Midpoint Reflection

So far, my journey has been humbling regarding my learning in Health promotion. During the first couple of weeks, I felt overwhelmed and would contribute to the postings in almost a robotic fashion. I worried about the context of the information I was providing and forgot about how this was “actually’ contributing to my learning. I was not applying myself to the personal goal I had set out for myself and had looked forward to for years. Of course, it did not help that my professional job was also consuming my time in an unplanned manner.

Throughout this course, I have had intermittent internal struggles and revelations. I have realized in my adult years that keeping up with current trends, technology, and research is paramount to furthering my growth as a person and in my profession. I see how the relevance of using contemporary approaches to health promotion, such as blog posts and creative artifacts, can help to reach the target population. Staying current with technology and creativity, I have come to learn, is essential, even if uncomfortable.

Once I allowed myself to relax, I began learning through the words and topics brought forward by my co-learners and the readings provided by the course. Although challenging, the different perspectives lent a new lens to my learning. I felt either awakened and encouraged by what I was learning and looking forward to sharing or feeling out of my element and second-guessing whether I was prepared to continue this dream of attaining my Master of Nursing. It has been like riding a rollercoaster. I chose the topic of excessive drinking because our last son is going to university next year and I have personally seen how excessive use of substances like alcohol has affected those close to me-including myself. Stress and peer pressure can be dangerous without the support a person is accustomed to.

Some of the issues that I have encountered so far in health promotion are the approaches that are new to me, such as the technology and process of getting the ideas out to the right population in the proper manner using the right tone. Procrastination does not boast well in a master’s program and scheduling a specific time to read and write has helped me organize the week-although I am not there yet.

This program has humbled my approach to what I thought I knew and has opened the reality of what I have yet to learn. I want to become the best nurse educator/mentor to offer mentorship to the next generation of nurses with the most current knowledge and forums. Technology is the new norm, and I am now open to pushing myself on unfamiliar grounds. I want to learn better ways to blog and reach the intended populations for the discussed topics.