Lesson Learned
In the beginning of the semester I was told that, majority of the assignments would consist of group work. I then became concerned of the personal capabilities, organizational capabilities, and the potential personality conflict that could possibly occur in the group. After meeting the members in the group I eventually noticed we all have different personality types. So there were challenges that each individual had to deal with.
Since I am an introvert, I had a hard time standing up for myself and articulating my feelings and thoughts to other members in the group. Quinn is more of a thinker and this resulted to her being more concerned with the assignments and less concerned with how other people in the group felt. Rachel was very assertive, not open to other people’s thoughts, ideas, and dismissive. Sui was more of an introvert and this was a challenge because she had a hard time stating her opinion.
During each meeting as I learned more about their personality types, I began to learn how to accept that everyone is different which isn’t a bad thing. The members in my group had strengths and weaknesses. Once I learned what they were, I was able to appreciate their strengths. During the process of meeting with these individuals, I learned how to stand up for myself and to not avoid confrontation. Due to my personality, it is very easy to be ignored or dismissed since I have very soft demeanor. Working with a team allowed me to process different ways to handle confrontational situations in a professional manner.
This class has improved my organization skills, communication skills, peoples’ skills, and work ethic. Organization was very important to have in this class. There were always assignments due, meetings to go to, and task to complete. Keeping a journal helped me to stay on top of all of the deadlines and meetings. Communication skills were essential to have since I worked with other members. Throughout the semester I had to communicate with members, sponsors, and the food group. My people skills have improved by being around so many different people with different personalities. I learned how to communicate in a professional and articulate manner. My work ethic has improved throughout the semester. I am now better at time management, working hard, and getting the job done.
Team work is very important because throughout my life I will always have to work with a team and will come into contact with a lot of different people. I learned that when working with a team it’s important to realize that everyone has different personalities and skill sets. Its best to find out what their strengths and weaknesses are and utilize that knowledge by dividing responsibilities and assigning roles. To have a successful team it is important to establish goals, stay organized, and keep an agenda. An agenda is essential to have in order to make sure each goal is being accomplished. These tasks will all be utilized in the field of Health education.
Health education will consist of a team oriented endeavor which seeks to enhance the medical well-being of the community. This process could involve planning, research, forming a needs assessment, evaluation, learning your audience, and implementing a program. By taking this class along with several other classes, I was able to learn all of the skills mentioned above.
Throughout this semester, working in a group allowed me to notice my strengths and weaknesses. This enabled me to accept what I initially thought was a weakness (being a listener) and expand on not just listening but also being more talkative even when I may feel ignored. Additionally, I was able to step outside of my comfort zone and at times I felt more like a leader. As a future Health Educator, leadership is very important. This class has helped me to feel more comfortable when placed in that position. By working in a group I learned how to more patient with people and accepting of their different personalities. All of the new skills I have learned will be beneficial in my future career. I will feel more confident when I am stepping out of my comfort zone and have an improved professional demeanor when working with other people.
Throughout the semester we were taught many lessons. Some of the lessons included professionalism, funding, technology, history, and diversity. In the beginning of the semester we were taught a lesson on professionalism. This lesson has taught me many skills on etiquette, how to properly communicate with professionals, and how to properly behave during an internship. In the funding lesson we learned how to communicate with sponsors in a professional manner. Our class was told to visit different web pages that gave us tips on how to receive donations. The technology lesson taught us different ways to utilize electronic platforms in health education. Different examples of the electronic platforms included Facebook, Electronic Health Records, Journals, and webinar. We also were presented a history lesson. The history lesson taught us about different eras related to health education and how it evolved throughout the years. The lesson on diversity taught us about different generations. Some of the generations mentioned were baby boomers, generation x, and the millenniums. This class has strengthened my knowledge of organizing, implementing, and evaluating health education. Additionally, I have learned numerous health education strategies and understand their application to real community issues. I expect this new knowledge to positively impact my professional career.