It has been quite an eventful one year which started on 11th September 2023, and it culminated this August 2024. This one year was quite an adventure for an international student like me, who left the comfort zone known all her life to embark on a journey filled with uncertainties, pressure and dreams to succeed no matter the prevailing circumstances. For a family centered person like me, I had to leave family behind, and it tested me emotionally.
My arrival in the UK
My first day in Coventry University.
Well, a lady has got to do what she has got to do! So, I resumed and went straight to get my BRP to enable me to get my stay legalized and documented. Next was to attend my classes and then some orientation sessions organized by the school for newbies like me. I quickly settled in and life as a student begun fully. The first class attended was Developing you as a healthcare leader, then Globalization, actual title is Global healthcare challenges, then Health Policy in Organizations. Global healthcare portfolio was also introduced in this semester. I had to stay focused and try to understand what was being taught so as to write my assessments within set guidelines. Also, I got to learn to be comfortable being heard as I had to partake in presentations. My review I got from my first presentation by the module leader Supinder, was so motivating, I was told I was the best in the room. For a frightened me, that was exhilarating. Well, the timeline for each coursework was set, and we all had to submit our assessments by 6.00pm on any fixed date, why 6.00pm? no ideas! But did I meet these deadlines? yes, I always did! And then every assessment did emphasis on critical analysis. And then results were released for all the assessments in the first semester, did I do well? yes! But did I meet all the targets scores I had set for myself? Well, not really. I had aimed for A’s in all my courses but I did get a mix of both A’s and B’s. Overall, the first semester was a success. Skills i developed in this semester included presentation skills, leadership skills, time management, research skills and critical analysis/writing.
Then came second semester. By this time, family was here, so I eased off into my comfort zone and got a bit distracted trying to balance school life, work and family. Whew, I will dare say, the pressure was a lot! But the school should not be affected by this, and your health and wellbeing must also be prioritized. And did i mention? it was the peak of winter! Well, life and all the planned activities must go on, and these included school sessions and assessments.
Beginning of second semester.
The courses for this semester were more applied and practical than the first semester as we got introduced to lots of methodologies and management tools. These courses included Strategic planning in health organizations, leading in complex systems and Using evidence and evaluation in healthcare systems. I found Strategic planning quite fascinating as I was able to use tools for a project implementation. I had just done a course in project management and was so interested in applying these tools. also, as a radiographer who worked in a multinational, I had participated in project implementation but had limited knowledge on what was involved asides me contributing on the needs of my department for that particular project. So, this module gave me all the eye-opening I was looking for. I wish more courses could be this applied! Leading in complex system was also quite engaging with system mapping that we got introduced to. However, I didn’t quite catch on what evaluation and evidence was all about and really quite understood it better in the 3rd semester. I still did alright though in all of the courses and maintained good grades. In this semester, skills developed included strategic planning, leadership skills as I was team lead for my group, presentations skills, analytical styles as we tried to solve healthcare management problems, and time management as we had to always meet up with deadlines.
Now, 3rd semester came with its own rhythm and pattern. I thought 1st and 2nd semester was intense, 3rd semester was on a different level, it was dissertation semester, and I panicked so much with all the expectations it came with. thankfully, my supervisor was always willing and available to guide and answer questions. This made it an easier journey, though still with a lot of pressure and fears. Chartered Management institute also ran a module this semester, it seemed easy till it was time to write the assessment. I did write, still awaiting results but hopefully, I shall succeed. Additionally, we had to submit our portfolio, a summary of our experience here in the university, skills we had developed and continous professional development we had undertaken. Core skills I developed in this semester was research skills, time management, presentation skills as we had vivas, critical analysis and ability to work under pressure.
