How to Set and Achieve your Professional Goals
In the CSMLS membership survey, there was overwhelming feedback about increased workload and lack of time for professional development. In our fast-paced world we are all feeling a time crunch. With conflicting priorities, it can be difficult to sort between your current tasks and know what you can push aside.
Too often, one thing that gets pushed aside is professional development. Most provincial regulators require medical laboratory technologists (MLTs) to complete a certain amount of mandatory continuing education each year in order to maintain competence. This makes setting and reaching professional development goals a high priority.
Your personal professional development plan should indicate the learning you need to accomplish and improve your practice as a medical laboratory professional as well as any goals you will need to achieve to further your career.
To be successful in any career it’s imperative to set goals, make a plan and schedule a timeline to achieve them. This plan should be visual and tangible; one you can see and make changes to regularly. Goal setting will allow you to know if you are succeeding. Did you achieve your goal in the time you intended? If yes, great work! Set some new goals and reach those too. If not, don’t panic. Look at your goal and the obstacle(s) standing in the way. Find a way to overcome the obstacle and move on.
Not sure where to start? Here are some rules of goal setting:
- SET GOALS THAT MOTIVATE YOU
If you’re not interested in the goal, it is less likely you will find the time or put in the work required to accomplish it. Write down why it’s important to you and remind yourself about it when you start to push it aside. It could be as simple as “I need to finish this course to keep my license.” It’s amazing how motivating your paycheque can be. - SET SMART GOALS
This is likely something you have already heard of. For goals to be valuable they should be designed with the acronym SMART in mind.- Specific: Clear and well defined. What is it and how will you get there?
- Measurable: A certificate or precise change in behaviour or something that shows you have succeeded.
- Attainable: Not too easy, not too hard. Keep in mind work and other commitments and set a realistic time to get there.
- Relevant: Stick to your focus. Want to move up in the lab? What do you need to get there?
- Time bound: Set a deadline. If there is no particular date set, you will continue to find excuses and put other things ahead of it.
- WRITE THEM DOWN
Write them somewhere visible that you will see often. Make them tangible; maybe even get creative with a vision board. - MAKE AN ACTION PLAN
Now that you have figured out your goals, you will need to figure out the exact steps to get you there. There will likely be a few steps needed to get from start to finish so write them down and do them. Cross them out as you accomplish each one. - DON’T GIVE UP!
Revisit your goals and action plan often. Make adjustments to keep yourself on track. Life happens and things change. It’s okay to shift your plan as you go, just make sure you’re not making adjustments because you just didn’t “get around to it”. Maybe your plan needs a few more steps than you first realized. Make the necessary adjustments and stick with it.
If you are in a regulated province, make sure you are following the rules and expectations set out by your college when setting your learning goals and plans.
With a little planning, your professional success is within reach. Remember to keep your goals attainable and to revisit your progress regularly.
Professional Development Goal Setting Template
Learn about professional development across the country at csmls.org in “Resources and Policies” under the Professional Development tab.
Reference: www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_90.htm Last accessed: December 8, 2016