Throughout this spring semester in HSMT 3201, I have learned a lot about how to be a good leader and communicator. I also learned about ethics and how it applies to healthcare and the way I will be as a future healthcare professional. I learned about the many leadership theories, all the different skills needed to be an effective leader and how to manage conflict. This course has helped me figure out exactly what type of healthcare professional I want to be. I want to be a reliable leader that works effectively with my team and inspires them. I want to be someone who makes a difference in someone’s life, even if it’s just something small.
I had a very difficult time trying to find and choose artifacts for my e-portfolio. I was not always sure if the image or example I used would make as much sense to me as it does to the audience. My mind tends to think and move on its own, and sometimes people can’t follow along. Choosing my artifacts for communication I knew I had to include something that involved a team. Communication is a huge part of a team’s success and so I decided to talk about communication throughout my basketball team. For professionalism, I remembered during class we talked about name tags so I found a photo of me wearing my name tag at my job. I think name tags are great and it feels super amazing when a customer calls me by my name because it feels more personal. For leadership, of course I thought of my sports teams again, but I also remembered that I created a presentation about a specific leadership style called Management by Exception - Passive (MBE-P). Although I personally wouldn’t choose that leadership style for me and my team, it was still very interesting to research and learn about it. For my knowledge of healthcare environment, I thought of it as literally an environment so I included a picture of me in a pharmacy environment. I also included a powerpoint presentation that talks about discrimination against people who are different than the norm. Healthcare environments should always make patients feel safe and secure and there should not be any room for discrimination in the environment.
Creating this e-portfolio is a great way for me to keep track of my progress. It’s a way to showcase my hard work and dedication into something other people can look through and possibly enjoy. This e-portfolio can help me realize how far i’ve come since my very first HSMT class. The biggest take away from this class is how to communicate with other people effectively. I learned that without communication, nothing in the organization will get finished. I also think that I learned how to be a good and effective leader. To me, a leader is someone who guides the team and organization through each and every step, not just someone who tells others what to do.
I am currently a junior at UNCC and I have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge from my courses and professors and I can’t wait to learn more!