Week of 10/9-10/13

This past week in ISM I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Cristyn Branstetter at Children's Medical Center in Dallas. Through the interview I was able to gain a different perspective on the pediatric oncology field. Dr. Branstetter works about 40% of the time in the lab researching and her other 60% of time doing clinical practice. She explained to me that every doctor has a different percentage of research and clinical responsibilities. Some doctors spend 100% of their time in the lab and do not work with patients of their own while other doctors work as full time clinical doctors. In addition Dr. Branstetter explained that with heavier research responsibilities, she sees less patients than some of her other co workers in the hospital. I also asked what are the different responsibilities of doctors and nurses practicing within this field. I have a better understanding that nurses are very important in the care of patients as they spend the majority of time one on one with the patients. On a day to day basis nurses are responsible for the everyday treatment and making sure each patient is comfortable. The doctors create an individualized treatment plan for each patient depending on the aggressiveness and type of cancer the child is diagnosed with. I enjoyed the interview I conducted with Dr. Cristyn Branstetter, and feel I have expanded my knowledge on different aspects of the field. I spoke confidently and implemented the criticism I received from the business symposium to improve upon my interviewing skills. Although it was a very successful and productive week.