Interview #1

Interviewee:

Dr. Sean Haslam, Orthopedic Surgeon

Business Name:

Texas Ortho Partners

Date and Time:

September 23rd, 2015 at 12:00

Analysis:

My first research interview was with Dr. Sean Haslam, an orthopedic surgeon at Texas Ortho Partners. During the interview, Dr. Haslam and I discussed some of the more common sports injuries today, including ankle sprains and concussions. I brought these topics up as potential areas of focus for me as the year progresses, but Dr. Haslam was able to give me solid information regarding potential concussion prevention programs in high school football as well as injury prevention programs for ankle sprains in volleyball and basketball. Furthermore, he was able to educate me about nonsurgical treatment of injuries as opposed to surgical treatment, all depending on the severity and location of the injury. As the interview continued, Dr. Haslam continued to be an amazing source of information for the short time that we were together.

However, what really struck me about him was the way he talked and conducted himself. He was extremely kind, and apologized for being slightly late to the interview. I recognize that many professionals, especially in the medical field, are extremely busy, and there attitudes can be disheartening. Dr. Haslam’s waiting room was full of patients, yet he still made some time for me after he was done treating them. Many times during the interview I got nervous and stumbled over questions, but he did not discourage me and made active attempts to look interested in what I was saying. As the year progresses, I want ISM to be a way for me to better communicate with others as I learn how to keep the flow of a conversation going and display interest when people talk to me.

Finally, as I asked Dr. Haslam more and more questions, one constant theme came up in his answers: family. When I asked him what motivated him and drove him to do what he does everyday, his answer was that he did it for his family. When I asked him how he balanced his busy work life with his personal life, he said that spending time with his family was a way to relieve stress. All in all, Dr. Haslam was very informative not only when it came to sports medicine, but also gave me some insight into the life of an orthopedic surgeon and medical professional.

In all honesty, this interview could have gone much better on my part. I plan on being better prepared and more relaxed in the future, and though I am disappointed in myself, I’m not overly disheartened because this was the first interview of the year and I knew I would make mistakes. Now it’s time to learn from these errors as I look forward to what the future holds for me when it comes to potential mentors.

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