This year marks the beginning of the DIL’s support for the People, Ideas, and Things (PIT) Journal. The journal provides a platform for undergraduates to experiment with digital publishing. As part of our inaugural collaboration, we have been working on a first special issue, focusing on the observations of UNC undergraduates while shadowing in the Emergency Department at UNC Hospital. During the 2018 Fall Semester, Professor Marc Cohen’s English 105 class was allowed to spend time in the hospital and follow its doctors and nurses as they worked through their regular shifts. Using what they saw, the students went on to write articles in the observational style of journalists such as Sheri Fink. These articles were fascinating, offering a look into the complex lives of both emergency department employees and their patients. The experiences documented were incredibly diverse, and the themes varied from opioid addiction and homelessness to elderly care and noise pollution. Then, Professor Cohen’s Spring 2019 English 105 students wrote foreword articles that introduce these themes and observation pieces.
Together, these foreword and observation articles give readers a glimpse into the daily routines of emergency department professionals as they deal with everything from mundane issues to complicated social problems. The articles can be found here, on the PIT Journal website:
http://pitjournal.unc.edu/cycles/special-issue-er-observations
