Running head: SELF-ASSESSMENT OF REASONING

Self-Assessment of Reasoning Tori Gwilt Ferris State University

SELF-ASSESSMENT OF REASONING Self-Assessment of Reasoning

The purpose of this paper is to review and reflect upon the content and information that I have garnered throughout this Population Based Health Promotion course. Another aim is to continue to develop and improve my critical thinking skills. I believe this ambition will positively contribute to my current nursing practice, enhance patient safety, and work to increase and strengthen my problem solving skills. Significant Content Throughout this class, there have been many weeks in which I have found the discussion topics to contain helpful and substantial material. The first weeks topic of defining and describing health provided a clear and concise idea as to what the term actually refers. Week sevens topic (developing a health promotion- prevention plan) provided the time to research, configure, and tailor a strategy in order to better control my personal health. Weeks ten (rest and sleep), eleven (stress), and fourteen (physical activity and exercise) happened to be the focus of my personal health assessment and promotion paper. Although I believe I already had a great deal of knowledge on these subjects, the reiteration of the information allowed me to gain new insight. Thoughts and Feelings Chapter one in the text by Pender, Murdaugh, and Parsons (2011), entitled Toward a Definition of Health initiated the semester by allowing each student to express how he viewed health. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this seemingly simple topic could house so much discussion and exchange of thoughts and ideas. I was amazed that the term health could garner so much depth and provide a great starting point for the class.

SELF-ASSESSMENT OF REASONING Week sevens topic was focused on Developing a Health Promotion-Prevention Plan (Pender, Murdaugh, & Parsons, 2011). This was an especially intellectually stimulating week. The health assessment and promotion paper challenged me to scrutinize my personal beliefs regarding health and develop a tactic to advance my wellbeing.

The topics prevalent throughout weeks ten, eleven, and fourteen discussed rest and sleep, Stress Management and Health Promotion, and Physical Activity and Health Promotion (Pender, Murdaugh, & Parsons, 2011). These subjects formed the theme for my personal health assessment and promotion paper. These topics particularly struck a chord within me; I felt as though I had a personal connection to each topic. Within the last six months, I struggled with a chronic lack of sleep due to my former work schedule. In addition, excessive stress is an issue that I have been dealing with since adding college back into my daily schedule. Although I have always exercised in some way, shape, or form, the added responsibility of schooling on top of my other daily duties had definitely put a damper on my work-out routine. Point of View or Assumptions In reference to week ones topic of defining health, I believed that I already knew to what the term health referred. I originally thought it was a redundant choice of topic. Prior to reading the text or participating in the discussion, I believed that it was preposterous to ask a class of health professionals to describe and discuss the meaning of health. As for week seven, I was intrigued by the topic of developing my own health promotion and prevention plan. I knew that it was a potential chance for me to really delve into my psyche and discover what aspects of my personal health that I needed improve upon. I believed that this topic of personal health promotion (along with writing the paper) had the potential to change my life for the positive.

SELF-ASSESSMENT OF REASONING

The themes of rest and sleep, stress, and physical activity and exercise are all topics that I believe greatly pertain to my life. The subjects were all of interest to me, though I felt as if I would not necessarily learn anything new. But I knew that it would be of great benefit to me to participate in the discussion board questions and converse about the topics in depth with classmates. Analysis of Thinking I believe the content throughout this class that I have found the most significant and meaningful is that which pertains to my life. The realization of this fact leads me to reason that if I am able to use certain information in my daily life, I will have the desire to learn, understand, and retain the knowledge. For example, the topics discussed throughout this class have aided me in making great strides towards improving my health. It has helped me to define my personal health, which in turn aids me in supporting others in their quest for health. In addition, it has also shown me the tools necessary to encourage and educate patients on how to achieve health. In relation to the thoughts and feelings section, I believe that I had an overall positive view on the topics. In the first chapter, I was not expecting to gain the vast amount of information that I attained from the definition of health. I believe that this comprehension expanded my original expectations for the class. I realized that even on seemingly simple topics there can be an abundance of information to learn as long as I have an open mind and am willing to acquire the knowledge. Developing a health promotion-prevention plan was slightly difficult, as I was required to take a mental step backwards to discover why I believe what I did about health. It also required me to be completely honest about my thoughts and feelings in regards to the topic of stress. In relation to rest, sleep, stress, physical activity, and exercise, the health promotion and prevention paper helped me to recognize the need for an improvement in each

SELF-ASSESSMENT OF REASONING area. The paper expanded my original view on the subjects and strengthened my resolve to continue down the path of health promotion. My overall point of view and assumptions about the themes in this class range from a critic to that of an eager learner. I was extremely critical at the beginning of the class due to the

subject content of the first week. I believe my criticism stems from my arrogant thought process which believed that I already know the information, so why do I need to repeat the same material. After becoming cognizant of the fact that I am able to learn new information from old topics, I developed a respect for this class and willingness to attempt to learn, regardless of the topic. The topics of stress, rest, sleep, physical activity, and exercise are topics of which I have a great foundational knowledge. I believe that my newfound eager to learn attitude has allowed me to gain new insight and will also be advantageous to my future learning. According to the provided grading scale, I believe this paper should be graded as a B. I believe my current thinking is both logical and well-reasoned; however, I know that there are times when my thought process lapses and my writing and thinking is not clear. Through this course, I have expanded my knowledge base concerning health promotion. The discussion board questions and responses challenged me to examine my current thought process and critical thinking skill level. This has revealed weak areas and allowed me to begin working to improve the skills. I believe this class has helped me to grow (not only as a nurse, but also as a person) and learn more about my thought process. In addition, this self-assessment of reasoning paper has revealed an immense amount of insight as to how I think and process information. I believe that I have developed a deeper understand of how to become a better thinker, which will translate into my personal life as well as improving my job performance as a nurse.

SELF-ASSESSMENT OF REASONING Reference Pender, N.J., Murdaugh, C.L., & Parsons, M.A. (2011). Health promotion in nursing practice (6th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson