Leadership Development Plan Victoria Pringels Touro University Nevada

Background I began my undergraduate studies at Arizona State University as a nursing student. My mother is a nurse, and I envisioned myself holding a career in the healthcare field for as long as I can remember. After taking a human development course as a prerequisite to nursing school, the focus of my degree quickly shifted from nursing to family and human development. I was intrigued more by how and why people experienced life. The summer before my senior year at Arizona State University, I spent my summer volunteering with sea turtles and teaching English to children in a small village in Costa Rica. Previously I traveled throughout Northern and Eastern Europe, French Polynesia, South America, and the Caribbean, but this was my first big experience living with a family from another culture rather than my own family. With this desire to see and experience other unique cultures, I dreamed of completing my final semester abroad in Spain. This dream quickly changed after I completed an internship at the Clubhouse, an innovative pediatric therapy clinic. There I fell in love with occupational therapy and children I worked with. I chose to complete a second internship with an occupation therapist at different pediatric clinic where I whole-heartedly decided this was the career for me! I went on one more extensive trip to Brazil before I decided to put my traveling on hold and pursue higher education. This was the best decision of my life. I know that in my future as an occupational therapist I can continue to travel and provide services to people in other cultures who may not have the same resources as we are fortunate to have access to in the United States. I will see greatness in the small details of what makes each person unique. I will continue to be challenged and will find new innovative ways to solve lifes puzzles every day. I know I will be making a difference in the lives of the people and families I serve and that is what my life is all about.

Vision Statement As a world traveler and nature enthusiast I appreciate values and beliefs that most ordinarily ignore. I believe in using the wisdom and compassion I have acquired to inspire communities to invest interest in the processes that have shaped our world and continue to control the environment in which we live. I envision myself as a leader who demonstrates a passion for learning, respect for diversity, and a commitment to person-centered and evidencebased practice. I believe in being a self-starter; someone who will take the initiative to learn new skills and motivate others. I aspire to work in an environment that conceptualizes learning and teaching as a joint experience- one that promotes professional growth and rewards goal-driven, resourceful, and enthusiastic efforts. Strengths I am a restorative person who enjoys solving problems. I constantly seek improvement in the skills I have and I am always searching for new skills to masters. I am also a developer, who sees the potential in others. I believe it is important to help others capitalize on their natural talents in order to experience success. I find great satisfaction in witnessing others grow into their true potential. I am very empathetic and aware of the emotions of those around me. Traveling has opened my eyes to many different perspectives, and I try to give voice to people who are not always able to express their needs and wants. I take the time to imagine how different people might interpret questions or statements differently. I believe these top three strengths (restorative, developer, and empathy) are what drove me to become an occupational therapist. They are qualities every occupational therapist strives for and ones I am happy to embody.

Other strengths, such as being a relator and taking responsibility, are assets that make me a better leader and employee. As a relator I am strongest when I am with people who are close to me. I am a very loyal person who values the character and personality of others more than just their job title. Building genuine relationships takes time and I place a high value on trust. I will not betray the trust I have built with others. I am also an extremely responsible individual. I take ownership and follow through with all of my commitments. I am very dependable as colleagues and peers always know they can count on me to get the job done. Growth Needs Being the instinctually responsible and dependable person I am, I often find it difficult to say no. I take on tasks that could easily be delegated to someone else. By being more disciplined, I can avoid taking on too much and becoming overloaded with responsibilities. Also as a relatively serious person, I tend to approach life and change with a certain reserve. I plan ahead in order to anticipate what might go wrong, generally choosing the conservative path. However, traveling has forced me to be able to adapt to unaccustomed situations and accept uncertainty. Now I often see challenges as exciting rather than threatening. Also I sometimes struggle to remain confident in my abilities to get the job done when goals seem impossible or impractical. Focusing on one step at a time, and making each step a major success, makes extreme achievements approachable over time. Instead of worrying about the impossible or impractical, I am improving at focusing on one day at a time, and celebrating my successes along the way. Leadership Style I believe leaders emerge based on their strengths. My strength of responsibility has shaped me to become a leader that embodies what I wish to see in others. I lead by example,

inspiring others to adopt the standards and principles I deem important to get the job done. My behavior is what earns respect from others. People must believe they can hold me credible for behaving in the way I believe they should behave. As a model the way leader and developer, I also often find myself in the mentor roll. I demonstrate positive attitude and act as a role model seeking to exemplify the personal attributes it takes to be successful. I value ongoing learning in the field of occupational therapy and support growth within the people I work with. I am also always willing to share skills, knowledge, and expertise with others. It is important for me, as a leader, to consistently allow other leaders to emerge and inspire their colleagues and peer to advance to the next level. Goals One Year Within one year I will become a member of my state occupational therapy organization. I believe this is important insurance for the future success of my profession. I will attend meetings and network with other members during my first year as a practicing occupational therapist. Within one year I will also attend a NICU conference. My dream career goal is to work in the NICU, but I am well aware of the specialized experience necessary to work in this setting. Attending an annual NICU conference will allow me to gain specialized knowledge related to the complex needs of high-risk infants, their families, and the NICU environment. The success of this goal will be measured by a mentor who can confirm my newfound knowledge of neonatal medical conditions, developmental variability, and abnormality. My mentor, as well as the people I have the opportunity to network with at the conference, will serve as my resources for further growth and development in the NICU setting.

Three Year Within three years I will become a level II fieldwork educator sharing my knowledge and expertise to future occupational therapy practitioners. I will be a positive role model and resource for students. First, I will measure my readiness to become a fieldwork educator through tools like the Self-Assessment Tool for Fieldwork Educator Competency (SAFECOM). Then I will critically review the Student Evaluation of Fieldwork Experience to measure the success of my role as a fieldwork educator. After my first student has completed their fieldwork experience, I will strengthen areas that need further development and capitalize on the strengths indicated by the students review. Five Year Within five years, I will become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) advancing my knowledge to prepare for my career in the NICU setting. Within five years I will have built a solid relationship with a mentor and should be close to achieving my career goal as an occupational therapist in the NICU. By gaining a certification as a lactation consultant, I will prove that I am a leader who provides educational opportunities from teaching parents and families to educating other health professionals and colleagues. This goal will be measured by successful completion of 90 hours of lactation specific education, 1000 hours of lactation specific clinical practice, and passage of the required four hour certification exam. Ten Year Within ten years I will participate in a service project providing occupational therapy services to a country in need. A life goal of mine has been to travel the world by the time I am thirty. At 24 years of age I have traveled to over 20 countries, which does not even make a dent in my vision. Furthermore, only one of my adventures has been for a service organization. I

would love to take my traveling to a new level and provide skilled occupational therapy services as part of my future adventures. I dream of traveling to South Africa and would be thrilled to see how occupational therapists service their community needs. I am also very interested in exploring Asia and possibly introducing occupational therapy to communities that may not know what this profession has to offer. The possibilities are endless, but first I must join a service organization to peruse this goal. Then I need to do my research to find out what countries are in need and what kinds of services the organization provides to different countries. My goal can be measured by the successful completion of a service project in another country. Additionally, I will give back to the profession and provide evidence-based research to a well-established peer reviewed journal based on my service experience.