Final Reflection Paper

Reflection from the Internship Experience Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Reflection from the Internship Experience My internship at the McLeod Regional Medical Center, IT department has been an invaluable experience and promises to be a significant component of my career development deep into the future. The internship accorded me a platform to operate in a highly dynamic and operational setting. Throughout the experience, I also found a platform through which to transfer the knowledge learned in class into real-world applications. In this reflection, I emphasized outlining some of the key takeaways from the internship experience. This reflection also outlines my intended professional growth and plans for future improvement following the experience gained at the medical center. Key Takeaways The internship experience came with multiple inputs from which I learned extensively. One of the primary takeaways from this experience was problem-solving in a dynamic work setting. In a dynamic operational setting, problems that require different levels of attention emerge at all times. At the help desk, for instance, problems can emerge from the customers' end when they need some issues, like network problems, resolved immediately. The other technical problems at this point include software troubleshooting or hardware repairs. There were also challenges stemming from team dynamics in which individuals were assigned different problems. The hands-on experience that I had addressing various issues solidified my understanding of a real-life operational setting. Further, it was evident that a business setting requires fluid communication and stakeholder integration to address the multiple issues that emerge all the time. Finally, it is important to have a mechanism for structuring and allocating problems in a dynamic operational setting. With a structure, every problem is addressed and all people are allocated roles. The second takeaway from this experience was the gained insight into IT infrastructure and cybersecurity. Technology is advancing into a vital component of operations in every business or service setting. As such, I was lucky to be part of the Tier 2 desktop team and the Client server team which both played a vital role in streamlining the IT operations at the organiza...