ISM- MENTOR INTERVIEW ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

Student Name: Sona Binny Period: 6th

Printed Name of Person Interviewed: Dr. Stacey Abraham

Role of Individual:
Mentor
Place/Name of Business: UTMB The Children’s Clinic of Clear Lake

Business Address: 333 N Texas Ave #4300, Webster, TX 77598

Phone Number: (214)-364-0939

Date of Interview: November 1st, 2018

Type of Interview: __X__ In Person

1. For someone working in your field, please describe the fantasies versus realities of the job.
(fantasy vs. reality)

Dr. Abraham stated that some of the realities of her job that most people misinterpret is the time you can spend
with your patient as a Pediatrician. Her work schedule is very busy which means she does not have a lot of time to
spend with every single one of her patient’s, and if that was the case being a pediatric nurse would be the better
option.

2. What is your current educational level? What continuing education and training are required?
(educational level and requirements)

Education wise, she currently has a medical doctorate, which she earned from Texas A&M college of
Medicine. She completed her medical school and residency in UTMB Galveston. She stated that Doctors always
have to update their knowledge and every year, they have seminars, conferences and approximately every 5 years
they have a re-certification process.

3. Please describe the typical day to day activities of someone working in your field.
(day-to-day activities)

During the typical day of a Pediatrician, she sees patients with acute or chronic illnesses, ranging from a mild cold
to more severe issues like bone fractures or other diseases. She is also certified to do stitches, splinting, and
abscess(pus) drainage. Some days are quite busy in contrast to others, which can be very busy and overwhelming,
and sometimes requires you to stay past your hours.

4. How secure are you in your current position? What do you think is the future of your field?
(job security)

Revised Fall 2018

 As a pediatrician she stated that her job is very stable and provides good occupational and financial
security. She believes that in the future pediatrics would shift more toward or have a greater emphasis on
preventative care and disease control and more research over such issues.

5. What is a typical (average or lowest to highest) salary of someone working in your field?
(salary)
The typical salary of someone working as a Pediatrician in Texas is about $173,000, and across the nation
their annual income ranges to be about $184,240. They get paid about $40,000 annually for residency and often
gets paid lower than any other Doctor in the medical field.

6. What potential for growth is there in your field?

(growth potential)

For the years between 2014-2024, there has been a projected growth of 10% in the hiring and employment of
pediatricians in the country, and it is one of the various fast expanding occupations that they have observed.
However, situations vary by your conditions, area, and workplace policies.

***Questions 7-10 will be created by the ISM student.

7. What inspired you to choose this career?

Dr. Abraham stated that she always liked working with children, ever since she was a teenager, and she also had
some background information about the job because her mother used to work at a pediatric unit when she grew
up, providing her with an in-depth exposure to the career in her childhood.

8. How did you develop Public speaking skills, and other career qualities for this job?

My mentor stated hat in order to develop public speaking skills, and to learn how to interact with others in a work
area, she would recommend practicing doing such activities whenever you get a chance, even in school settings,
and as a medical student, she said that Med-School allowed her to practice communicating with others to develop
her public speaking skills.

9. How did you prepare for exams and how did you manage to survive the pressures of Medical School?

“Determination is key. You must always have a clear view of where you want to be in the future, and what makes
you the happiest”. She stated that you should never listen to others and how they review Medical School, and
while it can be difficult, she stated that you should experience it with an open and positive mind field. She
recommended that as a medical school student, life becomes way easier if you avoid procrastination and spend
time everyday to look over information and set realistic goals for yourself.

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10. Is there something that you wished you knew at my age?

In my age, she said that I should recognize the importance of creating a good foundation for myself and
understand that instead of cramming everything during the last minute and forgetting about it, it is way easier to
learn as you go and have a good understanding of everything, because education is cumulative.

Interview Summary
What information from this interview will you select for your ½ page typed,
bulleted list of research information—to be used in your presentation?
Create a bulleted summary list on the next page.

Revised Fall 2018

Research information for presentation:

• Never procrastinate on your assignments, because that never makes anything easier over time.
• Pediatricians have a very busy work schedule
• Always try your best to excel in medical school, to avoid falling behind.
• The medical field, particularly Pediatrics is widely expanding.
• Be nice to others, and be confident in what you do, this allows others to invest their trust in you.
• Recognize your platform and take advantage of any opportunity or privilege you are provided
with.
• Learn everything that you are taught with a purpose, so that you can comprehend it thoroughly
and implement it into future studies.
• Set realistic goals for yourself: always try to stay positive and allow yourself to see what it is that
you can do, and what it is that you need to work on doing.
• Figuring out what type if learner you are: whether you are an audio, visual, or a hand-on learner,
it is important to know which method helps you learn best so that you can be more successful.
• Do not let others make your decision for you, medical school is difficult, and a lot of people will
try to persuade you into other option but must have a clear mind and view of thinking to be able
to be confident enough to tell them otherwise.
• Differences between a nurse practitioner and a doctor, is that as a pediatrician you are able to
treat more severe issues that are out of the focus fields of NPs.
• Pediatricians are one of the lowest paid doctors, so it’s not a career you should choose for the
money, but rather because of your passion for the profession and interest in pursuing it.
• Figuring out why you chose this career is important, because it shows you what it is that
provided fuel to your determination and courage and allows you to carry the same fire through
time.
• Pediatricians have very stable job incomes, and financial security.

Revised Fall 2018