Coaching Special Olympics Experience

Last year was the first time I worked the Special Olympics, and I didn’t know what to expect. I signed up for it with my basketball team because the Special Olympians would be playing basketball and volunteers were needed to help run the scoreboard and keep time. Mr. Campbell, the man in charge, told me that the opportunity to play basketball will be an incredible experience for the special needs participants, but working the event will have an even greater affect on me. I was

I feel so proud and yet so humbled to be a nurse. Helping a post-operative surgical patient regain the strength to walk brings me immense satisfaction. Collaborating with physicians to advocate on behalf of unstable patients makes me feel like a valued part of a team. Consoling tearful, discouraged patients can be gut-wrenching, but it teaches me the power of empathy. Making a real, tangible difference in my patients’ lives is what drives me toward this next phase in my career.

Throughout my clinical experiences, there have been quite a few circumstances I have been placed in that have remained with me whether good or bad. All of them have been learning experiences for me whether it is how to improve and to do better next time from a mistake, for me to learn that this is or is not how a patient should be treated, how to handle family situations, and many others. One experience that I was able to participate in that will remain with me because I had not experienced this before was during my critical care rotation in the fall of 2015. This patient was dying and we were implementing comfort care for him.

In turn, I believe that I have taught both the patients and the staff that there?s more to young people than just hormones and we are capable of feeling compassion and empathy. Numerous patients have told me how nice it is to see today?s youth so eager to please and willing to give back to the community. Perhaps the knowledge of this fact instills hope within each patient and helps them find their voice.

profession, communities, and in society” (para. 5). I want to continue to broaden my knowledge over the life of my career. I also believe in using this knowledge to positively impact others in all aspects of healthcare.

Through various experiences I have had the opportunity to use some of these skills in order to completely fulfill patients’ needs. One occasion I clearly recall was during a time I worked in an

Ability to show empathy and understanding for the patients – By working alongside residents from a variety of backgrounds I was able to see from other’s perspective and showed strong empathy for any personal or cultural concerns associated with their care. This skill will allow me to form better and stronger interpersonal relationships with patients and allied health team during training.

deliver patients medical records, and run errands for all of the Nursing Units, Radiology, Admitting, and the general offices. From this experience I exhibited characteristics such as responsibility, caring, and, trustworthiness. Most importantly from this experience I learned you can change a person’s entire day by simply sending a smile their way or offering assistance. The small things in life matter, and I was reminded to live everyday to its fullest, because you never

On this unit we took care of diabetic patients, the majority of them being newly diagnosed. This is where I really found my passion for treating and educating patients on their new often terrifying disease. I came to realize my patients were not the only ones learning something new. I learned that I can

This school year I had the privilege of coaching our school Native Youth Olympic team. This team was composed of 4th and 5th graders from Snowshoe Elementary in Wasilla Alaska. The team competed at two meets, a local meet as well as a statewide meet. During the local meet, we gathered at Houston Middle School and competed for the first time representing the Snowshoe Trailblazers. The State meet was held at Mirror Lake Middle School in Chugiak, Alaska. Our athletes competed in the arm pull, two-foot-high kick, wrist carry, Alaskan high kick, one-foot-high kick and the scissor broad jump.

Abstract: The Special Olympics not only give special athletes athletic skills, they offer more opportunity, encouragement, and dexterity to survive in society than the public school system alone. To understand the differences and similarities between handicapped athletes and their non-handicap peers is the first step in creating a program that best meets the child's needs. There were no community programs that catered to the mentally and physically challenged, so Eunice Kennedy-Shriver created "special games" in her back yard for her handicapped child. Shriver established the Special Olympics in 1968. Today there are more than one million special athletes competing in 140 countries. There are some problems with relying on the

I will be able to expand my role as care provider and health educator for my patients. Having seen firsthand the positive influence of nurse practitioners providing health education during clinic visits, I look forward to expanding this role in my own practice someday.

Developing long-term relationships with patients is what I’m looking forward to as a Family Physician. Through my experiences as a medical student, intern, hospital volunteer, and observer, my most enjoyable moments are those spent listening to the patient. I have learned that communication, empathy and good listening skills, attributes

I tried really hard this quarter to be less pessimistic and bring positive influence to the patients I interacted with. I honored others by respecting them, and accepting their flaws.

I have learned to communicate better with both my colleagues, patients and their families and how to develop therapeutic relationships. I have also improved in academic writing. I feel I have made positive impact on both patients and their families during module three and four placements. I safely practiced the clinical skills acquired during theory and on placement and have developed more confidence in delivering these skills.