WEEKLY BLOG

Week 14: Wrapping Up the Internship      This final week of development on the Dietary Inventory System felt like racing against the clock to get everything functional before my OJT period ends. We focused on completing the  inventory and delivery modules, along with basic ordering functions for the wards, which turned out to be more involved than I expected. The delivery module required careful planning to ensure it could not only generate accurate delivery confirmations but also handle special cases like reprints and audits. I spent considerable time testing different scenarios, discovering along the way how small details like server time settings could throw off entire reports if not configured properly.      The order module presented its own challenges as we worked to create an intuitive interface that would prevent mistakes during busy kitchen hours. We implemented safeguards like patient count-based quantity calculations, though our initial...

  Week 13: Building the Backend      This week, we moved from designing screens to working on the actual backend of the Dietary Inventory System (DIS). This is where all the important functions live like user logins, inventory tracking, and delivery management. It felt like going behind the scenes after working on the frontend last week.      We set up three types of users: admin, who has access to everything staff related operations, staff, and wards, who receive food deliveries. Creating the login system was tricky at first. Making sure each user only sees what they’re supposed to. The admin can add new users and adjust settings, staff can update food stock levels, and wards can only view delivery schedules. Testing permissions was funny. I kept accidentally locking myself out or seeing pages I shouldn’t.      For the inventory module, we made sure it could track food quantities. I helped set up simple alerts so the kitchen knows when ...

Week 12: Starting the Frontend      This week, we finally began working on the actual Dietary Inventory System (DIS) after all the planning. Since I’m still learning, Ma’am Ynah assigned me to help with the frontend.. At first, I was nervous because I’ve never built a system using Laravel before, but it turned out to be a great way to test and apply what I’ve learned during my breaks, learning the framework.      We used a simple drag-and-drop tool called Figma to design the screens, which made things easier to visualize when coding it later. My main task was creating the layout for the inventory and delivery module, where staffs and admin can log food supplies and create delivery orders. I kept thinking back to the HOMIS+ manual I worked on and how confusing some parts were. That helped me design clearer labels and buttons so users wouldn’t get stuck.      It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. Sometimes, I’d spend way too long adjusting tiny...

Week 11: My Hands-on Week with Firewalls and System Planning     T his 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)...

Week 10: Refining Helpdesk Skills      Returning to helpdesk duties this week, I noticed significant improvements in how I handle user concerns and technical reporting. I was primarily accompanied by Ma'am Lyca, who guided me through more difficult cases, though I also had opportunities to manage some tickets independently. The experience from previous weeks has helped me develop better diagnostic approaches and communication techniques when addressing support tickets, allowing me to work more efficiently both collaboratively and on my own.      A key improvement was in accurately identifying and explaining issues to both users and technicians. For instance, when users reported wifi being down, I learned to first verify if it was truly a connectivity issue or just certain websites being inaccessible. Many cases turned out to be blocked sites like Facebook or YouTube due to hospital policies, not actual network failures. Instead of just saying that I'll be c...

Week 9: Hands-on Networking Experience      This week provided a valuable opportunity to expand my technical skills as we were assigned to rotate through the hospital's Network Department. Under the guidance of Sir Jam, a network specialist, we were introduced to fundamental networking concepts through practical exercises in a controlled test environment.      The hands-on session began with basic file-sharing configurations between test computers. Sir Jam walked us through the step-by-step process of setting up shared folders, managing permissions, and troubleshooting connection issues. To my surprise, I was the first one called to demonstrate the setup, which made me a little nervous but also eager to apply what we’d just learned. It was interesting to see how these basic networking functions, which I've used casually before, actually work from the administrative side.      We then moved on to wifi configuration exercises, where we learned ...

Week 8: A Welcomed Rest      After several weeks of intensive work on the HOMIS+ transition, this week offered a lighter workload that allowed me to catch my breath. With the major tasks of manual preparation and system demos completed, my responsibilities shifted back to more routine help desk duties and general support tasks.      The slower pace gave me time to organize my notes from previous weeks and review the feedback we collected during the demo sessions. I found myself revisiting some of the user concerns, thinking about how they might be addressed in the final system configuration. Between the occasional password reset requests and user access configuration, I took the opportunity to observe how the current HOMIS system operates in daily practice, which is a useful knowledge that will likely prove valuable when the transition occurs.      This quieter week also allowed me to reflect on everything I've learned so far during my OJT. F...

Week 7: System Demo Session      This week marked an important milestone as we conducted the first demo training for the upcoming HOMIS+ system. The session was set up at our department with the system displayed on a large TV monitor, while our experienced members walked the hospital staff through the new features and workflows. My role was to carefully document all user feedback and concerns during the presentation.      At first, I expected this to be a simple note-taking task. However, I quickly realized how invested the staff were in this transition. Doctors, nurses, and administrative personnel asked thoughtful questions about data migration, report generation, and daily workflows. Some were enthusiastic about the improvements, while others expressed hesitation about changing systems they'd used for years. Keeping up with the rapid-fire questions while ensuring accurate minutes was more challenging than I anticipated.      A pleasant sur...

