CP3 Reflections

Reflection 1 – time management and keeping on top of my workload

Time management is weakness of mine when it comes to study. I find the workload of a
study schedule along with part time work difficult to manage at times. This is especially so
towards the end of semester where there are multiple due dates to be on top of along with
workplaces that are understaffed due to the current COVID conditions. In these situations, I
find that I can become overwhelmed and not follow any kind of study plan. From past
experiences I know I study and perform my best when following a study plan of sorts. I know
I do have the knowledge and skills in order to address this. Rather I would like to implement
new ways to set out a study plan, avoid procrastination as much as possible and avoid the
stress of completing assessments at the last minute.

I find that discussing assessment tasks with classmates can help with some ideas and
motivation to do the task. At the beginning of this year, I also started using a weekly
diary/planner. I noted all tasks to complete that week and any assessment due dates, along
with the times I had to be at work or uni. Around these times I would allocate what I was
going to do and when, ticking them off as I competed them. Alongside this, I increased my
use of a smartphone app, Forest. This app was designed to keep you focussed on your work
by planting a tree on the app. You allocate a time period for that tree to grow. Anytime
during that time period that you leave the app, the tree will die. With alive trees you earn
yourself coins where you can either buy more tree species or use the coins for the company
to plant a real tree on the earth (Seekrtech, 2022).

I have found since using this method I have stayed more on top of my workload and not
fallen behind as much. I found that most weeks I competed everything I set out to complete.
The visual aspect of being able to see exactly what tasks I had ticked off and what I had to
complete kept me motivated and on schedule. The forest app also keeps track of how many
hours you spend using it each week or month also adds an aspect of fun to long hours of
study. Since implementing it strictly in January, the hours I spent using the app were 23
hours and 5 minutes verses the 1 hour 30 minutes I used it in December.

Going forward I want to continue to implement these strategies and use them even more.
While ticking off tasks and time spent on the Forest app doesn’t directly correlate to time
management and staying on top of my workload, I have found it has helped me to do so. It
has made the past few weeks of uni and work less stressful and more manageable.
Therefore, with more use I would like to see even more improvement in these areas.
Improving my time management skills will also be helpful in the future when working on a
strict time schedule seeing patients.

Reference List
Seekrtech. (2022). Forest. Retrieved from Forest App: https://www.forestapp.cc
Reflection 2 – using Quizlet to better understand pharmacology
The subject of pharmacology studied over the fourth year has been difficult for me. The
overarching subject never interested me much and the underpinning knowledge of
biochemistry was always something I found very complex and difficult to understand. My
skills and knowledge in this area are lacking and should be improved to better understand
the basics of commonly prescribed medications used in Australia. To improve this, I used the
information provided in the lectures and tutorials. This information is mostly referenced
using textbooks or respected organisations and therefore considered trustworthy.

I do not need a team approach. I have all the information I need; however, I need to spend
more time learning it. I used the website Quizlet to put medications, terms and other
information out of the lecture material into flashcards. A 2018 study by Pollock found in
nursing students, the use of Quizlet alongside YouTube videos and Google sites improved
the students grades by 1.33 times. The Quizlet website tracks particular flashcards that you
get wrong and makes sure to focus on those cards until you are getting them right more
than once. Therefore, this method ensures a good understanding of the information.

I made a goal to complete the same quiz I made once per day for two weeks. In my first
attempt at the quiz, I had mastered 10 cards and had 32 cards still to learn. By the end of
the two weeks, I had mastered all 42 cards. At the end I also took a test that the Quizlet
website put together, changing the cards to true or false answers which I found more
challenging. I scored 40 out of 42 in this quiz. My results show significant improvement in
my pharmacology knowledge and I also felt much more confident answering the questions
by the end of the two weeks.

In found the use of the Quizlet website to be very effective to help me learn. I plan to use it
more for other topics and subjects to help me learn content. I think it will be particularly
helpful for Diagnostic imaging study where I can put x-ray images into the program and
learn that way.

Reference List
Pollock, R. L. (2018, January ). Introducing Google Sites and Quizlet Flashcards into an
Anatomy & Physiology Lab to Improve Grades: A Four Year Study. International
Journal or Latest Research in Engineering and Management, 7-13.