The Professional Mission

Statement: Defining Your Career Goals

OSUCOM Center for FAME John D. Mahan MDRyan Nash, MD, MA

12.3.14

Chinese Proverb

If we don’t change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed!

The Vision: Key to Defining Your Professional Mission

StatementIdentify personal goals and interests What do you value? What does the organization value? What can you share with mentor and

colleagues Revisit often ?Post in office

Define your Professional Mission Statement to address your Vision/GoalsEnact your Plan Set priorities! Ensure productivity – minimize surprises

Vision/MissionVision

Defines the optimal desired future state - the mental picture - of what you want to accomplish, what the future should beProvides guidance and inspiration for you mission and efforts in the next 1, 5 , 10 or more yearsIs written succinctly, in an inspirational manner, and is also useful for sharing with supervisors, mentors and colleagues

MissionDefines your purpose – what you want to be and do in your professionAnswers 3 questions about youWHAT you will doWHO it is forHOW you will do itIt is written succinctly in one sentence It is something that you can share with supervisors, mentors and colleagues and use to assess the value of any new activities (asked of you or in your interest)

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Defining Your

Professional Mission

Statement

Professional Mission Statement: Undesirable Examples

PMS: To be the best cardiologist I can bePMS: To be the best faculty teacher of medical studentsPMS: To be outstanding in research, clinical care and education

Professional Mission Statement: Desirable Examples

PMS: To become an expert in incorporating patient/parent education in improving care of children with sickle cell diseasePMS: To be a leader in the field of developing new anti-cancer compounds for treatment of patients with leukemiaPMS: To be a national leader in developing evidence based education in cardiology training

Professional Mission Statement: Desirable Examples

VisionChildren with sickle cell disease will have better clinical outcomes as a result of better patient/parent education

Patients with leukemia will benefit from new anti-cancer drugs developed at OSU

Professional Mission Statement

To become an expert in incorporating patient/parent education in improving care of children with sickle cell diseaseTo be a leader in the field of developing new anti-cancer compounds for treatment of patients with leukemia

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Defining Your

Professional Mission

Statement

Current Projects List

  Specific Project / Activity Completion Date

PMS Supervisor Priority

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10.    

     

1. List your current working projects. 2. Rate degree of congruence (H, M, L, Not) with your PMS and Perceived Priority of YOUR Supervisor (Division Chief/Department Chair)

Matching MissionReflect and Align What motivates your professional mission

statement? Why do you want to do what you want to do? - is this part of a belief, experience, value, etc.?

What is your institutional mission statement? And that of your Department, Division, Center, etc? Usually it is general and allows diversity.

How does your mission statement and underlying values align with that of your institution?

When busy or stressed can you recognize this alignment?

HomeworkDevelop and refine your Professional Mission Statement

Develop your PMS – share with your Supervisor/Boss, with your Mentor within next month

Re-visit your PMS with your Mentor/Supervisor every 6-12 months

Re-visit your Professional Mission Statement quarterly as a junior faculty; at least every 6 months as senior faculty

Share concerns with your supervisor

Create/use your Current Projects List Understanding your projects/priorities

Live your plan!

“Plans are nothing; planning is everything.”

Dwight Eisenhower

“Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.”Peter Drucker

ReferencesSimpson DE, Fincher RM. Making a case for the teaching scholar. Acad Med. 1999 Dec;74(12):1296-9. Umiker W. Developing a mission statement for self and family. Health Care Superv. 1998 Dec;17(2):39-44. McCurdy FA. Marcdante K. Setting a personal career direction. J Cardiovasc Manag. 2003 Mar-Apr;14(2):18-21. Rojas-Guyler L, Murnan J, Cottrell RR. Networking for career-long success: a powerful strategy for health education professionals. Health Promot Pract. 2007 Jul;8(3):229-33.

Thanks!!!Deborah Simpson, Ph.D. Professor, Family and Community Medicine, Associate Dean for Educational Support and Evaluation Medical College of Wisconsin Lewis R. First, M.D. Professor and Chair, Pediatrics, University of Vermont School of MedicineEd Zalneraitis, MD. Pediatric Program Director, Professor and Associate Dean, University of ConnecticutBill Smoyer, MD. VP Clinical and Translational Research, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Professor Pediatrics, OSU COM