Here is the last page of my ePortfolio. Thank you for making this journey with me. I am very happy with the projects I have carried out, knowledge I have acquired and discoveries I have made about myself. Doubt is a feeling I often feel towards novelty. I mainly doubt myself and my ability to succeed. However, I was never afraid to try, do my best, and discover new things. Obviously, I doubted during my first INTAPT week last fall. However, today I realize all my achievements and I am very proud of myself!
For several years, I have a marked interest in teaching. I love sharing knowledge with students, patients and families. Above all, I love to learn! I knew that I had certain personal characteristics to become a good teacher one day. However, I did not have skills to recognize them and to know how to use them effectively. Thanks to INTAPT course, I developed knowledge and I discovered tools to improve myself as a teacher. In other words, I built my own teaching toolbox! In addition, throughout my projects, I explored various teaching situations and I met learners with different backgrounds. I literally got out of my comfort zone. Thus, I had the chance to apply my new knowledge and quietly discover my teaching style. Now I’m more flexible and I can adapt to a wide variety of teaching situations. It reminds me of the notion of improvisation and its importance in medical education. “Medical Improv is the adaptation of improvisational theater principles and training techniques to improve communication, cognition, and teamwork in the field of medicine.” (Watson and Fu, 2016). On the other hand, as a French Canadian, I was worried about teaching in another language. Despite challenges, I developed several skills and I am very happy with progress I have made in recent months. However, I notice that I benefit more from my new tools/skills when I teach in French. It’s more natural for me and I can take full advantage of these situations to explore different facets of teaching. I look forward to go back to my clinical setting and getting involved in medical school. I have lots of new ideas and I’m sure my colleagues will be as enthusiastic as me. Several projects are coming!
The other part of INTAPT was the creation of my ePortfolio. At first, I had a hard time figuring out how to build a website. I would have needed basic training to start my project. Fortunately, this winter I took a relevant optional course; Educational Technology CHL5617. Thanks to this course, I became much more comfortable using WordPress and creating an interesting product. Creating a website was one of my goals for 2019-2020 and I can say that I took up this challenge! I like the idea of presenting my educational projects on the same platform and being able to share this website with my employers and colleagues. Thus, my portfolio looks very professional and can be updated regularly. Since I wish to have a university career, this is a must. This tool improve performances, encourages life-long training and leads to reflections about skills and learning needs (Davis, 2010; E-portfolios for doctors, 2020). My ePortfolio is definitely a tool I will use in the years to come! In addition, personal reflections allowed me to recognize my strengths, weaknesses and interests as a teacher. I also identified solutions and found interesting resources to meet challenges I encountered throughout this journey.
Finally, the last assignment of INTAPT course was the writing of a Major Scholarly Paper. I chose to apply Malcolm Knowles’ adult learning theory to improve geriatric rotation for rotating residents in Quebec City. So I invite you to check out the Major Scholarly Paper page if you’re interested in learning more about this project!
Here is the final result of all the progress made since fall 2019. Through successes and challenges, I met beautiful people and I acquired a lot of knowledge. I also got to know myself better as a person, as a doctor and also as a teacher. This is the end of INTAPT course for me, but I’m sure it’s the beginning of another great adventure! I am ready!
Here are the new learning goals I’d like to work on:
1. In connection with my academic fonctions, I will incorporate a theoretical model into the development of a new curriculum in the coming year.
2. I will develop at least once a diagnosis preliminary educational diagnosis and
treatment plan for a challenging learning situation, in the first 3 months of my career.
References
Davis, N., Myers, L., & Myers, Z. (2010). Physician ePortfolio: The Missing Piece for Linking Performance With Improvement. AJMC, 16(12), 57-61.
E-portfolios for doctors. (2020). Retrieved 13 March 2020, from https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/career-planning/developing-your-health-career/developing-your-portfolio/e-portfolios-doctors.
Watson, K., & Fu, B. (2016). Medical Improv. Retrieved 13 March 2020, from https://www.medicalimprov.org/
ePortfolio 