Key Insight #2

In 2009 the American singer Miley Cyrus released a country-pop song titled “The Climb.” Often referred to as a power ballad, this song describes life as a difficult yet rewarding journey. Like most people my age, this song is reminiscent of my

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In the Fall of 2021, I started working on a study titled “Early Healthcare Communication Skills Training in an Undergraduate Honors Laboratory Course.” This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a multipronged approach to teaching communication skills through a laboratory testing course offered at USC, which I previously enrolled in, SCHC 284: Introduction to Clinical Laboratory Science. My professor and research mentor, Dr. Robin Dawson, who initiated the project conception, gave me the lead role in it. As the first author, I was tasked with coordinating meetings with the research team (consisting of myself, Dr. Dawson, Dr. Raynor, and Kayla Rough), developing the methodology, collecting data, and evaluating the results. After months of work, the abstract for this study, attached as Artifact 1, was accepted at the Sigma Theta Tau (STT) 2022 International Nursing Research Congres.

 

I was beyond excited about this accomplishment because it fulfilled several firsts for me: It was the first research study I had been involved in from start to finish;

it was the first abstract I’d written that was accepted to a conference, especially one as distinguished as STT; it was the first study I’d published on communication research, my first time putting together an oral presentation, and it would be my first time in Scotland.

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The 2022 STT International Congress was held in Edinburg, Scotland, and my research team started planning the trip immediately. We discussed the different delicacies we would try, and places we would visit, and there was even talk of an Airbnb castle to stay in during the trip. It was only a couple of days later that I realized I couldn’t attend.

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My family and I are currently in the middle of gaining permanent residency in the US. During this process, if you leave the country without advance parole documentation, you are considered to have abandoned your application for permanent residence. Because of these protocols, I was ultimately unable to travel to Scotland to present at the conference. Months of work and anticipation led to a grand culmination I could not see through. Luckily, my mentor and co-author on the paper, Dr. Dawson, was able to present the research at the conference.

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Not being able to attend the conference was a significant disappointment that I think about to this day. I had spent close to nine months working on the project, and I was never able to see it through to completion. In that moment, I thought about the lyrics of The Climb:

“Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb”

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Even though I could not attend the conference, which would have been “waiting for me on the other side,” I gained much more valuable experiences from my “climb,” which was my journey through this research project. Being able to work in this field, creating the poster, and developing an academic presentation taught me a lot of skills that I have applied across other research projects and classes. This experience taught me that my journey and the lessons I picked up were just as valuable as what I was working towards.  

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Realizing the importance of the journey over the destination in my research allowed me to reflect on similar instances within the classroom. In the Fall of 2022, I took HPEB 300: Introduction to Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior. This class focused on using and implementing prevention programs to address significant health problems in the United States. Similar to how I realized there was more value in my research journey than in presenting at STT, HPEB 300 taught me the importance of health education and prevention programs in the journey to have better health outcomes in the US. As Cyrus says, “It’s all about the climb.” In the context of this analogy, the act of creating prevention programs is the climb/journey to better health outcomes (the destination).

 

HPEB 300 taught me how to develop, implement, and evaluate health programs addressing specific health issues in a population. The development of health programs involves a series of steps that require careful planning, collaboration, and evaluation to ensure that the program achieves its intended outcomes. Building on the observation of a journey being just as important as the destination, HPEB 300 suggested to me the process of planning, implementing, and evaluating a health program to ensure good health outcomes. In other words, the journey (or process) of creating and implementing a health program involves valuable learning experiences that contribute to the program's overall success.

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One of the models used in program planning is the “Health Belief Model” (HBM). This theoretical model predicts and explains a population’s health-related behaviors regarding the uptake of health services. The model relates to the idea of the journey being just as important as the destination in several ways: Firstly, HBM suggests that a population’s health behaviors are influenced by a complex set of beliefs, attitudes, and values shaped by their personal experiences, social context, and cultural background. Therefore, exploring and understanding these factors (the journey) will directly contribute to better health in the nation. Additionally, the HBM emphasizes the importance of considering individual differences and tailoring interventions to meet each person's or community's unique needs. This approach requires focusing on the "journey" of developing and implementing health interventions responsive to the cultural, social, and economic factors influencing health behaviors. Furthermore, the HBM emphasizes the need for ongoing evaluation and refinement of health interventions to ensure they are effective and sustainable. This process focuses on the "journey" of continuous learning and improvement, rather than simply achieving a specific outcome.

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As you can see, the HBM contributes to the idea that the journey is just as important as the destination by emphasizing the importance of considering the behavior change process rather than just focusing on the outcome. By adopting this approach, public health professionals can develop more effective and sustainable interventions that promote positive health behaviors and outcomes.

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class, I was able to find value in the process of program planning in order to better understand the beliefs of the population of interest through tools such as the HBM.  By believing in the value of the journey, I have developed a sense of purpose, passion, and resilience that will allow me to navigate future challenges and pursue goals with a sense of fulfillment.