Elizabeth H. Kuge, OMS-IV, B.S.

My portfolio showcases everything that I have accomplished since moving to Colorado in July 2018. I love that it not only demonstrates a verbal representation of my endeavors, but also a visual one. It's this aspect that literally illustrates the connections between myself and my experiences. I like that I can add photos, applications, and other widgets to make my portfolio more interactive. I also love the creative freedom I've had with this project, and I like that I can also visually see everything I've done in photos and in words, all on one platform. 

I think my portfolio illustrates my strengths by allowing me to showcase my writing skills and I think it shows how organized I am as a person. I would hope the page is easy to navigate and simple, without too much distraction. I think the photos could come off as excessive, but they're also what make my pages more fun to look at. 

As per weaknesses, the lack of items on my CV (even though I've only completed 1 semester of medical school) shows that I have much to complete prior to starting my residency. The sparseness of my CV is visible when you look at it, which is something I am self-conscious about. However, with the many things I'll be participating in this upcoming semester, I hope to change that! 

Well, I had been keeping track of everything I attended or participated in since I started medical school, which made making my curriculum vitae and finding pictures so much easier. Though I did all of this subconsciously, I was proud of myself for staying organized thus far, since it made this assignment accurate (in regards to dates and whatnot) much easier to complete! 

I think my About Me section is the part that makes me most proud because I was able to write about what brought me to medicine and about my parents a little bit. I'm incredibly proud to come from my Japanese-Korean descent, and even prouder to have had such hardworking, humble parents. Plus, I like the way I added a photographic CV at the bottom; it gives the page a little bit of "oompf". 

Making myself seem interesting. I didn't want to come off as boring, or unorganized, or lazy, so I did my best to put my personality in wherever I thought was appropriate. If my future prospective residency directors saw my page prior to an interview, I would want them to think, "Wow, I really want to meet this girl!" instead of, "eh, this is kind of cookie-cutter". I hope I could make myself stand out by having an amazing portfolio. 

I would hope someone would recognize my sincere personality in this. This project, to me, was not a sarcastic representation of myself, or something I dreaded completing because it was an assignment. I genuinely took the time to look for pictures, write meaningful answers, and represent who I am as a person. I would hope that underneath all the pictures and pretty fonts and color schemes, my viewers would recognize ME as I am. 

I think it definitely portrays that I am responsible, confident, organized, and flexible. I thrive off of creative projects like this, and sometimes assignments like these really inspire me to go above and beyond. I also hope the accomplishments I've written about will highlight my medical experiences in a positive light, and demonstrate how serious I am about pursuing Emergency Medicine. However, I also think this portfolio shows that I have much to learn and lots of space to grow. There is still much I haven't done or experienced, so in that respect, I think it shows I'm ready to take that next step forward. 

On a scale of 1-10, I give my portfolio a 6 because it's still (and always will be) a work-in-progress! Just as a physician never stops learning, and the field of medicine never stops innovating or changing, so my accomplishments will not cease once I finish medical school. There is always room to grow, and always space to improve, so that's why I've given it a 6. 

I think this collection of work does reflect some of my abilities, and it certainly reflects what I have achieved so far. It shows skills I have that can be measured on paper, but doesn't show skills I have that one must experience by seeing me in action... if that makes sense. My curriculum vitae and the About Me sections display what I have achieved thus far, which I am very pleased with! 

I think others would be impressed with the attention to detail and the content, however it all depends on my audience. Another medical student or colleague might say, "Wow, great job, Liz! It looks great!" However, someone else, say a residency program director, who might be actually paying attention to the quality of what I've done, might think I am lacking in areas. I'm always open to constructive criticism though, and would be happy to share just to gauge others' initial reactions.