STEP Post-Project Reflection Prompts
As you may recall from your STEP Signature Project Proposal, your project was designed to foster transformational learning—that is, learning that challenged you personally and helped you gain broader and deeper understandings of yourself, others, and the world around you. Please address the following prompts to help you reflect on your experiences following the completion of your STEP Signature Project; please give careful and critical thought to your responses.
- Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.
I took an online medical assistant certification course. There were two parts to this course. The first parts was the online, classroom part where I learned the stuff from the textbook about being a medical assistant. The second part was an in-person internship at a hospital where I practiced the stuff I learned in the online course in the real-world.
- 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.
After completing my STEP project, an online medical assistant certification course, my perspective on the healthcare field has drastically changed. Before taking this course, I assumed that patient care was primarily about just diagnosing a patient and determining a treatment plan. However, through this course, I learned that being in the medical field involves so much more than just clinical competence. You must also have good communication skills, be emphatic, and understand the emotional needs of a patient. This realization has increased my appreciation for the medical field.
Also, this course has increased my confidence in taking on more significant responsibilities in medical settings. Before this course, I was still involved in the healthcare field, but I was doing menial tasks and just following instructions. I didn’t have much faith in my ability to be in-charge of any bigger responsibilities. After this course, I realized that I have the capability to have a bigger role in the healthcare field and take on more responsibilities.
- 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.
Something that transformed me while completing this project was the module that focused on patient communication. Through case studies and role-playing exercises, I learned how important it is to listen to patients, interpret non-verbal cues, and provide comfort in moments of vulnerability. This module made me more aware of how critical soft skills are in healthcare.
Another module that played a key role in my transformation was about medical ethics and the challenges medical professionals have to deal with to ensure equitable care to all patients. It caused some self-reflection on the disparities in healthcare access and the importance for advocating proper healthcare for all patients from all backgrounds. It pushed me to become more socially aware and will play a huge role in how I will approach my career as a future healthcare provider.
The hands-on skills I learned, such as taking vital signs and assisting with minor procedures, had a huge impact on me. It gave me a sense of the ways I could contribute to patient well-being, even without being a doctor or specialist. It was eye opening to see how doctors and nurses are not the only part of the hospital, and that healthcare wouldn’t work without medical assistants and all the smaller roles.
Interacting with fellow students and instructors allowed me to see the variety of pathways that lead into healthcare. Everyone came from different backgrounds and hearing their experiences helped broaden my perspective on the many factors that can cause different people to be different types of medical providers.
- 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 transformation is valuable for not only my academic goals but also my career aspirations in healthcare. Understanding that patient care involves much more than just technical competence has strengthened my passion for the medical field. I now know that I am capable of making an impact, even as a student, and that developing all the skills I learned during this course, like empathy and communication skills, will be just as important as my scientific learning.
This experience has only increased my desire to be a part of the healthcare system. It gave me that foundational skills I need to pursue more hands-on medical experiences. It has made me excited about continuing this long and difficult journey towards becoming a physician, knowing what I will learn along the way and what awaits me at the end of it.