Megan Narveson

HONRS 375

Dr. Emma Morin

November 24, 2022

Research Development Reflection

For my research reflection experience I completed the Professional Standards Critique

assignment that is available through the Honors Program. As a part of this assignment, I chose to

interview my mom, dad, and uncle regarding the professional standards and ethics in their jobs. I

chose these specific people because I am interested in pursuing a career in either health care or

coaching and wanted to get a feel for what the requirements are and what each of my family

members thought about their specific job choice. Prior to the interviews I wrote a list of

questions for each profession based off the criteria for this assignment. I also included a series of

questions that provided more background information regarding why they chose the profession

and whether or not they enjoy it. To maintain the consistency of the interviews I chose to ask the

same questions, in the same order.

I began by interviewing my mom who is an emergency room nurse. I asked her general

questions about her job, such as how long she has been working for the hospital system and why

she chose this career path. She said she has been working as a nurse for twenty-one years and

chose to work in the emergency room because it is rewarding to see people get better. She also

expressed the tight knit community between nurses, paramedics, technicians, and physicians and

how she loves this type of teamwork. I had never thought about all the different careers that

make up the emergency room staff. Although I am not interested in being a nurse, there are many

other opportunities and different positions available to work in a hospital setting. Then I got into
the deeper questions regarding the professional standards and ethics within the hospital system.

My mom described how the hospital has very high standards because of the intensity and

importance of tasks that they must manage. Furthermore, there are many policies and procedures

that they must follow to maintain a certain standard of care. I expected this type of answer

because of how fast paced and intense the emergency room is. There are several mottos that each

health care worker must remember including “head and heart together” which emphasizes their

belief that outstanding health care happens when knowledge of medicine and compassion merge.

Next, I interviewed my dad about his career as an occupational therapist. I asked him the

same questions that I asked my mom in her interview. He has worked as an occupational

therapist for about twenty years and decided on this career because he did not get into physical

therapy school. Hearing this made me feel relieved because there is so much pressure to pursue

the right career, but you might have to adjust your plans based on the circumstances. My dad

described the personal standards and ethics at his workplace as rigorous. He stated that every two

years he must complete twenty-four hours of continuing education to maintain his occupational

therapy license. There are also certain rules and regulations that must be followed such as HIPPA

and billing practices to follow certain occupational therapy and iSpine clinic guidelines. These

regulations will likely be implemented by my future workplace as well, regardless of whether I

end up deciding on a career in occupational or physical therapy.

Lastly, I spoke to my uncle about his job as a high school cross country and track coach.

He decided on this job because it was within his school district, as he is also an elementary

school physical education teacher. He thought that coaching within the same district would give

him better opportunities for recruiting and he has been working there for the past sixteen years.

The athletic director at his school holds the coaching staff to high standards when it comes to
their professional standards and ethics. The coaches are held accountable by having mandatory

meetings each month as well as book studies where they read about how to become better

coaches. The athletic director hosts pre and post season meetings to provide feedback for the

coaches and discuss the overall success of the season. My uncle described how he must connect

with other coaches and decide which meets to attend throughout the season. The logistical side of

coaching is something that I have never thought about before.

These series of interviews taught me what to expect when entering different types of

careers. Not only was I informed about the standards and ethics of the workplace but also the

decision-making process when choosing a career. I always imagine someone’s decision to join a

certain profession as being very clear, when in reality I have struggled with deciding what I want

to do. However, my dad’s experiences showed me that this is not always the case. He wanted to

be a physical therapist and tried twice to get into the program, but it just didn’t happen for him.

At some point he had to decide whether it was worth his time and efforts to pursue physical

therapy. Instead, he chose a new path: occupational therapy. This showed me that changes can

always be made, and it is important to make whatever decision best suits the situation.

I intend to use this information to better myself in my studies and considerations of each

job opportunity that is presented to me. I will put more time and effort into researching the ins

and outs of each career that I am interested in to try and figure out which is the best fit for me. It

is important to know the minor details that come along with each job, not just the overall

understanding of what they do. In my opinion, the ultimate goal is to enjoy the job I choose. I do

not want to look back and wish that I had chosen a different career, but instead be content with

the decisions I made, knowing that I can chose to change at any moment.