Senior Project Week 1

Weekly Self Assessment for Senior Project- Neuropathology Department at BWH

1. The strength that I’ve decided to focus on this week was my ability to ask lots of questions. Not having gone to medical school meant that a lot of the subject matter discussed in conferences was over my head. My ability to ask questions about subject matter that I did not understand enhanced my experience because I felt as though I was learning information that was valuable not only to myself and my mentor, but to the patients that she was attempting to diagnose. 2. One thing that I found challenging this week was getting used to observing and touching human specimens. Sara and I spent some time in the autopsy room observing brain cutting of four human brains. It was hard for me to get used to the fact that I was looking at a deceased person’s brain. Through time and some deep breaths, I got accustomed to the image and smell. I was satisfied with the way I handled this challenge and would not have changed the way I approached it. 3. “Be intellectually curious, open-minded, and fair.” This aspect of the mission statement relates to my experience because my job requires me to be curious and open for new things. My experience would not be as rich if I chose not to participate in activities that I found scary or challenging. 4. This job required me to be able to communicate with strangers by asking questions and making connections through conversation. I also have further developed my data-analysis skills as well as my ability to remain respectful and attentive at all times.