Reflection of my Mentorship

1.  What impact did this experience have on my personal growth?

I feel like my mentorship really let me see the real work field in the "real world." It may not have had a huge impact on my personal growth but it did help me learn a few important real world skills. 

2.  What was my greatest accomplishment?

My biggest accomplishment during my mentorship was that I feel like I have grown on my people skills, such as socializing and carrying on conversations with people that I don't know. Being sociable is a good trait to have in the work field. 

3.  What did you find most challenging about the mentorship?

The most challenging thing I found about my mentorship was that I should work on time management, such as getting there exactly on time in the mornings when I "should",and possibly being more interactive while at my mentorship. Asking more questions and going into patient rooms would be ways to be more interactive. 

4.  What did you discover about yourself?

I discovered that once I feel pretty comfortable around people, that I automatically become my self. This can be a good and bad thing in the working field (sometimes I tend to be weird and sometimes bold). 

5.  What influence will this experience have on your future academic and career choices?

My mentorship could help lead me in the right path to get to my goals for Marine Biology. Also, I questioned my my mentor and he gave me tips in order to "follow my dreams" and lead me in the right path as far as college education goes. 

6.  What did you learn from people you admire in the organization?

I learned that my mentor can be harsh about the world and the people in it, and I also saw that he was a human encyclopedia and knew almost every thing we talked about. 

I also learned how everyone interacted with each other whether they were in good moods and bad moods. 

Video Presentation

Below is my video presentation about my research topic and why I chose Marine Biology as my career of interest. 

Experiences

1.What successes have you experienced?  What did they mean to you? 
I feel like my mentor has been a big success to my experience in Honors Mentorship Program. I say this because even if we are not talking about my career field we are discussing current events, or topics related to the real world. I feel like when he discusses topics with me I see a different point of view than I did before, which is really interesting to me. 

2.What setbacks have you experienced?  What did you learn from those setbacks?
Setbacks I have found is going into my mentorship everyday and being "punctual," because as the year has progressed, I have watched myself slack more than I did in the beginning of HMP. I have learned from this that just because I may not feel like getting out of bed that morning,this doesn't mean I can do it everyday and I realize that when I have a job in the real world I cannot slack, and I will have to push through the "bad" days that I experience. 

Tasks Concerning HMP

1. Career path: If you wanted to follow in the career oath of someone at your site, what would you need to make this happen?
If I was serious about this career I don't need to worry about if others feel I will succeed or not. Also, I need to take the appropriate classes in college for my major and probably transfer to a school that has a great program (veterianarian). Although theres many years of school, Dr. B said it was worth it in the end and he doesn't do it for the money, but simply because he likes being able to help hurt animals that need care.
2. Workload: How does the organization distribute the level of work among the staff? How equitable do you believe the distribution is?
Chateau Hospital doesn't have an abundance amount of staff so there is usually only about 4 others working, not including Dr. B. There is usually one kennel person who cleans the runs, feeds the animals, bathes them, and does all of the "dirty" work, and there is 1-2 desk people upfront depending on how busy the day is planned to be, and sometimes there are 2 technicians who order and assist Dr. B with patients. Throughout the day though, staff may switch out such as technicians and front desk ladies. I definitely do feel like the schedule there is very organized and efficient. All of the staff help each other equally, so there is mutual respect between everyone.
3.Tasks:What types of tasks are you discovering that you enjoy or excel at completing? Which ones are less attractive or fufilling?
Since I do not work at the hospital I am not allowed to touch the animals as far as doing procedures, etc. ,but I have filled vaccines before which is pretty easy to do. Also, I could bathe the dogs,but i prefer not to because most of the time the kennel staff becomes soaked by water and smell like a wet dog by the end of the wash.

