"Kuliah Lagi!" Series (1): Menulis Study Plan dan Autobiography

Alhamdulillah tahun ini saya diberi kesempatan untuk melanjutkan studi master, dimana jika tidak ada halangan insya Allah saya akan berangkat ke Taiwan bulan September. Saya mendapat admission offer dari 2 universitas di Taiwan, yakni National Cheng Kung University (Department of Nursing, College of Medicine) dan Taipei Medical University (Graduate Institute of Nursing). Kedua universitas tersebut sangat baik. National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) menempati posisi kedua universitas terbaik di Taiwan, sedangkan Taipei Medical University (TMU) masuk dalam 100 besar sekolah kedokteran terbaik di dunia. Dengan tingkat persaingan yang sangat kompetitif dengan kandidat dari seluruh dunia, saya merasa amat beruntung dan bersyukur diberi kesempatan oleh para reviewer.

Dalam sederet persyaratan untuk mendaftar program tersebut, salah satunya adalah menulis study plan atau rencana studi. Menulis study plan gampang-gampang susah, yang jelas proses ini tidak bisa langsung selesai dalam satu atau dua hari (kalau saya gitu sih, karena berdasarkan pengalaman, begitu selesai menulis dan dibaca kembali, ada saja yang harus direvisi, ditambahi di sini dan dikurangi di sana, hahaha). Setidaknya, inilah poin-poin yang harus ada dalam study plan kita:

Latar belakang masalah: Pilihlah satu topik yang menjadi minat atau fokus utama penelitian dalam studi kita nantinya. Paparkan latar belakang masalah mengapa topik tersebut penting untuk dipelajari atau diteliti.

Latar belakang pelamar: Tuliskan latar belakang pendidikan sebelumnya dan minat kita terhadap bidang tertentu. Paparkan pula kegiatan sebelumnya (skripsi, praktikum, atau pengabdian masyarakat) yang erat kaitannya dengan topik atau fokus utama penelitian kita. Disini kita nyatakan secara jelas bahwa hal-hal tersebut membuat kita “makin penasaran” untuk belajar lebih lanjut atau menggali lebih dalam tentang topik atau fokus utama penelitian kita. Dan ohya, kegiatan di luar pembelajaran juga menjadi pertimbangan para reviewer. Universitas-universitas terbaik di dunia biasanya menginginkan para mahasiswanya melakukan kegiatan yang bermanfaat untuk orang lain, tidak hanya tahu caranya belajar saja. Hehe.

Fakta di Indonesia: Berhubung universitas tujuan saya adalah universitas di luar negeri, saya menuliskan sedikit “fakta di lapangan” yang berhubungan dengan topik yang saya pilih. Reviewer akan tertarik membaca tentang apa yang terjadi di Indonesia, dan secara tidak langsung ini akan menunjukkan sejauh mana penguasaan kita terhadap topik yang kita pilih, yang kaitannya dengan aplikasi topik tersebut di Indonesia.

Apa yang ingin dipelajari? Mari kita mencari alasan...eh, kelebihan, haha. Tidak hanya kelebihan universitas yang dituju, namun juga negara tujuan. Kenapa sih ingin belajar di sana? Ada apanya? Saran saya jika ingin melanjutkan ke universitas di luar negeri, jangan hanya membuka website universitas yang bersangkutan dan menulis “ingin mempelajari mata kuliah A, B, C” saja, tapi bukalah juga website pemerintah, bacalah berita-berita di media massa negara tersebut, pelajari fenomena sosial yang ada, dan refleksikan dalam tulisan kita. Dengan demikian alasan kita untuk pergi ke negara tersebut akan jauh lebih kuat.

Rencana penelitian: Tuangkan dalam satu paragraf yang padat dan jelas, apa yang akan kita teliti. Metode penelitian. Outcome yang diharapkan.

Outcome pembelajaran: Buat tujuan jangka pendek dan jangka panjang.

Ide untuk menulis study plan bisa datang dimana saja. Saran saya, jangan menunda untuk segera menuliskannya. “Aha!” moment itu biasanya akan lebih mudah berkembang jika segera ditindaklanjuti. Setelah study plan jadi,  jangan ragu meminta tolong teman untuk nge-proof reading, baik dari segi konten maupun tata bahasa. Dan berikut ini adalah study plan yang saya tulis. Saya masih sangat amat pemula buanget, jadi study plan ini meskipun sudah melalui proses kontemplasi, riset yang cukup lama, dan proof reading, memang masih terlihat cupu. Ahaha. Semuanya butuh proses. Mari kita belajar bersama-sama.

Breastfeeding has long been recognized as the optimal method for infant feeding. The promotion and support of breastfeeding is an important child-survival intervention and becomes a global priority. World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age to achieve optimum growth, and it is suggested to give the breastmilk continuously until 2 years of age, accompanied by appropriate additional food.

My previous education was Nursing Science with special interest in maternal health; children’ growth and development; health promotion and preventive care; and health education and counseling. Based on my bachelor thesis research, I learned a lot about the importance of health education to improve breastfeeding knowledge and skills. I have also been much involved in community service to carry out socialization and mentoring program about exclusive breastfeeding management for community health workers in many villages in Yogyakarta. From then I have been thinking of how lack of breastfeeding knowledge and counseling skills by community health workers has been linked to the low precentage rate of breastfeeding.

