Goal #1: Learning more about psychological research. Reaching this goal will help me build more of an understanding of the career path I am interested in. This can be completed at my internship by entering data, conversing and reading over patient files, and learning about the techniques used to measure ASD. 

Near the finishing line of my internship, I have developed more of an understanding behind the testing measures used when screening for ASD. Along with this, I have been able to understand more of the reasoning behind the data. This skill was developed from completing the various data entries for the protocols and asking my supervisor questions on what each test was used for in a clinical setting. 

Goal #2: Gaining experience in working in a medical environment. By completing this goal, I will be able to learn more about the dynamic of the work environment I will be working in for my future career. This can be completed over the course of my internship by shadowing my supervisor, Dr. Kurtz-Nelson, completing various trainings that focus on the workplace, and going into the Patient Care Clinic to work in the atmosphere.

Near the finishing line of my internship, I have gained a lot of training on communicating research findings, working with other researchers, and learning more about being in a successful work environment. The skill of communication with was strengthened through completing trainings, working alongside my supervisor to execute my showcase presentation, and focusing on trying to do my very best when it came to data entry. 

Goal #3: Learn more about neurodevelopmental disorders. As a neuroscience and psychology major, there are a lot of overlaps in disorders that stem from the brain. Learning more about these disorders will help me understand more of my coursework and create the correlation between my two majors. 

Nearing the finishing line of my internship, I have learned a lot about ASD relating to the symptoms, treatments, and how it connects with other neurodevelopmental disorders. A majority of the information I learned was from completing trainings on ASD and doing literature reviews on the connections between ASD and anxiety. 

My future goals include becoming a Physician Assistant and getting my PhD in Public Health. With these two credentials, I will be able to work in research with clinical settings and public health along with working alongside patients and their families. I chose this career path after spending time at my internship and doing my work for the Department of Health, where I have been given various opportunities to take part in research projects for public health organizations. This is a career option that feels the most natural for me as it combines both my interests in helping others through advocacy, research, and medicine. Over the course of the rest of my time at IUPUI, I plan on becoming more active in clinical settings whether its as a Patient Care Technician, Medical Scribe, or EMT. This will allow me to gain more first-hand experience of the healthcare environment. This can then be tied into the position I have for the Department of Health as I am able to use this experience to aid the research projects I take part in through the board. 

After completing the self-assessment on my skills, I have been using communication, independence ability, and problem-solving over the course of my internship. For the communication aspect, I have communicated with my supervisors over the course of the semester, and I have been able to ask for additional trainings to learn more about the data protocols I am entering. This internship has shown me that I am able to work independently and complete the tasks assigned to me, but I also seek out more tasks to complete to ensure that the data is all entered. This ties into my problem-solving skills. There have been many times when RedCap has made protocols not visible. When I came across this problem, I communicated it with my supervisors and ensured that the data list was updated with the information for the entire team. Continuing on with my internship, I would like to improve my integration techniques. I plan on doing this through creating a better understanding of the tests being administered, shadowing my supervisors, and continuing to learn as I enter the protocol data. 

At the start of my internship, I thought I was going to attend medical school and work as a neurologist, but this plan changed as I continued on with my internship. I found that I really enjoy the research side of medicine and want to work closely with patients. As mentioned previously, I want to advocate for my patients and ensure that their needs are being met in the healthcare system. This ties into what my internship focuses on as the research is focused on finding a treatment option that can help adolescents with ASD. It has given me more of an understanding of the path I want to go down for my future. As of now, I plan on attending PA school to become a physician assistant. After that, I would like to obtain my PhD in public health to conduct various forms of research. 

At the start of my LHSI interviewing processing, I had the following internship goals created for myself: obtaining research techniques regarding data entry and reviewing, finding the career path that's fit for me and my personality, and learning more about various science topics. Reflecting on these goals, I believe that the internship site I have been at has helped me with each of these goals. I have been able to learn more about research skills, such as learning how to enter data on RedCap or being able to analyze the data to create a presentation. Along with internship goals, I had some career goals created for myself. A year ago, I wanted to attend medical school and specialize in neurology and psychiatry. After a year at my internship site, I found that this path is not the path that I wanted to follow. I had this idea of being a doctor since I was five-years-old, and I didn't let myself explore my other options. Now, I plan on either going to PA school to specialize in neurology or getting a PhD or PsyD to specialize in research regarding mental illnesses and better treatment options than prescribing medication to solve the issues. Working for Dr. Kurtz-Nelson showed me that this was an opportunity for me to pursue following graduation. I was able to talk with my supervisor about how she was able to decide on a path for her, and this helped me make my decision to switch out of a pre-medical school track.