My (Online) Classmates

My class dynamics is amazing! We have a good rapport with each other and it serves as a great means or encouragement and motivation to succeed.

The diversity of individuals, backgrounds and age ranges allows each one of us to bring something different to the table which as a whole broadens the scope of our discussions and perspectives. Some people have backgrounds in health care, Kinesiology and even the military. As for me my IT, Marketing and HR background further adds to the mix. I often find myself learning new acronyms from those in healthcare and the military for instance. Our discussions are always thought provoking.

My classmates are very helpful and we all support each other. If one of us finds literature or videos that could help clarify a topic, it would be posted in an online forum so that everyone can learn from it. On those stressful days before finals; encouragement for each other shows when recipes for things like avocado chocolate pudding is posted as our post-final victory treat! It’s that kind of thoughtfulness that takes one away from the stressors just for a minute, get one rejuvenated and able to take over the helm once more without losing focus.

I remember one time I had difficulty calculating axis deviation. No matter how much I read the steps I was floored at the part requiring moving towards or away from the perpendicular lead. Voicing my difficulty during one of our discussions, one of my classmates offered an explanation in the simplest form. Aha! Just what I needed – a simple explanation. Others pointed me to YouTube videos to help me understand it better; some even sent online links explaining the process. There is no doubt that the workload of some courses can be heavier than others, so we often collaborate to provide notes to each other– another clear example of teamwork.

Given our various geographic locations face to face in-class interaction is non-existent. I recently moved from Ontario to Halifax. I’m still the only student in the Halifax area so there isn’t the opportunity to meet my classmates to study. Some are in Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Cape Breton for example. Thanks to technology I have bridged that gap with Skype, phone calls and texting. Depending on our topic of discussion we set up meetings to discuss and practice ECG interpretations for example.

Even though this is an online program, I feel connected to my classmates – it’s like they are right there when we Skype. I do not feel alone or unable to reach out to for support if I have a question at 1am when the rest of the world is asleep. I found Lab blocks helped with class dynamics as well. Labs actually bring us together and put the personality and face to the name. Our recent ECG lab block brought out the best in all of us as we worked together to get the best out of the hands on experience. In the end we grew closer as a team, exchanged phone numbers and continue to use online technology as our means of communication.

You can say that the dynamics of my class is based on the no
one left behind philosophy.

To know more about Cardiology Technologist Program and Career, check out this video.