Ruth Marcelyne
About Me
My name is Ruth Marcelyne Auma Odhiambo. Interesting fact about me is I'm Kenyan. I'm in second year BHSc , HSS track. Through this degree I hope to understand more of what a health system is, which I believe would be helpful if I am to join the medicine and have a career as a Medical Doctor. My other aspiration is to become a Epidemiologist/ Biostatician. The HSS 1 course was a great opportunity for me develop communication and academic writing skills which I looked forward to. I have a reflection below detailing my overall experience below, should it interest you.
I am goal-oriented and will ensure that I do my best to achieve the standards that I have set for myself. I may not always produce the best work compared to someone else but I value the effort that I put into the work even if I do not see the results that I want. I believe that I get better with every shortfall.
In Heath System Science 1 I became a more well-rounded person as a future health professional. I learned how to manage my time, how to evaluate situations from a variety of perspectives, how to improve my academic writing, and to understand that building a good health system takes time. HSS 2 has continue to build upon these qualities that I picked up in HSS 1. I have also learned that I love to understand the reason why something is the way it is meaning that I don’t only enjoy HSS, but also enjoy the history component where I learn the precursor to the health system that exists today.
As an HSS student I am expanding my understanding of health systems beyond the components that patient would interact with such as health workers.
The purpose of this portfolio is to store and share the accumulating knowledge that I gain as I move from HSS 1 to HSS 3.
My Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths:
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I am able to complete projects in a timely manner.
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I enjoy taking on new projects.
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I look forward to learning new skills through every project that I am involved in.
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I able to communicate clearly and effectively.
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I manage my time well.
Weaknesses:
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Delegation of task in projects.
Reflection on this weakness at the end of the 2023 year:
However, through the multitude of group projects that I have partaken in, I have realised the importance on delegation in ensuring the excellence of work produced. Through collaboration with team members, I have learned that tasks should be delegated according to strengths. This has enabled me to move past my task hoarding instincts.
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Stalling of tasks which I am struggling to understand the objectives. I struggle understanding how to approach tasks without clear objectives or instructions or tasks which are based on knowledge I have not acquired yet.
Reflection on this weakness at the end of the 2023 year:
The term paper assignments which were assigned twice every semester have enabled me to understand that this weakness stemmed from my curiosity not being robustly developed. Hence, I developed an approach of doing extensive research and reading to the best of my ability. As I acquired knowledge, I would begin to ask questions of my own as well as understand what was required from me in tasks which presented more open-ended questions.
Skills and Compentancies as a Systems thinker
As a health systems science student, it is important to understand what systems thinking is, why it is important to study and why it is necessary to understand the language relating to systems thinking. Systems thinking, which is a core competency, is the ability to understand the complex and constantly changing health system and being able to apply acquired knowledge. to solve identified problems in the components that make up health systems. It is important because health systems need to be able to meet the needs of people interacting with it as well and be efficient and effective at enabling skilled workers to provide the care. By understanding the language of systems thinking problems and solutions are identified and communicated clearly and the health system is able to improve. The language also allows for understanding that can be helpful to stakeholders when trying to improve the health system, because a systems thinker is able to accurate identify problems.
There are eight core competencies in HSS, they are the following:
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Systems Thinker
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Communicator
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Responsive Decision Maker
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Manager
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Collaborator
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Scholar
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Health advocate / change agent
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Responsible leader
Throughout the course we have done activities that build some of these competencies. I have discussed them below.
I am confident that I would be able to use these learned competencies after completing the activities, they built on what I learned last year in first year, so I feel like I have the ability to utilize them.
Core Competencies of Health Systems Sciences
Activity 4.13.2
Systems Thinker
Scholar
A systems thinker should cultivate an appreciation for the inherent complexity and adaptive nature of the health system while applying knowledge, skills and attitudes to address complex challenges through simple and workable solutions. For Systems thinking Activity 4.13.2 helped to build this skill. This activity taught me how to apply my knowledge, skills and attitudes to address challenges by using the Problem-Purpose Statement and Research Questions method to research focus and ensure there is consistency in my analysis of health systems.
A Scholar is committed to life-long learning and is able to recognize and respond to the opportunities for health systems improvement by applying sound research methodologies. You are able to produce evidence in order to effect meaningful change. The activity showed me that the purpose of my research should be appropriate to the research methodology that will be applied.
Activity 4.12.2
Scholar
Health Advocacy and change agency
In Activity 4.12.2 my scholar competency was developed. I learned that an important aspect of starting and planning any research is to plan for the different steps in the research process. It is necessary to understand the research process, and how this process is influenced by the research paradigm and the conceptual frameworks that have been used and adapted by the author.
