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It's All Coming Together Now!

  • Writer: Shabin Mere
    Shabin Mere
  • Dec 5, 2023
  • 4 min read

Updated: Dec 5, 2023


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(Student Self Reflection – How to Help Students Reflect on Learning, 2023)
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(Maxkabakov, 2014)

As I prepare for this final week of the MHST 601 course, I just realized how quickly the weeks went by. While I reflect on the beginning of the course, I realize that even though I have been in my manager role and other leadership roles for over two decades, I see that the learning never stops.


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(Shocket, 2021)

A very interesting venture at the beginning of the course was creating the e-Profile! Initially, I was very frustrated creating and navigating the various parts of building a website. I had to learn (or rather do a crash course) how to create something I never thought would have a decent outcome. Although I know I still have room to improve, compared to my classmates’ amazing creations, I have come out feeling proud of my accomplishment. It was initiated as a means to reveal all my new knowledge and perspectives, while also having something to share with my peers, and potentially my staff. Over the weeks of building this e-Profile, I have enjoyed constructing it using the various building blocks, tools, and elements. I had no idea this was how webpages are created, and now when I see other websites, the details are more apparent with how they were put together. It is kind of like creating a sophisticated PowerPoint presentation, only much more fun. Posting my blogs has especially been enjoyable!


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(36) How to Use Social Media as a Healthcare Professional | LinkedIn, 2022)

In this course, we first covered professionalism, digital identity, and the use of social media. With the varying fields each of us is in, how we communicate using social media, and what we share or divulge is important to always have professionalism in mind. While social media can be a great avenue for sharing knowledge and expressing our opinions about society or world events, it can also be a detriment to our careers if handled or used in the wrong manner ((36) How to Use Social Media as a Healthcare Professional | LinkedIn, 2022). There have been so many cases of client information being spread, or nurses media venting on social media about their day with difficult patients or families, or even other co-workers, which can become widespread information from the nature of social media platforms. Whether intentional or non-intentional, social media must be used carefully and mindfully (2022). The BC College of Nurses and Midwives “… maintain professionalism and follow ethical and legal standards [and to] [s]tay up to date on any changes or updates to social media policies and regulations” (Social Media, n.d.). For myself, I have always been uncomfortable posting anything on social media. I even gave up early on participating in Twitter activity submissions for the mere unease of navigating that platform.


Outside of the interprofessional connectedness topic, we delved into other health

topics, namely:

- Federal and Provincial Health Systems in Canada

- Health of Canadians - Understanding Health and Determinants of Health

- Multilevel Approaches to Understanding Health - Beyond the Individual

- Chronic Disease Prevention and Management

- Vulnerable Populations

- Future Directions

You can view my blog posts summarizing some of these areas along with curated resources related to the topics.


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(Research Embedded in Health Care Is Key to Progress and Change, 2014)

From these discussions, I see how healthcare is so complex, intertwined, has multiple aspects, and is so vast. It was intriguing to see the subject perspectives through the lens of my classmates from different health professions, provinces, and communities. It seems our local and provincial Government initiatives and directives have similar goals and target populations, yet also be very different in how policies are created and/or implemented depending on the determinants of health within the respective communities. The various areas have some differences and some similarities between provinces and communities depending on their healthy, aging, marginalized, immigrant, and Indigenous populations.


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The theme for my work throughout this course's discussions and assignments has

been Community Health Services, and seeing that connection with all the course subjects, I have a better sense of how programs and policies are being created for our communities. Along with lighter discussions on those

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(Lee et al., 2017)

listed above, the one topic of Multilevel Approaches to Understanding Health has brought all of these together for me. In that post, I identified how community services are developed using the socio-ecological model. I see now how to incorporate each layer into my learnings and my area of focus, is Community Health.

Creating services within a

community involves networks of organizations and social institutions that develop as a response to individual and interpersonal needs, including those required for vulnerable populations and chronic disease prevention and management. The types of populations within a community, their socio-economic status, and ease or challenges in accessing health care are elements that help identify the health of a community and the social determinants of health for that population. Additionally, the layers of Public Policy, Community, and Organizations within this model are thereby identified based on those determinants and developed or revised according to the needs of the community.


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Understanding and utilizing such

models helps put things into

perspective and gives me a sense of confidence knowing I can apply them in my profession as a leader, and contributor to program and policy development. As I continue onto new learnings through the Master’s in Health Studies program I hope to incorporate this first foundational course into my aspiration of becoming a Clinical Operations Director in the future, and a well-versed RN in my leadership role.


References

(36) How to Use Social Media as a Healthcare Professional | LinkedIn. (2022, September

Lee, B. C., Bendixsen, C., Liebman, A. K., & Gallagher, S. S. (2017). Using the socio-ecological model to

frame agricultural safety and health interventions. Journal of Agromedicine.

Maxkabakov. (2014, February 3). computer keyboard with Head With Gears icon and word Knowledge. .

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Research embedded in health care is key to progress and change. (2014, October 2). VCH Research

Shocket, S. (2021, April 21). Monday Masterclass: How to Create Epic Blog Posts. Elementor.

Student Self Reflection – How To Help Students Reflect on Learning. (2023, June 4). The Musings of Mrs

 
 
 

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