Week 11: My Hands-on Week with Firewalls and System Planning

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Week 11: My Hands-on Week with Firewalls and System Planning

    This week, even if its short, gave me some of the most interesting hands-on experiences so far during my OJT. I spent the Monday days in the network room with Sir Jam, finally getting to see the hospital's firewall up close. While I'd heard about firewalls in class, actually seeing the rules that control all network traffic made everything click for me. Sir Jam patiently explained how they balance tight security with allowing doctors to access critical systems - it's more nuanced than I imagined. I'll admit, when he first showed us the configuration interface, I felt completely lost. But by the second day, I started recognizing patterns in how they block threats while permitting legitimate medical traffic.

    The next day brought a complete change of pace as I was now part of Ma'am Ynah's small team to plan the new Dietary Inventory System. Being one of just three people (including my OJT buddy) working on this made me nervous at first and thought what could I really contribute? But Ma'am Ynah encouraged me to share ideas. I suggested some simple but practical interface features. It was rewarding to see my input being considered alongside more experienced team members.

    After the planning, I still handled my regular helpdesk duties. The contrast was striking. One moment I'm discussing system features, the next I'm answering calls about technical concerns. But this variety is what I'm enjoying most about my OJT. Each moment brings different challenges that build on what I learned the week before.

    As I approach the final weeks, I realize how much I've grown since those first days of data entry. I'm no longer just following instructions, I'm starting to understand why systems are designed certain ways and how to anticipate user needs. While there's still so much to learn, I'm gaining confidence that I can actually contribute to real IT solutions. This week especially showed me that IT in a hospital setting isn't just about technology, it's about understanding people's workflows and creating systems that truly help them.



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