Core Skills
The materials presented here are from my general education classes. These classes introduced me to the "core skills" of written communication, oral communication, collarboration and group work, technology, analysis and interpretation, and problem solving. All students are expected to be proficient at these six skills, regardless of program.
These skills will help me in my career as a massage therapist. I need effective writing and speaking skills to be able to speak to my clients and explain plans clearly. Group and collaborative work are also essential - I must possess the skills to work successfully with business teams and to help make decisions with my clients about their massage therapy plans.
These core skills are essential to a successful business. Everyone needs to have excellent writing, speaking, teamwork, technology, analytical, and problem solving skills. With any one of these skillsets missing, a business would suffer. It all works together like a well-oiled machine.
If I had to choose my strongest areas, writing and technology would be at the top of the list. Public speaking and analysis are subjects I struggle a little more with, but I think the examples provided show that I'm starting to improve in those areas as well.
Written Communication
Objective: The learner will organize and express ideas clearly through written communication in a manner appropriate for the intended audience
For written communication skills, I set two SMART goals. The first goal was to focus on improving my research skills and the second goal was to refresh my knowledge of APA formatting skills. All of my MTH classes required research for homework each week, as well as writing weekly journals, and a research paper in APA format. I have attached a copy of my research paper from MTH-120 on Prenatal Massage from Spring Semester 2016, which was required to be 5-7 pages long in APA format.
I am happy to say that I made an “A” on my research paper due to proper formatting, appropriate research, and correct citing. As someone that has not completed a research paper in almost ten years, it was quite the accomplishment. It did take multiple drafts and rewrites for me to get the paper just as I wanted it. I based my research on journals and articles I found by utilizing NCLIVE. I read the information and decided which information would be used in the paper prior to writing it. This helped me organize and format my paper properly.
As a therapeutic massage student, I have already started to develop ideas and views about prenatal massage. It was difficult to keep my personal opinions out of the research paper. After a few drafts, I did complete my research paper opinion free. I initially had too much information on the paper. I had to narrow down what was the most pertinent information for the paper. I also had to present the paper as well, so narrowing the data down was key. I needed to include information that was easy to understand for massage therapists and for someone that had no prior knowledge to prenatal massage. By completing this paper, I met both of my smart goals.
Oral Communication
Objective: The learner will organize and express ideas clearly through oral communication in a manner appropriate for the intended audience.
Public speaking has never been one of my strong suits. I am pretty shy and reserved for the most part – speaking up in class is difficult for me to a degree. I set two smart goals for this, the first being improve upon my public speaking skills by making more direct eye contact with my audience, and second being to effectively present my ideas on assigned subject matters. In the video attached from MTH-120 on Prenatal Massage in the Spring Semester of 2016, you will see that I do make more eye contact with my peers, and although there are a few “um's” and stumbles, I do deliver my presentation on prenatal massage efficiently and effectively.
My first goal includes being able improve upon my public speaking skills by making more direct eye contact with my audience. Not only is this going to help me if I am trying to pitch a business idea in the future, but it is also going to help me establish more of a connecting with my future clients. In the past, I would read directly off of my PowerPoint, avoid looking at anyone in the class, and immediately rush back to my seat once the “terror” was over. In the presentation attached, you can see that I do reference my PowerPoint and address my classmates with direct eye contact, meeting my first goal.
My second goal includes being able to deliver my ideas effectively to my audience. I practiced this the night before with my audience of one (me) to try to build my confidence. As stated above, in the past I would just read directly from my PowerPoint and not once make eye contact with my audience. Although I do have a few “um's” and stumbles here and there, I did meet my goal. The fact that I could even get the words out of my mouth was a huge feat. This helped me realize that if I keep practicing, over time I will be able to breeze through a presentation and get my point directly across to my peers.
Collaboration and Team Work
Objective: The learner will apply the basic principles of individual or group behavior to current and future challenges of working and collaborating with others with respect to diversity and global issues.
