Personal Reflection

This reflection will discuss personal diffidence and how it has influenced my academic studies, including my practice within placement settings. Gibbs reflective cycle (Gibbs, 1998) has been utilised as it illustrates a clear structure for the process of reflection. To conclude this reflection will draw together the themes which have emerged and highlight a clear action for future learning that will be used in order to enhance my future practice.

When I arrived at the agency, the room was crowded and many people were waiting for their turned to be served at one of the several tables. The person that I interviewed for this assignment was Emily Hampshire, the coordinator of one of a program called 180. Emily has been with the agency for over a year and is currently the coordinator of the agency’s newest program. This program is a gang prevention and intervention program and was created for the local at-risk youth in an effort to prevent gang related crimes and help youth “change their life around”, as Emily mentioned. This program was created in collaboration with the local Police Department and the Mount Diablo Unified School District and in

When it comes to a person’s characteristics, preferences, and beliefs it can be hard to make the distinction between the three. Not only that, but when asked a simple question: “What are some of your defining characteristics?” It’s so easy to just draw a blank. It may not even be that you don’t want to brag, it’s hard to talk about things like that on the spot. Almost as if you were asked, “What’s your favorite movie and you’ve suddenly forgotten every movie you’ve ever seen. In other words, self reflection is difficult. Namely, making a distinction between the different aspects that make up who you are as a person.

I began my journey at CCRI in the Fall of 2015 after realizing that my life was not progressing in a direction I was comfortable with. I had previously attended three semesters at another community college in my early 20's but did not complete the program due to unexpectedly starting a family (whoops!) and dropping out of school. I had no support network and no money, so I did the only thing that made sense... I got a job. Over the years I worked menial jobs for greedy bozos, eventually acquiring a trade and securing steady reliable income. At first, I felt accomplished to have ascended the ranks and provided for my family, but as time progressed it became apparent that, unless I made a change, I had little room left for career growth.

With tears falling down my face, I reflected on what I had gone through for the past seven months. I was talking to a crowd of concerned parents and depressed kids that were looking for help. I started thinking about where I would be if I wasn't as strong as I know I am now. I was thirteen, the youngest out of three speakers at an anti- bullying conference at my church. We were telling our stories about bullying. It was my turn to speak, my heart started racing, and it felt like it would drop to the floor. Even with flashcards in my hand to keep me on track, I felt like I couldn't speak. My pastor, Angela Jones, saw how nervous I was and came to comfort me and help me to calm down. She told me to tell my story and tell my testimony, so I did.

This week at the Jasper County Health Department, I had a variety of tasks. Due to session cancellations, the first couple hours I was at the clinic, I helped with filing patient files as well as working at the front desk to check in clients and schedule future appointments. I learned a large amount of interesting information just by looking at patients files. A lot of information goes into each file and I was surprised and lucky to have the chance to view these files and learn from them. Patients varied from DUI’s to mental illness. As I spent the first few hours of the day up front working with the women up there, I learned a lot about the billing systems. I had not planned to learn so much about how they charge and when they can charge and when they cannot. I learned the difference between insurance, Medicaid and self-pay. One of the secretaries informed me that they have a crisis counselor always on call. If a client calls in and is talking suicidal the on call counselor will get them help. From talking with her, I learned that in these kinds of cases, clients cannot be charged any fee. I was never aware of this for these situations.

Developing an awareness that there are layers of meaning to an idea/concept; openness to finding patterns and connections and exploring the multiple possibilities and interpretations.

I arrived at the Churchill County Library between 4:55 pm and 5:00 pm. My sister, who works there part-time, texted me at 4:36 pm telling me to bring my dog to the Library, as she had put her two weeks in and her coworkers wanted to see the dog before she was gone. I have brought my dog to the Library on three (3) or four (4) separate occasions for this same purpose: a simple visit. I left my house at 4:45 pm. I can not definitively say how long the visit lasted. Factoring in the 10min drive to and from my home to the library, my best guess is approximately 35mins, as I arrived home at 5:45 pm.

It won’t always be easy, but it will always be worth it. These wise words are from my favorite teacher, my academic team coach, and an all-around great woman. At some point, without my realizing that it had happened, these words crept in and became my mantra. I worked hard to get where I am, and I’ll continue working hard, not because it is easy, but because I know that I will be better for it.

