Goals
Currently
This will allow me to gain experience and become comfortable around those who are currently much further ahead in their career. With this internship, I will learn to feel confident when on a professional team and know that my work is impacting others despite at feeling insignificant at times.
Progress
At my internship site, I am at the point where I know my work is critical to keep the podcast going. Despite feeling like I am not doing enough at times, I just have to look back at all the progress I have made regarding editing, using the software, and overall my confidence in talking to the residents, my supervisor, and other professionals at the Pediatric Care Center. Next, I plan to shadow a clinical psychologist, hope to get involved with her research, and continue to work on Kids HealthCast over the summer!
Currently
By asking questions, I will be able to strength my knowledge and explore various career opportunities to help better prepare me for the future. Additionally, it will help ease any anxiety that I may feel in the future if I start getting comfortable doing it now.
Progress
Throughout my experience at my internship, I was first hesitant and quite scared to ask questions, but now I am confident enough to take advantage of the extensive opportunities available to me. While here, I will continue to keep in contact with the clinical psychologist who has helped me immensely by letting me shadow her and meet to discuss her career path and giving me advice.
Currently
In the future, I want to be confident in managing my own career and have the capabilities to take control of unforeseen issues when needed.
Progress
Though I still get somewhat nervous taking initiative, I have still made significant progress by being in complete control of recording some of the episodes, setting up equipment, and instructing the residents as needed. Now I will be able to really have the confident to take charge of my future and take advantage of opportunities presented to me.
Get accepted into a PsyD program so I can become a child psychologist. In the near future, I will be job shadowing to get insight on what the day to day is like for a clinical psychologist which will help me to confirm whether I want to follow a more therapy-based path or assessment and research-based path. If possible, I will hopefully be able to observe a therapy session to provide even more exposure to help confirm which path is right for me. With all of these experiences coming up and what I have learn so far about pediatric care and being a psychologist, I am confident that I'm on the right path and am capable of making important career decisions.
Additionally, finding several research opportunities and get involved with other internships.
Learning
At my internship I feel as if I have made significant progress regarding being independent. Initially, I was hesitant to do anything without consulting with my fellow intern or supervisor, but now I am confident to make my own decisions which I feel is best for the podcast. I still check in with my supervisor, but she has continually encouraged us to make our own decisions and that she trusts us which makes me feel confident enough to do my own independent work now.
I continue to get more confident in this skill the longer I stay at my internship. I am prepared to stay at my site over the summer and to work closely with my supervisor. With her assistance, I have gotten to take advantage of other opportunities and no longer feel as if I have to run everything by her though sharing these experiences with her is exciting.
This is a skill I would like to work on throughout my internship though I have not encountered it too much yet. I do like to receive constructive criticism because I want to be doing my job correctly, but I always feel a sense of embarrassment when I am corrected which I need to work on. I know when I am corrected, I should not take it personally because they just want to help, but I still find myself feeling embarrassed that I wasn't initially doing it right. To add to this skill, I could confront challenges and failure, to help me work on taking feedback better.
As LHSI is coming to an end, I have started to plan for the summer and the next academic year so I can be prepared. Though I can find it challenging to find another internship or job that will be relevant to my future career, I am not giving up. I will continue to keep in touch with my connections and visit the PREPS office to help find out what is best for me.
This internship has helped me develop a better understanding of all the different pathways I could take with my future. Additionally, with the podcast being pediatric based, I have learned so much about child development which will help me as I continue to work with children in various settings. I have also been presented with different opportunities such as sitting in on didactics, job shadowing, making connections, and possibly another internship at the pediatric care center after LHSI. Overall, I am becoming much more knowledgeable about children and their stages of adolescence.
With the help of this internship, I have gained the confidence, knowledge, and a strong desire to set myself up for success in the future. I have made connections and sought out various opportunities to help me prepare for the future. With only one academic year left, I have started to seek out research opportunities within the field of psychology and have started looking for more jobs based around child psychology. By utilizing the resources and connections this internship and campus provides, I believe my career goals are achievable.