I have always dreaded group work – the main reason being that I have always been the person that ended up doing all of the group work. To help prevent this and to work more efficiently, I came up with two SMART goals. The first being to collaborate with my teammates versus doing the project on my own. I also wanted to be able to communicate effectively with my team mates; communicating with your team mates is a key to success in school, business, sports, etc. The therapeutic massage program hosts a “production” every year titled “MUSCLEMANIA”, which has the entire MTH 110 class collaborate together to create one giant group project. Although I cannot attach a production in regards to muscles, I have attached a copy of a PowerPoint presentation from from MTH-110 from the fall semester of 2015, which was prepared by myself and a small group to help teach the class about muscles.
As stated above, I wanted to work on being able to actually collaborate with my group instead of coming up with everything on my own and completing the work for the group. After being the person that usually takes on the entire work load by themselves, it does become natural to continue that process. Once we were assigned our groups for the teaching project, I actually voiced that I would like it to be a collaborative effort and not just on one person to complete the project. Oddly enough, all of my group mates were like me – they have always been the person to complete the task at hand while everyone else gets credit and were all very excited to hear that collaboration was the goal. We bounced ideas off of each other and came up with games, crossword puzzles, worksheets, and a PowerPoint presentation.
The reason our group project was such a success was due to our communication with each other. Typically everyone is so busy that communication within the group becomes a hassle. In this particular group, we had one person that worked full time along with being in school full time, another that worked third shift in a psychiatric hospital, another that was a part time worker, and the final person being unemployed. Even through all of those limited time issues we utilized our time wisely, emailed, texted, and called and finished our project with a high “A” for the average due to our collaborative efforts.
Technology
Objective: The learner will choose and utilize appropriate technologies to access, organize and analyze and communicate information
Technology has been implemented so much more into the educational setting since my first trip through SPCC. For this reason, I set two SMART goals. The first smart goal is to use technology to input confidential information into a record keeping system known as Soap Vault. My second goal was to brush up on my PowerPoint skills – as they say, if you don't use it, you lose it. Again, I haven't been in a typical computer class in almost ten years and although I do have the skills to utilize PowerPoint I knew that I was not proficient in the program. I have attached a copy of a brief PowerPoint from MTH 120 from the Spring Semester 2016 on Prenatal Massage based on my research paper.
As a student in therapeutic massage we are taught that confidentiality of our client's information is of the utmost importance. Their records are treated just as a medical record would be treated in a doctor's office. We are seeing most of our client's in one of their most vulnerable states – nude. They need to be confident in us that what we see or feel will be strictly between us. Thankfully, we utilize a website called “SOAP Vault”. In SOAP Vault is where we input our client's complaints, the issues we may find during the massage, how we treated their issues with massage, and any plans that we have for the client in the future. If this information is not input correctly, the next time we go back to review we will be lost. It is VERY important to have detailed SOAP notes in SOAP Vault.
On the other end of the spectrum I needed to brush up on my PowerPoint skills. I honestly can't remember the last time I made a PowerPoint presentation by myself prior to MTH 120. It is always great to be able to go back in and teach yourself old (and sometimes new) tricks for PowerPoint. It is a little pitiful, but it did take me about ten minutes to remember how to add a new slide! After being able to figure that step out, I was on a roll. It was nice to be able to keep this skill up-to-date, because I will need to use this in the future for any business pitches. I did a small presentation on Prenatal Massage based on a research paper I completed on the subject matter. It reiterated all of my major points and made it more interesting for me to review, as well as present to the class.
Analysis
Objective: The learner will apply the basic principles of interpretation and analysis to synthesize information.
In therapeutic massage we are constantly analyzing problems. We have to analyze clients, muscles, issues within the muscles, joints, range of motion, and many other challenges that come our way. I decided on two SMART goals that were directly related to massage therapy, the first being to correctly analyze client issues to input accurate information into SOAP notes. The second goal being the correctly analyze client issues to be able to apply the most effective massage techniques. I have attached a SOAP note from from MTH 121 from the Spring Semester of 2016 to display what exactly we are analyzing during our sessions.