There are many expectations at my workplace, some are rather time consuming and slow-paced however, thus far I can say the duties in which I have performed are very enjoyable and insightful. One of my major duties is centered around me shadowing the various staff in the building. In one instance, I shadowed my supervisor, Peter Rego, during one of his physical assessments of a patient who was suffering from persistent shoulder and back pain and from that session alone I gained profound insight in regards to treating pain. Furthermore, in the better interest on my learning and to better grasp the concepts of Physiotherapy, another one of my duties includes reading and studying rehabilitation books. Some of these books include the “How to Treat Your:” series by Dr.McKenzie. These books are rather insightful and I find them to be helpful in terms of furthering my interest and understanding of the work of Physiotherapists. Moreover, reviewing and analyzing the documents of patients at the clinic is another one of the duties I was assigned with at my placement. This is an integral part of a Physiotherapist's job; despite the fact that it may be tedious, it is pivotal that Physiotherapists create, organize , examine specific documents in order to effectively develop rehabilitation plans for their patients.

Business has been an interest of mine since I was a child. From selling lemonade at church on Sundays as a 9-year-old to starting a successful retail business as a young adult. I founded and operated a successful retail business for seven years. It was featured on August 2008 edition of Glamor magazine and the 2008 October/November edition of Siempre Mujer magazine. My customers included an Olympic runner and a few celebrities, but most importantly It allowed me to be a blessing to others by being a part of various non-profit organizations.

For each of us, there comes a time when we can look back and pinpoint the exact day that altered the course of our life, for me, one of those days was April 13, 2010. I was 14 years old when I fell off my bike and broke my elbow. After consulting multiple orthopedics, I was told I would never regain my range of motion, but with the help of a certified hand therapist, I was able to regain full range of motion and prove the doctors wrong. Months later I had surgery to reconstruct my elbow that had not healed properly, but again I was able to regain full range of motion thanks to my therapist. While the doctors were able to fix my arm, it was the therapists who were able to give me my quality of life back. It was at this moment that I knew I wanted to be a therapist. During my freshman year of college, I began to develop an ulnar claw which eventually led me to undergo ulnar nerve transposition surgery. After spending countless hours with a certified hand therapist I knew this was what I wanted to spend my life doing. I had been going to school with plans of applying to physical therapy school, but the experience I had recovering from ulnar nerve transposition led me to alter my course of study and transfer schools. Today no one would ever know that I had something wrong with my arm or hand other than the scars which motivate me and remind me of the impact an occupational therapist had on my life, and my ultimate goal; become an occupational therapist.

The start of my journal began with documenting my thoughts for three days. For these three days I realized I think negatively about numerous situations. My siblings often express their observations of my negative thoughts. I become anxious about issues I have no control over, which does me harm. I begin to think about the worst-case scenarios, which has a toll on me emotionally. It can be challenging not focusing on the negative aspects of a situation; some situations can be significant, and others can be of no substantial importance. Overthinking is a weakness I aim to overcome, especially now that I began writing down my thoughts throughout the day. I do not consider myself a negative person, there is plenty of positivity within me. Although I have negative thoughts on certain situations I cannot control, I aim to concentrate on positive traits. Distracting and motivating myself from redundant thoughts has helped me focus on the positive outcomes.

Weekly lectures enabled me to learn several different academic skills. These lectures lubricated the transition from high school to university. A significant change that happened was the development in studying strategies. "Science of learning" module mentioned "spacing out" method in studying. That was quite useful for me as I used to cram before exams rather than dividing my time into smaller portions as well as complaining about the lack of time. However, I mastered time management, and thus I am appreciating studying, and it boosted my grades. We also reviewed novel tools in the school such as MAP, Avenue, and Pebblepad. Now I know how to use the MAP to explore various programs and gateways, which was pretty helpful for choosing my second-year program. Furthermore, I learned how to use the Avenue for the other courses and Pebblepad for the future study options. The fact that my employer may use my Pebblepad page is important because it provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate my abilities rather than a single perplexing resume.

When you understand your emotions, you can keep them in check. When you know your weakness and strengths, it helps to keep you emotionally healthy. During this week, I have learned many new and interesting ideas like how to be in check, how to recognize feelings in a social situation and how I compare with my family and friends when it comes to my Emotional Intelegance.