By: Olivia Lopez
[Q:] Tell me about your career [A:] “I am a nurse practitioner which is an advanced nurse. A registered nurse who has earned a master’s degree. I basically work independently all the time, but occasionally I collab with physicians.” [Q:] What made you decide to become a nurse practitioner? [A:] I think I grew up in a family of medical professionals. I’ve always been exposed to this environment. Treating sick people, trying to help people. So, probably one reason was I didn’t know any different. I definitely didn’t want to do anything mechanical.” [Q:] Walk me through your day [A:] “I work in the radiology department. I get there around 7-7:30 in the morning. I have patients assigned to me. It’s my responsibility to discuss the procedures, review medications, make sure they are prepared for the procedure, and answer any questions. Sometimes I do smaller procedures, and I talk to a lot of people on the phone a lot for future procedures. I talk to about an average of 20 people.” [Q:] What would be the pros and cons of your career choice? [A:] “For pros, I truly feel I make a difference, and you can see that. This is the interventional department, and you almost immediately see results or short-term results. I like my co-workers as well.” “[For cons,] Sometimes I come across difficult people, I mean unreasonable people who are unaware. It takes a lot of energy to explain things. Our field is very specific, and not exposed to the outside people. So it’s difficult for people to understand. [Also,] sometimes the procedures are not successful, and that can be disappointing. It’s hard to keep positive sometimes. I think it takes experience to deal with that part. I deal with a lot of cancer patients. You want to be truthful, but also positive. We are right there at the beginning when people find out if they have cancer with biopsies. [Q:] What are some of the craziest encounters you’ve had? [A:] “Sometimes I have patients who are in denial. I do remember somebody who had a biopsy and was demonstrated with cancer. They were in complete denial. I was really taken aback. I really thought I made a mistake. I have many outrageous stories.” Mrs. Balan also expresses how some people talk for long periods of time. “Honestly, you understand, but unfortunately, you don’t have all the time to listen. I wish I could spend as much time as I needed with every patient.” By: Olivia Lopez
No April fools this time! Instead is an interview with Mrs. Prabhakar, a physical therapist at the Henry Ford Health System. Read on to learn more. [Q:]What does it mean to be a physical therapist? [A:] “We are movement experts. We improve the quality of patient’s functions. Prescribing exercise, education, and a lot of hands-on care.” [Q:] What made you decide to become a physical therapist? [A:] “You know, a lot of people have different reasons. But to be frank, I always wanted to work in a healthcare setting. I noticed there was a lot of pain and suffering and I saw those therapists take care hands-on. Witnessing that is what really drove me. That was the turning point for me.” “There are a lot of healthcare professions out there, but I noticed as a physical therapist, we spend a lot more time with our patients. We become part of their journey.” [Q:] Walk me through your day. [A:] “I primarily work with a lot of adults and elderly patients. I work with patients who have back pain, knee pain, neck pain, difficulty balancing, etc. We evaluate and assess them. Then we develop a plan. Once we develop a plan we execute it, whether it is exercise, education, or assist devices. “I see my patients daily. We can work in hospitals, in homeworking, in nursing homes, and believe it or not, we work in the school system. Depending on what kind of settings you work in, is how often you see your patients and work with them. “[For example], my husband works in a hospital, so he could see patients every few days. I work more frequently as compared to that.” [Q:] What are the pros and cons of being a physical therapist? [A:]“[For pros,] as I said the biggest thing that drives someone to healthcare is empathy or the desire to help people. We are helping patients gain their independence. You don’t always have to work in a clinic. You can research, you can be an administrator, you can be a consultant to athletes or workers. There are a lot of areas you can specialize in, you can pick and develop your skills, the sky's the limit. My husband and I since we are both physical therapists can pick our days and shifts. There is more flexibility. Moreover, physical therapists aren’t on call or midnight shifts.” “[For cons,] In today’s life healthcare has become more stressful. Sometimes patients are more complex. All that stress can also carry an emotional strain. You see the patient’s in a lot of pain and that takes a toll on you sometimes. It’s a physically demanding job. You have to be very fit to be a physical therapist.” [Q:] What would be the highlight of your career? [A:] “The highlight of my career was during the time I had just become a physical therapist. My grandfather had recently taken a stroke, I became his physical therapist, and I helped him through that journey. I felt like this was my calling. I was supposed to help him. That is one thing I will always remember.” By: Olivia Lopez
