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Health Promotion Reflection

John Schaefer
Title of work Sample:

Health Promotion Standards #8 - Assessment

Internship Level I: Fit Laboratory

Date completed:

2015 - Spring Semester

WORK SAMPLE
During the Internship Level 1, I was assigned to the UWP-Fit Laboratory to assess
students physical fitness through a battery of tests including height, weight, resting heart rate,
blood pressure, cholesterol, high density lipids (HDL), glucose, lung capacity, a standardized
tread mill test, grip strength, number of pushups to exhaustion, number of sit-ups in a minute, a
flexibility test, body composition, and grip strength. My assignment was for a minimum of three
hours/week and expanded to five hours/week.
Health Promotion Standard Alignment
I am aligning this experience with Health Promotion Standard #8: The health promoter
understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous
intellectual, social, and physical development of the client.
I attempted to connect at a personal level with the students for several reasons:
First, I wanted to put the student (client) at ease and showing that he/she would get good value
from the program and the results generated. I used only encouraging words throughout the assessment
process, and did not question their fitness, was not judgmental, and did not criticize them directly or
indirectly with word, attitude or deed.
Second, I formally explained the results to the clients.
Third, I made them feel part of the assessment by allowing them to enter their names on some of
the test and equipment when able, explaining the test results, methods used, and demonstrating the tests.
Fourth, I was extremely critical of any laboratory result I generated. I did not take any short cuts.

Health and Physical Educations Knowledge, Skill, Disposition Statement Alignment

KSD4.e. Grows and Develops Professionally
1. As the semester progressed, I became more proficient when I did the assessment tests.
2. Several times during the semester, I showed or attempted to show fellow interns on how
to correctly draw a sample for the cholesterol test by demonstration. Specimen integrity

is essential for an accurate chemistry test result. One intern did not think that bubbles in
the specimen for the cholesterol test matter. The quote was the test worked on the
machine.
3. I had to practice and learn how to demonstrate and perform the lung function test. This
test was new to me, difficult to explain to the client, but I found a way to demonstrate
the test and how to get acceptable performance from the clients.
Aligned KSD: KS3.c. Engages Clients in Learning
KSD2.a.Creats an Environment of Respect and Rapport

PERSONAL REFLECTION
1. I learned that a relaxed and friendly atmosphere can put the client at ease and make their
experience in the FitLab more enjoyable while relieving their anxiety level.
2. A relaxed client is easier to assess.
3. In addition, I can rely on the other interns to help if I had questions. I would often have
trouble saving Fitness Assessment results and chemistry results. My fellow class mates
stepped up and helped me to get through my problems areas.
4. I felt comfortable and liked working in the Fit Lab.
Self-Learning
1. With the experience in the FitLab, I learned to take resting heart rates more accurately on
the wrist. In addition, if needed I would take a carotid artery heart rate to confirm a heart
rate or to find a heart rate if the wrist rate was difficult to find or count.
2. With experience, I became more comfortable with performing the assessment tests and
became more skilled at getting the tests completed in a shorter length of time.
3. I worked with a disabled student and I did not know exactly how to react with the
individual, his/her left side was completing unusable. This was the first disabled person I
have needed to do testing on. The session with him/her was a success because he/she left
the laboratory smiling.
4. In addition, I am becoming aware that small differences in software can be very
intimidating for me and cause me great frustration. I am becoming more comfortable with
the software.
5. The more comfortable I became with the procedures, the more comfortable I could make
the client with the process.