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HPV Awareness!

 

                             


Reflections

 

     Lynn's Reflection:

         I have gained a new appreciation for educators after this project.  Trying to educate others is a hard task, and sometimes you do not know if it will pay off.  While doing this project I started to wonder whether we were really getting through to people.  Were people really listening to us?  Did everyone understand what we were talking about?  Will they take our advice and take better care of their health? 

        Denise, Jessica, and I thought that along with educating students about HPV, we also needed to target low income people.  It turned out that on the subject of HPV, many people no matter a health professional, a student, or a house wife all had questions about HPV and cervical cancer.

        In the end, you cannot wonder if you are making a difference or not.  I learned that if you have passion for the subject you want to voice, you just have to do your best and hope that you are atleast making one person look into getting more information about HPV and the vaccination.  I also learned a lot about myself, and my abilities.  I surprised myself when I had to talk to small groups of people, and was able to effectively communicate to people.  One of my weaker traits as a leader is not communicating effectively to people, and I feel like I have overcome that obstacle.  What I have learned from this project I hope to take with me in molding myself into a better leader, and also to continue to educate the public about HPV awareness.

    Denise's Reflection: 

     After completing this leadership practicum, I feel as if I have really learned how to apply my skills as a strong member of the community towards a goal.  I am more confident as a role leader and as a student. I am aware of flaws and strengths that I have as a person which allow me to be the leader that I have become.  I know that it takes a strong leader to get things accomplished, but also an understanding one.  I know that I have to respect the people that I work with and still be able to give them feedback.  I have learned how to praise and support people in their choices, and how to express myself when I do not agree with people.  

    Leadership is an act, a process and a skill that an individual can possess. A good leader is educated, but not ignorant to his or her mistakes. A leader cares about the people who follow and support them. Successful leaders should be firm, but still approachable; strong, but not stubborn. My definition of leadership is not the only variable that determines my behavior as a leader. How successful I wish to become in life as a leader depends on how I measure success.

    In my opinion, success is not measured with money. It depends on the happiness of the leader and the people that leader affects. My goals depend on the organization of my leadership methods and my commitment. Commitment is about loyalty to a goal. I know that commitment is achieved by following certain steps that allow me to remain organized. Being committed means that you are focused on the goal, that you don't allow the goal to become your life, and you are prepared to sacrifice things to achieve that goal.

    My leadership style is a compromise of many characteristics. As a leader, I know that I am still accountable for peoples' actions and still respect them. I try to respect everyone, especially those who are under me. I know that I rely on the people that I lead just as much as they rely on me. I believe that I can keep them happy as long as I establish the appropriate feedback mechanism to asses how others view me.

    Over the past few weeks I have developed new skills working with Lynn and Jessica. I have become aware of old flaws of which I was not conscious. However, I have come to realize new strengths that I did not know I had. I know now that a true leader must sometimes follow. That it takes a strong person to do what is right, but a stronger person to admit when they are wrong. I will enjoy my role as a leader because I will be helping the health profession of Radiology and the patient community.

 

      Jessica's Reflection:

    In the first few weeks of class we discussed our definition of leadership. I said that I define leadership as the willingness of one person to take on the task of implementing change ? no matter what the cost.  I had a limited view of what leadership really was because I never really sat down and thought about all it entails.  After completing our personal mission statement I finally began to understand what leadership meant to me.  Leadership is not only the willingness of a person to take on the task of implementing change, it is also a process that empowers others to transform themselves and align their values and principles with those of their leader.  I believe that every leader should be willing to take risks and push others to achieve goals that are above and beyond the status quo.  Above all though, one of the most important aspects I have come to understand about leadership is that good leadership involves setting a strong example. 
 
    Over the past few weeks, Denise, Lynn and I began our practicum project on HPV awareness.  We all agreed that HPV is a serious problem, especially for younger women, and we felt we needed to do something about it.  As our plans for the project progressed we began searching for information and were amazed at the statistics we were seeing regarding the HPV virus and cervical cancer.  It was amazing to find that so many women (of all ages) already have HPV and that so many more will contract HPV and/or cervical cancer in the near future!  As we developed our brochure and gathered our materials, we went into the community to raise awareness about HPV and cervical cancer.  It was shocking to find that many women (and men) did not even know what HPV was!  We hoped that by explaining the facts about HPV people would be more likely to take HPV seriously.  Our overall goal by taking HPV awareness to the community was to help lower the statistics for the number of people who have or will have HPV in the future.  As a member of this group I am taking the first step to HPV prevention and getting the Gardasil vaccine.  By doing so I am setting the example that I hope others will follow!  This project enabled me to put the concepts that I learned to use in the real world.  It is interesting to see how my definition of leadership in the beginning evolved to what it is now.  I have developed an awareness of my actions and my ability to empower others by setting a good example.  As stated above though, leadership is a process and I have much more to learn!

  

 

    

                                            

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