Learning Goal #1: Learn about the clinical research conducted at my site and why this research is being conducted
This will assist me because as an aspiring Physician, having knowledge on different segments of the medical will allow me to be a more well-rounded individual.
Tasks, responsibilities, projects, or activities I will do to meet this goal
1. Doing my own research on aging and healthcare for the elderly population.
2. Taking steps to engage and talk to different members of the team about their area of work.
3. Taking an active role to participate and take any new opportunity that may arise.
Overall I was able to accomplish this goal. The biggest step I was able to take towards accomplishing this goal was getting the opportunity to shadow one of the physicians that work on the study. Being able to closely observe a geriatrics physician allowed me to further immerse my self into the world of physicians while also being able to take more steps in exploring healthcare for the older population. Moving forward, I would like to seek more opportunities to shadow physicians.
Learning Goal #2: Gain information about different aspects of the research process
This is significant because field of medicine never stops moving so we must move along with it. The ability to understand research is essential in order to stay up to date on the new things being discovered.
Tasks, responsibilities, projects, or activities I will do to meet this goal?
1. Observing how studies are generally conducted and making comparisons/ contrasts to what I’ve previously seen.
2. Identifying what specific methods and techniques are used to generate data and results
3. Understanding more of the terminologies being used and what they are referencing.
I was able to take major steps in understanding the general world of research and the different components that go into it. The biggest step I was able to take was understanding some of the tools used for research such ass the REDCap data base or even Microsoft Excel. Conducting the research helped me to better understand the research. Moving forward, I plan on applying for other research positions to continue my learning.
Learning Goal #3: Become comfortable with the new reality of working hybrid- remotely and in person
After covid, working remotely has been a huge thing in many areas of the professional world. I have no experience with working remotely as a professional, so I’d like to understand more of what it’s like and how I respond to this new hybrid style.
Tasks, responsibilities, projects, or activities I will do to meet this goal?
1. Organizing myself in different ways to see what pattern of hybrid work suits me best
2. Being very prompt and thorough with communication as this is a major part of working remotely.
3. Staying on task and meeting any deadline given to me on different projects.
I was able to work remotely the vast majority of the time. I was able to learn to be productive while at home. I had to learn that talking via email is the new reality. Therefore, it is highly important to stay up to date on emails. Moving forward I want to create an improved hybrid working environment for my self with an improved setup for my work tools. Essentially, a home office.
Career/ Academic Goals.
Career wise my goals are to attend medical school and become a Sports Medicine Physician. I am very assured of this career option because it is a field that is able to check all my boxes and satisfy the different aspects my of interests and my abilities as a person. I have a passion for learning more about science and how things work while also having a high interests in sports medicine due to the fact that I come from an athletic background. During my time at my internship site, I was able to make the decision to shadow a physician. Doing so allowed me to further confirm that the path of medicine is what I wanted to pursue. I feel more confident in using my own discernment to now make informed decisions about my career. I am still on track to complete the goals that I initially set out to complete around this time of the year which was to prepare for graduation and complete my premed pre reqs. I am currently still on track to do so with my anticipated graduation date being next spring and I'm almost done with all my pre reqs. To get closer to my career goals, I plan on being a mentor to foster kids this summer and I hope to do more research in the coming semesters.
Self Assessment
An area where I've been able to excel I've been able to become more comfortable in at my internship site is my ability to integrate and apply concepts. Initially, I had not been able to experience any level of hands on work at my internship. This made it hard to apply anything I could have learned because I did not have the platform to demonstrate my new understandings. But during this second semester, I've been able to do many things that pertains to the work being done at my site and apply concepts that I learned on the way.
An area I would like to continue to work on is asking for feedback. With me being a very independent worker and being confident in the work I produce, I have a tendency to not ask for feedback. In the future, I would like to further develop this skill by making a bigger effort to ensure that I am consistently sharing my work and having it reviewed by my supervisors.
A skill that I have been able to build on is my teamwork abilities. I have been able to grow in this area by being more trusting and reliant of people I work with to get different tasks accomplished. If I reasonably can not get something done. I can trust that my teammates will give me the helping hand that I need.
Overall, this internship has allowed me to gain a better understanding of conducting research which is a part of my current coursework. I have been able to get a better grasp of the rules and the parameters surrounding research. I have learned that research can be very a narrow and rouged process. I have also learned that things take time and years of consistent effort when it comes to doing research. I have been able to see how important it is to show up with the right mindset everyday and do things the right way. Everyday counts towards the bigger picture.