In Indonesia, community health workers are the health functionary closest to the community. They are persons chosen by the community and trained to deal with health problems of individuals and community as well as being a liaison between the community and health services. Currently, Indonesia is experiencing a shortage of trained community health workers in knowledge and skills.

In my later study at Master of Science in Nursing in Taipei Medical University, I would like to deepen my knowledge about health skills development (such as health literacy and health communication) as it is stated in the vision and strategies of health promotion by Bureau of Health Promotion, Department of Health Taiwan. I expect to explore Taiwan’s national programs to promote breastfeeding; including promoting breastfeeding awareness of the public through mass media and providing a community empowerment conducive to breastfeeding through home visits by counselors, instructors, and volunteers.

There have been many researches about educational intervention on general practitioners, pediatricians, nurses, nutritionists, and pediatric residents. My later research will emphasize on delivering health education to improve breastfeeding knowledge and counseling skills for community health workers with most of them do not have a specific background in medical or healthcare field. The health education should include, but not only limited to: the importance of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding, lactation maintenance, practical demonstration of attachment, suckling, and breastfeeding management for working mothers. Conducted by appropriate research methods, I humbly expect that the result of my later research can enrich the method of breastfeeding promotion in Indonesia as well as in Taiwan.

During my stay and study period in Taiwan, I also plan to increase my ability in Chinese language and enrich my knowledge about Chinese culture, since I have also been engaged in transcultural communication in community setting. As for the length of time, I am planning to complete my degree in Master of Science in Nursing – TMU in two years (until mid 2016). During these two years, I will do my best effort to finish my study on time, without ignoring the quality of my research and study.

Ada yang menyatukan study plan dan autobiography menjadi satu dengan nama letter of motivation. Sama saja. Di autobiography kita bisa lebih bebas menunjukkan siapa diri kita, apa yang telah kita lakukan (dan hasilkan) dan apa relevansinya dengan program studi yang akan diambil. Berikut contoh autobiography saya:

I intend to pursue a master degree in Nursing Science at Taipei Medical University with focus on health promotion. I find the theme challenging since the focus of health promotion activities is the concept of partnership and empowerment.In Indonesia, community empowerment is still putting people as objects, not as subjects of health development. Active public role in the community health development tends to decline.

My experiences in health promotion began during my bachelor study in Indonesia. I took several courses; namely community nursing, maternity nursing, and social sciences and health issues, which deeply influenced the decision of my bachelor thesis’ topic entitled "Effect of health education using audiovisual media to increase of knowledge on breastfeeding management at Posyandu of Baciro, Gondokusuman, Yogyakarta municipality”. I set an intervention tool to improve knowledge in breastfeeding management. Some of the research findings were then arranged into a practical guidebook for breastfeeding mothers published by ANDI Publisher in 2011.

Following my interest in health promotion, after I graduated in 2011, I was involved in health promotion and community empowerment program under the annual agenda of Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta. I worked in a team to establish a pilot project of "healthy village" in a rural area where the community successfully managed local resources to improve health outcome in some work areas, such as: nutrition enhancement; diarrhea management; healthy lifestyle and hygienic behavior; and breastfeeding promotion, which I engaged the community health workers to improve their knowledge in breastfeeding. Besides, I also accompanied them while doing home visits to observe when they provided health education and counseling service, to ensure skills improvement as well.

During my nurse education in 2012, I was chosen as an exchange student in University of Borås, Sweden for 6 months. Since I mostly worked in community setting where most of my former patients were immigrants, I had the opportunity to demonstrate intercultural nursing care. I also gained knowledge about health promotion and preventive care to several cases of children’ growth and development and non-communicable diseases, mostly in hypertension.

In 2013, I participated in the screening service and health promotion project to prevent non-communicable diseases (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and rheumatoid arthritis). Realizing that hypertension is also a major risk factor for cardiovascular burden and mortality in Indonesia, it then led me to conduct a research entitled “The prevalence and risk factors of hypertension of rural population in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: A cross-sectional study” which was presented at The International Conference on Pharmaceutical, Medical, and Health Sciences in Bangkok, Thailand. Also in 2013, I participated in The 3rd Women Deliver Global Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In this three-day conference, I learned a lot from the leaders, government representatives, non-governmental organizations, academics and public figures about comprehensive, integrated package of girls and women empowerment in order to improve health outcomes and wellness status.

For me, along with three affiliated hospitals, Taipei Medical University is known for its excellent reputation both in patient care and research, and having a strong implementation of research findings in clinical services. With humanitarianism and sustainability among its core values put Taipei Medical University to be a great place for pursuing master study and research.

After finishing my master degree, besides applying as a lecturer in university in Indonesia, I would like to work in the research area of health promotion and preventive care. As well as in the long term I would like to contribute to the efforts in stimulating the Indonesian government to pay more attention to research as a basis for community nursing care’s quality improvement.

Well, selamat menulis study plan dan autobiography masing-masing!