Who Am I?
Anna Porinchu
Me
Markham Stouffville Hospital
Placement
Lisa DiBacco
Placement Supervisor
Allan Ambida
Co-op Teacher
How does my co-op placement experience inform who I am? How does it tap into my interests, talents, skills, values, identity/personality?
Since I was young, I’ve always wanted to work in healthcare. There’s always this great feeling of satisfaction when giving someone the help they need. My placement at Markham Stouffville Hospital gave me the experience to further enhance some of my skills while still letting me learn new things. Working at the hospital showed me what goes on behind closed doors and how hard healthcare professionals work. I got to observe various kinds of procedures and the daily lives of my co-workers. From this experience, I am able to determine if the career path I want to pursue is right for me. This placement demonstrates my love for assisting others and making a difference in a person’s life.
Why have I chosen a particular focus? (eg. SHSM sector, OYAP trade, college dual credit)
Even before I went to FMM, I knew I wanted to do SHSM. From my brother’s experience, it seemed like a great opportunity to learn more about a specific sector that I want to pursue in the future, while still completing my OSSD. After dropping out of IB last year, I realized my plain diploma won’t look as good as an IB diploma so I decided to see what I could do to make it stand out a little bit more. As I knew several SHSM sectors were offered at FMM, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to apply as it does no harm to me. I was struggling to pick between nonprofit and health and wellness due to the fact psychology could apply to both. However, after looking at the electives offered and course requirements, I thought health and wellness would be the better fit. I feel like I made the right decision as I get to see how real medical professionals live their lives. Both SHSM and co-op have given me the chance to gain insight as to what my future may be like, learn the things I like or dislike, and give me first hand work experience.
The Grit Test
After watching Angela’s TED Talk, I learned how IQ isn’t solely what determines intelligence and success. But instead, it was grit/determination. My grit score was 3.30. Honestly, I expected lower. This is because I think I’m on the lazier side and don’t often set goals for myself as I have a strong fear of failure. However, I am still a hard worker and can improve to reach my full potential.
The Work Ethic Assessment Tool
I think I’m very much ready for the workplace. I personally believe being independent is a great strength of mine as I am able to automatically do what is asked of me without the assistance of others. But at times this can be a weakness. Sometimes I’m afraid to ask for help because of the fear of looking stupid or feeling like a burden. That is why I think I need to improve my initiative and communication skills as I tend to stay quiet. From looking at the work ethic assessment tool, I think I perform well in most expectations apart from two; attitude and ambition. This is because at times I let my emotions control how I act towards others. If I’m super stressed about a test the next day, I can tend to come off a little bit rude when speaking to others which is not something I should be doing. My lack of ambition mostly comes from laziness and my fear of speaking up. There have been times when I did absolutely nothing the entire day because I was not asked to do anything. Instead, I should show more initiative and leadership.
Career Quizzes
After completing several career quizzes, I am content with the results. Most careers had to do with either healthcare or social work, two things I am passionate about. I also enjoyed doing the quizzes that showed my work/learning style, talents, and interests. These tools are very useful to determine the best career matches for me. At the same time, it shows me the various options I never knew existed. This gives me the opportunity to research more interesting careers instead of just being focused on one or two.