ukessays.

com

http://www.ukessays.com/essays/nursing/what-i-learned-from-the-project-mentor-nursing-essay.php

Research and Analysis Project.

Need help? 0115 966 7955 The free essay below has been submitted to us by a student. The essay is the student's work and is not an example of our expert essay writers' work. READ MORE Get an Instant Quote Through the preparation of the Research and Analysis Project, the main skills acquired were intellectual skills. At the beginning, I found it very difficult to make a choice of a topic. I tried to focus my mind towards an area of study by gathering some pieces of information until I was convinced that, that was the best topic. Once the decision about the topic was made, I realised that I did not know where and how to start and end the survey. This was where I made a choice of a mentor. From the very first meeting with my mentor, I maintained a diary and kept on updating our discussions regularly. The mentor defined principles and then I understood the requirements. I learned how to collect and analyse data. I was frustrated on numerous occasions as this was the first time I had conducted academic research. I have realised that brainstorming is important for independent learning and helped me to generate new ideas. This shows that I had taken the time to evaluate how effectively the brainstorming strategy had helped me to my objective for the RAP. Thereby, I learned how to self reflect. My mentor kept stressing the importance of developing the skills of critical analysis. Initially I found it very difficult to evaluate and analyse the information I was obtaining and also found it hard to make judgments and arriving at conclusions about the information collected. As a result of feedback from my mentor, the project had to be redrafted many times and this proved quite frustrating. My mentor was critical on many occasions as I had provided inadequate references and citations and quoted excessively. This is when I learned to paraphrase and acknowledge sources appropriately. I initially struggled with time management which was extremely important for the RAP and to establish a time frame in which I would deliver the RAP. I structured the dissertation based on the available time. However, I found it extremely difficult to adhere to the specified schedule as I was also studying for ACCA exams. I was often tired after classes and deferred working on my RAP. However, my mentor was very particular about me adhering to my meetings schedules. I encountered stress as I had to complete a lot of work in a short period of time and I felt that I was not in control of the time available. However, later on I began to realise that the time stressor actually motivated me and I got more work done. I also recognised the fact that effective time management reduced stress. In preparing my PowerPoint presentation, besides communication skills, I realised that communication is a two way process and I need to listen as well as speak. I have always more focused on what I am saying and I have found listening to others very hard. In meetings with the mentor, I noted that I was making hasty judgments about what the mentor was trying to say and was misinterpreting what was being said. I have learned not to make hasty judgments about what people are saying but have to continuously work at it.

Dialogue with the mentor has allowed me to reflect on my experiences when writing the RAP and this ability to self reflect has improved my level of self-awareness, and my learning and study methods.

2. How well I felt I answered the research question.

The depth of the answer to the research question has been limited by the fact that I was not in a position to conduct primary research through surveys and interviews with the management. Interviews with key management would have allowed me to have access to their opinion on the quality of corporate governance and the impact of the corporate governance practices and policies on the key stakeholders. As I had access to the corporate Intranet I could view employee forums where they discussed key issues about corporate governance matters. This provided me with only limited opinions from employees. If I had been able to collect the primary data, I would have been able to triangulate the primary and secondary data to obtain a more balanced perspective. The triangulation would have allowed me to validate my data further. The main source of data was the companys Annual Report. The information presented in financial statements is only a synopsis of the company's operations and performance and ratio analysis was used to analyse the information contained in financial statements. The research question would have been answered in greater depth if had access to non-financial indicators. Corporate governance practices are included in companys internal documents such as internal audit reports. I did not have access to such reports. I am of the opinion that to evaluate the impact of the corporate governance practices and policies on the key stakeholders, I would need a sample size of more than one company whereas my research has only included one company.

How I demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills during the project work.
The writing of this research and analysis project was by far the longest and most challenging piece of work I have undertaken on my own. I was able to this because of my writing skills that I acquired during my ACCA studies. I have demonstrated my written and verbal communication skills by presenting my research in a logical and coherent manner. As suggested by my mentor I organised my thoughts in a sequence and my written communication skills allowed me to structure the report. I used brainstorming to identify the topic I would write about and also found it useful in writing the RAP and communicating the information. My oral communication skills were demonstrated during my meetings with the mentor. The mentor had no problems in understanding me and this showed that I was able to communicate effectively. However, I acknowledge the fact that I have always had difficulty in expressing my feelings. The reflection process required for the skills and learning statement was conducted through writing of a diary. I found that writing down my feelings after each experience resulted in me being able to express my feelings more effectively. Thereby, I was able to demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills. My PowerPoint presentation skills were initially weak and I had to practice the presentation may times in front of my friends before I made the presentation to my mentor. I asked my friends to record the session on a video camcorder and at the end of each presentation, we sat down and analysed my performance while reviewing the captured image. I was able to watch myself and also listened to the comments of each person in the group about my ability to communicate and the body language, posture, gestures and as well facial expressions. All these had increased my confidence and capability to speak before the mentor. My mentors comments on the structure of the slides I had prepared made me realise that I needed to practice my presentation techniques further. One of the comments was about the lack of speakers notes which would have ensured an uninterrupted presentation and would have saved me the effort of trying to memorise points.

