Outside of college and work I am training to become an extreme day hiker - if such a thing exists! I spent my formative years in muggy, mosquito-filled Florida where long overland treks were unpleasant at best and health hazardous at worst, so I only recently discovered this passion after moving to the lush and temperate Pacific Northwest. Over the past year I have hiked many trails in the Coast Range and the Cascades. This year I am looking forward to hiking around Mt. Rainier and The Enchantments as well as traversing Zion National Park.
My three main goals for the News Reporting class are to learn to think like a journalist, develop my skills as an interviewer, and hone my journalistic writing abilities. I have had a lot of training on how to pose and investigate science research questions. Now I would like to know how journalists approach questions in order to shape informative and engaging stories. I also want to become a first rate interviewer. I love to listen to radio and podcast interviews and I envy the ability of interviewers to pull the most fascinating tidbits and insights from their guests. Finally, I would like to improve my ability to write clearly, concisely. and quickly. While I recognize that I am not a bad writer, I can be verbose and slow to compose my thoughts. I hope that this course helps me to make the leap to being a productive journalistic writer.
My first news story is going to be about the Phlebotomy Program at Linn-Benton Community College. Next week I will be speaking to Linda Carroll, the LBCC Dean and Director of Healthcare, and Whitney Funk, the Phlebotomy Program Director. I am also planning to line up interviews with a current phlebotomy student and a graduate of the program. If possible, I would love to speak with employers of graduates for their perspective of the program.
Seven questions that I intend to ask about the Phlebotomy Program are:
1. What is the Phlebotomy program?
2. How long has LBCC had this program?
3. What does completing the program entail?
4. What are some recent challenges that the program has faced?
5. How do current students feel about the program?
6. How do students fare once they graduate from the program?
7. What do prospective employers think about the the phlebotomy program and its graduates?
Wish me luck on my first story! I am so looking forward to getting the facts and sharing them with you.
