For my STEP Signature Project, I decided to take an electrocardiogram (EKG) training course in order to become a certified electrocardiogram technician. Through this three-week course that took place from May 10th to May 28th, I learned about the anatomy of the heart, how to perform an electrocardiogram, and how to read an electrocardiogram. I had to learn about different body regulations such as blood pressure and heart rate and how they differ when it is applied to different age groups.

Before taking this course, I was a bit nervous about not retaining the information well enough in the duration of three weeks before my National Healthcareer Association (NHA) exam, however, it was quite easy to grasp. My instructor was a nurse from the University of Louisville’s Emergency Room and she ensured that we would get a good understanding of the anatomy of the heart, how to perform an electrocardiogram, and how to read an electrocardiogram. Something I learned about myself is that when I am passionate about what I am learning, the information is much easier to understand and apply. I am now fully certified after passing my NHA exam and confident that I could perform well as an EKG Technician. Although being an EKG Technician is not my end goal, it has allowed me to learn more about the medical field and the human body. Wanting to be a doctor in the future, I have opened a door that will allow me to perform medical practices before receiving my MD. This is something that I am very proud of achieving and I know it will enrich my future career.

My EKG class consisted of three other girls from very different backgrounds than me. I have lived a very privileged life thus far and I could not relate to most of the experiences that the others were going through. A huge social concept that I learned while taking this class is that most people taking this course are studying and paying for this course to try to become EKG Technicians for their full-time careers. To me, this was a chance to learn more about the medical field so that I could be better prepared for a different career. This course has enabled me to learn more about life outside of my privileged bubble. Outside of my bubble, there were real financial, economical, and social issues that people who were trying to achieve the same thing as me were facing. I have learned more about the broad scale of diversity and socio-economic factors that I will be seeing as a future practicing physician or EKG Technician.

My teacher, Ms. Moore, was a very practical and realistically mind-driven woman. If she were not my professor, I do not think I would have learned as much as I did in this short three-week course. She translated the foreign terms and confusing practices into very simple, step-based, operations. Through her simplified methods, I learned how to perform 12-lead EKGs, 5-lead Holter monitors, and 3-lead exercise stress tests easily. With her help, I also easily differentiated different electrical landmarks of the heart such as the SA node, AV node, and Purkinje fibers. Ms. Moore had a tough upbringing that enforced her to grasp whatever knowledge she could obtain in order to become a leading nurse of a Level 1 Trauma Emergency Room. I obtained much respect for her and without her support and lending hand, I do not think I would have passed my NHA exam as easily as I did.

The first EKG performed by one of the students in my class was done on me. Before then, we had just learned through videos, descriptions, and images. We all knew about the steps and procedures for performing an EKG, however, that is quite different than actually performing an EKG. I was the first person to have an EKG performed on them because I had been wearing the correct attire. Although I knew everything would be fine and that I would not be receiving any particular bad news, I was still quite nervous and felt exposed as I had to remove my shirt for a proper reading. Being received a normal EKG, I was relieved as I had just learned all of the different bad outcomes that other patients were probably receiving such as ventricular tachycardia or atrial fibrillation. Being the “patient” was a moment that allowed me to be placed in the shoes of those that I will likely be performing EKGs on in the future. I will now know how to reassure them and make sure that they are comfortable throughout the duration of the exam.

Learning more about medical practices and how to communicate with patients is a very valuable lesson that I have gained from my EKG certification. I now have more of a grasp on how the medical field will look like and how the road to becoming a doctor will be difficult, stressful, long, and tedious. However, I am also now more convinced in becoming a physician and I am ready to embrace any hard comings in order to achieve my ambitions. Thanks to my STEP Signature Project, I am much more confident that I will become a doctor through my hard work and learning abilities!

For my STEP Signature Project, I completed a course to become a certified phlebotomy technician. I learned how to perform proper venipuncture techniques and the order of draw. Before the course, I was very nervous about learning phlebotomy because I had no experience. I assumed that it would be very challenging to be taken seriously because of this. However, throughout the course, I paid close attention, did all of my homework, and asked questions. By the end of the course, I felt very confident in my phlebotomy skills and realized that I am much more capable of things if I just have confidence in myself. For the next challenge I come across, I will know that having confidence in myself will help me greatly.
One person that greatly helped me gain confidence in my skills was my teacher Ms. Shannon. She could tell that at the beginning of the course, everyone was extremely nervous because we would be having a practical and written exam that we had to pass to get certified. She reassured us that she would teach us everything we need to know to pass both exams with flying colors. I was still very nervous but was continuously reassured by Ms. Shannon thought the whole course. She made sure to let me know my mistakes but also encouraged me when I got the answers right. Her reassurance and congratulations helped me gain confidence in my skills throughout the entire course.
My classmates also changed my assumptions about myself. Right from the first class, everyone in the course got along really well. This helped during hands-on practice because we were very comfortable performing venipuncture on each other. I felt a little nervous poking the first time, but my classmate was very calm and assured me that even if I messed up, I can fix my mistakes the next time. Since we all became very close, we helped each other study and remember very important things like the order of draw and the order of venipuncture. I began to gain confidence in my skills when my classmates would help me through hard questions and give me hints. When I did a skill correctly, they were super supportive and made me feel like I could be a successful phlebotomist. I am grateful that I had such amazing classmates that made me feel confident in myself.
An activity that helped me realize I could be successful in phlebotomy was being able to perform venipuncture on a person. After I learned the proper steps for venipuncture, I got to practice with my classmates. I was nervous that I would not be able to get blood because I had never done it before. However, once I calmed my nerves, I was able to get blood on my very first stick. After that, I was able to get blood many times without help from the teacher. Doing this activity made me feel very confident in my phlebotomy skills because it was putting what I had learned to the test. I realized that if I could perform venipuncture on my classmates very easily, then I could perform it on patients as well.
Gaining confidence in myself is a valuable lesson in my life because I can apply it to many other challenges that I am going to face. Going to medical school, residency, and being a doctor are all extremely stressful and difficult tasks. If I do not have confidence in myself first, then it will be even harder to reach these goals. My STEP Project has made me realize I need to first have confidence in myself if I want to succeed and be happy in my accomplishments. Even though the journey will be tough, it will be easier if I believe in myself.