Health Sciences and Medicine - Essay Example

Health Sciences and Medicine Enrolling for a health science course was a decision I made after critically thinking about it. I remember seeking for assistance from my career advisor who after analysing various factors including my strengths, weaknesses, personality, interests and passion among others advised me to pursue this line. I joined campus with a prepared mind having had a good orientation and sufficient grounding on what was to come my way. Given that many of my childhood friends enrolled in, apparently, less ‘attractive’ courses, I stood out whenever I mentioned that I was admitted in the health science faculty. Students who pursue health and medicine courses were positively perceived as academic elites who deserved respect. I joined the institution knowing exactly what I wanted at the end of my studies and this enabled me to set my goals with utmost precision and clarity. Reflection, an introspective evaluation of the past experiences, achievements and challenges would be the best way to assess the academic progress so far (Jasper, et.al, 2013: 110). This academic year has stood out with many activities and experiences that have significantly impacted on my social and academic life through the journey towards achieving my educational goals. The fact that the institution provides a course outline early enough enables students to psychologically prepare for the oncoming course tasks. The reality of academic pursuit is personalized when one is issued with a course outline. I personally felt the challenge to start my course studies early enough and prior to the instructor’s commencement so I may be best placed to understand the concepts. Attributably, the good progress so far this academic year is as a result of strengths in my personality that have worked to my academic advantage. In an environment where time is far more precious, excellent time management skills have undoubtedly favoured me. I remember, sometime back, how much I struggled waking up early in the morning to prepare for the day. Although intrinsically I rated highly in general time management scale, waking up early in the morning was a daunting task. I honestly would be worried at night when going to sleep about waking up early the following morning. However, after consulting my career counsellor about it, I found ways of waking up with ease, energetic and being hopeful for the day’s activities.. Improved time management skills have hugely benefited me this academic year. As Germeroth (2013) puts it, time management is the sensitivity to stint or period that one allocates to an activity so as to complete tasks in due periods. I consciously plan my day and strategize on how I intend to spend my time to ensure accountability. I have learnt that health sciences vitally require these time management skills for one to responsibly carry out their duties and positively respond to the course obligations. Transiting from one session to another as well as moving up and down within the campus among other activities is time consuming. With good time management skills, I was able to quickly navigate myself through to ensure that not much is lost. Averagely, the time I have saved this semester is remarkable. This has shown me how much time management is vital in a busy schedule if one yearns for success. At the beginning of the semester, class attendance is usually low. This semester, the number of students who attended health science classes was extremely low halting some learning sessions. The few students who attended those lessons were very demotivated. Of course, learning is more interesting when the class if full and everyone actively rejuvenated. The class becomes interactive and intriguing. This is, however, not the case in those first few days at the beginning of the semester. Normalcy is only achieved after two to three weeks which makes students lose a lot of time. Notably, there is a trend in which students let their assignments lie until the last minute when the deadline is approaching. That is when students rush up and down trying to access the library so they may complete their assignments. My strategy of working on my assignments immediately they are assigned has made me to evade such inconveniences and last minute rush. Confidence is another trait that has benefited my stay in the institution this academic year. It is defined as a strong belief of potentiality and reliance in something (Reeve, 2013:130). A school that has numerous students from diverse backgrounds exhibiting different behaviours; some morally coherent with my social standards while others are not, requires confidence to coexist. The nature of health science courses equally requires boldness in addressing the challenges associated with it and since I am naturally confident, this has served as a plus to my outstanding academic progress so far. Examinations are real stressors to students and it takes confidence to tackle them with ease. I remember a situation when one of my classmates broke into tears during a Continuous Assessment Test (CAT) reason being she had not sufficiently prepared for it and was frustrated. This just proves how much high self-efficacy and confidence can help one to go through such circumstances with ease without fear or frustration. Among the achievements I have made so far on the social framework include the many valuable friendships I have formed. I am an interactive person who easily forms friendships with people. At the institution, I have found some individuals who we share ideologies and thought patterns; men and women who think and act in a manner that entangles well with my expectations of a good friendship. However, one serious challenge I have faced this academic year is maintaining a balance between parenting and studies. The parental obligations are overwhelming and striking a balance with studies has been a real challenge. This was far more challenging at the beginning but as the semester progressed, I learnt to efficiently share out my attention to both ends. Conclusion All in all, life has not been easy in school but through good adaptive strategies, I have managed to suitably coexist and pursue my health studies with relative ease. My success this academic year can be attributed, by a large extent, to my strengths such as confidence, excellent time management skills, outgoing personality and good problem-solving skills. One thing that stood out as a huge hindrance for me was balancing school with family responsibilities. Leading a complete and fulfilling successful life entails making rational choices. I have constantly been indulged in making those decisions that have seen my positive achievements this academic year. References Germeroth, C. (2013) Self-regulated learning for academic success: how do i help students manage their thoughts, behaviors, and emotions? Alexandria, VA, ASCD. Jasper, M., Rosser, M., Mooney, G.P. & Jasper, M. (2013) Professional development, reflection, and decision-making in nursing and health care, Chichester, West Sussex, Wiley-Blackwell. Reeve, J. (2013) Understanding motivation and emotion, Hoboken, New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons. Read More