Goals
My goals this year are:
Become better at research
This goal fits into my career journey and prepares me for the future because I want to go to pre-med and become a doctor and I know with that comes a lot of research. Therefore I need to become better at researching so I can succeed. I feel I have somewhat achieved my goal of becoming better at research, but not as much as I would have liked to. I did not focus as much as I should have, but I now know that research is something that I want to pursue a career in one way or another. My next step is to continue working for Dr. Comer's lab and with Professor Bartlett, to become even better and hopefully further my career in this field.
1. Work with others in lab.
2. Pay close attention to the stuff we find and how we found it
3. Ask my supervisor for help or tips.
Become better at analysis
I need to be able to analyze all sorts of medical records so that I know I am treating someone right when I become a doctor so that I can help people get better. In the past two semesters of this internship I have gained a much better understanding of analysis. I used to go to the doctor and wonder how they come up with results, and by being apart of this site, I was able to see that come to life. I am still not fully where I would like to be, but I feel I have a general understanding and know where to start if I work on other projects in the future.
1. Go through medical records in lab.
2. Take my time to go through details.
3. Discuss with supervisor all of the things I find during analysis to see if I am doing it correctly
Become a better teammate
When I am become a doctor I will have to work with a team at almost all times. If I do not know how to properly communicate with those around me then I may not make it very far. I feel that this is a goal I can say I accomplished or am at least proud of. A big part of working with a group is communication and I felt that whenever something needed communicated, I did it to my best ability. This will help me a lot in my future career because in order to make sure results and treatments are consitent, the entire team needs to be on the same page and that comes with communication and working as a team.
1. Work with lab to analyze.
2. Communicate what I have found in detail, during my individual research.
3. When doing projects I will ask for tips to help make it better.
My current career goal is to become a Pediatrician. I'm not entirely sure what I would like to specalize in specifically, but I do know that it will most likely be pediatrics. I really want to help people, especially children. I want to be able to provide the best care and help give them a voice. Although my internship site is about End of Life Decision Making, I feel that it is all about choices, and I am so interested in learning about choices and how they can be made and also being able to give everyone a voice no matter what it is.
After readng my original goal, I feel there are some that stayed the same and some that changed. I know I want to be a doctor and it will still most likely be a pediatric specialty, but I have also discovered that I want to do research. I really like the aspect of finding information and it being your own work. I really want to make a difference in this world, somehow or someway, and I feel that research is exactly that. I do not know if I will always work on End of Life Decision Making research, but I do know that one of my next steps is to continue research in Parkinson's disease with Dr. Comer's lab. By doing this I am putting my foot in the door for more opportunities, and I feel that by continuing I will really learn what it is that I want to do as a Career
Learning
In the fall I felt pretty confident about my communication skills and my ability to ask questions when necessary. I also really started to get the hang of doing work individually an setting aside time to work on research more than I was in the first couple of months as an intern. I felt that I started to talk more in our team meetings and express my ideas and questions when necessary. Even though there were things I felt good about, there were also things during the fall semester that I felt I needed to work on; one of which was being able to find a place to work and be productive. In the fall I had a hard time getting work done because I didn't feel comfortable enough in any space to be succcessful and fully provide to my team, therefore I fell behind on several projects. Another thing that I really needed to improve as well was time management. I had a hard time focusing on my work and actually being able to set aside time for my work. I have strugggled with procrastination pretty much my whole life, and only this year, did I really start to realize how important this specific skill was. One thing that I found that works best for me is turning my phone either off or on do not disturb, grabbing a coffee, and finding somewhere comfortable. Now I realize that one of the things I wanted to find was a place where I feel comfortable to work, and I can say that I have. If I am at either my house or someone's house I am really close to. I learned that I work best in the presence of people who I am comfortable around. If I try to stay on campus for long periods of time, I never seem to get anything done because I am also so worried about everyone/thing around me. This is really good for me, because I have been able to eliminate some of my work/school anxiety as well, which has true helped me improve in all aspects. I have also learned that the best way for me to do my work to the best of my ability is to take breaks. I am not one that can sit for long periods of time, and once I figured that out there were times in the fall and a couple more in the spring where I was able to get a lot done for my internship. My strategy was to do some sort of work for an hour and then take a break for about ten to thirty minutes, then repeat the process for a couple of hours. This helps me not get burnt out an/or end up doing the work wrong. I am building on my strengths in communication and independently in a couple ways. In the beginning I rarely talked to my group or supervisors because I felt very intimidated by everybody, but since communicating more I have become more confident. I also started to gain a better understanding of more terms involved with medical research, therefore the more I learn, the more I am able to contribute because I no longer feel embarrassed about what I may or may not know. I was able to improve in independent research by using what I have learned from previous research documents and applying it to the new documents that we are working on at that moment. By using past knowledge I am able to really become somewhat of an expert in that category and not feel like I have to ask as many questions.