As health advocates, you responsibly use your expertise and influence to advance the health and well-being of the workforce, individuals, communities and populations. You act as a change agent in advocating for the needs of people within the health system as well as those who use healthcare services. You create a voice for both the needs of the workforce and the patient. You enable change by influencing policies, procedures, and decision making. This activity enabled me to be able to use conceptual frameworks and research paradigms. To advocate for changes that need to happen in health systems.
Activity 3.8.2
Scholar
This activity helped me to know the difference between a database and search engine and therefore which is appropriate when doing research. I am now able to know when a source is trustworthy, reliable, and accurate. I also know how to do academic research, which is helpful in writing methodologies and having evidence to support my claims.
Activity 3.9.2
Scholar
Health Advocacy and Change agency
Activity 3.9.2 taught me that health information can be communicated and shared through social platforms because it has a wide reach. In order to avoid misinformation then organizations, such as WHO or Department of Health, should be referred to but this doesn't take away from the usefulness of social media. Through social media you enable change by influencing policies, procedures, and decision making and you are able to produce evidence in order to effect meaningful change.
Activity 3.8.4 and Activity 3.9.4
Scholarship
Collaboration
Activity 3.8.4 taught me how to carry out research with search terms that bring up the articles that I need for research. Activity 3.9.4 showed me how to evaluate research papers and determine whether they are useful.
As a Collaborator, you need to work effectively within a range of different teams to be able to adapt to different team roles. You need to be able to respond positively to different team structures and work with diverse teams and draw on the strengths of other team players. For the collaborating competency, my group divide the work and we got together and compiled what we came up with to complete the activities.
Activity 5.16.2: Unpacking the Categories of Quantitative Research Designs
Scholarship
Systems Thinking
In Activity 5.16.2 I learned how to develop a methodology when conducting research. When doing Activity 4.13.2, methodology was an area that I was unable to answers well enough and provide reasons to support my choice in methodology. This activity allowed me to work on those weaknesses.
With regards to systems thinking, there was a deep dive into the different types of quantitative research designs and the subcategories of the different types, which enables me to make a more informed decision on how I approach answering, sometimes complex, research questions in an organised and logical manner.
Scholar
Systems Thinking
Being a scholar means being able to apply sound research methodologies. Research methodology is a structured way of planning, conducting and reporting research. To apply sound research methodologies, you need to design a suitable research strategy that matches your research questions, hypotheses, and objectives. This activity helped me understand different research designs and why they are justified for some research questions and not others. It is teaching me the skill constructing well written methodologies.
A systems thinker should cultivate an appreciation for the inherent complexity and adaptive nature of the health system while applying knowledge, skills and attitudes to address complex challenges through simple and workable solutions. In this activity I was able to learn how to use the strengths and limitations of certain research designs to be able to choose which research design will best address challenges that research questions are addressing.
Scholar
An introduction shows the quality of work that has been done, it can either grab the audience attention or not. It is made up of the topic or question that will be argued for or against, contextualises the topic, and a thesis statement that express the main idea or position that will be taken in the essay. Scholars produce and communicate evidence to effect meaningful change. Because of the importance of a good introduction, it is imperative that they have well developed writing skills. This activity helped me to develop my introduction writing skills which allow me to be a better scholar.
Scholar
Systems Thinking
Responsive Decision Making
This activity teaches the following: A population is the entire group of individuals or objects that you want to study, which can be seen as a system (Mcleod, 2019). A sample is a subset of the population that you select for data collection and analysis, which can be seen as a sub-system (Mcleod, 2019). A sampling strategy is the method that you use to choose the sample from the population, which can affect the validity and generalizability of your findings (Mcleod, 2019). A systems thinker is able to see how each of these interact and explain the complex interaction. A scholar is able to articulate the information regarding the multi-faceted phenomena effectively. A responsive decision maker is able to consider the wide range of systems to which focal issues are connected. They understand the patterns of connectivity in a system, as far as possible, and prioritise the perspectives arising from these diverse systems, bearing in mind that small changes can have large consequences in a complex system.
Mcleod, S. (2019). Sampling Methods | Simply Psychology. [online] Simplypsychology.org. Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/sampling.html [Accessed 2 Nov. 2023].
Activity 6.20.2
Scholarship
Systems Thinking
This activity has taught me how to analyse data. It has brought to my attention how different qualitative and quantitative data is. Learning about the different types of data collection in qualitative and quantitative research designs coupled with this activity on data analysis has allowed me to develop my academic reading and writing skills, which feeds into my scholarship health systems science competence.
