Self Advocacy in the Workplace

I feel like self advocacy is one of the most imporant skills that you can have in the workplace. It ensures that everything goes smooth for you and your voice gets heard. If you don't advocate for yourself, it'll be very easyfor you to blend into the background, and that's not what what you want to do. You want to stand out and be someone that everybody will remember in a positive light.

The project that my mantor assigned me was to organized this year's hand hygiene day. She gave me a general overview of what her vision was and I started working off of that. But as I continued to work on this project, I noticed that I started to get lost as to how I should move forward. So when it got to the point where I hit a wall, I talked with my mentor to gain guidance as to my next steps. This was benefitial for me because it helped me to move forward.

Some other important skills to have is to be curious, attentive, and present. I have also demonstrated these skills. Whenever I followed Sherilyn, my mentor, or Jose as they did their rounds around the hospital, I would always ask questions about anything that arised. One day I even got to follow a phlebotomist as he did his blood draws around the hospitals, I came with plenty of questions about what kind of education they did, how long he's been working at Paradise Valley Hospital, and what their average day looks like. My mentor would also give me a lot of information as we walked around the hospital. She would tell me about how the ICU operates, how dialysis works, different methods to prevent HAIs, and the different organizations that she has to report to.

Even when I was working with the director of the Labortories, Aldie Garcia, I was able to retain a lot of information. He talked about all of the different machines in the lab, the process they follow, and he even let me look at some slides of blood cells and told me about the different kinds. I made sure that in everything that I did, I brought my curiosity, my attentiveness, and I always payed attention.

By doing these things, I have definately left a good impression uon everybody I have interacted with. It shows that I have an interest in what I'm doing and that I am willing to learn and participate in office duties. There is definately a benefit to having good habits in the workplace.