposure now, then to be in your 3rd year of medical school doing rotations and suddenly realize you dont like it. Plus you get some really interesting stories out of it. Radiology and ER were my favorite departments. In both places I was able to view different procedures such as central line placement, ascites drainage, a rapid induced drug withdrawal, scabies, x-ray of a gun shot victim, drug-induced psychosis, and the removal of

medical schools and hospitals in

the nation. There are different department options for Ronald Regan and Santa Monica hospital including; ER, Radiology, ICU, NICU, CCL, Oncology, Ortho, Pediatrics, Med Surg., Postpartum, and

half a sewing needle from a

patients foot. And on two occasions, I was able to perform CPR. Getting exposure to these types of situations gave me a new perspective on patient care, hospital environments, and how I see myself fitting in to the

many others. Quarterly

application cycles are usually held in January, April, July and October. The program is a yearlong commitment (about 250 hours) and you complete one 4-hour shift a week. Sometimes it takes multiple

medical world. I strongly

recommend clinical experience to anyone thinking about a future in medicine. Feel free to ask questions about the program. --Samantha Cappuccino 2

FACTA NON VERBA, DEEDS NOT WORDS

THE CENTRAL LINE

APRIL|2014

+ routine sometimes forgetting people are sick and on the

fringe of death. a Students pursuing
department. At first, it started out a volunteer position at a hospital for clinical exposure, experience, and for the personal satisfaction that comes out of helping others. I, on the other moving patients in and out of the radiology department, or moving patients from one department to another. But as I started warming up to the

Living our everyday lives, we tend to go about our daily

position where the patients and

career in the medical field will seek out as a tedious responsibility of their loved ones made a huge difference in my life. The stories of the patients battles and how it had impacted their loved ones were truly surreal and humbling. Living our everyday lives, we

hand, did not start volunteering for

any of the aforementioned reasons. As a socially active high school student, my priorities were to solely finish my hours before I started senior year because volunteering at a medical facility was one of the graduation

patients, making sure they were tend to go about our daily

comfortable as I was relocating them, a lot of them were routine sometimes forgetting people are sick and on the

enthusiastically open about their fringe of death. While theyre struggles. From then on, I realized how I had taken this opportunity for granted. My struggling with their health, their family and friends are also heavily impacted by the

position is more than just a four- situation trying to cope.

requirements. Being placed in the

Radiology department, there

hour responsibility that I

Thoughts of illness never really

dreaded. These patients wanted ran through my mind, and I came off as oblivious Despite the fact that my job as a sometimes. Their profound volunteer was to help make a difference in the medical community, big or small, actually found myself in a words of sincerity and genuine insight about life matured me into the young woman I am

wasnt much help needed because their stories to be heard. patients were constantly going in and out of the department. A lot of my time was allocated towards helping the transporters since it was conjoined with the

(continued)
3

FACTA NON VERBA, DEEDS NOT WORDS

THE CENTRAL LINE APRIL|2014 today. My hospital shifts carried a lot more weight to me than just something I can put on my resume. I gained a lot more than just the proper hospital etiquette, the appropriate way to help a patient out of their bed, or how to work an EKG machine. Volunteering at the hospital gave me something life cannot tack monetary value on. The stories shared to me are valued mementos I will always carry with me. From this experience, I learned to take on anything life may hand to you, whether it may be on a grand scale or something of smaller size, every opportunity has a lesson to be learned. We just have to be open-minded.

--Hafridha Hadi

- sodales.

I have come to learn that my passion lies in teaching people and helping them gain confidence within themselves to learn, a skill that will serve me greatly as a physician. Dear Phide,

I hope that everybody is having a great semester and enjoying some down time during their spring break. I would now like to discuss both the importance of volunteering during your undergraduate career, in terms of why medical schools look for this in their applicants, as well as a

couple of volunteering opportunities that I have personally undertaken during my time as an

undergraduate. The reason that medical schools look for individuals who have had volunteering experience is because they want to see that individuals were not only able to manage their academic studies on top of volunteering, showing that you are good at time managing and self-discipline, but because they also want to see that you have other interest that go beyond the hard sciences and studying for your classes. There are two main types of volunteering that it is recommended that you undertake. There is clinical volunteering, in which you gain experience within a healthcare setting, and there is non-clinical experience, in which you take part in opportunities that fall outside of a healthcare FACTA NON VERBA, DEEDS NOT WORDS 4

THE CENTRAL LINE

APRIL|2014

setting .It is very important that you take

the time to gain experience within a healthcare setting because this is not only going to help you see if you can handle the fast-paced environment of patient care, but it will also help you answer a very important question, Is this something that I can see myself doing for the rest of my

team and executive team, serving as both a

recruitment and training coordinator as well as the assistant director of recruitment and training, helping to recruit and train individuals for the CCE program. In addition to clinical volunteering, non-clinical volunteering is just as important to take part in. Medical schools want to see that students have partaken in non-clinical experiences because they want their applicants to possess an eclectic and versatile personality that is able to help individuals using their non-science skills and abilities. These volunteering opportunities are virtually endless and involve students taking part in programs that can allow them to utilize their hobbies and passions in a way that helps to benefit other individuals. As a personal example, I really enjoy music and am self-taught in several instruments. Utilizing this hobby, I had the opportunity to volunteer at a hospital and play Christmas music for recovering trauma patients who came back to give

