With new technologies and a growing number of legislative requirements, the healthcare environment has become more diversified and complex. Within the field of medical services, there is an increasing need for leaders. Career goal setting can be an important aspect of professional development for medical staff professionals. It allows you to identify Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) objectives to work towards, which can help you to stay motivated and focused as you strive to improve your skills and advance your career.
Here are some tips for setting effective goals as a medical staff professional:
- Start by identifying your long-term career objectives. What do you want to achieve in your career, and what steps do you need to take to get there? Do you have the accredited certifications within the industry? Commit to expanding your professional knowledge and become certified through NAMSS (National Association Medical Staff Services) with the CPCS® (Certified Provider Credentialing Specialist) and/or CPMSM® (Certified Professional Medical Services Management) certifications. Obtaining these certifications will assist in career development and peer recognition. MD-Staff offers software certification to progress your professional development, too!
- Break your long-term goals down into smaller, more manageable chunks. This will make it easier to track your progress and stay motivated. Set monthly and quarterly milestones towards your long-term goals. Add weekly calendar reminders to stay on track. Categorize your goals to develop manageable milestones.
- Make your goals specific and measurable. Instead of setting a vague goal like “improve my application processing time,” set a specific goal like “set automatic messaging to increase communication with providers to decrease application processing time by 10%.”
- Make sure your goals are achievable. While it’s important to challenge yourself, setting unrealistic goals can lead to frustration and burnout.
- Make your goals relevant to your current job and career aspirations. This will help you to stay focused and motivated. Set weekly appointments to work towards your goals. If you are striving towards certifications, take time to attend a webinar or a course or two.
- Set a timeline for achieving your goals. This will help you to stay on track and ensure that you are making progress.
- Track your progress regularly and adjust your goals as needed. If you find that you are making faster progress than you anticipated, you may need to set more challenging goals. If you are struggling to meet your goals, you may need to adjust them or find ways to break them down into smaller, more manageable chunks.
Finally, understand the context and the purpose of your goals. Think about how you will feel once you achieve your goals. By setting SMART goals and regularly tracking your progress, you can stay motivated and focused as you work towards your long-term career aspirations.
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