Year One:
This past semester I feel that I have been able to refine and improve a number of my skills. In addition, through these activities and projects, I’ve also learned that I have a number of areas on which I want to improve. The following essay outlines what I have accomplished this past semester and where I am looking to grow in the next semester.
This past semester I’ve been able to develop my skills in presenting and public speaking. I believe I am a strong presenter because I am clear and concise in the material I present. Prior to the presentation I research the topic, summarize the topic, then summarize the summary into bullet points for a PowerPoint presentation. I then discuss the bullet points on a broader scale rather than reading them from the screen, and I’m prepared to answer further questions should any arise. Also, from learning specific strategies in Teaching Methods this semester, I feel that I have a strong organizational flow to my presentations and can maintain the audience engagement throughout. In hand with being a strong presenter, I also believe I have developed my skills as a public speaker this semester. I’ve learned that although I don’t feel nervous when presenting, I have a strong sympathetic response to public speaking
and I’ve found different ways to counteract those negative effects. First, I feel that I can’t focus or think of the right words, even though I am prepared. In order to negate this effect of public speaking I’ve begun to use presenter notes on a small notebook so that I can follow my points and cover the topic I am discussing. Also, instead of looking at the screen or staring at my notes, I strive to make good eye-contact with my audience and address them. Also, through improved eye-contact I am able to read the body language of my audience and am now learning how to respond to what my audience is “saying”.
However, I still have weaknesses that I am focused on improving. For one, I am horrible with deadlines. 
When there isn’t a hard deadline with a teacher that I meet with regularly, I forget when things are due, I don’t turn them in on time, or I scramble last minute to get a project together. This increases my stress levels and displays a lack of professionalism to my professors and peers. Learning to work on a timely schedule and improve my time management is a weakness and also a goal for next semester.
I plan on utilizing the supports of my planning calendar, my online calendar, and my iPhone notifications application in order to improve my time management. Also, and I believe more importantly, I will set aside time each week to write a schedule and a list of goals for the following week and the following month. This time will be the lunch period on Friday, so that I may utilize my weekend time and the next week most efficiently and effectively. This will take time and dedication in order to become a regular habit, which is difficult. Currently, it’s difficult for me to do this because I don’t start my system early in the semester. Rather than prioritizing the organization of my tasks when school work is not demanding, I wait until the 11th hour and try to do as much as I can. I have been a procrastinator but I want to learn skills that will benefit me from continuing to be a procrastinator. I am motivated this time around, so my biggest obstacle will be a creating a schedule in the beginning of next semester and making it a habit throughout. This goal is also important in my future profession. There is paperwork from each patient and the requirements for Medicare continue to increase, rather than become more streamlined. I must learn to manage my time effectively, because the rest of my academic career and my profe
ssional career beyond demands this of me.
Another weakness I would like to acknowledge is my complete lack of patience in group meetings. It’s something I need to learn to control. We’ve had numerous group meetings since beginning school, generally I get along well with my group members and I feel we work well as a team to accomplish our goals. Also, we are usually able to have fun while we work. However, there are certain people that I have had repeating difficulties with, and it’s interesting that these are generally from the same learning style category (the Kolb method which we utilized in Teaching Methods). In these meetings I get so frustrated and angry with the group members that I act rash and lash out in ways that I do not like. It’s important for me to determine what the goals of the group are, the way that the group members want to accomplish the goal,
and also to make a point of identifying the ways that I work best in groups and to provide my strengths to the group, rather than letting my frustration demonstrate my weaknesses to the group. It’s an area that I would like to improve, but I still need time for more reflection to determine the best way to handle the situation. It will take modification of my behavior, control of my emotions, but also a pre-emptive move in the group environment in order to attempt to avoid the negative.
In addition to my goal of improving my time management, I would like to learn more exercises I can prescribe for my patients wi
thout the need for equipment. I believe the majority of my peers have a bank of exercises to draw from when presented with different patient cases. However, I feel a complete lack of any experience to draw upon. It leaves me feeling nervous when presented with a simple task of prescribing an exercise. My current barriers to knowing more exercises 
is I haven’t been exposed to very many exercises that don’t require equipment and I don’t have a resource that explains basic exercises that I can reference. I have decided to change this. A classmate has a packet of thousands of exercises, which don’t need equipment, she had receive
d in her undergraduate courses. I plan on asking her for a copy of the packet, then systematically go through the materials, identify the particular muscles it involves and practice them. It will be an involved process but I am making a goal to learn 3 new exercises each week.
In summary my strengths include giving presentations and being a good public speaker. My weaknesses include poor management of time and frustrations in small groups. My goals for next semester are to manage time through weekly goal meetings with myself while utilizing my calendars more effectively and learning more exercises which don’t require equipment. I look forward to further grinding this lens of mine, and anticipate additional opportunities for growth throughout the summer and beyond.
Images:
http://www.pivotalpublicspeaking.com/public_speaking.jpg
http://insightintensive.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/chalk-board.jpg
http://www.terragalleria.com/images/black-white/mountain/kica39823-bw.jpeg
