Shawna Long is a newly admitted student in a medical assistant program at your school. Shawna is anxious about starting classes and very concerned that she may not be a successful student. She had trouble with some of her classes in high school and must continue to work part time while taking medical assistant (MA) classes. Based on what you discover about the learning process in this chapter, see whether you can help Shawna take steps toward success.

While studying this chapter, think about the following questions:

• Why is it important for Shawna to understand how she learns best?

• Time management is a crucial part of being a successful student and a successful medical assistant. What are some methods Shawna can implement to help her manage her time as effectively as possible?

• Shawna will face many problems and challenges while working through the MA program. How can she develop workable strategies for dealing with these issues?

• What is the role of assertiveness in effective professional communications?

• Studying may be a challenge for Shawna. What skills can she use to help her learn new material and prepare for examinations?

You have taken the first step toward becoming a successful student by choosing your profession and field of study. The medical assistant profession is both challenging and rewarding. Becoming a medical assistant opens the doors to a wide variety of opportunities in both administrative and clinical practice at ambulatory or institutional healthcare facilities. Medical assistants are important members of the healthcare team, and as a healthcare professional, you will be expected to practice certain professional behaviors (Figure 1-1). These professional behaviors include demonstrating dependability, respectful patient care, empathy, initiative, a positive attitude, and teamwork. To become a successful medical assistant, you first must become a successful student. This chapter helps you discover the way you learn best and provides multiple strategies to assist you in your journey toward success.

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Critical Thinking Application

Consider your history as a student. What do you think helped you to succeed? What do you think needs improvement? Create a plan for improvement that includes two or three ways you can become a more successful student. Be prepared to share this plan with your classmates.

FIGURE 1-1 Professional interaction with patient.

Who You are as a Learner: How Do You Learn Best?

Think about what you do when you are faced with something new to learn. How do you go about understanding and learning the new material? Over time you have developed a method for perceiving and processing information. This pattern of behavior is called your learning style. Learning styles can be examined in many different ways, but most professionals agree that a student’s success depends more on whether the person can “make sense” of the information than on whether the individual is “smart.” Determining your individual learning style and understanding how it applies to your ability to learn new material are the first steps toward becoming a successful student (Figure 1-2).

Learning Style Inventory

For you to learn new material, two things must happen. First, you must perceive the information. This is the method you have developed over time that helps you examine new information and recognize it as real. Once you have developed a method for learning about the new material, you must process the information. Processing the information is how you internalize it and make it your own. Researchers believe that each of us has a preferred method for learning new material. By investigating your learning style, you can figure out how to combine different approaches to perceiving and processing information that will lead to greater success as a student.

The first step in learning new material is determining how you perceive the information. When faced with a new learning experience, students decide how they will go about learning the new material; that is, either by watching and observing the new activity or by doing something active to learn about it. Individuals who learn by analysis, observation, and reflection are considered abstract perceivers. Abstract learners analyze new material as ideas that require thought to process. They study the information and build theories to help them understand it. Abstract perceivers prefer structured learning situations and use a step-by-step approach to problem solving.

Individuals who learn by “doing” are concrete perceivers, who learn information through direct experiences of acting, sensing, or feeling the new material. Concrete learners prefer to learn things that have a personal meaning or that they believe are relevant, and they rely on detailed information to learn new material.

The second step in learning new material is information processing, which is the way learners internalize the new information and make it their own. New material can be processed by two methods. Active processors prefer to jump in and start doing things immediately. They make sense of the new material by using it immediately. They look for practical ways to apply the new material and typically do not mind taking risks to get the desired results. They learn best with practice and hands-on activities. Reflective processors have to think about the information before they can internalize it. They prefer to observe and consider what is going on. The only way they can make sense of new material is to spend time thinking and learning a great deal about it before acting. Complete the activity in the Student Study Guide to help you determine your learning style preference.

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Critical Thinking Application

Consider the two ways to perceive new material. Are you a concrete perceiver, who ties the information to a personal experience, or are you an abstract perceiver, who likes to analyze or reflect on the meaning of the material? Choose the type you think most accurately describes your method of investigating new information.

Now, think about the way you process learning. Are you an active processor, who always looks for the practical applications of what you learn, or are you a reflective processor, who has to think about new material before internalizing it?

After completing this activity, write down the combination of your perceiving and processing learning styles and share it with your instructor.

Using Your Learning Profile to Be a Successful Student: Where Do I Go from Here?

No one falls completely into one or the other of the categories just discussed. However, by being aware of how we generally prefer first to perceive information and then to process it, we can be more sensitive to our learning style and can approach new learning situations with a plan for learning the material in a way that best suits our learning preferences.

Your preferred perceiving and processing learning profile will fall into one of the following four stages of the Learning Style Inventory, which was created by David Kolb of Case Western Reserve University.

• Stage 1 learners have a concrete reflective style. These students want to know the purpose of the information and have a personal connection to the content. They like to consider a situation from many points of view, observe others, and plan before taking action. They feel most comfortable watching rather than doing, and their strengths include sensitivity toward others, brainstorming, and recognizing and creatively solving problems. If you fall into this stage, you enjoy small-group activities and learn well in study groups.

• Stage 2 learners have an abstract reflective style. These students are eager to learn just for the sheer pleasure of learning, rather than because the material relates to their personal lives. They like to learn lots of facts and arrange new material in a clear, logical manner. Stage 2 learners plan studying and like to create ways of thinking about the material, but they do not always make the connection with its practical application. If you are a stage 2 learner, you prefer organized, logical presentations of material and therefore enjoy lectures and readings and generally dislike group work. You also need time to process and think about new material before applying it.

• Stage 3 learners have an abstract active style. Learners with this combination learning style want to experiment and test the information they are learning. If you are a stage 3 learner, you want to know how techniques or ideas work, and you also want to practice what you are learning. Your strengths are in problem solving and decision making, but you may lack focus and may be hasty in making decisions. You learn best with hands-on practice by doing experiments, projects, and laboratory activities. You enjoy working alone or in small groups (Figure 1-3).

• Stage 4 learners are concrete active learners. These students are concerned about how they can use what they learn to make a difference in their lives. If you fall into this stage, you like to relate new material to other areas of your life. You have leadership capabilities, can create on your feet, and usually are vocal in a group, but you may have difficulty completing your work on time. Stage 4 learners enjoy teaching others and working in groups and learn best when they can apply new information to real-world problems.

To get the most out of knowing your learning profile, you need to apply this knowledge to how you approach learning. Each of the learning stages has pluses and minuses. When faced with a learning situation that does not match your learning preference, see how you can adapt your individual learning profile to make the best of the information. For example, if you are bored by lectures, look for an opportunity to apply the information being presented to a real problem you are facing in the classroom or at home. If you are an abstract perceiver, take time outside of class to think about new information so that you are ready to process it into your learning system. If you benefit from learning in a group, make the effort to organize review sessions and study groups. If you learn best by teaching others, offer to assist your peers with their learning. By taking the time now to investigate your preferred method of learning, you will perceive and process information more effectively throughout your school career.

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Critical Thinking Application

Take a few minutes to reflect on a time when you really enjoyed learning about something new. How was the material presented, and what did you do to “make it your own”? What do you need to do to become a more effective learner?