The End Has Come

This was the last week of my internship at the UCF Communications Disorders Clinic. This also was the week that the clinic was promoting the different events for World Voice Week, which ended with the clinic offering free oral cancer screening on Friday April 16^th. On Tuesday I got my very first look at the finished poster presentation that I have worked on. This board was used at the various events held that week while the graduate and undergraduate students of the clinic were tabling. On Wednesday inside the Atrium of HPA 1 I helped the clinic table for the Presentation on team management on Thursday and oral cancer assessments on Friday.

On Thursday and Friday I complied and presented all of the different projects I helped work on regarding the marketing campaign for the Voice Clinic. It was also my opportunity to say my goodbyes to the staff as I picked up my evaluations from my mentor.

I have to say reflecting back on my experience at the clinic is has been a good one. I have open the eyes of the director on just how much their presence lacked in communicating with the UCF population and the avenues they must utilize to close that gap. I offered clinic a start in their marketing endeavors. And I was excited to find out that the clinic will soon be able to hire a professional in marketing who can really get them in the place they need to be. I am going to miss the UCF Communications Disorders team and grateful for the experience.

Blog #9

This week we put the final touches on the presentation board to present to Dr. Whiteside. Dr. Whiteside reviewed the presentation and gave some valuable input on the way the information about the clinic was presented. She was very pleased with the display, and we also received approvals from some of the other clinicians. There were minor grammar changes that needed to be made. After all the changes were finished the presentation went to print on Thursday and will be ready for the tabling the clinic will be doing around campus for World Voice Day on Wednesday and Thursday, and the conference the clinic will be attending on Friday at Florida Hospital.

I am extremely pleased with the way the information came together and the feedback I received from the project. This is my last project with the clinic and I have been truly blessed to have such a eye opening experience. I have one more week with the clinic to end off the few hours I have left.

Almost Done!!!

This week at my internship I basically focus my attention to the design of the presentation board for the clinic. I worked on what information will go where on the board, the content, the types of pictures that will be placed on the project, and making sure that everything is uniformed to the look of other promotional material that has been distributed by the clinic. On Monday we will be present the design to the director of the clinic for approval for any adjustments she feel is necessary to convey the clinic in the appropriate light. After the approval process is done the design will be sent to the appropriate individuals who will print out the information and mount it onto a tri-fold presentation board. I am excited about the project because it has come together so nicely, and hopeful it is an acceptable outline presentation of information about the clinic. The display is hopefully will be something the clinic can use for a good couple of years until they decide to update it, but for right it is something that is desperately need for the upcoming events and times they need to promote the clinic.

Understanding & Making Progress

There has been up and down experiences in my internship. One thing I have learned thus far is that I am a person who likes to see and feel like I am a part of the finished product. There were times during the semester when I have felt I was not contributing anything concrete to the clinic, though I have open their eyes in how to market effectively to the UCF community and what avenues to take I was not seeing anything tangible. Everyone in the clinic have told me how pleased they are with the projects I have had a hand in, but yet with the semester and my internship drawing to a close I felt that a mark was not being left by me. But at the end of last week I final was given a project that will help me leave a lastly contribution to the clinic for possibly a few years.

In the last blog I stated that we were brainstorming ideas to help market World Voice Day and the Voice Clinic. We have already reserved tabling spots on campus for the event that will be headed by Communications Disorders Clinic’s undergraduate and graduate students. My job for the event is to design professional presentation boards that will be used to promote the clinic on that week and for the future. There will be three boards in total, all with the same uniform design that could be made on either Microsoft PowerPoint or Microsoft Publisher. These boards are intended to give an overview about the clinic, its mission and vision, their services, Outreach affiliations, research, contact info, and a section on how to become a speech pathologist at UCF. I have me work cut out for me but I am excited about the challenge in making sure the information is communicated in an attractive and effective manner.

Blog #6

This week in the clinic we were brainstorming ideas gearing to developing advertising campaign for the World Voice Day which will be held April 15^th. The clinic will be providing free voice evaluations and they what to make sure that UCF community is marketed to effectively. We are working on identifying locations on campus to table for the event, materials that will be sent to individuals on our mailing list, and a flyer to distribute on campus. Karen Guin the head of marketing for COHPA will be helping the clinic prepare a promotion packet for the event. And when everything is ready it will be my duty to help bridge the gap between the clinic, UCF community, and the local area. That is about all I have to report this there was nothing really more than us brainstorming.

Until next week, hopefully things will pick up.

Blog #5

This week at my internship I had the assignment of helping create a packet that will be used to persuade physicians to refer patients/clients to be participants in a program that will be offered by the Communications Disorders Clinic in the summer. The Intensive Aphasia Program is one of the many services that are offered by the clinic. The last time the program was in operation was in the summer of 2008. The Aphasia program is designed to help stroke victims become more engaged and speaking through intensive sessions conducted over a short period of time.

For the packet me and my partner in th clinic had to come up with a page geared to inform and attract physicians to become a partner with the Aphsia program, the second page focused towards informing the client about the disorder and providing insight into why the program will be of great benefit for them if they chose to participate, the third page was a synopsis of the design of the program and what Dr. Whiteside envisions for the program in the future, and the last page consists of the application into the program.

Dr. Whiteside will be taking the packet around to local doctor's offices next week to promote the program.

Blog #4

The headline of the week was the launch party for the Communications Disorders Clinic new website on Monday. The website was the brain child of Dr. Whiteside and the Health Services interns from either summer ’09 or fall “09. The launch party was an opportunity for the staff, the former interns, clients, and faulty from the UCF community to view the website and its features. The best part of the website are the links that connect the potential visitors to client testimonies, where they expressed how much of a God send the clinic was in helping them battle their speech limitations due to sickness, fluency issues, or other complications.

For me it was a great experience to talk to the clients of the clinic one-on-one and hear first hand what the services offered meant to them. They were so excited to a part of the something they know will change other people’s lives like it has changes theirs. It was also exciting for me to be introduced to the guests of the party as someone helping the efforts to spread the word about the clinic.

The rest of this weeks duties involved working on a promotion brochure and compiling a contact mailing list of schools and churches in the area with active musical and drama programs.

This is the URL for the new website: http://www.cohpa.ucf.edu/clinic/index.shtml
Feel free to visit!!!