1.Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.
My internship experience consisted of shadowing and working alongside professionals in the optometry field. Day-to-day patient interactions and medical situations were observed as well as the use of modern technology for different diagnoses.
2.What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.
I was able to learn quite a bit about myself and how others interpret me from my time during this internship. For example, this was one of the first times I was able to consistently see and treat patients in a live healthcare setting. I was directly observed on my ability to interact with patients, address their questions, and assess their needs. I learned how to distribute medical information in a proper discussion as well as make my patients feel comfortable and relaxed. I was also able to assess how I am with different types of individuals. I found that I was especially good at connecting with young kids that came into the office.
Another major realization I took away from this experience was that although I want to participate in healthcare, I most likely do not want to run my own practice. By working in a privately owned office such as this one, I was able to witness the challenges that come along with being the business manager as well. I learned that I would be happier to spend my time in another doctor’s practice rather than running my own. I would much rather give the majority of my time seeing and helping patients rather than dedicating time to running a business and handling all of the financial aspects.
3.What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation.
Interactions with all kinds of different patients occurred during this experience and I was able to understand different approaches to talking with them and helping them through their visits. I quickly learned some valuable pieces of patient care advice in the early stages of the internship. For instance, within my first few weeks at the office I saw a patient and helped perform her technical workup. We took pictures of the back of her eyes to get a look at the nerves and blood vessels. She asked me how they looked and if everything was healthy. I responded that there was no need to worry and everything looked perfect and as it should. My internship mentor later took me aside and advised me that during the prescreening, we should never relay medical advice or diagnoses because we are not the doctor. It is our responsibility to get the patients through pre-tests and it is the doctor’s responsibility to treat and diagnose. There could be something in the pictures that I am not trained to see so if I falsely assure the patient, there could be misunderstandings and complications later on.
Another situation that arose were monthly meetings where the entire office staff got together to discuss the business side of the practice. We analyzed income, influx of patients, contact and glasses orders, lab shipments, brand representative visits, and whether we were on track of meeting monthly goals. Sitting in on these meetings helped me realize that I don’t want to be individually responsible for running a practice. This completely changed my plans for the future. I was able to come to this conclusion now thanks to this internship rather than waste time in the future.
A final major situation that came up was when I was helping a young boy pick out glasses. He was nine years old and extremely nervous. He had proven pretty shy during his actual exam and was not very happy when it was confirmed that he needed glasses. When we took him into the optical, my internship mentor allowed me to try helping first. I looked up the parents’ insurance and helped direct them toward the frames that were more cost efficient for them however, the patient seemed hesitant to try any. I was able to joke around with him and bring him out of his shell enough for him to relax and choose the glasses that he would be most comfortable in. This made me realize that I especially like working with kids and maybe could have a focus in pediatrics one day.
4.Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans.
This change is significant for my life because it altered a large part of my ideas for my future and my career aspirations. I originally had planned to eventually go out on my own and create my own practice and run it entirely by myself. This experience helped me realize that that’s not what I want and it’s not what I would be happiest doing. I was able to recognize that I don’t especially want to spend my time on the business side of things but rather just dedicate myself to patient care.
Personally, I was also able to receive feedback from my coworkers and mentors during this project. They helped me understand that I am very good with patients and that I have the qualities to comfort and help people. This was a huge achievement for me as I was concerned if I was capable of adequate patient care. Even though I’ve studied healthcare and always wanted to work in healthcare, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I would be good at it. Hearing that I was a positive influence on our patients outcomes helped me erase any doubts about my future goals in this aspect.
