Below are the classes I used, rejected Essay, adn Accepted essay. My first essay was rejected because I was told it read too much like a resume. I hope this helps everyone. Upper – MGT410 Project Planning and Implementation – UoP class Organization Behavior - DANTES Exam Human Resource Management - DANTES Exam Technical Writing - DANTES Exam Labor Relations – ECE Exam Mid level CSS335 Computer and Information Processing – UoP Class Medical Equipment Trblsht/Mntc – military Networking Essentials – Microsoft Lower EF11L Electronic Fundamentals Lab – DeVry DI10 Digital I – DeVry AC Circuits – military DC Circuits - military REJECTED Individualized Studies: Technology and Business I have several reasons for pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Individual Studies. This degree will combine the technical aspects of the biomedical equipment repair industry and the business knowledge needed to manage service contracts and employees. This concentration plan relies on my past experiences, computer certifications, DANTES exams, and traditional class work. The Biomedical Equipment Repair Industry The repair of medical equipment is a very specialized field. The biomedical technician must have an understanding of electronics, pneumatics, and computer networking. The duties of a biomedical technician include component level troubleshooting of medical equipment, computer network design and repair, service contract analysis, and customer service. The Service of Equipment As a biomedical technician, I must rely on my knowledge of electronics to repair sensitive medical equipment. The average hospital has over two thousand pieces of medical equipment and a through understanding of the theories of electronics is important to successfully repair and maintain equipment. I have been factory-trained on very delicate equipment such as telemetry systems, sterilizers, ventilators, and anesthesia machines. During a single procedure, a video scope may be used to detect colon cancer. The scope is inserted in the patient and an image is viewed on a monitor. If the physician would like to capture an image of the patient, he would press a button and the video card would capture an image. The digital image would be travel from the computer in the patient’s room to a file server. The file server would search for the patient’s records and add the image and exam information to the patient’s permanent records. With all of these different pieces of technology working together, a broad understanding of computers and electronics are necessary. Because of the nature of the equipment and the “zero failure rate” that is expected for patient safety, I must know when to outsource the repair and responsibility of the equipment. The Business Side of the Industry When I employed at XXX Hospital, Company XYZ and Company PQR signed a service contract. All equipment would be maintained by Company XYZ; all hospital employees in the biomedical repair department would need to interview with Company XYZ. My manager did not accept Company XYZ’s offer and I assumed to role of Site Supervisor. Faced with a new challenge, I started to read several business textbooks. Within one year I was officially given the Site Supervisor title and five technicians from three other hospitals reported to me. I was responsible for the training, productivity, and compliance to company and industry policies for these employees. I was responsible for repairing medical equipment as well as generating revenue of $325K per year. As a tribute to my success, I was a winner of the Company XYZ Quality & Compliance Excellence Award in 1998 due to outstanding scores in customer satisfaction survey and maintaining a 35% profit margin. After working for Company XYZ, I was rehired by Company PQR to work on the Y2K Project. I was the Medical Track Subject Matter Expert. My hospital consistently ranked in the top 2% of the 345 Company PQR hospitals for maintaining documentation and meeting or exceeding strict corporate and government goals. In addition to performing upgrades on medical equipment, computer systems, and facilities plant equipment (fire alarm systems and generators), I was on a budget committee responsible for reviewing $11M in Y2K Capital Expense Requests. Using good business decisions, I needed to Y2K reduce expenses by fifty percent without impacting the quality of healthcare the patient receives; I was able to reduce expenses by seventy percent. My current responsibilities with AAA Medical include contract management; I manage $1.5M in medical service contracts throughout North Florida, and South Georgia. To meet the demands of my positions, I have read many business textbooks coving topics such as organization behavior, human resources, project planning, and labor relations Goals First, a bachelor’s degree has become a requirement for most upper management positions. I do have management experience but would not be able to continue on an upward path without the college degree. Secondly, and possibly more important, I do want to earn a masters degree so I can teach. I do have limited teaching experience at a technical school and feel teaching could be an option in the future. Conclusion The biomedical repair industry encompasses basic electronics knowledge, computer networking knowledge, and a fundamental understanding of business. My success is a result of the right combination of these resources.
