Finals Week

So finals week is upon us (actually started yesterday, Monday the 12th) but nonetheless it is still stressful for all, including professors who have to grade all of them after we're done handing them in! Luckily this week becomes a little less stressful with some FREE lunch from the College of Public Health Student Association (CPHSA) from a local restaurant called Oasis, which is a Falafel joint....what is Falafel you say? Well, I didn't know either, but everyone states it when you say the name Oasis, so I looked it up and stole right from their website:

This classic Mediterranean staple begins with chickpeas that are soaked overnight, then ground with garlic, onion and spices, formed into patties and flash fried. At Oasis, we use trans fat-free soybean oil that is GMO-free and low in saturated fat.

Go figure, I'm learning even with a free meal ;)

Happy finals!

Ryan

Stand Together: 2.0

I am not sure why the sign reads backwards, but I wanted to get it up as soon as possible and couldn't stand one more moment that I didn't support such a wonderful cause and public health mission :)

Ryan

Stand Together!

So I had gotten home from a long day of working on assignments and going to meetings Friday and turned the TV on for some background noise, when Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came on and it was about how a 11-year old boy committed suicide because of bullying and how the family had been struggling ever since. It absolutely broke my heart and I definitely had some teary eyed moments watching the two-hour special episode that had a strong public health message of ending bullying across America!

The mother of the 11-year old boy created a foundation to STAND TOGETHER to end bullying, and I went online to join the cause and I hope you do too! The information is found at this website to join and I hope you help take a stand against bullying to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future:

Stand Together

Ryan

PS - Also here is a very powerful performance by Demi Levato, "Skyscraper," that was featured on the episode:

Meetings!...AIDS

Hello all,

So to go along with the new year and an executive seminar I attended today with my department, MEETINGS seem so basic, but if you really think about it they can fail miserably and I think we've all been to a meeting before where it didn't go well or we thought it could have gone better.

Mr. Staley, Sr. Associate Director UIHC presented on the topic and gave his advice as well as took advice from those attending. There were definitely come comical moments along with some serious discussion on how to effectively have a meeting or simply decide when not to have one. For example, if there needs to be a vote or dissemination of information, most likely than not, this can be done electronically, either through email or another form of electronic communication.

Either way, I learn a few new things and took-away a lot of great information and connected again with Mr. Staley, who I was introduced to while working on the Public Health Emergency Management plans for the University of Iowa with State Hygienic Laboratory director, Chris Atchison.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Ryan

PS - World AIDS day!

I was unable to attend a lot of the events going on yesterday for World AIDS day, but wanted to state my stance that this is an increasing issue within the United States, even though I feel like a lot of the attention tends to be international:

AIDS in America

I would bring your attention to the number of new cases and would encourage you to look at this movie that I watched in my Media and Health class:

“Out of control: AIDS in Black America” A documentary that aired on ABC’s Primetime show on Aug. 24, 2006. To date, the only TV hour devoted to the topic.

"Out of control: AIDS in Black America"

Time Management

In the middle of my third year here at Iowa, this has been the semester that has stretched my time management skills the most. Everything from coursework, work, interviewing and a social life have all come to an extreme this semester...so how am I still sane at the end of the day: Calendar, Priority Setting and Communication!

Calendar:

If you don't already use an online calendar (i.e. Microsoft Outlook, Gmail, iCal) then start! It has been my savior and lifeblood to keeping me sane and on task when it comes to projects, coursework and deadlines. I obviously have my course schedule and meetings scheduled, but I also put my due dates and "pre dates" to the due dates so if hiccups come up on a paper, project or teamwork I can address them early on, instead of at 3AM the morning before the project is due. Also, I use my calendar to communicate with others my schedule and to schedule personal time with friends and family.

Priority Setting:

Looking at your deadlines, groups your in and projects your working on are very important, especially when it comes to priority. You have to decided yourself which may be more important based on timeline, severity and social responsibility. Either way, a calendar can help you out with this along with the next topic, communication!

Communication:

This is key to figuring out the answers to the two previous ways of time management. Talk with those on your team or those involving the projects you are working on to get more information about priority of the project or timeline of it.

Overall, this has been on my mind and wanted to push it through in terms of my blog, cause as a grad student things only fly by just that much faster and time management get stretched just a little bit more than undergrad.

Ryan

Reflection

It is my 3rd and final year at the University of Iowa for grad school, which is a bittersweet moment because I am looking ahead to the next chapter in my life and progression of my career while also ending and soaking up what I can here at Iowa.

I am applying for Health Administrative Fellowships currently and have already gone through many phone interviews and recently completed an on-site interview. Through this process you really start to reflect on how much you have accomplished and how much you still have to learn and grow as the years move forward. It is hard to believe, just recently turning 24, that life is really just getting started, at least it seems that way. I have now been in school for almost a quarter century of my life and now I am applying for positions across the country to begin a career in healthcare. I'm nervous about the future but at the same time excited to put my training into practical use in my career as a health administrator.

I feel like the past years have flown by, and seriously they fly by faster and faster each year. I encourage those reading to take advantage of every opportunity you have and to take risks early and even later, but learning mistakes in school I've been told by mentors is easier than trying to learn them in the 'real world'.

I wish you all the best of luck during mid-terms and will keep you posted on my career search as the weeks fly by :)

Ryan

October and Fall Weather Activities!

Starting Fall is very important to me for many reasons, including the fall of the leaves and changing of the colors, festive drinks and eats and my Birthday! I have been consumed with coursework and applying for health administrative fellowships that a visit from my parents this past weekend was a much needed break. Sooo, what did we do this weekend you ask....let me tell you!

Friday: Wedge Pizza

My parents came in late and I was exhausted from the week so we stayed enjoying some of my favorite pizza in town, the Wedge! The speciality pizza, "The Nutcracker" is what I was craving, which includes their original pesto-basil sauce with pistachios, red pepper and mozzarella!

Saturday: Shopping, Apple Orchard, Movies and Orchard Green

Saturday was up bright and early at 8:30AM to meet the rents at the Holiday Inn Express to indulge on some breakfast to get some energy in for a full mornings worth of shopping at the outlet mall 20 minutes west of Iowa City in Williamsburg, which also has a fabulous winery, but that is for another blog entry. After shopping our wallets out, which I ended up with a book, while my parents had at least 5 bags worth of shoes and clothes...we headed over to the Wilson's Apple Orchard to meet with my friends and professional group the Iowa Student Association of Healthcare Leaders (ISAHL), which is part of my department of Health Management and Policy. We roamed the fields of apple trees and filled ourselves up on apple turnovers, apple-cider slushies and donuts!

After walking around all morning and afternoon, we decided to go see "Moneyball" at the theaters, which was amazing...coming from someone who is not a huge sports person to begin with, but definitely recommend going to see it! After the movie we headed to my family's favorite spot for dinner, Orchard Green! They buy local, even from the Apple Orchard we were at and have a seasonal menu that is simply to die for, well maybe when I am in the last stages of life, but you know what I mean ;)

Sunday: 5K for Dance Marathon!

I signed my whole family up for the 5K for Dance Marathon, which is an organization that raises money for the University of Iowa's Children's Hospital! A lot of my friends within the department and ISAHL were participating and it was the perfect end to a weekend of amazing weather and to celebrate my birthday!

I hope this gave you a little insight of how much there is to do in Iowa City and participate in, at least on a nice fall weekend when there is no Football occurring and the variety of choices there is for families and friends!

Wishing you a happy start to Fall and October!

Ryan