My summer has been incredibly fulfilling, educational, and enlightening. I had the opportunity to engage with different populations in my community, receive valuable training for my future career, and shadow various healthcare professionals, including a Pediatric Pulmonologist and multiple Pediatric and Neo-natal Nurse Practitioners in Atlanta. Throughout this experience I was exposed to diverse groups within the south-Eastern United States, such as single-parent families, families in need, children with disbailities, children with a range of lung diseases, tracheostomies, severe asthma, and even 24-week-old babies in the NICU.
The experiences I had this summer were very meaningful to me, but what left the most profound impact on me were the people I encountered. Working in the hospital, food pantry, and learning patient care for the healthcare setting allowed me to forge connections with the patients and healthcare workers. Witnessing the dedication and strong bonds that healthcare professionals had with their patients and parents was incredibly inspiring. Meeting fellow local volunteers who share the same passion for helping others in the community also further motivated me.
I have decided to explore the influence of socio-economic status on parents’ vaccine decision-making for their children for my capstone project. I am currently working on my project outline, so far so good.
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