Interpersonal Skills

1. Culture: How would you describe the culture within your organization (ways in which co workers interact or don't interact) and how does this fit your "ideal" employer?  I feel like my mentorship's employers work very well together and they use teamwork 99.9% of the time. For example, if a technician needs help with a spa, he/she will ask the kennel helper to assist with holding down the dog, clipping nails, etc. This attitude at work I feel is effective in order to get work done and I feel if you are going to work with others you should be a good team member and help others while doing your part. 
2. Collaboration: Describe the way in which the organization collaborates with other groups in the area.  Although my mentorship is not the only animal hospital in the area, Dr. B makes it important that he respects other clinics located near Chateau Hospital. Also, if there is a case  that is too serious for Chateau,such as serious surgery, they will send the patient to UGA to get helped. CAH also helps with organizations that deal with homeless animals and we help them get healthier to ensure they can find a home. 
3. Mentoring: In what ways have you experienced or witnessed either informal or formal mentoring taking place within the organization, other than the mentoring you are experiencing? Dr. B ensures that all technicians and staff are properly clothed and no tattoos are exposed for patients to see. He does not like the use of foul language or loud talking at the hospital, but yet when he does converse with his staff about non work business it tends to be informal use of language. The conversations among staff members are also usually informal because they have developed friendships from working together so long. When Dr. B is talking to parents of patients he uses "yes ma'am" and "yes sir" if someone asks him a question; when staff answers the phones, their voices are "trained" to be very cheery and pleasant at all times. 

Interview

10 questions I asked my mentor about my future career- Marine Biologist/ Specialist

1. Do you believe going into the career field of animals is a good choice?
Answer: Yes, there are plenty of opportunities in the field.

2. What do you think I can do to get closer to my career goal of dealing with animals or more importantly marine animals?
Answer: You should target more closely to the specific job, find someone that actually does that job and get their perspective. What is the up side to the job and what is the down side?

3. Do you think becoming a marine biologist/ marine specialist trainer will be somewhat difficult?
Answer: It will be extremely difficult because plenty of people like the idea of that job, and a lot of jobs in that field are decreasing- like Sea World will more than likely be shut down in 10-15 years.

4. What is a downfall of being in the animal field?
Answer: The pay is not generally high even when you have similar skills and physically taxing experience

5. What do you like about dealing with animals?
Answer: Since dogs are helpless animals and can't help themselves, its rewarding to be a self advocate for them.

6. Do you think I should go ahead and get my masters degree while I'm already in college(for my major of course)?
Answer: You should only do that if it helps you towards your career goals. That's why you should find someone with the job you want, it should be valuable.

7. Do you feel the marine science field is open/ big enough for jobs (for myself)?
Answer: I think its a very competitive field and you must be on your A game.

8. If you dealt with marine animals what position would you want to have?
Answer: I wouldn't mind being the head vet at the Georgia Aquarium because it would be a fun and interesting job.

9. Do you feel that studying the ocean and its animals are too broad and difficult?
Answer: I feel it is very important because we still don't know what is exactly out there. There could also be something in the oceans that could cure people of diseases/ illness.

10. Do you have any additional tips for me, considering you have your career already?
Answer: Don't quit. Even if it's hard or time consuming don't let anyone else talk you down and don't doubt yourself or you will never get there.

Reflection:  I feel that this interview opened my eyes to just how challenging my career field can be, and instead of sitting back hoping it will happen, I will have to work really hard and put myself out there. This also made me think twice about where I go to college at. Although I want to attend UGA, maybe FAU is a better place for my educational needs.

Reflections on my Mentorship

Describe the most memorable experience you have had this semester in regards to the Honors Mentorship Program?
The most memorable thing that has happened at my mentorship is probably when a Golden Retriever came in and both the owners and vet thought the dog had just swallowed an unknown object. Little did they know that the dog had gotten into rat poison; in the middle of trying to put an oxygen tube down the dogs throat they saw that there was so much blood in the trachea that they had to perform an emergency surgery. Chances were not in the dogs favor because the dog had too much blood in his lungs to live and he could no longer breathe. I saw how sad and stressed everyone was over the sudden death of the dog and it made me remember it so clearly. It also helped me realize in this field accidents can happen and sometimes you can only do so much to fix/help the animal.
What has been the biggest lesson learned during your first semester of your mentorship experience?
The biggest lesson I have learned through my mentorship is time management and how more involved I should probably be while i'm at my mentorship. I say this because my mentor is constantly asking questions, and although most of the time these questions don't interest me, I should engage more because I could actually learn something important.

How will you use this experience in the future? How has this experience changed your view of learning?
I will use this experience in the future by always engaging in coversation with peers and/or workers even if I'm not interested in the topic of conversation. Since my mentor knows just about everything he's made me see different sides and point of views for every subject imaginable; even when I think i'm right over a topic he can lead me to thinking I am completely wrong, and sometimes it makes me believe im not smart.

How has it changed your view of the career area in which you are mentoring?
Seeing how much work and dedication it takes to open an animal hospital, I realize how hard it is working with animals than I thought. Although dogs are not the same as dolphins or other sea animals, both still take a lot of time and care. I know going into the marine science field that I will have much work and time ahead of me.