ACCEPTED[b/] Individualized Studies: Technology and Business I have several reasons for pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Individual Studies. This degree will combine the technical aspects of the biomedical equipment repair industry and the business knowledge needed to manage service contracts, projects, and employees. This concentration plan relies on my past experiences, computer certifications, DANTES and ECE exams, and traditional class work. The Biomedical Equipment Repair Industry The repair of medical equipment is a very specialized field. The biomedical technician must have a technical understanding of electronics, pneumatics, and computer networking as well as an understanding of business. The duties of a biomedical technician include component level troubleshooting of medical equipment, computer network design and repair, service contract analysis, and customer service. The Service of Equipment[\b] As a biomedical technician, I must rely on my knowledge of electronics to repair sensitive medical equipment. The average hospital has over two thousand pieces of medical equipment, and a through understanding of the theories of electronics, pneumatics, and computers is important to successfully repair and maintain equipment. The biomedical equipment and electronics training that I received in the Army as well as the digital electronics classes I completed at DeVry has been essential to successful repairs of equipment. I am often called upon to repair equipment that I have never seen before. Without the training I had received, success in this industry would not be possible. With computers being part of everyday life, most medical equipment is now networked together. The computer certifications I obtained helped me to understand the concepts needed to work with the computer based medical equipment. During a crisis at my hospital, the Cardiac Cath Lab computer would not work, and the company that sold the hospital the system was out of business. A new system at a cost of $300,000 might have been the only solution. As a result of my computer training, I was able to repair the computer system within four hours. This saved the hospital the expense of the new system as well as the lost revenue from the lab being shut down for two weeks while the new system would have been installed. As a tribute to my success, I was a winner of the COMPANY XYZ Quality & Compliance Excellence Award in 1998 due to outstanding scores in customer satisfaction survey and maintaining a 35% profit margin by properly maintaining the equipment in the hospital. The Business Side of the Industry I am currently employed by AAA Medical. I have recently been promoted to Senior Engineer, which is a management position. This new title requires knowledge of business as well as technology. In my new position, I will be responsible for writing technical bulletins for hardware and software corrective actions. My studies in technical writing will prove to be a valuable asset. I will also be assigned to work on and plan large projects and manage employees. My class in project planning and well as an in-depth knowledge of organizational behavior and human resource management has given me the tools necessary to succeed in my new position. Some of the projects I would be involved with include large network installations at the Mayo Clinic, FDA Recalls, and Six Sigma Implementation. One of the projects that I have currently been assigned to involves the installation of a gateway computer at Wake Forest Medical Center. This project will allow only limited patient information to be available to specific surgical departments. I have been selected for this one-year project as a direct result of my knowledge of project planning and knowledge of the book “Project Management Body of Knowledge.” Without the formal knowledge I have gained, I would never be considered for these high-profile projects. Technology and Business come Together Technology is integrated in every aspect of our lives. Having a degree that demonstrates not only one’s technical ability, but also one’s understanding of the business process is critical in today’s marketplace. Many graduates are coming out of college with a computer or technology degree and do not have a firm understanding of the business world. I work with several people who do not understand the business decisions being made around them. With an understanding of these decisions, the employee is better able to help the company meet corporate goals. The business graduate who does not understand technology can be just as ineffective. To design, implement, and maintain technology, the decisions need to be made by knowledgeable management. With an understanding and degree involving business and technology, I feel I would have a greater opportunity to be an effective manager. Goals First, a bachelor’s degree has become a requirement for most upper management positions. I do have management experience but would not be able to continue on an upward path without the college degree. Secondly, and possibly more important, I do want to earn a masters degree so I can teach. I do have limited teaching experience at a technical school and feel teaching could be an option in the future. Conclusion The biomedical repair industry encompasses basic electronics knowledge, computer networking knowledge, and a fundamental understanding of business. My success is a result of the right combination of these resources.
Thanks so much for posting these! Reading them gave me a better idea on what my focus should be. I'm working on how I will incorporate my military experience and education into the essay since I don't have a lot of civilian experience in my favor at the moment (the lack of civilian job experience is actually the biggest motivator for pursuing my degree right now). I will try not to be too disappointed if my first attempt gets rejected!
Tell me you're joking right??? Wow! That is quite lengthy and detailed! I was under the impression that the CPS was just a general overview of your goals and the classes you used to make up the concentration + your resume. And then the Academic Autobiography was the more in-depth & detailed one. I just recieved my official evaluation back and I have started writing my CPS. After looking at yours, it looks like I have some more work to do.... SMALLS
The requirements are different for those who enrolled after July 1, 2004. We only had to write the concentration essay which appears to be completely different from what you are asked to do now. I think it is odd that Randell's first submission was rejected because it sounded like a resume and now they asked for one. When you are working on your last credits, you are now required to write an Academic Biography that covers your degree as a whole. We were not asked to do this or submit a resume. The Biography should be between 750 and 1000 words. I think this is about 3 or 4 pages.
Makes sense, new requirements. I was starting to worry about it. Thanks for your clarification. SMALLS
