Examples Of Leadership Competency: Self Awareness

Q2 Leadership Competency: Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is a key attribute to look for when identifying successful future doctors. Physicians must not only be able to effectively evaluate ideas from external sources, but also be able to look in the mirror and critique themselves so that they may continue to grow. This requires the ability to accurately reflect on one’s own preconceptions, prejudices, strengths, and weaknesses, as well as the feedback they receive from others to change unconstructive behaviors and attitudes. Since getting to college, I have made sure that I take time at the end of each day to reflect on my accomplishments as well as areas that I came up short so that I can work to better myself the following day. I value other’s

This includes active listening, maturity, attention to detail, respecting and supporting patient wishes, not shying away from difficult situations, responding fairly and promptly, and maintaining a positive manner about you. As a volunteer with hospice, I have had the privilege of working with a number of patients nearing their end of life. Through this experience, I have grown a greater level of maturity, and learned to deal with loss and emotional setback as I gain insight into the difficult situations that my patients deal with. It has shown me the power that words can have, and made me a more receptive listener and communicator in general. As I continue to grow and develop, I hope to find more ways to get myself into situations where I can participate in challenging conversations. Here, I will be tasked to think more critically about the words I choose, and will work to ensure that the idea I intend to convey lines up with what I actually

The stress associated with one’s position as a physician demands motivated and mission-driven applicants that are capable of celebrating accomplishments, learning from mistakes, adapting to unforeseen complications, and willing to take calculated risks, all while being encouraging of themselves and others. These past four years at the University have shown me two things: that I am a student capable of getting top grades in my classes and that, in order to achieve these high marks, I have to work hard, learn from the error of my ways, and not let setbacks bring me down. Failed acceptances, poor assignment grades, and the innumerable and unpredictable obstacles that have popped up along the way have led me not to quit, but to work harder. I find that many things keep me motivated to continue down this path towards becoming a doctor, and have been able to maintain a positive outlook on life. I don’t let the competitive nature of medical school admissions bring me down, instead focusing on being the best version of myself. Throughout all of the schoolwork, I have found time to make long-lasting relationships, and to separate work from play.

Q9 Now that you've reflected on the UVA Leadership Competencies, please rank order them based on which competencies best represent you. The competency which most represents you would be ranked as 1, the competency which least represents you would be ranked 7.

1. Resiliency (7)

2. Interpersonal