Goals & Learning

Career Goals

In the future, I hope to become a medical doctor. The reason I chose this career path was because my job experience as both a CNA and MA has given me a firsthand understanding of patient care and the importance of compassion in the healthcare field. As of right now I would say I am 80% sure of my career goal because after doing further research about physician assistants, it has peaked my interests. To help figure out which career path is right for me, I plan on shadowing both Doctors and physician assistants to further assess all the strengths and weaknesses of each career.

This internship has helped me tremendously with planning my journey into the medical field. Even though it hasn’t narrowed down my decision between medical doctors and physician assistants, it has deepened my understanding of the healthcare system, particularly through the research side of medicine. Working in the lab has shown me the critical role of medical research in advancing treatments and improving patient care, which has sparked my interest in potentially incorporating research into my future career. I feel much more confident in using my self-knowledge and preferences to make career-related decisions now. My internship has helped me gain a clearer understanding of what I value in a career, such as the balance between patient care, the role of research, and long-term professional development.

After completing my bachelor's degree, I plan to attend medical school, but before committing fully, I want to gain experience to ensure this path aligns with my aspirations. The LHSI program offers me the chance to explore various aspects of the medical field, helping me determine which specialty, if any, suits me best. This internship will provide valuable insight and allow me to gain confidence in my decision to pursue a medical career. In addition, I plan to continue seeking diverse experiences such as volunteering and studying abroad to broaden my perspective and build transferable skills for the future.

Internship Goals

Learning Goal #1: Learn good time management skills. How does this goal fit into your career journey or prepare you for the future? This goal fits into my career journey because as someone who hopes to become a doctor, having good management skills is essential for this career. What tasks, responsibilities, projects, or activities will you do to meet this goal?

1. Have an app that I can use to make a schedule for my day to day activities.

2. Make sure I am still engaged into my internship activities

3. Make sure I hold my self-accountable with both school and the internship

Learning Goal #2: Be really involved into this internship How does this goal fit into your career journey or prepare you for the future? This goal prepares me for the future because it teaches me how to get involved in projects instead of doing the bare minimum. What tasks, responsibilities, projects, or activities will you do to meet this goal?

1. Whenever I have free time to spare, ask if there’s anything I can help with.

2. Go to the weekly presentations held by this lab.

3. Try to participate in everything that happens.

Learning Goal #3: Improve my communication skills. How does this goal fit into your career journey or prepare you for the future? Communication is an essential skill to have for all jobs. You need to be able to communicate well with your coworkers or even presenting PowerPoints for others. What tasks, responsibilities, projects, or activities will you do to meet this goal?

1. Try to explain what is happening in the internship back to supervisor to make sure I have a clear understanding and can explain what is happening well.

2. If there is an opportunity to present in front of people, try to.

3. Express my feelings with others, whether it be when I am unconformable or excited. .

Learning Goal #1: Learn good time management skills.

Relevance: This goal fits into my career journey because as someone who hopes to become a doctor, having good management skills is essential for this career.

Action Plan:

Have an app that I can use to make a schedule for my day to day activities.

Make sure I am still engaged into my internship activities

Make sure I hold my self-accountable with both school and the internship

Progress: I’ve made significant progress in following my goal of improving my management skills. I’ve been consistently using an app, called notion, to organize my day-to-day activities, which has helped me stay on track with both my school and internship commitments. However, I’ve encountered some challenges in balancing my workload, especially during busy weeks. Moving forward, I plan to refine my schedule to include buffer time for unforeseen tasks and continue to hold myself accountable by regularly reviewing my progress and adjusting as necessary. This experience has reinforced the importance of time management and will help me grow in both my internship and my future academic jounrey.

Learning Goal #2: Be really involved into this internship

Relevance: This goal prepares me for the future because it teaches me how to get involved in projects instead of doing the bare minimum.

Action Plan:

Whenever I have free time to spare, ask if there’s anything I can help with.

. Go to the weekly presentations held by this lab.

Try to participate in everything that happens.

Progress: I’ve made good progress toward becoming more involved in my internship. I’ve been proactive about asking for additional tasks during my free time, which has allowed me to gain more experience and contribute to different projects. Attending the weekly presentations has given me a deeper understanding of the lab's work and the importance of staying engaged. However, I’ve encountered some challenges in balancing my time between the extra involvement and my academic responsibilities. Moving forward, I will continue to seek opportunities to contribute and will make sure to manage my time effectively to stay on top of both my internship and studies.

Learning Goal #3: Improve my communication skills.

Relevance: Communication is an essential skill to have for all jobs. You need to be able to communicate well with your coworkers or even presenting PowerPoints for others.

Action Plan:

Try to explain what is happening in the internship back to supervisor to make sure I have a clear understanding and can explain what is happening well.
If there is an opportunity to present in front of people, try to.
Express my feelings with others, whether it be when I am unconformable or excited.

Progress: I have made significant progress towards improving my communication skills. I’ve been regularly discussing tasks with my supervisor to ensure I fully understand the work and can communicate it clearly. Additionally, I’ve taken the opportunity to express my thoughts and feelings more openly, whether I’m excited or feeling uncomfortable, which has helped me build confidence in expressing myself. One area I found challenging was presenting in front of others, as I haven’t had as many opportunities to do so yet. Moving forward, I will continue to seek out opportunities for presentations and push myself to express my thoughts more confidently in both professional and personal settings.

Learning

After completing the fall self assessment survey, I took note of the skills I am already utilizing. Some skills being communication and teamwork skills. In my internship I am constantly working in a team environment which has helped me improve my communication skills due to the necessity of clearly conveying information, actively listening , and collaborating effectively to achieve our shared goals. On the other hand, a skill I want to work on is my leadership. I noticed that when its time for someone to stand up and take charge, I usually wait for someone else to take the opportunity instead of doing it myself. To grow this skills I plan on taking initiative when completing tasks and help to guide others while being a leader.

In all, this internship has helped me gain deeper understanding of my major because to be successfully within this major, you must not only possess technical knowledge but also be able to work well with others, adapt to different situations, and inspire confidence in your team.

In March you'll complete your spring self-assessment again (link in Canvas).

After Survey Analysis:

I've noticed that my communication and teamwork skills have continued to improve since the fall. I am now more confident in my ability to clearly convey information, actively listen, and collaborate with others to achieve common goals. For example, during tasks, I feel more comfortable sharing my ideas and understanding others' perspectives, which has helped our team work more efficiently.

However, leadership is still an area I want to grow in. I noticed that I tend to wait for someone else to take charge when leadership opportunities arise, rather than stepping up myself. To develop my leadership skills, I plan on taking more initiative in completing tasks and supporting others in a leadership role, especially when participating in team projects.

The internship has helped me gain a deeper understanding of my major because it's shown me that success in this field requires not just technical knowledge but also the ability to work effectively with others, adapt to different situations, and inspire confidence within the team. Moving forward, I will continue to seek opportunities to refine these skills and strengthen my overall professional development.

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