Week of 9/29 Post

Learning something new can be a scary experience.  One of the hardest thing I have had to learn is maintaining office politics, dress code and personal skills in my mentorship.  Trying to have all of those elements in mind while learning all I can is a hard process to keep.

With my athletic training mentorship, I am constantly learning new techniques that I will use for my college experience in the future.  My mentorship consists of me being in a physical therapy office and/or being on the sidelines during an athletic event.  My regulations/office politics change from place to place.  Say in the office, my mentor has strict rules that I have to follow, which is known as protocol.  For example, there is a certain time I have to be at the office.  If I do not follow these rules of protocol, I will have serious consequences for my actions.  Also, the idea of hierarchy comes into effect as I have to follow a higher authority's orders.  For instance, on the field, my mentor might ask me to wrap a player's ankle or stretch them.  The communication with other employees is a big part of how I will learn.  Many of my acquaintances are college students that are earning their hours for college classes.  They are in the same predicament as I am.  They ask questions and learn from their mentors as well as I do.  All of us work well together and we learn as much as we can.

Dress code at my mentorship is mostly the same in the office and on the field.  In the office, I wear a polo shirt, khakis and tennis shoes.  The dress code for the office is important because I have to look appropriate for my environment and co-workers.  On the field, I have to wear khakis and a North Hall shirt.  By wearing the right clothing that goes with the dress code, this makes me look professional and it makes the group look unified. 

Lastly, I have been able to put my personal skills towards my mentorship in certain ways.  My knowledge of medical terminology and anatomy terms had come in handy because if my mentor asks me what is this certain thing, I can give them the correct, specific answer.