When a client comes in for a session during MTH 120 or MTH 121, we let them walk in front of us to their massage area. At that point, we are analyzing their gait, their posture, if there seems to be an injury causing a limp, if there's a rotation in their hips, etc. That is all before we even get to the table! Once we are in the session area, I will interview the client to see what issues they are having, if they are having any at all. The most common issues are back pain, shoulder pain, and neck pain. At this point, I have already seen that they have an issue from walking into the session area, so it will help me realize what is connected and what is causing the issue. Then once the massage starts I am feeling for any issues, such as a knot in the muscle. This all helps me analyze what is going on with the client and helps me make a plan for the future.
As stated above, I have to analyze what is going on with the client as soon as they walk in the door. After they are on the table and I am feeling and seeing any issues, I will be analyzing what exactly I think is wrong with the client, such as a hip rotation. That will help me decide what type of massage techniques I will be applying to the client. If I am not applying the correct methods of massage, it is not going to help relieve the client of any pain or discomfort being caused by their muscles. Over the past two semesters, my knowledge has greatly improved and gives me the confidence to go out and start massaging clients in a real practice. It also motivates me to learn more in the future and take in depth continuing education courses.
Problem Solving
Objective: The learner will apply the basic principles of mathematics and/or scientific inquiry to identify, interpret, evaluate and solve problems
After analyzing our client's issues, I have to use problem solving skills to decide what would be the best methods to use for the massage and to plan for their next session. My two smart goals are to focus on determining client issues based on their descriptions of their pain or stress and to apply the correct massage techniques to alleviate client complaints. Solving these issues are beneficial for a therapeutic relationship. Again, I have attached a SOAP note from MTH 121 of Spring Semester 2016 to display these skills.
Determining client issues is not a diagnosis. I have to decipher where their pain is truly coming from, for example, they could suffer from headaches. As a massage therapist, I will have to figure out which muscles are causing the headaches based on their referral patterns and isolate those muscles during the massage. Sometimes pain from trigger points can mimic other issues, such as sciatic pain. Once I address the trigger point, that pain should go away, thus solving their problem.
To address their issues I must first isolate the problem, as stated above. Once the issues are understood, I can apply the correct techniques to alleviate the pain. I can also plan stretches to suggest to the client to perform at home to help them help themselves. For example, the SOAP note that is attached shows that the client suffers from plantar faciitis and I suggested that the client flex and extend her foot to help relieve those muscles. My confidence in these skills have grown over the course of the semester in MTH 120 and have inspired me to continue learning about more clinical aspects of massage.
Intercultural Competence
Objective: The learner will develop awareness, knowledge, and behaviors necessary for intercultural competence to positively influence personal identity and personal choices, to enhance communication in cross cultural contexts, and to enrich understanding of how culture influences interactions with individuals, groups, and organizations
I set two goals for myself in regards to intercultural competence. The first being to enhance communication between myself and those of other cultural backgrounds. The second goal is to effectively communicate with clients of a different cultural background the benefits of therapeutic massage. These goals were reached during the clinical hours of my MTH classes in both the Fall and Spring Semesters of 2015 and 2016.
The first goal was met through my clinical hours by communicating with a variety of people with varying cultural backgrounds. This will assist me in the future with networking, sales, and developing therapeutic relationships. The second goals was met through my clinical hours as well. Each client that comes in for a massage has a different reason as to why they are coming in – some for pain relief, some just to relax, and others to work out major imbalances within the muscular system. I have attached a copy of a brochure that I completed for MTH 120 in the Spring Semester of 2016 on Eczema. This is a common issue among many people and by understanding how to explain the benefits of massage to them, I am transcending many cultural borders.