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September Reflection

Ashley M. Knepler
Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, University of San Diego
HCIN 548 HCI Seminar
Professor Dorothy O’Hagan
Sep. 17, 2020
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Entering any graduate program can be overwhelming and stressful; with the HCI Seminar course

provided by the University of San Diego, students have the opportunity to speak with professors

and students about the advancing field of health informatics. Our first seminar consisted of

meeting with other students and faculty and reviewing the course syllabus. We also had the

opportunity to hear from Dr. Mack as well as other students. We met the president and vice

president of the health informatics club at the University of San Diego. I found this point of the

seminar to be extremely helpful; due to COVID-19 and changes to the delivery of the program, I

was very nervous and stressed to begin school. By having second-year students who have

experienced the program a well as the impact of COVID-19, it reassured me that no matter what

obstacles I may encounter, I can overcome them because of the resources the school provides.

They emphasized to us the importance of not stressing and to utilize the various academic

resources we have to help us succeed in the program. Some of these they suggested included

Slack.com and the writing center SOLES. The seminar also included time for each of our

professors to talk about their role in the program. Professor O’Hagan is the leading professor for

the HCI seminar course, Professor Boone will aid us when choosing the topic of our Capstone

projects, and Professor Klimpel will help students pick their Practicum. By allowing time for

each professor to speak provided me the knowledge of which teachers I should address specific

questions. After the conclusion of the seminar, I reflected on the information my instructors and

peers provided me. I realized that there are many resources and opportunities that the program

offers and that I should begin to utilize them and also not to be afraid to reach out to other

students and professors for help. For the next two years, I will be working hard on earning my

Masters, and therefore, this is the time to ask questions and learn as much as I can about the field

of health informatics.
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