life? Although many students usually

volunteer within a hospital setting to gain clinical experience, there are many other areas within healthcare that you can volunteer at to gain this experience as well. This includes private clinics, free healthcare clinics, international clinics abroad, and really just anywhere that involves healthcare professionals interacting with and treating patients with health complications. My personal experience in clinical volunteering has involved the Clinical Care Extender (CCE) program, where I have spent the past 4 years gaining experience within a hospital setting. This program has

thanks to the hospital for helping to treat their chronic illnesses. In addition, I have also had the opportunity to tutor students in several different programs over the years. Through these tutoring experiences, I have learned a great deal about myself. By tutoring the students that I have worked with, I have come to learn that my passion lies in teaching people and helping them gain confidence within themselves to learn, a skill that will serve me greatly as a physician. There are many more opportunities, both clinical and non-clinical, that are available for individuals to take part in that will allow them to gain both a better understanding of the healthcare field as well as a better understanding of 5

allowed me to learn a great many skills in

how to care for and treat patients, feeding and bathing patients to name just a couple, while also learning how to maintain a professional and positive attitude when treating them. In addition to gaining clinical volunteering experience, I also spent a year serving on the CCE leadership FACTA NON VERBA, DEEDS NOT WORDS

THE CENTRAL LINE

APRIL|2014

themselves and where their passions truly lie. By taking part in volunteering opportunities, you can not
only have the opportunity to grow and mature as an individual, but you can also have the chance to answer that important question, Is this something that I can see myself doing for the rest of my life? If anybody has any questions about places to get involved in clinical or non-clinical volunteering or would like to hear more about my own personal experiences in both fields, feel free to get in contact with me at camerongeller@gmail.com I look forward to seeing you all exude your passions in medicine, through volunteering opportunities, so that you can all become the amazing doctors that I know you are going to be. With love and sincerity, --Cameron Geller

During the short time that I have been a CCE, I have already learned a lot about the field of medicine and it has affirmed my desire to become a physician.
Members who are interested in volunteering at a hospital should consider applying to the Clinical Care Extender Program at Glendale Adventist Medical Center. This internship provides an excellent opportunity to gain the clinical experience that medical schools want to see in their applicants. Clinical Care Extenders (CCEs) work on the floors of the hospital and assist nurses, therapists, physicians and other hospital staff with patient care. Unlike in other hospital volunteer programs, the interns are able to interact directly with patients and are even able to do minor tasks such as take vitals. We can also shadow staff and observe procedures when the occasion arises. FACTA NON VERBA, DEEDS NOT WORDS 6

THE CENTRAL LINE

APRIL|2014

The program allows CCEs to rotate through different departments of the hospital; so as
aspiring physicians, we are able to experience first-hand the various aspects of medicine. I, myself, have been in the program for 7 months and I am currently in my 3 rd rotation. I spent my first rotation in the Pulmonary Telemetry Unit where I learned a lot about respiratory problems and conditions. For my second rotation, I shifted in the Acute Rehabilitation Unit where I was able to observe recovering patients undergoing therapy. Now, I am in the fast-paced Emergency Department where I get to see a variety of cases during each 4-hour shift. I would highly recommend this program to my fellow PhiDE members because during the short time that

I have been a CCE, I have already learned a lot about the field of medicine and it has affirmed
my desire to become a physician.

-- Jane Odango

Heres what you missed with Mellad and Diana.

On March 13th, 2014, Mellad and Diana, two well-accomplished graduates, came to CSUN to provide our fraternity with valuable information and tips on the American Medical College Application Service. If you do not know Diana, she is one of the founding members of our CA Theta Chapter, and now, a fourth year at the Chicago Medical School Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. She is currently waiting to be matched with a hospital. Mellad is in his first year at University of Louisville school of Medicine and was our CA Theta President in 2012. Diana and Mellad prepared a presentation on how to apply using the AMCAS. In their PowerPoint, presentation the pair outlined the materials necessary prior to starting and what are the requirements in the sublevel sections of the application. Although much of the FACTA NON VERBA, DEEDS NOT WORDS 7

THE CENTRAL LINE

APRIL|2014

condensed in order to fit into the allotted two-hour discussion . Here are the TOP TEN
TIPS by Diana and Mellad (not in any specific order): 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Research Medical School NOW. Talk to Professors (get to know on a personal level if possible) Do not forget a THANK YOU NOTE/GIFT. Highlight what makes you unique (extra curricular, languages) Apply to all the California Schools Learn Spanish Ask for an Excellent Letter of Recommendation Know when the application is open and when the date of submission opens so you are ready to submit when that day comes in order to be on the top of the pile. 9. Dont put write anything that youre not willing to talk about. 10. BE PASSIONATE! If you have any questions for Diana and Mellad, feel free to contact them. Diana Naderi: Diana.Naderi@gmail.com Mellad Khoshnood: Mmkhoshnood@gmail.com

--Courtney Lao

+ Thank you!
My first semester as a chair would not have been successful without my awesome committee members! Love you guys! :D

Fun Fact!
Bananas are actually a berry and Strawberries are not a berry but an accessory fruit. The surrounding flesh around the seed isnt derived from the fruits ovaries but from the receptacle in which the ovaries are found. When fully developed, these aggregates have merged together into one single fruit.
Thank you for reading this edition of The Central Line. Have a wonderful day FACTA NON VERBA, DEEDS NOT WORDS 8