In this essay, discuss how your course requirements prompted you to develop strategies in applying new knowledge to complex situations in your learning activities. What higher-order thinking skills prompted you to a) relate new knowledge to prior understanding, b) think in both abstract and conceptual terms, c) apply specific strategies in novel tasks, and d) understand your own thinking and learning strategies? Share the information that you feel is important or has been most influential to your critical thinking and learning. Identify how your learning experiences have contributed to the accomplishment of your professional goals or to the enhancement of your skills.
This assignment requires self-assessment through your understanding of what you do well and what you still need to improve. Effective reflection will help you examine what you were thinking when you worked on each course. Reflect back on how your maturation as a learner developed throughout your undergraduate education. Explain how your learning is relevant to real-world situations and how it provides integrated experiences. Use the following statements to guide you as you link your work to your professional growth throughout your program of study.
In writing this reflective essay you will:
Discuss how your learning contributed to who you are as a soon-to-be health care professional.
Discuss how each learning experience links you with your professional skills or values.
Discuss how your learning magnifies your strengths as a health care professional.
Discuss how one of your program challenges helped you to acknowledge your weaknesses and tell what you have done to overcome them.
Reflect on what you have learned about your profession through your academic experiences.
Summarize how these experiences will create a positive impression of you as a health care professional (Reynolds, 2000).