The clarity that can come with two semesters, hours of studying, and in regard to a complete change in lifestyle is utterly impressive, As my time in this program winds down, I can truthfully say that the person that started is not necessarily the one finishing it. I still have the same blood type, I am still kind of allergic to milk, and I still want to open a bakery at some point after retirement, but the general outlook that comes with months of learning new skills has had an effect, I left enamored and imbued with a tiny bit of realism and a whole lot of “I probably dedicated way too much Lime to the person I used to be and those I surrounded myself with.” All for the better, I am so entirely satisfied with my time here and the contributions it has made to my academic, personal, and professional life.
Moral of the story: Sometimes it takes moving away from a previous life, with a hell of a lot of red wine, and some medical textbooks in order to realize to always determine what you deserve before you let someone else determine it for you. In the beginning, [went into the program with an idea of wanting to work in an institutional setting, I felt as if it was more hands on, more rewarding, and more exciting. As the program went on, the classes and labs I attended, and the experiences I went through at my practicum sites taught me that I was correct. Although my retail experience was less than what I had hoped for, it taught me very critical thinking and problem solving skills when it came to handling patients and customers. However, due to their policy with interns, I wasn’t able to have what I’d like to call the full experience Most of my days I spent filling prescriptions for the constant buzz of customers coming in for their medication, It was a very busy site, pumping out almost 1,000 prescriptions every day.
Other days, I would help the other technicians with their individual inventory duties. I would have liked to have been more involved with the patients themselves, answering phones, dealing with insurance, and learning how to operate the computer system, I felt like I was thrown into the setting without much instruction, and although this is a good way for some people to learn, it should not be how all retail practicum rotations are taught, the option should be open to the student. The retail employees that I worked with were amazing and friendly people. However, they had not had very many students at their site, which led me to believe that the problem was inexperience rather than ignorance I would like to see a more structured training plan implemented for students in the future. On the other hand, my experience at the hospital was much more than I had expected.
Even on my first day there touring the different floors, I knew that it was the career settingI wanted to work in. It was my favorite practicum site and an excellent learning experience. The only thing I would like to see improved is training conducted by employees who are comfortable with the task they’re training students on. On more than one occasion, I was placed with a brand new technician who didn’t exactly know what they were doing. It was a learning experience for both of us. I would have liked to have had more experience working in the NICU and the operating rooms I had my most memorable experiences there, as no two shifts were ever alike, All in all, I think the practicum course is a fantastic way for students to put what they’ve learned in a classroom setting into something tangible, However, one disadvantage is that the complete 128 hours of one unpaid rotation in 5 weeks is a tremendous task for anyone concurrently working a full-time job, not including the courses that some students attended on top of that.
My time as an intern has awarded me with not only experience, but practical skills above and beyond what any classroom experience could have taught. Apart from these rewards, my time as a student has taught me how to adapt my approach to my coworkers and patients’ needs and effectively communicate concepts to a group, skills I know would serve me well during the remainder of my career. More often than not, internships are associated with an idea of students being spoon- fed information, unable to do anything for themselves My time at my practicum sites have taught me that educating yourself, and sometimes even the people you work for, is a necessity Independency with a tad bit of guidance and hard work is a very important skill to be learned by students entering their career field for the first time, All of that combined gives you the confidence to believe in your skill set. This is arguably the secret to success and what will ultimately give me the competence and confidence that is essential in succeeding in life.
