Week 5:
Mayo Clinic

June 24, 2013

This past month has gone by so quickly – I can’t believe I am almost halfway done with my experience. I have learned so much these past few weeks and I cannot wait to apply my new knowledge as we delve deeper into our projects these next couple months. One project I am particularly excited about is the sleep-epilepsy survey project. The aim of this study is to analyze sleep disturbances in adult patients with epilepsy and to determine whether these sleep disturbances affect the quality of life of the patient. This past week I did a lot of literature review on the subject and met with Dr. St. Louis to finalize the measures. The survey is approximately 30 pages, containing different scales that measure insomnia, sleep apnea, quality of life, seizure severity, depression, etc. This project has allowed me to learn about research design and the execution of a study.

After a week of working on one CAP study as a group, we finally finished! When attempting to analyze the data in HypnoLab (the software we use), however, the file containing our data was completely erased. Thankfully, the IT department had a backup of the file from the day before, so we only had to re-do about three hours of work. Next week, Dr. St. Louis is setting us free to start scoring CAP studies on our own. The CAP studies we are scoring are from epileptic patients. It is thought that the amount of CAP increases in the presence of certain sleep disorders, such as epilepsy. In addition, CAP can trigger epileptic events. Later on this summer, we will also study the correlation between CAP and sleep deprivation.

During my free time, outside of work, I have been enjoying the beautiful weather by running outside. Rochester has an extensive trail system, covering over 85 miles. It’s nice to be able to escape to nature, while still having the luxury of living in the heart of downtown. In addition, I have been researching physician assistant schools and studying for the GRE. There are so many resources at the Mayo Clinic, so I hope to take advantage of them. In early July, I will be shadowing two physician assistants that work in my department.

“See things for yourself; reading alone is not enough.” – Dr. Will Mayo