Letter of Application Essay

I would like to apply for the BTEC Level 3 Health and Social Care course. There are many reasons why I think this would be beneficial to me, some personal and some career related. Personally, studying Health and Social would help me in my life to understand myself as well as better my relationships with peers, friends and family. By gaining a greater understanding of what is involved in the Health and Social Care sector I can improve my ability to work with or alongside others and respect and meet their needs, as well as my own. However the main reason is that I aspire to become an Occupational Therapist in the future and I’ve been passionate about this for many years. Having set my goals and looked into my university courses, I believe Health and Social would put me in good stead for my application for university and enable me to have a better knowledge and understanding prior to beginning an OT course in university. Through my own life I have developed a fairly large amount of knowledge on Health and Social Care. Throughout my school time I have been a part of the schools Peer Mentoring team, working with younger students to overcome difficulties. Incorporated into this was a whole host of different training sessions and it has also gained me a qualification through the organisations BulliesOut and ASDAN. I am very proud to have been given this opportunity, and this really helped me to decide that a job in the Health and Social Care sector would definitely suit me best. Now as a year 12 student I’m taking part in the schools Better Learning Partnership programme to help younger students with either their Numeracy or Literacy to allow them to reach their full  potential. Also, in my own life at home I’ve had experiences with Health and Social care workers such as therapists, nurses, social workers and more. This has allowed me to watch them in their work and gain first hand experi ences about how they work effectively, and also the things that I’ve found have been less effective. However, I have more experience with the Social Care side of things than the Health Care side, so I think this is a slight weakness and an area I would like to further my knowledge in whilst studying this course. Also, working with the elderly is something I’m yet to gain experience in, which this course will give me the opportunity to get. I feel my Communication skills are relatively good because I am a good listener, I can easily find information from texts or reports, I know how to use my verbal language and body language effectively and I am also good at communicating with adults and on a one-to-one basis. This course will enable me to practice and gain more confidence in myself, which is something that could hinder me in Health and Social Care. Also, I’m not as confident and successful in group communication or creating reports and references of my work, even though I do find that sometimes I can be a compulsive note taker. This course I hope will provide me with the skills and confidence to overcome and manage these problems and better my communication skills on the whole so I become equally good in all areas. When I am working with others, I definitely know how I can use my skills best and what would be a good job for me to do and the things that others would be able to do better. I also enjoy helping others in groups to develop their skills and build upon their strengths. This is because I find real satisfaction from helping others to grow and reach their full potential. I also feel I’m fairly good at evaluating group work and interactions with others to help me in the future. However, communicating with peers is definitely one of my weaknesses in this area as I am not a very confident person and often worry about how others will perceive me and also, if I detect or not an aspect of group communication that isn’t as effective as it could be, I’m very hesitant to point it out, again as a result of my lack of confidence. I hope that through the Work Experience I will gain on the Health and Social Care course that I will be able to build on my confidence and believe in myself more as I gain more knowledge and practical experience. Generally, I think my skills with technology are sufficient. I enjoy using both power point and  excel to support my work and I’m always fairly organised and have everything filed appropriately. I also have other skills in things such as music and swimming which I am proud of. However I’m not overly confident in using computerised technology to create reports or organise tasks, schedules and deadline, I prefer to work on paper than on computer. Through my assignments in this course I think I will be able to better my use of computers to organise myself as email systems are commonly used to set deadlines and tasks, and also they will force me to be organised with deadlines and be good with time management, as well as the course giving me opportunities to furth er my personal skills and interests. The biggest threat facing me with my technological skills is that I strongly prefer to work on paper and by hand than using computers! I find that I learn fairly well from observing the work of others in practice and I’m confident in using both computers and books to research and further my knowledge and understanding as well as to analyse data. The Work Experience on this course will enable me to further develop my research skills through observation and participation and my assignments will allow me to practice other skills such as referencing. However I find that I sometimes find it hard to concentrate and stay focused when conducting independent research, especially if I am struggling to find the information I need. I am quite proud of my personal hygiene and sense of how to dress and present myself appropriately. I am also always relatively organised in my work and keep to my deadlines which is a very important skill to have to avoid added stress and consequences. My assignments during the course will give me further opportunities to work on these skills and on any other weaknesses, such as struggling to understand terminology used in assignment briefs and rarely ask for help if I don’t understand the work I have to do. My biggest threat is probably that my personal life and difficulties can sometimes get in the way of my deadlines and ability to focus, however I rarely tell tutors about these things due to feeling embarrassed and the fear of being judged. I am fairly confident in my ability to work professionally and have a vague understanding of the Care Value Base, limitations and responsibilities through my Peer Mentoring work within school. Through the Health and Social Care course I will be able to deepen my knowledge and understanding of things such as the Care Value Base and legislations which will be key to successful work in the Health and  Social Care sector. However I always want to do the best and help as much as I physically can, so sticking to the limitations will be something I find hard to do and potentially upsetting. I have very strong personal values and beliefs which I will always use to guide me in my own life and in my work. They also support the way in which I work and treat other people. The course can help me learn about where my values and beliefs can be used in Health and Social Car. However I feel extremely strongly about certain things so I need to ensure I don’t go against the Care Value Base in my work because my values and beliefs may not quite fit. Also, I sometimes struggle to keep my opinions to myself if I take offence by something or I consider something wrong, so I need to work on this whilst I complete the Health and Social Care course. I know the difference between legislation, policies and codes of conduct. I am also aware that there are certain things that you can’t do related to Health and So cial Care if you are under the age of 18. Also, I’m very familiar with the Data Protection Act 1998 and also about the Health and Safety Act 1974. The course will give me the opportunity to get to grips with the Codes of Conduct in various settings through my Work Experience Placements and get a deeper understanding of legislations. My only worry is that Legislations and Codes of Conduct change for different work environments and I may struggle to know the differences without extended practise. I know what I am good at and what my limitations are. Attending a Mindfulness course has helped me to gain understanding of myself and my limitations. I have already had a fair amount of experience with managing responsibilities and I am aware of how important meeting them can be for success. The Health and Social Care course will allow me to grow as a person and further my understanding of my personal abilities and tackle any problems that I may face, such as mental health, emotional and social aspects that could cause me an issue. I do have some experience with informal care however I could definitely benefit from further experience in certain areas. In conclusion, I feel this course would be paramount for my success in Occupational Therapy. My main strengths are that I have a strong passion for helping other people and that I have had personal experiences with professionals from the Health and Social Care sector. I believe that my passion and determination to succeed will be what carries me through this course and allows me to achieve my full potential. However my main  weaknesses are lack of confidence and also that I always want to help people as best as I possibly can, but sometimes that may be further than policies, codes of practice and legislations allow.