Thursday, March 6, 2014

Individual Leaders Have a Strong Sense of Vision, Have Passion and are Able to Inspire Commitment.

                On my second rotation up on MedSurg, I learned the ropes and was able to be independent of a nurse for everything within my scope of practice.  One day I was doing rounds and I was asked to do several tasks at once.  I was asked to take one patient back to her bed, put one patient on the bed pan and take two sets of vitals on two separate patients one of which was under contact precautions.  Now I knew what I was doing but I was getting overwhelmed.  Thankfully, numerous physical therapy patients cancelled due to snow so Eli and Jessie returned to MedSurg.  I immediately enlisted their help and they did what I asked without question.  This shows that I am an individual leader who has a strong sense of vision, have passion and who is able to inspire commitment.  I used my communication skills to motivate my fellow students into action.  I was able to take the course of action that was necessary to ensure that the necessary tasks were completed.  I even managed to instill confidence and enthusiasm into the hectic circus that the floor had become that day.  This demonstrates my ability to be an individual leader.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Personally and Professionally Responsible Individuals Take Responsibility for their own Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social Well-being

                During my second PT rotation I learned way more than I did on my first one.  I started taking my learning into my own hands and it has paid off big time.  I am learning about new therapies that I could possibly use in the future on myself as well as different stretches to keep my body injury free.  I learned about Active Release Therapy (ART) which is super helpful to release tension in muscles as well as different therapy tools that I can use with my running to reduce soreness and injury.  This demonstrates that I am a personally and professionally responsible individual that takes responsibility for their own physical, intellectual, emotional, and social well-being.  I use the knowledge that I gained to keep myself healthy while still being professional in a medical setting.

Quality Producers Create Products and Performances that Reflect High Standards

                During Health Systems Orientation our class learned about HIPAA.  This is a very important part of the health field as a whole.  At the end of the unit we were asked to make a jingle about HIPAA.  The HIPAA Jingle turned in by my group met every criterion that Mr. Allen required to complete the project.  I am a quality producer that creates products and performances that reflect high standards.  Originally we just had a voice recording and a few pictures.  Then I spent three hours threading a video, converting the voice recording to a usable mp3 file for windows movie maker, and polishing the finished product to make it perfect.  Then I sent it to my group and asked for feedback which I used to further improve the video.  I was super proud of the video because it turned out so well.

Active, Responsible Citizens are Well-informed and Apply Knowledge and Skills to Improve the Quality of their Lives and Communities

                For CBL I had the opportunity to go to Hillcrest Country Estates and volunteer my time.  I would decorate cottages 90 and 80 for the different holidays as they passed as well as baked various desserts for the elders who reside at Hillcrest.  Perhaps the most rewarding experience is when I get to spend time with the residents themselves.  I would play board games and just talk with the elders when I wasn’t completing other tasks.  These experiences show that I am an active, responsible citizen that is well-informed and applies knowledge and skills to improve the quality of their lives and communities.  The positive interactions with the elders were well worth spending my time on.   Hillcrest was a fantastic experience and I will value my time spent there for a long time.

Information Processors Assess and Analyze Information from a Variety of Sources for Different Purposes

                Last year in American Government with Mr. Fleming, we had a final project.  The project was over a landmark court case in the US.  I chose to do the case Bush v. Gore which is the case that decided the 2000 Presidential election.  This is a research paper where I had to use multiple different sources of information to gather what I needed to create a paper.  This demonstrates that I am an information processor that accesses and analyze information from a variety of sources for different purposes.  I used sources such as our online textbook and various websites to compile information.  With different websites I had to use my judgment to decide which sites are credible.  I had to accurately assess the value and biases of information, and effectively interpret and synthesize the information to make sure that the information I used was from a reliable source.  I effectively used a variety of information-gathering techniques and information resources to put together an awesome paper with accurate research and information.

Critical Thinkers and Problem Solvers Assess the Situation, Gather Important Information and Develop Relevant, Effective Alternatives to Reach a Solution or Decision

                During our Challenge Based Learning (CBL) time first semester I went to Heartland Family Services with a few other students from the academy.  Our job as volunteers was to sort clothing and other household items into piles of stuff to keep and move on to a few other places.  If stuff was in the keep pile, we would put the supplies out on the floor.  However, due to a lack of room and tubs to put clothes in, I often had to make room and find new locations for excesses of clothes that came in as donations.  This fits the 21st Century Skill of Success of Critical thinkers and problem solvers assess the situation, gather important information and develop relevant, effective alternatives to reach a solution or decision. I had to take the information around me and create new methods of storage for areas like men’s clothing.  I spent an hour redesigning the section to better fit the needs of Heartland Family Services.  This example shows that I am a critical thinker who can use the situations around me and put it into an action that is relevant and effective.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Knowledgeable Individuals Understand Content Necessary to be Successful in a Variety of Endeavors

                In CNA we learned and tested on a series of skills necessary to receive a license to be a CNA in Nebraska.  These skills will be necessary in many places in my future.  This demonstrates the 21st Century Skill for Success of Knowledgeable individuals understand content necessary to be successful in a variety of endeavors.  I want to become a doctor and right now an anesthesiologist.  The skills for patient care will help me when I am a professional in a hospital or a different setting.  In addition, I acquire, connect, and apply new knowledge and skills that I will need in the future. An example of this demonstration is from clinicals at Papillion Manor when I learned how to do vital signs on a Dinamap machine.  I had never used such a machine so it was good experience for me in the advancement of my knowledge.  I will also be able to use these skills as we proceed in our class to clinicals at Papillion Manor and next year in rotations.  I recognize knowledge and skill requirements necessary to transition to the next stage of life.  This content learned in our class allows me to be successful in other endeavors in the academy and life.