Learn is a Four Letter Word

This morning I am looking into educational programs for health advocacy. I feel that a certification will give me credibility as well as teach me, among other important things, what I don’t know about the professional side. One thing I discovered is that there is now national or international standard of knowledge or skills for health advocacy. A certificate only means that I completed their courses. Would completion of courses give me credibility?



Courtesy Flickr.com David Armano

Credible: believable. If I have a certificate of completion does that make me believable? It seems to me, as a consumer, the person with experience is the one I believe. In order to gain experience I need to be credible; a catch-22. If I use my certification as a status, I must also state who certified me; is it better that UC Berkeley or Stanford certified me than the University of Wisconsin?

 



Courtesy Flickr.com Juhan Sonin

It is advised to consider where I plan to earn my income, when choosing an educational program.  Do I want to work for someone else or myself?  My answer is, “both.” I want to be involved as a contractor for professional organizations, and I want my own practice.  However, with respect to education and how I want to be employed, it is a matter of whose skill set I need to comply with.

 As an independent advocate I need advocacy skills and business skills. I guess I already knew that; 3 weeks ago I started looking for a business coach.  I feel very good about my ability to look at the medical system from the patient perspective. But I already know there is a gap in my knowledge about efficiently getting desired results from the medical system. I found a list of master skills/services; this will help me find my advocacy gap. When it comes to business I completely lack confidence; this is the area I need to learn about most.



Courtesy Flickr.com Deslizate Naranja!

Accessibility is also an issue to consider. I love the motivation of being in a classroom, not to mention the networking opportunities that come with it. However, the “right” program with physical presence can be a challenge for me. If I had to move, what would happen to my home, my son, my pets, and how could I afford it? Additionally, if I choose the convenience and affordability of an online education, does that influence credibility?

 



Courtesy Flickr.com Soon Koon

One of the links I found led me to a book on starting an advocacy business.  Doh! Amazon!  One search and I found several books. If I buy the book through The APHA (Alliance of Professional Health Advocates), I can get a free month of membership. Their membership is only 50.00 per year and they have the best resources I’ve found so far. They have a series of four books and 2 are available on Amazon.  



Courtesy Flickr.com WalknBoston

I should wait to be sure before I start spending money; am I strong enough to self-govern or do I need the structure and accountability of a program? It comes, as usual, full circle back to “know thyself.”

 
Answer this: How do you like to learn? Self-taught with books and other media? Structured classroom? Online classroom?

ADOS...Attention Deficit OH SHINY!



Courtesy Flickr Cambodia4Kids

Today I am looking at the “job” of advocacy: what words are used to describe advocacy jobs, what are the qualifications, and what are the requirements.  In the process of looking at the gazillions (actually I got to page 5 of the job listings before being inspired to write) of available jobs in advocacy, I found that there are many organizations that provide advocacy for their own causes. Among these causes for advocacy there is a concentration on young people, homeless people, and voters.  There is a severe lack in my discovery today, in the area of providing resources and advocacy for individuals who do not fit a singular category.  The people I want to advocate for always fall into multiple categories.



Courtesey Flickr OEA-OAS 

People I have advocated for need whole-life-spectrum resources. The breast cancer patient who needs to know how to pay for medical care, also needs to know how to structure their finances to optimize their best position for financial support. The Alzheimer’s patient who needs to be protected from wandering, also needs support from the constant physical presence of multiple care givers; the caregivers also need support. The mental health patient who needs to protect their own rights in a crisis, also needs to protect the rights of their family members’ to participate in their medical and financial care.

Courtesy Flickr.com Wesley Fryer

Sure there is NAMI, and there are many associations concerned with Alzheimer’s and breast cancer. But I have yet to find an organization that is concerned with whole-life-advocacy, other than departments of social services which connect several different resources.  However, their system is complicated and often always, my clients need advocacy to negotiate that system. But I don’t want to be a social worker in the system of county social services and welfare; I want to make that system user friendly for my clients.

As I continue to look at advocacy from the perspective of educational requirements I see three avenues: law, sociology/medical licenses, and experience. I don’t want to do what is being done; I want to do what is not yet being done. I need to find a balance between understanding and supplying what others expect and what I want them to see.

I get to create my own requirements and I get to decide which education will be most supportive for my work.  However, I need to continue this avenue of research from the perspective of credibility.

 

ADOS (Attention Deficit OH SHINY!) ALERT

 

 

 

OMG, look what I found!

 

http://www.healthadvocateprograms.com/masterlist.htm. 

 

And look what else I found! http://www.aphadvocates.org/ 

 

And look what ELSE I found!  http://extension.berkeley.edu/spos/healthadvocacy.html

 

NOW I’m really excited!  UC Berkeley is my alma mater. The aphadvocates.org helps with business planning and supplies and financing! The masterlist includes educational programs, events, organizations, and more, more, more!  WOOOOOT!

Whose Reality?

Almost 49 years of life and love. Love? Really?

When I was a little girl, love was The Brady Bunch, The  Partridge Family, and Father Knows Best. When I was a pre-teen love was Shirley Temple, Dorris Day, Dean Martin, Judy Garland, and Elvis on Sunday. When I was a teen-ager love was Judy Blume, Soul Train, and American Band Stand. When I was in High School love was sad and lonely; it was unrequited Bobby Balentine, and requited Bruce Hammer, until..... Until Jennifer Matthews became the first friend in a string of many to betray my trust, loyalty, friendship, and belief. And Bruce became the first love in a string of many to betray my trust, loyalty, friendship, belief and heart.

Tamra Dozier

At almost-49 I look at the patterns of love in my life. Every boyfriend I have ever had has cheated on me with someone close to me, except one, who cheated on me with his own selfishness. It has cost me much in my life: a timely education, a potential for career to be fulfilled, a natural child birth.

At almost-49 I look at what I believe about love and realize the price I have refused to pay: I refuse to become jaded and have refused to pay with my belief that love is real. At almost-49 I continue to choose love; I continue to grow.

I still believe in the media and literary love, at almost-49. I still believe that my heart has a mate, somewhere. I believe in love, and love believes in me. My love is waiting for me to believe in me.

Brooke Fraser

At almost-49 I believe I am a good friend, a good citizen, a good mother...I AM good. I'm not "trying" to be, I AM. I look at the patterns of love in my life and I see growth, and I see perseverance, and I wonder what more there is to learn. What is left to learn? Is it to "get real"? Maybe. And maybe reality is not something we discuss, or learn, but something we "know".

What is reality? Is it not trusting? Is it not believing? Is it guarding one's self from pain? Is reality that state in which one lowers expectations to what might be possible when all else seems impossible? It is not in my nature to expect less. I can not expect less loyalty, less honesty, less selfLESSness, of myself or of others. I cannot give up on others, I cannot give up on my self.

I must continue to learn...until I know, without thinking, that I AM love. I wonder how long I get to live when I know that I AM love? I can't yet imagine what other lesson there is to learn after that; they haven't made a Sunday Musical Movie or Sit-Com about it yet.... Or have they!?