NOTE: I copy-pasted this post into blogger and then posted. Apparently, that makes the words cut off and finish on the next line making the entire post look disgusting. Additionally, I can't individually change each cut-off word by pressing enter before the word, because each time I press enter, more lines get messed up. So, this post looks bad but future ones won't, I promise! Thanks for bearing with it.
First week complete! Fun stuff. Sorry about the delay in the
expected date of my update.
First week complete! Fun stuff. Sorry about the delay in the
expected date of my update.
Monday
As soon as I walked in I was flooded with more papers and
contracts to sign (dang, I thought the 50 total forms I filled out previously
were enough). Then, I had to log onto a computer and go through
some online training videos followed by little quizzes. Little did I
know that the greatest challenge in my internship would come so early on. No, not the training videos and quizzes. Logging onto a Mayo Clinic computer.
contracts to sign (dang, I thought the 50 total forms I filled out previously
were enough). Then, I had to log onto a computer and go through
some online training videos followed by little quizzes. Little did I
know that the greatest challenge in my internship would come so early on. No, not the training videos and quizzes. Logging onto a Mayo Clinic computer.
9:00 AM
Attempts to log on have failed. Clearly, there is an issue with my credentials. My supervisor and I decide to call the Mayo helpline to patch us over to the appropriate person to assist us.
10:00 AM
After having heard "can you please hold" at least 5 times, we finally got someone to send us a link to reset our password. Unfortunately, that link redirected us to the Mayo homepage. My supervisor comments on the amateurish build of the Mayo Clinic employee website.
11:00 AM
I had lunch. Salmon. It was good.
11:30 AM
After sending all the appropriate individuals an email from my online Mayo email account (which I had to access through a personal laptop) regarding my password situation, I get an email back from one person saying that it could be possible my Mayo email is deactivated, thus meaning my Mayo computer logon credentials were also deactivated at the moment. I replied that since “I sent an email to you through my Mayo email address, my email address must surely be activated.” My supervisor comments on the stunning intelligence of the human race.
12:00 AM
Since my initial logon requires my in my password the last few numbers of my social security number, my supervisor questions my ability to remember my SSN. I reassure her that I do indeed know it.
12:30 AM
Success! It turns out, it was a fault in the system, not us. (Whew. I was beginning to doubt my ability to remember my social security number.)
Now is where the real fun begins. After breezing through the instructional videos, I had to make an Excel (Ah, Excel. Should’ve taken Mr. Mac’s term project.) spreadsheet that could easily compare values from lesions from the Core Lab and the Clinical Trials for the radiologists in the area. This way It’d be easier to determine which method was more accurately in data collection, and I’d be able to do something for my supervisors which they would be tasked with doing themselves had I not been there. After three tries, I finally produced something to everyone’s liking.
Then, as the day was coming to a close, I was provided with a radiology research paper to peruse for an hour. It was graduate level. Hoo, boy. Let’s just say trying to understand it is like trying to understand Finnegan’s Wake. You don’t.
Tuesday
New day, new jobs.
I was assigned to catalog and organize different medical cases involving tumors and/or lesions logged in the AZ Mayo Network. It got somewhat repetitive, but I learned an Encyclopedia Britannica volume’s worth of general medical terms, at least it felt like it.
This time, I bought catfish from the Mayo Cafe for lunch. I've been having a thing for fish lately.
This time, I bought catfish from the Mayo Cafe for lunch. I've been having a thing for fish lately.
Later on there was a meeting between all the radiologists and officials in the vicinity to discuss top-secret matters. I happened to be in the room where the discussion took place, so naturally I crept into the shadows and eavesdropped. I’m pretty sure they knew I was there though. The reason I suspect these matters are top-secret is because I was told to stay put when the first meeting on Monday happened. If I hear anything groundbreaking, I’ll let you guys know. In any case, the conversation was tough to follow, but I had an easier time of it than I expected. Maybe that research paper I read yesterday subconsciously helped?
And finally, I was given access to an enormous database of cluttered data and software such as MintLeaf to analyze it properly. I was told to log some sample data into my spreadsheet to see how effective it is. My supervisors told me they’d check out my work before I returned next Monday. Hopefully they think it was effective. I thought it was effective. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In any case, the work I’m doing is quite interesting from the start, and my three supervisors, Dr. Hara, Dr. Zwart, and Kelly, are awesome! I’ll be sure to have more stories to tell next time. See ya!
