December and January are great months for reflection as we close one year and start another. For me, that’s often sparked by visits from former students. I’ll be sharing some of those updates here on this page, asking them to share what they’ve been up to, the lessons they’ve learned and applied in their lives, etc. For this post, I’m sharing with you some insights from Riley Hein, CHS/MST class of 2014.

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The analytical thought process that the MST program aims to develop, as well as the opportunities to embrace the research process, will definitely help students in their lives after high school. It certainly translates well to studying a STEM discipline in college, but will be useful regardless of what students want to do after graduating (4 year college, 2 year college, trade school, military, mission, etc.). I would just tell them to remember the skills they have learned in high school (regardless of what they want to do) and do their best to apply them once graduating. And be humble, because it’s pretty incredible what the other people you meet will know or bring to the table skill-wise (again regardless of the career/school path you take).

While at UW, I majored in bioengineering and was also a cadet in the Army ROTC program on campus. During my junior and senior years, I worked with several doctors in the Emergency Medicine Research Lab at Harborview Medical Center (downtown Seattle). The project I worked on sought to further understand the blood coagulation process, specifically with the respect to a drug that is commonly used for trauma patients experiencing massive hemorrhage. The efficacy of this drug, known as tranexamic acid (TXA), was previously identified to decline the later it was administered to patients in need. The cause for this decline in efficacy is still a mystery to doctors and scientists in this field, so my project specifically explored whether this trend was due to the concentration of several integral blood clotting proteins. During my senior year, I also worked with several doctors from Madigan Army Medical Center to create a device for service members suffering from non-compressible truncal hemorrhage. Traditional tourniquets are effective for stopping blood loss from extremity hemorrhage, but the areas around the groin and abdomen pose a challenge due to their physical geometry. My team and I designed an “internal tourniquet”, which could be inserted near a site of injury in the abdomen and subsequently inflated (the device featured a balloon of sorts), thus applying pressure to the entire cavity. Upon graduation, I also commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army and moved to Fort Benning, GA to begin completing my basic officer training. After I complete my training here, I will move to Ft. Hood, TX for my next assignment.

December and January are great months for reflection as we close one year and start another. For me, that’s often sparked by visits from former students. I’ll be sharing some of those updates here on this page, asking them to share what they’ve been up to, the lessons they’ve learned and applied in their lives, etc. For this post, I’m sharing with you some insights from Abbie Younkin, CHS/MST class of 2013.

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Hi Magnetos,

My name is Abbie Younkin. I graduated from CHS in 2013 and went on to major in Biology with a Chemistry minor from Seattle Pacific University. I always thought that medical school was the route that I was going to (and had to) take. I had pre-health advisors that really pushed the idea of medical school, but as I progressed I realized how many other career options there are in healthcare, science and medicine alike! Here are some other paths you may consider if you are unsure that medical school is right for you:

The list could go on but I have considered and researched almost all of these paths at some point in my life, so if you are at a crossroad or have questions, please feel free to reach out to me. I am currently working as a Patient Care Coordinator for Providence in Spokane, WA where I work with physicians and our clinical team to create treatment plans for chronic patients. This often ranges to diabetic education to cancer treatment options. I am also pursuing my Masters in Healthcare Administration while I finish up prerequisites for PA school. I have explored a lot of options and it is okay to not know exactly what/where you want to be! Just be wise and keep your options open to possibilities you may not have considered!

I would also HIGHLY recommend medical mission trips or any mission work possible! Last summer I spent two months in Vietnam serving over 8,000 patients in rural communities. We set up a mobile clinic in a different site each day and provided optical care, medical consultation, physical therapy, medications, vaccinations, and public health services with physicians from the Seattle area. It was an absolutely humbling and amazing experience that completely affirmed my love for medicine and serving those who need it most. Please consider serving those even in your local community as it will give insight into suffering and humanity at its most pure.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any thoughts or questions you may have and I would be happy to offer any advice possible!

Sincerely,

Abbie

abbieyounkin@yahoo.com

LinkedIn: Abbie Younkin