JUnior Year IN review
Part I:
This year was a year of lessons I never expected to encounter but for that I am grateful because no matter how much you try to schedule your life and plan your future, there will always be hidden twists and turns in the road and sometimes you will miss the exit completely. I've learned to keep going even if you feel that all is lost because if you keep moving you'll get somewhere new, life is full of opportunities no matter what direction you may go. Since Freshman year, I knew I wanted to get into the Co-Op program at the College of Nursing and I did everything in my power to ensure I would be the perfect candidate for a position at UCMC to gain valuable work experience. Unfortunately and to my dismay, the Honors seminar's study tour to Italy took place during the mandatory orientation dates for the Co-Op program and I was denied a spot due to the inability to attend the orientation days. I quickly tried to find another Co-Op or internship for the summer but nothing was a good fit and as a result my summer plans to participate in a challenging and exciting learning experience fell through. I was upset, but instead of doing nothing, I sought out the next best thing. I applied to be a PCA in various hospitals and in the end I accepted an offer to work at the new Mercy West Hospital and I couldn't be happier with my decision. I now work as a night shift PCA on a Progressive Care Unit for which I am responsible for up to 33 patient beds. It is a challenging job at times but I have and hope to continue to learn much from such a fast paced environment. I have really great co-workers that are also nursing students and I hope to one day work there as a nurse once I graduate.
One experience I have had this year revolved around my research interests. I have been successfully working on two separate research projects under the URS program at the College of Nursing and soon I will be involved in a third project. I truly enjoy using my knowledge to benefit the advancement of the nursing profession and I am glad to have found a way to assist the College make a name for themselves through new research. I think I feel happiest when I know what I am doing is helping someone in one way or another so I definitely believe I will continue to participate in research. My team will be publishing an article by next year and I am excited to see what kind of new ideas and changes come from the publication.
As far as my community outreach, I am most proud of my participation and leadership position in UC Open School. As a nursing student interested in community service and the advancement of healthcare, I found a great opportunity to devote my efforts with this interdisciplinary student run group of soon to be health professionals through the IHI. This free clinic benefits the St. Vincent de Paul community and its convenient location allows for many to have access to resources such as referrals, vaccinations, health screenings, check ups, chronic disease management, and an ear to talk to. I feel that my time with Open School has been so eye opening and fulfilling, that I applied for and was accepted for the Nursing Outreach Coordinator Leader position.
For fun, this year I also went a bit out of my comfort zone and signed up with my boyfriend to volunteer for the TEDxUCincinnati Speaker Committee to help develop and host the first ever TEDx event at UC. It was a very fun experience to have the opportunity to interact with non-healthcare students and work together to put on such a new and exciting event. The weekly meetings which included TED viewings, were very interesting and inspiring since everyone had some really great ideas. Our interest in bringing TEDx to UC students and the UC community was received well, and our efforts in the production and development clearly showed at the event. Everything came together perfectly and the event was sold out quickly, so I hope next year there will be just as much if not more enthusiasm to continue TEDx events at UC.
Part II:
I would like to tell myself to keep my goals in mind but not to expect life to work out that since there is no guarantee, even with the most careful plan, that something won't change everything. I want to also remember to stop dwelling in regret because if you make the best decisions you can then there is nothing you could have done better to change the outcome if something doesn't work out.
I think I have grown as a person this year in many ways and all of it will contribute to my future growth for the rest of my life. I will continue to be proactive and set goals for myself but I will definitely try to not focus so much on the outcome because if I did my best then that's all that counts.
I will continue to focus on my professional development and strive to challenge myself academically through involvement in research and any clinical based program.
I plan on also continuing my involvement in Bearcat Buddies as I have been a part of the organization since freshman year, and also UC Open School since I feel I can bring a lot to the table there in terms of nursing involvement and student participation.
This year was a year of lessons I never expected to encounter but for that I am grateful because no matter how much you try to schedule your life and plan your future, there will always be hidden twists and turns in the road and sometimes you will miss the exit completely. I've learned to keep going even if you feel that all is lost because if you keep moving you'll get somewhere new, life is full of opportunities no matter what direction you may go. Since Freshman year, I knew I wanted to get into the Co-Op program at the College of Nursing and I did everything in my power to ensure I would be the perfect candidate for a position at UCMC to gain valuable work experience. Unfortunately and to my dismay, the Honors seminar's study tour to Italy took place during the mandatory orientation dates for the Co-Op program and I was denied a spot due to the inability to attend the orientation days. I quickly tried to find another Co-Op or internship for the summer but nothing was a good fit and as a result my summer plans to participate in a challenging and exciting learning experience fell through. I was upset, but instead of doing nothing, I sought out the next best thing. I applied to be a PCA in various hospitals and in the end I accepted an offer to work at the new Mercy West Hospital and I couldn't be happier with my decision. I now work as a night shift PCA on a Progressive Care Unit for which I am responsible for up to 33 patient beds. It is a challenging job at times but I have and hope to continue to learn much from such a fast paced environment. I have really great co-workers that are also nursing students and I hope to one day work there as a nurse once I graduate.
One experience I have had this year revolved around my research interests. I have been successfully working on two separate research projects under the URS program at the College of Nursing and soon I will be involved in a third project. I truly enjoy using my knowledge to benefit the advancement of the nursing profession and I am glad to have found a way to assist the College make a name for themselves through new research. I think I feel happiest when I know what I am doing is helping someone in one way or another so I definitely believe I will continue to participate in research. My team will be publishing an article by next year and I am excited to see what kind of new ideas and changes come from the publication.
As far as my community outreach, I am most proud of my participation and leadership position in UC Open School. As a nursing student interested in community service and the advancement of healthcare, I found a great opportunity to devote my efforts with this interdisciplinary student run group of soon to be health professionals through the IHI. This free clinic benefits the St. Vincent de Paul community and its convenient location allows for many to have access to resources such as referrals, vaccinations, health screenings, check ups, chronic disease management, and an ear to talk to. I feel that my time with Open School has been so eye opening and fulfilling, that I applied for and was accepted for the Nursing Outreach Coordinator Leader position.
For fun, this year I also went a bit out of my comfort zone and signed up with my boyfriend to volunteer for the TEDxUCincinnati Speaker Committee to help develop and host the first ever TEDx event at UC. It was a very fun experience to have the opportunity to interact with non-healthcare students and work together to put on such a new and exciting event. The weekly meetings which included TED viewings, were very interesting and inspiring since everyone had some really great ideas. Our interest in bringing TEDx to UC students and the UC community was received well, and our efforts in the production and development clearly showed at the event. Everything came together perfectly and the event was sold out quickly, so I hope next year there will be just as much if not more enthusiasm to continue TEDx events at UC.
Part II:
I would like to tell myself to keep my goals in mind but not to expect life to work out that since there is no guarantee, even with the most careful plan, that something won't change everything. I want to also remember to stop dwelling in regret because if you make the best decisions you can then there is nothing you could have done better to change the outcome if something doesn't work out.
I think I have grown as a person this year in many ways and all of it will contribute to my future growth for the rest of my life. I will continue to be proactive and set goals for myself but I will definitely try to not focus so much on the outcome because if I did my best then that's all that counts.
I will continue to focus on my professional development and strive to challenge myself academically through involvement in research and any clinical based program.
I plan on also continuing my involvement in Bearcat Buddies as I have been a part of the organization since freshman year, and also UC Open School since I feel I can bring a lot to the table there in terms of nursing involvement and student participation.