Reference no: EM133603294

Question 1

The following website may assist with this question

Professional practice as a community worker requires a sound understanding of what professionalism means, the expectations of consumers, employers, the profession and society in general.

Examine a policy as a part of your research and its associated professional expectations. Consider how this policy will impact on your practice and professional growth as a community worker.

Question 2

Why is it important to set goals?

Goal setting is an important method of:

Deciding what is important for you to achieve in your career / life
Separating what is important for you from what is irrelevant and staying focussed on what is important to you
Motivating yourself to achievement
Building your self-confidence based on measured achievement of goals

Set Specific Goals

Set specific measurable goals. If you achieve all conditions of a measurable goal, then you can be confident and comfortable in its achievement. If you consistently fail to meet a measurable goal, then you can adjust it or analyse the reason for failure and take appropriate action to improve skills.

Set Measurable Goals

Clearly define the criteria in your mind for success or achievement of the goal. There should be definable limits on your goals so you know whether or not you have achieved it.

Set Performance, not Outcome Goals (Achievable goals)

This is very important. You should take care to set goals over which you have as much control as possible - there is nothing as dispiriting as failing to achieve a personal goal for reasons beyond your control such failure to gain a particular rotation, rostering issues, injury, or just plain bad luck. Goals based on outcomes are extremely vulnerable to failure because of things beyond your control.

If you base your goals on personal performance or skills or knowledge to be acquired, then you can keep control over the achievement of your goals and draw satisfaction from them. For example, you might set yourself a goal of caring for a person with a tracheostomy, but the opportunity to do so does not arise. If you had set your goal to gain more knowledge and skill in the care of a person with a tracheostomy tube, you have more control over what is possible from research and clinical skills sessions, and can draw satisfaction and self-confidence from its achievement.

Set Realistic Goals

Goals may be set unrealistically high for the following reasons:

Other people: Other people can set unrealistic goals for you, based on what they want. Often this will be done in ignorance of your goals, desires and ambitions.
Insufficient information: If you do not have a clear, realistic understanding of the skills and knowledge to be mastered, it is difficult to set effective and realistic goals.
Always expecting your best performance and
Lack of respect for self: If you do not respect your right to rest, relaxation and pleasure in life then you risk burnout.

Set time frames on your goals

Timelines will place limits on how long you are willing to persist along a particular path, and provide the opportunity to reassess either the goal itself, or the steps you have outlined to achieve the goal.

Setting Goals at the Right Level

Setting goals at the correct level is a skill that is acquired by practice.

You should set goals so that they are slightly out of your immediate grasp, but not so far that there is no hope of achieving them: no-one will put serious effort into achieving a goal that they believe is unrealistic. Personal factors such as tiredness, other commitments and the need for rest, etc. should be taken into account when goals are set.

Thinking a goal through

When you are thinking about how to achieve goals, asking the following questions can help you to focus on the sub-goals that lead to their achievement:

What skills do I need to achieve this?
What information and knowledge do I need?
What help, assistance, or collaboration do I need?
What resources do I need?
What can block progress?
Am I making any assumptions?
Is there a better way of doing things?

Part A

Discuss a professional goal that you have and discuss the steps that are needed to achieve your goal.

Part B

What support networks may you require to reach your goal? Where are they available?

Part C

What further training or specialist advice do you need to reach your goal?

Question 3

With the increasing emphasis on efficiency and effectiveness in health care, how community workers manage their time is an important consideration. Time management is recognized as an important component of work performance and professional practice. Discuss the strategies you will use to develop your time management skills.

Question 4

Self-care is imperative to personal health, sustenance to continue to care for others, and professional growth. Describe how you would care for yourself to ensure that you are able to continue to care for others? Examples may include exercise, relaxation classes, reading, art classes

Question 5

The following website may assist with this question

Learning strategies and styles are described in a range of ways.Following are two examples of ways to categorise different learning strategies and styles. The aim of providing these examples is to stimulate you to think about different learning styles.

Use this information to think about the ways you may have learnt and identify your preferred

approach. Once you have identified your preference you can put into place strategies to

assist you to learn more effectively.

Example One: Visual, auditory and Kinesthetic learning styles

Visual learning styles - this means you learn by seeing and looking.

You will:

Take detailed notes rather than get involved in discussions
Tend to sit in the front so you can see clearly
Benefit from illustrations and presentations, and especially those in colour
Make comments like: "How do you see the situation?", "What do you see stopping you?", "Do you see what I am showing you?"

Auditory learning style - this means you learn by hearing and listening.

You will:

Enjoy discussions and talking things through and listening to others
Acquire knowledge by reading aloud
Hum and/or talk to yourself
Make comments like: "I hear you clearly.", "I'm wanting you to listen.", "This sounds good."

Kinesthetic learning style - this means you learn by touching and doing.

You will:

Need lots of breaks and will want to move around
Speak with your hands and gestures
Remember what was done, but have difficulty with what was said or seen
Learn through doing activities
Make comments like: "How do you feel about this?", "Let's move forward together.", "Are you in touch with what I am saying?"

Example Two: Felder-Silverman Learning Style Model

Sensing learners

Concrete, practical, oriented towards facts

and procedures.

Intuitive learners

Conceptual, innovative, oriented toward

theories and meanings.

Visual learners

Prefer visual representations of presented

material - pictures, diagrams, flow charts.

Verbal learners

Prefer written and spoken explanations.

Inductive learners

Prefer presentations that proceed from the

specific to the general.

Deductive learners

Prefer presentations that go from the general to the specific.

Active learners

Learn by trying things out, working with

others.

Reflective learners

Learn by thinking things through, working

alone.

Sequential learners

Linear, orderly, learn in small incremental

steps.

Global learners

Holistic, systems thinkers, learn in large

leaps.

The learning environment is recognised as having an impact in either encouraging or impeding a positive learning experience.

Which learning style/s do you believe represents your own learning style?