Week 6: The Documentation Marathon      This week was all about crossing the finish line with the HOMIS+ user manual. What I thought would be simple final touches turned into an unexpected battle with formatting and consistency. I can safely say that Google Docs and I developed a love-hate relationship. Just when I thought I had all the headings perfectly aligned, something would mysteriously shift. The numbering system for steps kept resetting itself, and don't even get me started on how screenshots would jump around the page when I added new text.      The work was more tedious than I anticipated. Making sure every section followed the same structure, that all the terminology matched, and that the screenshots were clear and properly labeled became a repetitive cycle of write-check-edit-repeat. There were moments when I'd stare at the screen wondering, "Didn't I already fix this exact same issue three pages ago?"      As the deadline for nex...

Week 5: Learning the Art of Documentation      Week five introduced me to a completely new challenge, which was documentation. The HOMIS team was tasked with creating a user manual for the upcoming HOMIS+ system, and to my surprise, I was going to be part of the process. On Monday, we held a meeting to divide responsibilities, with each team member assigned a specific module. I was given the OPD (Outpatient Department) module, which felt equal parts exciting and intimidating since I was still fairly new to the system myself.      At first, I underestimated how difficult it would be to explain a system I was still learning myself. There were moments when I'd take what I thought was the perfect screenshot, only to realize later that it didn't clearly show the necessary steps. I must have redone the same section three times before getting it right. The real challenge was finding the balance between technical accuracy and user-friendly language. What made perfe...

Week 4: Help Desk Hiccups      Week four brought me back to the IT Help Desk, though things moved at a much slower pace compared to last week's hardware adventures. Most of my days were spent processing request tickets, updating statuses and answering calls. But just when I thought I had everything under control, I managed to make some clumsy mistakes that I think, taught me more about the job than any perfect day ever could.      Starting the week, having Monday being a chaotic morning, I was managing multiple tickets when I accidentally assigned a network issue to the wrong technician. Instead of routing it to the networking team, I sent it to the technical team which immediately called my line with a very confused tone. By the time I realized my mistake and reassigned it, the original requester had already followed up. Not my finest moment, but at least the networking team got a good laugh out of it when I explained what happened.      The...

Week 3: The IT Detectives of BRHMC      This week felt like going undercover as we conducted a hospital-wide hardware assessment. Though what most staff didn’t know was that this was all preparation for a new system rollout coming soon. With clipboards in hand, my teammate sir Erickson, and I became the unofficial IT detectives of BRHMC, visiting every ward and offices to evaluate computers, printers, and peripherals. It was equal parts fascinating and awkward when nurses would ask why we were checking their computer specs, and we’d have to give vague answers.      The biggest surprise? Just how badly some departments were crammed for space. We found nurses’ stations where three people were sharing one ancient PC, admin offices with printers wedged between filing cabinets, and workstations where the monitor was practically hanging off the desk. One ward had a printer put so precariously on a stack of binders that I held my breath every time someone printed ...

Week 2: Transitioning to Help Desk Operations      My second week at BRHMC's IHOMP department started right where I left off, diving deep into the HOMIS system for more case rate updates. The first two days were all about wrapping up that massive data entry task. It felt satisfying to finally complete it, like finishing a long and tedious puzzle.      Just when I thought I’d become a permanent HOMIS data encoder, Ma’am Annie introduced us to the IT Help Desk system, which is a welcomed change of pace! She walked us through how it works, from processing user requests to managing roles and permissions in HOMIS. We even learned how to install the HOMIS application on other PCs, which made me feel like I was actually doing something technical for once.      Then came the real test. I was handling actual IT Help Desk requests. I was nervous at first but most requests were straightforward, like assigning nurses to their wards or updating case rates...

Week 1: A Slow but Steady Start      The first week of my OJT at Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center (BRHMC) under IHOMP was a gentle introduction to the world of healthcare IT. No dramatic rescues of crashing systems... yet, but plenty of learning in small, steady steps.      Day one started with an orientation by Ma’am Annie, who walked us through hospital policies and workplace etiquette. It wasn’t the most thrilling part of the week, but at least I now know where not to wander off to! After that, Sir Jims gave us a quick tour of the different departments, and it was interesting seeing how everything connects behind the scenes. By the afternoon, assignments were handed out, and I landed at IHOMP, where my first task was updating case rate data in HOMIS NX. Not exactly an exciting IT work I imagined, but hey, everyone starts somewhere.      The next two days settled into a routine. Mornings and afternoons spent carefully encoding and...