Health Management and Policy Orientation 2016
By: Joy Woods
Magical rings. Giant’s toes. Enchanted woods. Radioactive spider webs. All these things sound like an elaborate science fiction novel or the latest Marvel movie; however, this was our day with the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center staff at the “High Ropes Course.” Even though our group did not participate in the high ropes activities, we did quite a few other team building exercises. These activities required us to blindly trust each other—literally and figuratively.
What made this day so great was the fact that I had to allow myself to trust a person (or persons in this case) I just met less than forty-eight hours prior. We had to figure out a way to solve a problem— crossing a wire suspended above the ground without falling off or fitting 20 plus adults through a “spider web” without touching any of the web. A group of adults, all varying not only in age but in thought process, were thrown together to solve an immediate issue. Doesn’t that sound familiar? Something like the world we are going to be entering into after graduation, or even while we are still in the program.
Out of all the events that the HMP department had planned for us during our orientation, this by far was my favorite—and I am pretty sure my cohort would agree. It allowed for a more informal transition into the world of graduate school. The world of being faced with seemingly impossible tasks, but having to rely on the people around you to accomplish them. It also allowed for us to self-reflect and challenge ourselves, all while building new relationships relatively quickly; because, lets face it: the world of health care is a fast-paced and ever-changing world.
I can honestly say that years from now, when all of us our sitting around an alumni event, we will all recall the events from that day. But until that time comes, I personally will be calling out the things I learned about not only myself but members of my cohort to get me through these years here at Iowa.
Magical rings. Giant’s toes. Enchanted woods. Radioactive spider webs. All these things sound like an elaborate science fiction novel or the latest Marvel movie; however, this was our day with the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center staff at the “High Ropes Course.” Even though our group did not participate in the high ropes activities, we did quite a few other team building exercises. These activities required us to blindly trust each other—literally and figuratively.
What made this day so great was the fact that I had to allow myself to trust a person (or persons in this case) I just met less than forty-eight hours prior. We had to figure out a way to solve a problem— crossing a wire suspended above the ground without falling off or fitting 20 plus adults through a “spider web” without touching any of the web. A group of adults, all varying not only in age but in thought process, were thrown together to solve an immediate issue. Doesn’t that sound familiar? Something like the world we are going to be entering into after graduation, or even while we are still in the program.Out of all the events that the HMP department had planned for us during our orientation, this by far was my favorite—and I am pretty sure my cohort would agree. It allowed for a more informal transition into the world of graduate school. The world of being faced with seemingly impossible tasks, but having to rely on the people around you to accomplish them. It also allowed for us to self-reflect and challenge ourselves, all while building new relationships relatively quickly; because, lets face it: the world of health care is a fast-paced and ever-changing world.
I can honestly say that years from now, when all of us our sitting around an alumni event, we will all recall the events from that day. But until that time comes, I personally will be calling out the things I learned about not only myself but members of my cohort to get me through these years here at Iowa.
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