ISM- MENTOR INTERVIEW ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

Student Name: Daniela Alvarez Period: 7th

Printed Name of Person Interviewed: Rocio Trujillo

Role of Individual: A professional in a career area related to my project.

Place/Name of Business: San Juan City Hospital

Business Address: Gobernador Piñero, San Juan, 00921, Puerto Rico

Phone Number: (786) 285-3759

Date of Interview: 04/09/2018

Type of Interview: __X__ Over the phone

1. For someone working in your field, please describe the fantasies versus realities of the job.
One fantasy is having the best patients, as in making sure that they always follow through with the treatment as
well as making sure that they tell you the complete patient history. Dr. Trujillo says that this is one of the hardest
thing. It is very important to know the complete patient history, this includes not only the child’s but also the
parents. Dr. Trujillo says she finds it very hard for some patients to be consistent with their history.

2. What is your current educational level? What continuing education and training are required?
Dr. Rocio Trujillo is an MD/Pediatric senior resident. She is currently completing her residency in San Juan City
Hospital, which is in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was born and raised in Cuba, when she moved to the United
States she passed her medical boards and completed an internship in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. She than enters
residency in San Juan City Hospital. She will be graduate in June and will take the Texas Board exam to become
a board-certified pediatrician.

3. Please describe the typical day to day activities of someone working in your field.
A typical day for a pediatric resident, according to Dr. Trujillo, would for example start at Monday 8 am. Then
you would attend your subspecialty rotation, the rotation last one whole month. Yet the daily routine will depend
on the rotation that you are currently doing. Some rotations are harder than others. Yet as a pediatric resident at
San Juan City Hospital you will work a lot, according to Dr. Trujillo. The day typically ends at 5 or 6 pm, yet in
some cases you might have to stay later. Once you arrive home, the work does not stop, you must study for
monthly exams. This includes doing research as well as writing papers. Some days you will have to stay in the
hospital from 7pm to 7am the next morning, monitoring your patients.

4. How secure are you in your current position? What do you think is the future of your field?
Dr. Trujillo feels very secure in her current position at the residency, but she also feels secure at her next job as a
licensed Pediatrician. She believes the future of pediatric medicine is very safe. She says while it sounds harsh,
there will always be sick children that need to be seen. And that there will always be children who needs checkup.

5. What is a typical (average or lowest to highest) salary of someone working in your field?

Revised Fall 2017

The salary, according to Dr. Trujillo, will depend on the area. Each state has different ranges of salary for
Pediatrician. As well as the field where the pediatrician will be working. Another factor is also the experience the
doctor has and if he/she owns their own clinic, or works for a corporation. Yet Dr. Trujillo says that the salary
usually ranges from 130K to 250K.

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

As a pediatrician to continue with your education you can complete a fellowship in a specialized section. This
includes neonatology or nursery. Another way to grow in this field is to work in an academic hospital and acquire
an academic position. This way you can be a general pediatrician yet also be a chairman at hospitals, or a
professor.

7. Do you believe that children should be vaccinated? Why or why not?

Dr. Trujillo believes that vaccines are a must for children. Her main reason is related to future illnesses. She
explained an example of a two-year-old child who had been diagnosed with leukemia. A child who has leukemia
could very easily get very sick from preventable diseases such as measles or varicella. This disease could even be
as severe to cause the child death because of an already weakened immune system. Yet an injection could
minimize the risk, or event prevent this.

8. Do you believe that vaccines can cause side effects, such as autism?
Dr. Trujillo stated this many years ago a study was published that proved that vaccine sin fact does not cause
autism. There has also been a lot of other studies that suggest that vaccines do not cause autism. There was a
study that “proved” that vaccines cause autism. Yet the researches that did this must publish a retraction, yet the
damage was done and many parents believed this. Like stated before it has been proven in many studies that this
is not true.

9. Is there a harm in giving so many vaccines to children at such a young age?

Vaccine just like any other medication can have some small or severe effects. The most common reaction is fever
or malaise, and dangerous side effects like seizure occur on very low percentage of those who get vaccinated. Yet
Dr. Trujillo believes that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the possible side effects.

10. Do you believe that there is a problem with the declining rates of vaccination in children? Why or why
not?
Dr. Trujillo believes that the declining rates of vaccinates in children is a growing problem. She believes that the
internet is the physicians worst enemy. Parents and older patients tend to use Google as a way of trying to find
what their symptoms mean. Sometimes doctors must compete with WebMD and other websites that might not
give the complete or correct information. Diseases that had been almost eradicated are nowadays emerging again
from outbreaks, causing lot of hospitalization and even death among children. The worst part about this scenario
is that all of this could have been prevented.

Revised Fall 2017

 Interview Summary
 Pediatrics field is one that you will always find yourself with a job.
 I have also learned the fantasy and the reality of medicine. Many patients tend to lie or not
follow through the treatment.
 There is also a lot of growing potential for the field, there are many ways to become a better
doctor. One that seems very interesting to me is the becoming a teacher.
 Residency is a very hard life, they have a very busy schedule. Therefore, it is something I will
need to become more prepared for.
 A typical day of a Pediatric doctor is very much more relaxed, with normal working hours.
 Pediatrician also make very good money. Yet they also work a lot, and must deal with being able
to try and communicate with their patients. Since many of their patients are not able to speak or
be vocal about their symptoms and pain.
 Many doctors believe that children should be vaccinated. This seems to be a common thinking
between pediatric doctors.
 Many of these diseases that have been recently reported as outbreaks could have been prevented
with a simple vaccine.
 Vaccines has been proved many times that it does not cause Autism. Many of these fallacies
make their way to the patients through the internet and social media.
 There is no harm in giving children so many vaccines at the same time.
 Children at this age are used to so many changes in their immune system.
 Must of the time prolonging vaccines just allows the child to contract a disease that could be
prevented.
 There is a very big problem with the current declining rates of children vaccinated.
 Due to less people getting vaccinated there have outbreaks of diseases that had been eradicated
in the United States.
 Not getting vaccinated is not only putting the child at risk but also all other children.

Revised Fall 2017