“When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur…not tomorrow, not the next day, but eventually a big gain is made. Don’t look for the big quick improvement, seek the small improvement one day at a time. That’s the only way it happens, and when it happens it lasts”. (John Wooden) In May of 2019 I will accomplish something I have never dreamed of happening and that is completing my master’s degree. One class at a time and improving a little each day that time has finally come! I have always felt that having an education was the best way to invest in myself. This educational journey that I have been on started back in the fall of 1998 at Wilbur Wright College taking electives to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I chose the medical field and I have no regrets. With electives, the radiography program, and going part-time online at the University of St. Francis it took me eight years to finish my bachelors degree. When I started The Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program at Michigan State University I was hoping to finish in five years because working full time and getting married at that time I did not know if I was going to be able to take a course every semester. Fortunately, everything has worked out well and I will complete the program in three and half years! I am the first member of my family to go to college and complete my degree. I am honored and thankful that I had the opportunity to pursue higher education. In this synthesis essay I am going to discuss how the MAED program has changed me and discuss three courses that have had a great impact on me during this educational journey.
I have learned that there are so many ways to communicate without speaking (listening, eye contact, and body language). Communication sounds easy, but in reality it is not. Miscommunications are often the root of many problems. It requires work and effort to speak and actively listen in a busy environment. This program has helped me become a better communicator because of all the work I have done has required time and effort to complete. This program has molded me into putting in the extra time, effort and work to create a good paper/project. This has transferred over to my work ethic at Northwestern Medicine, especially as a communicator. In the procedures we do it is very important to stay attentive to what the physicians are saying because plans can change even though they are not directly talking to you. It is also imperative to listen to patients and their families, hear their concerns or requests, educate them as to the procedure and steps being performed, make eye contact, and answer their questions. This will help ease anxiety and increase patient cooperation throughout the procedure, not to mention display genuine care and empathy for their difficult time. I am now conscious of my body language, especially when things are not going according to plan. I am aware of the signals my body is giving and actively try to not show anger, frustrations, or concern in front of patients, family members, or other team members. When I precept newly hired x-ray technologists, I stress communication is the most important factor in becoming a quality team member. In our work environment, all team members have to be on the same page to perform effectively and efficiently. Good communication is a key component to our success.
When taking online courses I have had to rely on a syllabus to know when all the assignments are due, along with posting discussions and videos on a weekly basis. I have had to improve my time management skills and stay organized with setting days aside to get all assignments done. This has translated to everyday living and my career as my calendar on my phone has become my best friend. I rely on that calendar to organize my work schedule (changes frequently, increased on-call) future events, and family outings. Being organized and structured are good characteristics for leadership and educational roles and I feel the MAED program has converted me into having these quality characteristics.
This to me is a major upgrade because everything around us is computers. In this program I have had to do projects and write papers using Microsoft word, Power point, Excel, Google docs, and Google sites. I really enjoy doing my work on google docs because of the flexibility and not having to bring my laptop everywhere. When I have to work a twelve hour shift at the hospital having the ability to login to any computer and make some progress on assignments and projects is a great asset. If it was not for the MAED program I would have never gotten the opportunity to get some hands on experience using computers because all I use a computer for is to read news articles.
I have taken several leadership and development courses in the MAED program and what I have learned has given me a different approach in my work setting. I see and think differently then I did early on in my career. I am open minded and I have a better understanding of what my leadership team’s demands and expectations are for our department to be successful. I now recognize and appreciate the importance of the business side of healthcare. I am now involved with supply and inventory management and understand the cost of business and need to conserve waste. I also now appreciate the importance of an efficiently run department in regards to quick room turnovers and minimizing the amount of time the rooms are left unused. Having an understanding has made me a better team player as I enjoy my position more and I feel like I am contributing to the overall process and success. I display being a better team player by encouraging others to see the bigger picture. Overall, the MAED program has introduced me to some quality characteristics for being a better person and I have embraced them. I have become a better student and it has translated into a better employee and co-worker. I plan to utilize these new skills to become a better educator and a high quality education coordinator.
I was a basketball coach for ten years and I loved every bit of it. That was my first choice of career path but unfortunately it didn't work out; however, coaching was and still is my passion and having an opportunity to learn more about coaching was a chance I could not pass up. During this course I did two projects (The GROW model & Coaching Observation) that I really enjoyed and got great hands on experience for coaching. The acronym GROW stands for Goal, Reality, Options, and Will. The GROW model is a method for goal setting and problem solving. I feel that for a coach, teacher, and parent this is a great way to communicate and develop a relationship with a player, student, and children. This method can also be used for any working departments that need to achieve goals.
The coaching observation project was a great experience as I observed several basketball practices to get a good feel of the head coach. I observed practice plans, how he spoke to his players and coaches, his demeanor and body language. I noticed that he had built good relationships with the community, school leadership, players, coaching staff, and the parents. This is a very important characteristic and it goes beyond sports. It is about being a positive role model to the community and representing the school. I truly enjoyed this and it gave me the itch to get back into coaching. I learned a lot and received a very good education on what it takes to run a successful high school basketball program.
Both these projects have helped me become a better preceptor to students and new technologists. Using the GROW model can be very beneficial as setting goals for the novice technologist throughout their training can help provide structure and keep the trainee motivated throughout their training. What I like about the GROW model is that it is not just about setting goals, but working with the individual on how to accomplish these goals. It defines actions they are going to take to obtain their goal. Also, I have learned that it is important to develop a good working relationship with the people you train because they will eventually become your direct colleague.
In the hospital I work at we have all kinds of training & professional development courses in a classroom and online setting. In this course I learned about adult learning theories. The one I found most influential was the self-directed learning theory in which learners have the primary responsibility for planning, carrying out, and evaluating their own learning experience. Northwestern Medicine is a very large academic medical center with over eight thousand employees. All employees are responsible for completing professional development courses such as radiation safety, hazardous materials handling and safety, ethics, and patient privacy. Staff must complete these annually and at their own pace.
In this course I observed an adult educator teaching a training course for an assignment and I really enjoyed it. For the assignment I had to discuss the setting, the type of instructional methods used, and the strengths of the methods. I was also able to meet with my departments educational coordinator and discuss his role. I found his work interesting and see it as something I would enjoy doing in the future.
This course was a fun because I got to watch four movies, read three books that helped me understand the readings and lectures. Three out of the four movies I had never seen before and I am glad I watched them. In this course I learned about specific people (Dr. Danielle Ofri, Steve Jobs, and Linda Greenlaw) who had a passion for their careers. I read Dr Ofri’s book Incidental Findings, she is an internist at Bellevue Hospital in New York City and wrote short stories about her experience in her career. They were fascinating, and for someone who works in the field I can relate. After Finishing the book, I got that she loves her job, loves working for an inner city hospital and helping people who are really sick and underprivileged and she cant see herself doing anything else. I read Linda Greenlaw's The Hungry Ocean, she is a deep sea fisherman and is a college graduate who got accepted to law school. She did deep sea fishing to get her through college, but she fell in love with the profession and continued doing it. She used her education to take deep sea fishing to the next level and became the best in her industry. I read the biography of Steve Jobs and it was a great read because I learned what kind of person he was and what it took to be a successful businessman. He was arrogant, cocky, but brilliant and determined to make a product that was going to change the world and he did. What these three people had was a passion for their careers, they were great at their craft, they loved every bit of it and could not see themselves doing anything else.
In conclusion, it has been a long but successful educational journey. One class at a time and improving a little each day has made this journey a success. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to pursue my master’s degree and invest in myself to become a better person and team player for society.