Interpersonal skills were demonstrated in the manner in which I related to my mentor and to others who I spoke to in relation to the RAP. My mentor was critical and I learned how to respect the mentors opinions and views and at the same time present my views in non-confrontational manner. I also realised the importance of being able to listen which is an essential interpersonal skill. However, I recognise that I can still improve my interpersonal skills by keeping my ego in control. As I am not always able to keep my ego in check, I loose out on the opportunity to learn from constructive criticism. This change of attitude will help me in my accountancy studies as well as in my employment roles.

How has undertaking the RAP helped me in my accountancy studies and my employment role
Undertaking the RAP made me realise that learning does not always involve sitting in a classroom. I have acquired many transferable skills, which prospective future employers will be looking for and through which I will be able to provide added value to the employers organisation. The skills and knowledge that I have developed throughout writing this dissertation have provided me the opportunity to autonomously produce such a work. A lot of the RAP was self-directed and I learned how to take the initiative and the responsibility for my work and timely submission. The non directive approach allowed me to to learn independently and this was essential to successfully understand the objective of the RAP. This also provided me with an opportunity to assess my learning needs. Through undertaking the RAP I was able to acquired the ability to combine and apply different aspects of my accountancy studies as the RAP required me to combine knowledge acquired from different subjects some of which were non financial. Additionally, the writing of the skills and learning statement taught me the skill of self reflective. Up to this point in my studies I never had to think about my learning experience. I found the RAP to be very meaningful because of the necessity to be reflective and maintain a diary. I had been a passive learner and never had the opportunity participate in the learning process. Reflection has made me self-aware and I have been able to identify areas of weaknesses in personal as well as professional spheres. I realised that some of my learning strategies were not effective for the RAP. For ACCA exams so far I have depended on memorisation and undertaking the RAP will help me in my accountancy studies and in my job because I have acquired the skill of critical thinking. I now question facts and will be more engaged with the learning material. Since there was a word limit I learned how to provide information concisely and only include the relevant points. At the beginning I did not have an idea as to what was expected in the skills and learning statement. My mentor

mentioned that I had to be reflective and still I did not completely understand the meaning or the purpose. Therefore I had to read books on the subject. By reflecting on my experiences I now realise that I am able to identify my strengths and weaknesses and also identify my personality. The process of reflection will help me in my accountancy studies and my employment role because I realised through writing the RAP that when I reflected on my work, I was also learning from my experiences and the quality of my work improved. What I have learned through undertaking the RAP will be helpful in improving my performance now and also in the future where prospective employers will find the quality of my skills valuable to them. This means I will have the opportunities to secure a good quality job with sound earning potential.

Personal Development Plan

At the moment, Im still studying for the ACCA which I will be attempting my last two optional papers by December 2009 examination sittings. There after I would like to embark on MBA programme in January 2010 and graduate in 2011. In this, I will be gaining more intellectual capabilities and improve skills in the areas of strategic management and good professional judgements and behaviours. This continuous personal development programme is aimed at preparing me for more challenges ahead, at the top managerial level. In all, I have estimated the completion of the course to be at the end of 2010, and then I will be going for job where I can put in practice all the acquired skills and to gain further practical experience in the real world business applications.

Share This Essay

Did you find this essay useful? Share this essay with your friends and you could win 20 worth of Amazon vouchers. One winner chosen at random each month.

Request Removal
If you are the original writer of this essay and no longer wish to have the essay published on the UK Essays website then please click on the link below to request removal: Request the removal of this essay.

More from UK Essays Need help with your essay?

We offer a bespoke essay writing service and can produce an essay to your exact requirements, written by one of our expert academic writing team. Simply click on the button below to order your essay, you will see an instant price based on your specific needs before the order is processed: Order an Essay - via our secure order system!