Goals & Learning

Career Goals

As a biology major, I was initially uncertain about which professional career to pursue after graduation, considering both physical therapy and medicine as potential paths. My passion for providing direct patient care has been the driving force behind my desire to find the best fit for my long-term goals.

This year, I have had the privilege of interning on a project that involves collaboration with physical therapists, allowing me to observe their patient interactions and treatment methodologies firsthand. While I deeply admire their expertise and approach to patient care, this experience has reinforced my decision that medicine aligns more closely with my interests and professional aspirations.

During my LHSI application, I stated that one of my primary goals was to gain confidence in my career choice. Now that I have clarity on my professional path, I recognize the need to establish new goals that will help me achieve my desired outcome.

My current objectives are centered on academic excellence, as I strive to perform well in my coursework, and on gaining patient care experience to demonstrate my commitment to the healthcare field. Additionally, I am focused on developing essential skills that will make me a competitive applicant for medical school.

Internship Goals

#1: Learn how to manage the different programs that are being used during the research to collaborate in data collection

Relevance: Identifying and learning to use different programs available for the research will help me to expand my knowledge about the different aspects in which a program can facilitate work in the medical field

Action Plan:

1. Will start working along the person who has a wide training in the software used in the research

After a period of time, I will start working with this software alone but still being supervised

I will be creating reports showing the data and graphs that were obtained using the different programs during testing

Initially, it took me some time to become familiar with the various graphs and data generated by the software during testing days. I remember looking at the screen and struggling to understand the meaning of each graph and data point.

One of the key experiences that significantly improved my understanding was assisting in the presentation of this software to other departments to explore its potential use. Observing my supervisor explain the software while demonstrating its functionality allowed me to gain clarity on the significance of each factor and how the data could be effectively interpreted.

Moving forward, I aim to create more detailed reports and analyses to strengthen my ability to extract meaningful insights from the data.

#2: Enhance research skills focusing on analyzing and reporting skills

Relevance: This goal will help me to improve my sourcing, analyzing and reporting skills which will prepare me for my future career since research is an essential part of the career I want to pursue.

Action Plan:

1.I will be having contact with specimen involved in the study which will help me to develop better communication skills

I will be able to write reports and give feedback to the supervisor about her reports which will help me to learn how to analyze and synthesize information better

I will be in charge of organize data and identify patterns or trends which will be helpful to improve my data analysis skills

One of the most significant contributions to my goal of enhancing analysis skills has been my experience in writing literature reviews. Initially, this was a challenging task, as it was my first time engaging in this type of work.

To navigate this learning curve, I relied on my supervisors for guidance, seeking their input on which details to focus on and what resources would be most valuable. Their support helped me develop a better understanding of how to analyze and synthesize informationfrom various published articles relevant to my assigned topic. This process allowed me to effectively gather and integrate credible sources to support the information that will be presented in the final article.

#3: Evaluate career interests by comparing methods and interests between physical therapists and medical doctors

Relevance: This goal will help me to differentiate between the two careers I am interested in which are medical doctor and physical therapist

Action Plan:

1.Shadowing the two physical therapists that are involved in this research will help me to decide if I am interested in the type of work

I will be assisting during the research in showing and recording basic excersises shown first to me by my supervisor to the subjects which will help me to be more involved in the physical therapist’s environment

Different physical therapists will come to the laboratory to assist in the project and talk to me more about the profession

Through this experience, I had the opportunity to work not only with licensed physical therapists but also with physical therapy students, allowing me to gain insights from both perspectives within the profession. Observing their approaches to patient care and comparing them to those of medical doctors provided me with a clearer understanding of the similarities and differences between the two fields.

While both professions share the common goal of helping patients, I realized that my interests and long-term career goals align more closely with medicine. This experience has been invaluable in solidifying my decision and providing clarity on the path I want to pursue.

Learning and Skills

After completing a self assessment I found the following:

- - - - I feel more confident in my communication and independence skills now. I am responsible for analyzing and presenting data in an engaging and clear manner. However, I sometimes encounter challenges, particularly when dealing with handwritten notes or specific numbers that may cause confusion. To perform my tasks effectively, it’s crucial for me to communicate clearly with my supervisor and teammates to ensure I’m presenting the correct data. At the same time, I need to develop the ability to independently verify the accuracy of the data by identifying key factors and patterns I’ve been taught over time.
      - Since fall, I have gained greater confidence in my independence, as I have been able to complete tasks by their deadlines without needing to ask many questions. At the same time, my communication skills have also strengthened. In situations where I had doubts, I effectively communicated with my supervisors to seek clarification, ensuring that I completed tasks efficiently and accurately. This balance between working independently and knowing when to seek guidance has contributed to my overall growth and confidence in my abilities.

- - - - I would like to continue working towards to risk failure, and understand that failure is a step on the road to success. In order to achieve this I will start asking for more responsibilities in which I don't feel comfortable doing yet such as creating power points with all the descriptive and visual material and present them to the team.
      - Throughout this year, I have been working on building confidence in my decision-making. There have been times when I found myself overthinking, doubting whether my work was in the correct format or if I had included all the necessary information. While I make an effort to communicate and clarify uncertainties, I sometimes still feel uncertain about my work while completing a task only to later realize that it was actually correct. Moving forward, I aim to trust my abilities more and continue refining my skills by taking on tasks that push me outside of my comfort zone.

This internship has been instrumental in helping me explore various facets of a career in physical therapy, allowing me to evaluate how these aspects align with my personal values and long-term career aspirations. Through hands-on experiences, I have gained a clearer understanding of the profession’s scope, including patient care, therapeutic techniques, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Additionally, this internship has provided me with an invaluable opportunity to engage in research, enabling me to deepen my knowledge of data collection, study design, and research methodologies. The experience of working on various tasks, particularly within a research setting, has also improved my writing skills, including grammar, structure, and presentation. These skills have been especially valuable in refining my ability to contribute to research projects and communicate findings effectively.

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