Journal #25: IRB

     Today we had our mock IRB trials. I must say I was much more worried than I should have been. I actually feel really good about my research, about the information that I have, about the way that I have been able to present my ideas, and about my project as a whole. It is way less intimidating than I thought it would be because most of the suggested changes to my project are just minor and for the most part, my feedback was very positive which is a relief. It is so interesting to think about how far I have come from just one year ago though I am very grateful for all the time I have had to develop my ideas and learn about methods and such. I know that the research I plan to do is going to work out fine as long as I work hard and I am not worried about getting approval to do my research because it is a very minimal risk study and I am not working with a vulnerable population.
      While the IRB is a real pain, it is very beneficial because it makes you think about things that you normally would not think about in such detail. I have been thinking a lot lately about what my target research subjects are  after having to be so specific about them and it is cool to think about the type of people that I will be interacting with in Ghana. They are human beings just like those who I have interacted with my whole life but their culture will bring a new aspect to my understanding of humans and I am so excited to explore that. Thinking about actually doing my research is intimidating but at the same time I just think about how many people I will be privileged to meet and I cannot help but be so excited!! The particular people that I observe within their doctor-patient interactions will be according to those who come seeking out treatment at the hospital so they will be those whom I interact with most on a daily basis.