Systems thinking involves analysing data to answer questions in an effectual and fair way. This activity has helped me to understand the process of data analysis, allowing me to be able to come to reasonable conclusions with the information at hand.
Activity 7.23.2
Responsive Decision
Maker
Systems Thinking
As a responsive decision-maker, you consider the wide range of systems to which focal issues are connected. You understand the patterns of connectivity in a system, as far as possible, and prioritise the perspectives arising from these diverse systems, bearing in mind that small changes can have large consequences in a complex system. You understand that responsive decision making is a process and not a single event; therefore, you propose solutions and pay attention to feedback from diverse sources in order to elaborate on proposed solutions. Where action is needed, you choose to make small, safe-to-fail interventions and remain open to the need to adapt, as the system changes.
This activity develops my responsive decision-making skills through teaching me the skill of Conducting a Community Health & Social Diagnosis and Involving the community in Primary Health care and Community-Oriented Primary Care interventions. This activity required me to consider a wide range of systems to which the health outcomes of a community can be affected by as well as ensuring that the solutions are generated and continuously revised by involving the community. I was able to learn that "Where action is needed, you choose to make small, safe-to-fail interventions and remain open to the need to adapt, as the system changes."
It simultaneously developed my systems thinking skills of developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluation Primary Health care and Community-Oriented Primary Care interventions within the context of systems that exist in communities.
REFLECTING BACK ON HSS 1
How I have grown and how I will apply these in the future.
The first thing I've noticed is an increase in my self-assurance regarding my writing abilities. At the beginning of the semester, the thought of having to think about and write an academic paper seemed like a very difficult task. However, it became much simpler for me to put my ideas down on paper as I began to use the reading and writing skills I was being taught in class.
I now have a deeper understanding of health systems than I had previously. Even though you can't learn everything there is to know about health systems sciences in a few months, I think I've learned enough to be a better health professional and more willing to try the South African public health system. Additionally, it has made me realize that the South African system still has a chance. Many of the building blocks are connected to one another and would benefit from each other.
Throughout this course, we worked together on group projects, which helped me develop as a person. I'm not one to readily accept someone else's idea if I'm already convinced of my own conclusions. But through HSS, I learned to pay more attention to people's interpretations of how to complete a task and sometimes even learned new ways of thinking from them.
Last but not least, HSS has helped me to develop time-management skills, because this was the subject with which I frequently struggled. I made it a point to always complete my assignments, activities, and reflections within the allotted week.
Overall, HSS helped me become a more well-rounded person as a future health professional by teaching me how to manage my time, how to evaluate situations from a variety of perspectives, how to improve my academic writing, and how to accept the fact that building a good health system takes time.
How I have grown and how I will apply these in the future.
I really enjoyed medical humanities for health. We looked back at history not to blame our current health system on the past, avoiding responsibility and accountability, but to also learn from the stumbling blocks faced when attempting to discover solutions to the problems of the complex health system we have today.
HSS has resuscitated my creativity in such a way that bring forth a spring of knowledge. Through the Group Presentation Projects [1] [2] [3], Term papers [1] [2] [3] [4], Group Reports and Activities, I have been able to conduct research on interesting topics and present them in creative ways. Through this I have learned how to utilise apps like Canva, which is a lot of fun. (:
HSS 2 lectures embrace and encourage students’ natural curiosity, this is something that I have only found in HSS. I don't critique many complex issues without being knowledgeable of the correct background behind the issue. I have always recognised that health systems are not only unfavourable to patients but also healthcare workers. With the skills I have learned regarding research I have the tools to have/ create a well-informed opinion on the health system while balancing the nuances that exist.
Groupwork in HSS 2, has given me the opportunity to learn from fellow colleagues in my class. I have learned two skills from group work, they are communication and writing skills. I have learned to share ideas clearly and concisely for the recipient to understand. My vocabulary has improved and the manner in which I construct paragraphs has progressed to a standard that I am proud of. I still have a long way to go however, it is worth noticing my improvement in HSS 2.
Lastly HSS 2 has opened my mind to the possibility of creating my own path, career wise, which is both impactful and beneficial to communities in South Africa.
In conclusion, I am rediscovering my insatiable curiosity to know more, I've improved my writing skills and I have learned valuable skills regarding academic writing and research. As a future health professional or Biostatician/ Epidemiologist, or whatever career I choose to create for myself; these positive benefits of HSS make me hopeful for my future employment in the workplace. I look forward to bringing these skills into whichever career I choose.