Reflections for Practicum EXS 310

Joe McFadden

Spring 2016

During your internship you will experience many different emotions. You will be expected
to work as a professional, but at times you may not feel that way. Please comment on your
first impressions of your internship. What are your concerns, your excitements, and your
questions? What do you think will be the most important and challenging aspects of your
internship?
There is always a certain level of trepidation when entering the Critical Care Unit, but out of
necessity and from experience the degree to which the emotion is felt gradually decreases. I will
say that my job is genuinely exciting and I love what I do, and I am always seeking opportunities
to improve. I would say that the most challenging aspect of the experience will be improving my
weaknesses, which I would say at this point are phlebotomy and increasing my knowledge of the
finer details of my job. Often times I will be asked to find something specific that is hidden away
in some vague location and will be tasked with finding it. Many times a nurse will come up to
me and ask me to get something that they dont know the name of and can only describe in
physical details, and I will be required to find it based only on what he/she said. Obviously this is
difficult, and it is up to me to have a running catalogue of all the tools we have at our disposal, so
I would like to improve me knowledge of said tools. I am also weak at phlebotomy, and that will
only get better with experience. I am looking forward to having a valuable and rewarding
experience with this practicum.
There are many important characteristics of successful exercise science professionals. Some
include integrity, trustworthy, compassion, and more. Choose two characteristics that are
important for you and describe an experience that has made this connection more
significant for you.

The two characteristics listed above that are most important to me are compassion and
trustworthiness. Being able to enter into a complete strangers room and having the ability to
convey the compassion you have for them and that they can trust you with their care is vital at all
levels in the healthcare field. Being able to verbally convey this is important but in my opinion
the nonverbal cues are even more important: maintaining eye contact, speaking calmly and
evenly, a warm, firm handshake, all these things can help make the patient feel more comfortable
and help them feel that they are in capable hands and that they have someone who has their best
interests at heart.
Identify two or three major stresses that you have experienced since you began your
Internship. Describe some of the methods that you have used to cope with the stress. (Look
over the job stress inventory in the course assignments folder under lessons.)
Two stresses that I have experienced thus far are the high census that the ICU and the hospital in
general has faced, and the negative attitude in the unit. Methods that I have used to cope are to
maintain a calm demeanor regardless of circumstance, and to express my concern to upper
management when I feel it is necessary.
Balancing your internship responsibilities with the other responsibilities in life can often be
taxing. However, this balance is preparing you for the real world. Please reflect on how you
have managed your many roles as an intern, student, family member, significant other, etc.
In my opinion the most important part of balancing your responsibilities is to make sure that the
stresses of one area do not carry over into others. I need to make sure that if work stresses me out
that I have the ability to leave all that behind when I walk out the doors of the hospital. Besides

that balancing my schedule has been something that Ive had to pay particular attention to over
the years of my college experience. Due to bills needing to be paid I have had to work 20-30
hours per week while going to school and at times my grades have suffered because of it, but in
the past year Ive been able to find a good balance.
Pick two or three words that describe how you are feeling about yourself as an exercise
science professional. Describe an experience or situation that you think may have led you to
feel this way. (Check out the Sport Management competencies in the course assignment
folder under lessons.)
I would say I am professional and calm. My entire experience in the ICU is a testament to those
self-described characteristics. The unit has been going through many tough situations and a
negative attitude has permeated but regardless of that I have maintained a calm, measured, and
professional stance.
Identify a negative or disappointing experience that has occurred during your internship.
What was your reaction to this experience? Explain. (Look at staff and /or client
interactions; supervisor and staff interactions; client and staff relationships.)
Unfortunately I just had a very negative experience at work. I am about the calmest person youll
ever meet but in this particular case I was absolutely livid. The circumstances were outside of my
control so I talked to the charge nurse and expressed to her how unhappy I was with the situation
and continued doing my job. Regardless of how others act or carry themselves I know what my
job is so I do it and do it well.

Describe a time in your internships when you felt that your values were threatened. How
did this make you feel? What did you do?
There are times where my values are threatened, where negativity reigns and it is easier to go
with how the majority feels and acts. It is easy to compromise, to get swept up in the emotion of
the moment and go with how others are acting, but at times like that I try to center myself and
realign myself with my values. I realize that I am an individual and that I choose how I act and
how I respond.
Describe a time in your internship when you witnessed potentially unethical behavior.
What about the behavior was unethical? How did this make you feel? What would you
have done differently? (Find a code of ethics for your future profession and list the web
address)
The most obvious choice was when my coworker violated HIPAA. I did not personally witness
the behavior but apparently he had been doing this and was subsequently fired. Its unethical
because patients have a right to privacy, they have a right not to have someone come in and look
at their personal problems without their expressed permission. I was extremely disappointed to
learn that this had happened. I would not have done this, it is always a temptation but it is a line
that should not be crossed.
Physician Assistant Code of Ethics
https://www.aapa.org/workarea/downloadasset.aspx?id=815

Describe a time in your internship when you witness an incident of conflict. How was the
situation resolved? If you were the administrator, how would you have handled the
situation?
Theres always mini conflicts ongoing in the unit, one specific moment was when a coworker
came to me to complain about another coworker. Whenever something like this happens I try to
listen and play devils advocate, and just do my best to ease the tension level and help get the
person back on track. If I were an administrator and felt that the conflict between the two was
getting in the way of patient care or creating a hostile environment I would have to call the two
in for a meeting, but preventative measures such as speaking to the two individually first would
be best.
Most exercise science professions involve working in a team. Describe how individuals at
your facility work as a team to accomplish a task or goal. What is your role in the process?
Despite how I have at times described the environment of the unit, when crunch time comes all
conflict stops and we are a very effective team. Everyone knows what needs to be done and they
all support and work with each other when a crisis occurs. My role is to anticipate their needs
and to perform any lesser tasks that frees them up to do the things that they are uniquely
qualified to do.
Reflect on your time in the internship so far. What have you learned? What seemed
intimidating or unknown in the beginning, but now is an everyday activity? How have you
grown as a professional? Did the negative or disappointing experience (from Question #6)
change your perspective on your internship? In what ways? Did any positive changes

occur (for you or one of your co-workers) from this negative or disappointing experience?
Explain.
Thanks to my experiences I have continued to grow as a healthcare professional and as a person.
Its hard to list any one thing that I have learned, I am undergoing constant evolution and every
experience has the possibility to change my attitude and my character. As a professional Ive had
to undergo more hardship in the past few months than I have had at any other time in my
employment at the hospital, but I will always welcome hardship as I view it as another
opportunity to grow. The negative experience I described in the second reflection in a macro
sense did not change anything, but in a micro sense it helped me relearn the lesson that you cant
control how others act and that I need to focus on myself, focus on becoming the best possible
me.
Describe how being involved in an internship has influenced your attitudes or behaviors
toward yourself, your career aspirations, and/or your relationships.
Who would have thought that a job interview in a little white room in June of 2011 would have
such a profound impact on the course of my career and my person. My experience working at the
Chester County Hospital for the past 4 years has been the most positive of my entire life.
Nothing has brought me more pain and more joy, more hardship, more sacrifice, and more
opportunities to enrich my life and the lives of others, than this. It has helped me grow as a
professional and as an individual, and I will be forever grateful for this institution and the people
involved within for what they have done for me.