In unit 1 of our STEAM course, Cure, we were able to learn a lot of different materials and categories. First, we focused on the difference between a medical doctor and a healer, as well as, additional areas included in the medical field: The Hippocratic oath, the different jobs in medicine, and we even got to write our own Hippocratic oaths. Second, we learned about cell theory and dove deep into cell history, the anatomy of a cell, and cell cycles. We learned that the cell was first discovered in 1665, by a man named Robert Hooke. Apparently, they are called cell walls because when he looked in a microscope, at the cell wall of a plant cell, he said it looked like little prison cells or rooms that monks inhabited. Cells relate and are important to the body, because they are what make up all of our tissues, muscles, bones, and organs. Alongside learning about cells, we also learned about DNA information and how discoveries about DNA have changed the world. For our math portion of the unit, we learned conic sections. At the end of this unit, correlating with this AP, we focused on the different types of surgeries and their purposes.
For this Action Project, using our knowledge about surgeries, we interviewed someone about a specific surgery that they have had. We used what we collected from the interview to make a presentation and to learn more about that surgery, from a first-hand account. The person I interviewed was a close friend who had Arthroscopic Surgery. In my project, I refer to him as my "patient", for privacy reasons. My patient played hockey from elementary school-college, and he had Arthroscopic Surgery on his knee during his senior year in college. He had this surgery because hockey had caused a lot of pain in his knees and he also tore his meniscus, so he had to get part of it removed. It is not common for this surgery to be an emergency surgery or to have high risks. My patient considered the surgery to be successful, even though he still experienced pain afterward. He wasn't expecting all of his pain to be 'cured', because, "if there's no pain, there's no gain," according to him. The surgery changed my patient's life because it helped him move his knee easier and it improved his performance greatly. After his physical therapy, it took him around 3 months to get back into hockey. There is more information about Arthroscopic Surgery, specifically, below:
Enjoy my project!
In conclusion, I enjoyed working on this project because, even though I had previously known the story of my patient's surgery, I got the opportunity to learn about it in-depth. This unit really helped me to understand more about our bodies, both cells and DNA, and areas in the medical field, including surgeries and their unique histories. I also liked having guest speakers come to our class to give more insight into being a first responder, whether that be someone who is working as an anesthesiologist, or researching and studying viruses. This was especially relevant for us during this time, living through a pandemic. I am proud of the work that I did, and of the work I did in the unit, that helped me prepare for this project.
