Goals & Learning

My current goal is to go to graduate school for Physician Assistant Studies which would lead me to my career goal of becoming a PA. My reason for these goals is for my family. I was always the sole translator in my family from a very young age for doctor visits and more. I noticed how the language barrier was a huge issue and hopefully my career as a PA treating patients can help close this barrier a bit more. I explored many different healthcare careers but this one stuck out to me specifically since not only did the career, but the graduate programs aligned with what impact I wanted to make as a healthcare provider. My personal encounters with PAs have always been positive and hope I can make this impact on other people in the future. This year I will find out if these goals fit my strengths and preferences by connecting with people in the healthcare field especially Physician Assistant and students.

 What will you do this year to find out if these goals fit your strengths and preferences? 

I will find out if these goals fit my strengths and preferences by putting them to the test and challenging myself.

 How confident do you feel in using your self-knowledge and preferences to make career-related decisions now?

I feel so much more confident in preferences to make career related decisions.

My goals have changed in a year. I have been able to make progress with what I been wanting to accomplish. With all the change and progress for this summer I have made it a goal to get patient care hours this summer to help me for PA school application and being able to shadow healthcare professionals to get a sense of what could be my future. During my upcoming senior year I will be working and completing my classes and getting a step closer to finding a health internship for my senior capstone class. 

Learning Goal #1: Professional Networking

Relevance: Building a network of professional contacts will help my career journey such as letters of recommendation and also getting to know people to help me build connections within my internship. 

Action Plan: My action plan is communicating with others such as my coworkers and healthcare providers, being reliable around the office to gain trust of others, and also being ethical since I will be around sensitive patient information it is important for me follow all guidelines.

Progress: During this year at my internship site I have been able to talk to so many individuals and make contacts with people from different professions. At first I was shy which had hindered me from my ability to make deep meaningful connections that could possibly help me out in the future. The more time progressed I felt comfortable stepping out of my comfort zone and talking to individuals. I got to see health professionals like physicians present cases and get a bit in touch about what made them choose this route. I have also been able to make a personal and professional connection with multiple people at the office which has allowed me to thrive and grow at my internship.

Learning Goal #2: Improving Resume

Relevance: Building work experience and improving skills can help me improve my resume.

Action Plan: Taking note what skills I can improve on, working with a team, and making sure all responsibilities are done so I know there is potential to grow.

Progress: I always wanted to improve my resume to make it appealing to employers and other individuals who may come across it. At this internship site I was able to adapt and learn multiple skills and even learn about different programs which can be useful in other places. I was able to advance in simple skills such as time management, communication, and more and now I am able to carry other skills like marketing, data entry, and more computer skills.

Learning Goal #3: Improving Communication Skills

Relevance: Though I have communication skills and have worked along side a team for school and work in the past being in a professional setting where software is new to me and knowing I will work with other individuals it is going to be necessary to improve these skills. 

Action Plan: Being vocal about questions about work or projects, actively listening in meetings and instructions, working along side others in group settings.

Progress: Overall felt like communication skills is not a big thing but when thinking about it was a big improvement I needed to make for myself and the future. I was able to improve my communication skills with fellow interns, coworkers, and health professionals. I am able to easily reach out and communicate with any other individual about a question or concern. It has also made it easy for me to make conversation or keep a conversation going with others. I was able to go to a outside of work event which allowed me to easily communicate with people who were apart of the program that I help with data entry. I do desk work so it is hard to forget the paper and data I look at is actual people and being able to communicate with these individuals was easy enough considering I improved my communication skills.