This month I had the privilege of interviewing Ms. Martin, otherwise formally known as Avondale GATE Magnet school’s principal! Read on to discover more about what being an elementary principal means. [Q:] What are some of your responsibilities as a principal? [A:] “I’m responsible for keeping all the staff and students safe and also to make sure that students are receiving instruction. I’m also responsible for making sure the staff are following through with their jobs. Since we’re a gifted school my biggest job to making sure that kids are being challenged [...] I also think about the qualities of a leader and what I can do to help staff. Whether it’s checking in, or building relationships with them. We need to work as a team not just individually.” [Q:] What do you do every day? [A:] “Well, when I come in the building the first thing I do is ramp up my computer and get things going. I think about any teacher absences that day. Usually, my secretary lets me know about any big issues. Otherwise, I make sure that students are welcomed into the building. During the actual school day, I generally have a lot of meetings with other elementary principals, and meetings about adding more days to the in-person schedule. A lot of it is future planning and organization. During the day I also manage the Gate Gazette and make sure all the important information is sent out, and I do the morning announcements for tomorrow.” “I also try to stop-in. Whether it’s poking my head in, or joining a zoom. Sometimes I’ll do observations and give advice to teachers. I do all the drills. I talk with parents and teachers. It’s a different thing every day and that’s what makes it exciting and unique.” “I usually leave around 4:00, and occasionally there will be meetings from home. It’s a busy day.” [Q:] What made you decide to become a principal? [A:] “A lot of my family members are in education. My grandpa was an elementary principal. My dad was a teacher. I had a lot of people around me that modeled what other great teachers were like. I also realized when I was teaching I like to make plans. I had a vision for a school and what it might look like and so that also influenced my decision. But also, I have kids. I see the type of education I want for my children, and that’s the type I want to give other kids too. [Q:] What do you enjoy most about your job? [A:] “I enjoy providing a place for our gifted students to have a safe place to learn and grow up.” [Q:] What do you find most challenging about your job? [A:] “Helping students learn and grow, but I enjoy the challenge. It’s a problem to figure out. There are so many students out there that aren’t learning and growing especially during this time. It’s something I look forward to solving. That’s the most important right a student has, it’s to have a high-quality education.” [Q:] What would you most like your students to know about you? [A:] “I want them to know that if they ever have any problems or issues or concerns, that the school can help you solve them. I’m here to be a resource for them as well. This goes back to the team aspect I talked about, we’re not gonna leave any behind.” By: Olivia Lopez
This month I was given the opportunity to interview Mrs. Riccobono, a former veterinary technician who is now pursuing her career in becoming a psychologist. Read on to find out about both of these captivating professions. [Q:] What does it mean to be a veterinary technician? [A:] “That means that I am basically a vet nurse, but it’s different from being a human nurse. I draw blood on the patients, I do lab tests, I do radiology, I’m in charge of the anesthesia when operating. I also do teeth cleanings. While humans have separate doctors for separate things, one person does all of that in a vet clinic.” [Q:] What does it mean to be a psychologist? [A:] “I work face-to-face with patients. I tend to gravitate toward doing assessments. I look at personality and IQ testing. The testing that I do helps get the things they need to in life in order to succeed in life. I also work with trauma patients.” [Q:] What made you decide to be a vet tech? How did you become one? [A:] “I started as a vet tech, because of my love and passion to work with animals. I knew from second-grade that’s what I wanted to do. However, I ended up changing my career for