My Story

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Tiffany McLeod

My Story

In the heart of a young woman who loves sharing a good laugh and smile with others rests compassion and respect two qualities that would later become the driving force to her destiny.  My name is Tiffany P. McLeod and like so many others life handed out its share of ups and downs in the ever evolving world that we know it.  What was a painful and harsh reality for me, being laid off of a job at the beginning stages of my independence became the stepping stone to my pathway of realizing my purpose in society.  While I had pledged to never return to college because of the difficulty in not only being able to afford it but the common sense factor that I sill needed employment to support myself in society.  I obtained my CNA license though a program that specialized in giving chances to people that were still hungry for success, this began the peeling process to the many layers of Tiffany stepping out of contentment. Initially I was somewhat unwilling to “get my hands dirty” but now I view this line of work as a very special position that allows you to work with people when they are at their most vulnerable moments was something that moved my heart.  Working with people everyday allowed me to feel a sense of pride knowing that I am able to demonstrate love and compassion while hearing stories that I would never have embarked upon in my daily life.  

The purposeful consideration of compassionate health is the root of my interest in obtaining my degree in Health Care Administration. Providing purposeful compassionate health to me means going beyond just “getting the job done” it’s having a determination to show compassion to that individual even if you can’t change the situation they are faced with. Being in a position where I would have a voice in addressing the many issues, ideas and practices that play a valuable part in how successful health care is demonstrated.  My job as a CNA has allowed me to relate my work habits towards academic goals by increasing my knowledge about health care disparities in several different areas.  I have developed priceless skills which I believe will allow me to be successful in my goal by contributing to health research that supports the people that need help with wide-ranged actions and solutions that will match with policies set forth.  I have seen first-hand a culture where many health problems exist due to many issues other than the physical body that include suppression of culture, lack of jobs, poverty and geographic segregation.  I now consider my position as a Certified Nursing Assistant to be a lucky one that will allow me to be a well rounded individual that will catapult to a position that will display the values I hold true to.  As a student at College Unbound I have been fortunate to meet special and influential mentors who have taken the time to invest in my vision of demonstrating compassion from the bedside and intertwining it to make a healthy working culture.

Self Evaluation

Tiffany P. McLeod
Fall Semester Self Evaluation & Reflection Narrative





This year at College Unbound has been quite different from last years experiences invoving new task and challenges that have highlighted both strengths and weaknesses in the type of learner I am presently and where i desire to be.  Being an intern at Rhode Island Hospital has by far been one of the best experiences I've encountered thus far.  I have had the pleasure of meeting some very influuential people who have shown deep interest in me as a continuing student and the woman I desire to be in society. From this internship  and being the face of what hard work determination look like, has allowed me to treat this experience as just such an experience and not just an internship, I was given the chance to be an employee at the Hospital. 


As a CNA II at Rhode Island Hospital, I have learned so much that has allowed me to be better at the service I provide my patients and in turn has given me a new outlook on the intricacies and what it takes to be an effective Administrator  and be able to communicate the laws that are set in place in a common lanuage to employees.  The project that I am working on this semester is a continuing project, as Medicare laws are changing in a direction that will take a drastic toll on healthcare as we know it.


This semester many things have been changed and improved in the College Unbound process and it has higlighted both areas that I am quite stong in as well as areas that need improvement.  In the beginning of the semester we had taken the

Big Ten Learning Goal Note Cards

Critical Thinking -  During this semester I must say that the art of critical thinking has not only been learned but applied in my schooling as well as personal life.  As I progress though this college experience, I am leaning to trust my ideas even when they don’t line up with the “normal order” of things because it will give space to new innovative ideas to form.

Reflection (Slide) - I have come to realize that not only is it important to reflect on your work and your college experience, but it is vitally important to allow time and space to do self-reflection.  Evaluating one’s self doesn’t have to be negative, but in turn can be quite therapeutic.  During this semester I had the opportunity to work on a play, something I had never done before.  Near the end of this journey I realized that what I had embarked upon brought light and self confidence to a lot of areas I hadn’t dealt with. 

  

Accountability and Problem Solving – This year I have had to be held accountable for quite a bit all at the same time.  I have learned that for the times where you just don’t feel like doing something, you must hold accountable for not only the thing you missed and catch up but challenging yourself to reach beyond because there is no greater feeling that being ahead of the game.  Mid way through the semester I came to the realization that I needed to come up with a new system to be not only held accountable but to allow myself to chart and plan ahead even though my blog shows I am working the calendar needs to show different.  So in turn Problem Solving has been more than what I’ve expected it to be.  It has been quite a useful tool and how I have conquered this problem was actually something I witnessed from one of my classmates.  And that was making a huge obnoxious calendar and placed it in a very visible place that I visit often in my house, the kitchen sink.  I made realistic goals for my days and felt exceptional when I would complete and surpass my own expectations.