EMRA Day by Evan Patel and Garrett Garrido (8.10.20–8.12.20)

As a way to keep EMRA connected during the quarantine and throughout this extended break from school, we have been putting together events called “EMRA Days.” These two hour events are compilations of guest speaker presentations, member presentations, informative group presentations as well as socials that help members stay connected and engaged with their peers. Members have found our EMRA Days to be highly educational, foster team spirit, and provide a sense of normalcy. EMRA Days give our members fun events to look forward to in a time where there is much stress and uncertainty in our everyday lives. Recently on August 1st, we had our fourth EMRA Day. Our guest speaker for the week was EMRA Alumna Leticia Berg, a private practice psychotherapist. She gave an interesting presentation on her experiences running her own psychotherapy practice as well as some insight on her nontraditional path to her career. Berg talked about how her practice has been affected by the pandemic and the patterns she has observed in patients over the recent months. While it would be expected that loneliness due to the isolation would be the major trend, she actually explained that many people with this excessive amount of time are beginning to question where they are in their lives and what exactly happens after these lockdowns end. A lot of people are wondering if they simply just resume their normal lives and are struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel. After Berg’s presentation, I was given the opportunity to give a presentation where I taught EMRAs the basics of reading ECGs. While I do not claim to be an expert of any kind in cardiac electrophysiology, I took a fascinating upper division course last quarter in my physiological sciences major core series called Physiological Sciences 111B. Cardiologist Dr. Andrew Watson put together an amazing four week cardiology module where one of the topics he went over was how to read ECGs. I thought the information was interesting and of course quite relevant for EMRAs. I really enjoyed the opportunity to present something I am passionate about and hope that the members gained some knowledge that will aid them in the future. I think one of the most incredible things over the past few weeks at these EMRA Days has been the presentations given by our members. Given a platform and time to speak on anything they would like, I have learned a lot about my fellow EMRAs as well as a lot from them as we hear about important topics ranging from student health at UCLA by Akash Kapoor to the intricacies of what happens during a Code Trauma in the Emergency Department by Clifford Danza. We wrapped up the evening with an entertaining social put together by Rishabh Shah and Emmy Dunsford where everyone was able to play games and catch up. It was a welcome change of pace from the stresses of this summer. As we continue through this quarantine, these EMRA Days are an incredible way to stay connected and learn about important topics. I look forward to the rest of them!