multiple reasons. First, as a vet, you don’t make much money. Second reason is because I have two boys who are autistic and I want to help others like them. Third reason is I’m getting older and it’s hard on my body [...] I really became interested in behavior and helping others. My passion was for helping other people in general.” [Q:] What do you do every day as a vet tech? [A:] “The first thing I do is double-check any patients who stayed over the night and make sure they are doing well. [In the morning], we’re getting ready for surgery. I prep them for surgery. Then we have lunch. I’m usually seeing appointments in the room with the doctors. Then, at the end of the day, we are included with all the cleaning.” [Q:] What do you do as a psychologist? [A:] “You get to choose your schedule. Part of our licensing requirements is we at least practice one hour of self-care per year. It’s very much a different world. You basically come and go as you please. I have to take notes as to who the client is, why they were preferred, and how we plan to work on that with them. We’re not choosing their treatment, we get to work with them and what will work in their lifestyle.” [Q:] What are the pros and cons of being a vet tech? [A:] “It’s a job you have to love. The pay is not good, sometimes the environment can be low morale, and also the lack of self-care because you’re constantly working. “The good thing is seeing your patients get well, or when the puppies and kittens come in, that’s always fun.” [Q:] What the pros and cons of being a psychologist? [A:] “It’s so unique. Everybody views bad and good differently. You could work in jail you can work with some very dangerous people. Mostly it’s being able to help others.” [Q:] You mentioned in your application that you have learned how to merge both your current and past careers. Could you explain more about that? [A:] “A lot of times with trauma patients they have a lot of anxiety. Being around animals has shown people will relax or calm down. Their body elicits hormones that help them open up and calm down. Of course, it’s only if the patient is open to it. [Q:] What advice would you give to those aspiring to be in your career paths? [A:] “If you going to be a vet tech, keep in mind that your body going to wear down. It’s also important to have good math and science grades. You also need communication skills.” “[For psychologist,] writing skills are definitely a must. Choose an avenue of your most interest. There are statistics involved. You are going to learn a lot about yourself, you will make mistakes, and you have to be patient with yourself.” By: Olivia Lopez
Amado Lopez is a chef that specializes in Mexican cuisine and is currently developing his own restaurant: Casa Amado. Read on to discover more about the origins of Mr. Lopez’s creative career. [Q:] What made you decide to be a chef? [A:] “I like working with my hands. I could never see myself working in an office. I could have been a plumber, an electrician, or something in construction.” [Q:] What type of education did you need to become a chef? What kind of training did you undergo? [A: ]“They had a culinary program in high school and I excelled. I was really excited. I entered a couple of competitions and won them all. Eventually, I was given a scholarship for the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) located in New York City. From there I went back to Chicago and started working at several restaurants.” [Q:] What is one of the proudest moments in your career? [A:] “When I cooked dinner for Barack Obama.” [Q:] What do you dislike about your profession? [A:]“At the end of the day, it is a business. Sometimes the business gets in the way of creativity. You have to think about it financially.” [Q:] What do you like about your profession? [A:] “That it levels the plain. No matter who you are in society you gotta eat. Whether you are down on your luck or someone wealthy. The table brings people together. With your birthday, marriage, new baby, a promotion. All of life’s little wins you celebrate with food [...] It’s very communal.” If your parent would like the chance to be interviewed by our staff to be featured on this page, have them complete this form: forms.gle/VY777e4xkZZiyBzJ6 By: Carson Pavloff
In an interview with an FBI agent, parent at GATE Robert Beeckman, I gathered some information and insight about being an FBI agent. Here are some questions and answers.
We are very excited to announce our newest article about GATE Parents' Careers! Have your parents look at our Google Form linked below to find out about this wonderful opportunity to share their career with students here at GATE!
|
Does one of your family members have an interesting job? Let us know in the form above! That family member might be featured in an upcoming article!
|