Information Interview

Person Interviewed

I chose to interview my friend and mentor, Amy Osborn. She is a registered nurse at Children's Hospital in Michigan. She went to St. Clair college 7 years ago for her degree and has been trying to get me into the program ever since. I selected her for this interview because she is the smartest person I know (with the exception of a few professors of course), and I believe that she has an awful lot to offer in life.



What I learned from the Interview

I learned that being a nurse is more then just wearing scrubs, carrying a stethoscope, and handing out medication. Amy taught me that it is very important to be compassionate with the patients as well as the parents or families of the patients. The patients are not the difficult part of the profession, it is the families left to deal with whatever is wrong with the patient that need compassionate nurses to be there and be understanding.



Preparing for Entry into Nursing

I learned that even though Biology and Chemistry are the toughest courses in the program, it is crucial to do well in them. They are the foundation upon which nurses are able to do their work. I will have to learn to be more assertive and self confident before I enter into the nursing field. I will also be volunteering my time at a hospital while I am studying to familiarize myself with the profession more. This will increase my chances of getting a fulltime job once I receive my degree.

Conclusions and Future Plans

Improvement in Learning Inventory
I have improved on my note taking and text book reading. My stress level has dropped considerably since the beginning of the semester and I have improved in managing my time more efficiently.

Further Growth Required
I think that I need to continue to work on not procrastinating. I was doing very well for a while during the beginning of the semester but since the death of my friend, I have lost the drive to get things done. I hope that with perseverance, the drive to get 100% will return.

Insights Gained
I am looking forward to next semester and what it will bring. I hope to continue to do well in Chemistry and Biology and I believe that I will be able to do so if I continue to focus on proper note taking, text book reading and rest and relaxation. The seminar on relaxation techniques gave me the most insight and I plan to use what I used in classes to come.

Study group Meeting 5

We had our last study group meeting on Friday November 30 at St Clair College. We studied for our Chemistry exam coming up on Tuesday in the cafeteria. This hour has really helped me because there is an aweful lot of material to cover for the exam and it was handy to see what others had focused on in comparisonn to myself. I plan on using the study group option for all my classes next semester.

Study Group Meeting #4

We had our 4th study group meeting today. We studied for math in the cafeteria. It was very helpful to study with other people from my class because I had missed some of the lessons and was unsure of what I was doing for certain parts of the material. I was able to help alot of people from the class with things that they were unsure of as well. All in all, very productive meeting.

Stress Management

This workshop helped me see just how much stress I am under every day. My score was close to 500 points on the questionnaire. Most of the stress is money, school or family related. Having the relaxation part of it helped me and I hope that I will be able to manage my stress better with the use of this technique. I would love to know where I could get a copy of the tape that was used for the session. Afterall, any class that encourages the students to take a power nap is a good class.

Note Taking

Summary of What I Learned from Chapter 8 - Note taking



I learned that the best note taking method is the method that helps me to learn and remember what I have learned. I used both the Cornell and the Mind Mapping in Biology and both methods worked for me exceptionally well at different points in the class. It really depends on what the topic is as to what method works best when it comes to notetaking. With biology there are alot of diagrams so the mind mapping works really well and other times the cornell works better because there are alot of definitions or theories.



Cornell Method as a Study Tool

The Cornell method is great for classes with alot of definitions or theories. It serves as a great study tool for memorization.

Mind Mapping as a Study Tool

Mind mapping is a great method to use in classes where there are alot of diagrams or straight lectures with no handouts. It allows you to be messy and draw pictures while listening to the lectures. It serves as a great study tool for the visual learner.

What approach works for me

The approach that works best for me depends on what kind of class I am taking. I use both methods depending on what mood I am in and what material is being covered. Both have proven to be affective tools for me as a student.

Assignment 4 - Progress Report

Self Analysis

I am doing fairly well this semester in all but one of my classes. My goal for every class is to be as close to 100% as possible. The only class that I am having trouble achieving that goal in is Biology.

Myself as a Learner

As a student I am a procrastinator that aims for perfection. I have worked really hard at not procrastinating this semester and so far I believe that I am doing well. I have discovered that I am a visual as well as an auditory learner. I have a hard time studying material from a text if it was not covered in a lecture or does not have images or diagrams to go along with the material.

Achieving my Goals

In order for me to achieve my goals for this semester I need to change the way I am interpreting my biology class. There is so much material to remember and I am having a very hard time relating it to every day life. I have purchased a recorder and applied for peer tutoring in this course in order to accommodate my need to hear the lecture again while studying for a test. This will help me in achieving my goals.