With internship coming to an end I am still very confident in all of the areas I mentioned for a couple of reasons, especially by buiding on these strengths throughout the year. If I had not started talking more, I would have not gained a relationship with Professor Bartlett the way that I did. I would have continued on in the dark with out actually learning, and I would not have discovered that research is something I am very interested in and want to continue doing. I can also say that I am somewhat proud of how far I have come in improving some of the skills I was not so confdent in. I feel that as a student and professional I have improved, but I have not yet gotten all skills to where I would like them to be. As I mentioned, I know the steps I need to take as well as the places I need to go to be successful, but I still have trouble with time management. I have learned a little more that school and career development is more important than everything else, but I have yet to fully embrace myself into this life. I struggle with wanting to go out and work (as a server) to make money, even though those things are not going to get me where I want to go. I applied to continue research with my supervisors, and if I get accepted, I will take all of these skills into consideration, especially time management, and really improve even more as well as continuing to strengthen the areas I already do well in, as well as just overall become more professional in every way.
Overall, the internship has helped me gain a deeper understanding of my coursework and major in a couple of ways. It has helped me learn how to better analyze different documents, no matter what the information is that I am looking at. I learned how to dive deep into information and look past the surface. A lot of times I skim documents for coursework and if I don't understand I don't do it, but now I know the steps I need take when in those situations for courses. It has also helped me learn more about myself, and the fact that I really enjoy learning about people and being able to help and contribute to something. I have also learned a lot more about technology. Before this internship you could not ask me one question about tech, but because of the softwares and everything we use I feel a little more advance. This helps me get assignments done more efficiently, but will also allow me to not be lost once I continue to do more research and professional jobs. I have learned the best way in which I communicate as well as work, and have learned how far I can push myself without breaking. Being in this internship has really helped me stay on track. In the fall I was not doing to well with classes, the internship, my outside job, and more, but after really analyzing myself in every way I have gotten so much better. Although I did not do as well during the internship that I would have liked to, I was academically able to complete one of the best semesters I have had here at IUI since Freshman year. I have so much opportunity to improve, but I am thankful for the experience that helped me really focus in on the path I want to take and how to get there.
Progress and Next Steps
I looked back at the goals I stated on my application from the beginning of the year. This is the first time I have looked at them since I have started, therefore I am very curious to see how things have change over time
What would I like to gain?
At the beginning of the fall semester I said that I would like to gain more knowledge on what it is like to work in a more professional setting and really discover myself as well as where I would like to be in the future by doing internship assignments and site work. I can not only learn about the professional setting from working at a site, but from interacting with other peers and leaders and discussing what they have gained or maybe learned from being apart of this program. It is now the end of second semester and I feel that I have gained a lot from being apart of this internship site. I have started to make more decisions about my professional career, such as continuing research, and overall how to feel comfortable in these settings. In the beginning I was very timid, but I feel that over time I have become overall more professional and just feel more prepared to work in a health care/professional setting.
Goals after Graduation?
In the fall my career goals after graduation are to go to Medical School and get my Doctorate to then become a Pediatrician or a Pediatric Specialist of some sort. I have always wanted to work with and help kids and I believe that doing this internship will help me figure out what I am really interested in and really want to do. This would be my first time doing any sort of professional program in the health care field and I believe that it will just teach me a lot about myself and what I want to do as a career. Now that the school year is over, I definitely feel that this is still my goal. I want to go to Medical School and obtain my Doctorate, but I know that there are also other steps that come before that. My first next step is to continue research with Dr. Comer's Lab about Parkinson's Disease. Now, I know this research is very different than something related to pediatrics, but I really enjoyed my supervisors this semester as they were super supportive and just very motivating. I think at some point, such as when I do my required internship at the end of the year I will focus on pediatrics, but for now I really just want to learn fully how to research, analyze and interpret, while having people who are supportive around me.
Long term goals? Contribution?
In the fall I had said that, over the next things few years I would like to explore a lot of different things here at school and also in the community. Here at IUPUI would like to participate in JAG-A-THON because I believe that it is for such an amazing cause and it would be an amazing thing to be apart of. I would also like to study abroad. I have taken a couple of classes about health care in America versus other countries and I believe that it would be amazing to learn about it in person. I would love to see the different cultures and see how many things I can learn from other people. I feel that these are still my goals, and unfortunately I have not accomplished any of them. I planned on attending or contributing to JAG-A-THON in some way this year, but I never did which kind of makes me upset. I am most of the time too focused on things outside of school. I also still want to study abroad, but have not gotten the chance yet. This is the first thing that I am going to look into and hopefully accomplish. I really enjoy learning about health care systems and I think by studying about while being in that country would be amazing and so benefecial to my future career. Everything I do is just helping me further make decisions for my career. I am still trying to figure out where I want to go and what I want to do with my life, and I think the best way to do that is through experience. One thing I do want to add is to work with children more. I say I want to be a pediatrican, but I have not taken a lot of time to focus on that area of health care. My mom is a medical assistant and I know there are programs at school, therefore one main goal I have is to talk to my mom and advisors over the summer to see how I can learn more and be involved with pediatrics.