1. The Professional Mission Statement: Defining Your Career Goals
John D Mahan, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Pediatric Residency Program and Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship Program Director
Assistant Dean for Faculty Development,
The Ohio State University

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

3. The Vision: Key to Defining Your Professional Mission Statement
Identify your personal goals and interests
What do you value?
What does the organization value?
What can you share with mentor and colleagues?
Define your Professional Mission Statement
Will help you address your Vision/Goals
Set Priorities and Enact your Plan
Revisit often / Post in office?
Ensure productivity
Minimize surprises / Maximize satisfaction!

4. Vision vs. Mission Vision Mission
Defines the optimal desired future state - the mental picture - of what you want to accomplish, what the future should be
Provides guidance and inspiration for your mission and efforts in the next 1, 5, 10 years
Is written succinctly, in an inspirational manner
Is useful for sharing with supervisors, mentors and colleagues
Defines your purpose – what you want to be and do in your profession
Answers 3 questions about you:
WHAT you will do
WHO it is for
HOW you will do it
It is written succinctly in one sentence
It is something that you can share with supervisors, mentors and colleagues
Can be used to assess the value of any new activities (asked of you or in your interest)

5. Objectives (at the end of this presentation, the learner will be able to:)
Describe the components of a successful professional development strategy
Develop a basic Professional Mission Statement (PMS) and plan
Clarify your Current Project List to relation to your PMS
Describe the 4/20 Habits for Academic Success
Colleagues
Environment
Successful Style
Citizenship

6. Case of Richard
MD now finishing 3rd year as an Assistant Professor on the Tenure Track
Graduated from a top tier fellowship program with excellent research training and intense desire to continue research career
On service only 2 months a year - great reviews as teacher and clinician
Took longer than expected to get research enterprise (people, resources, local collaborators) up and going – has only one local collaborator
Division Director expects him to focus on his research and publish, submit a large national grant each year and present at national meetings
His productivity has been less than desired but he feels that he is getting momentum now – he spends 8-12 hours each weekend on his research
The Division Director calls him in and explains that he may not qualify for additional internal support due to lack of publications and grant proposals
He needs to submit a NIH grant in the next 6 months – if he does not get a competitive score, his research career will be in jeopardy!
Should he continue to work this hard on his research? What is wrong here? What should he do now? What could have been done earlier?

7. Defining Your Professional Mission Statement
Draft Initial statement.
Refine statement to include why it is so important.
Re-draft statement to include why it is so important to you.

8. Perspective on Developing a Profession Mission Statement…
“Life’s greatest gift is the opportunity to work hard at work worth doing.”
Theodore Roosevelt

9. Professional Mission Statement: Undesirable Examples
To be the best cardiologist I can be.
To be the best faculty teacher of medical students.
To be outstanding in research, clinical care and education.

10. Professional Mission Statement: Desirable Examples
To become an expert in incorporating patient/parent education in improving the care of children with sickle cell disease
To be a leader in the field of developing new anti-cancer compounds for the treatment of patients with leukemia
To be a national leader in developing evidence based education in cardiology training

11. Professional Mission Statement: Desirable Examples
Vision
Professional Mission Statement
Children 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 Nationwide Children’s Hospital
To become an expert in incorporating patient/parent education in improving the care of children with sickle cell disease.
To be a leader in the field of developing new anti-cancer compounds for the treatment of patients with leukemia.

12. Reviewing Your Professional Mission Statement
Present your PMS to your small group (4-6/group).
Listen and suggest improvements to your peer’s PMS drafts.
Discuss several PMS drafts among entire group.

13. Developing Your Current Projects List
List your current working projects.
Rate the degree of congruence (High / Medium / Low) with your PMS for each activity.
Rate the perceived priority of your supervisor for each activity.

14. Reviewing Your Current Projects List
Do you have more “High”s or more “Medium”s and “Low”s?
Review and update each year.
Create and Execute a Plan to replace 1-2 “Low”s or “Medium”s each year.

15. Completing Your Successful Faculty Worksheet
Complete worksheet based on your current habits

16. Perspective on Developing a Successful Career…
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
George Bernard Shaw
Irish playwright

17. Reviewing Your Successful Faculty Worksheet
Do you have more “M”s, or more “S”s and “N”s ???...
Review Each Year
Create and Execute a Plan to Improve in 1-2 Areas Each Year

18. Colleagues
Associate and collaborate with distinguished colleagues in your field
Develop a colleague network which includes senior colleagues, peers, administrators, staff
Collaborate with colleagues on writing, teaching, research and administration
Regularly obtain guidance and feedback from senior colleagues
Maintain regular contact with colleagues both inside and outside institution
Borrow and offer resources

19. Environment
Gravitate toward local peers who are academically productive
Work toward establishing a supportive work climate (colleagues and resources)
Strive to establish >10% protected time for academic pursuits
Strive to establish institutional support for pursuit of topics you deeply value
Strive to ensure your Chair appreciates and values your work

20. Successful Personal Style
Ensure you are productive in your first 5 years
Work in small bursts (on vs. off service)
Pursue several projects simultaneously
Pursue topics of personal interest, consistent with your values and mission
Work with some degree of perceived autonomy
Take risks

21. Citizenship National - Regularly attend national meetings
Regional – Become active in regional and national programs
Local – Become active on medical school and hospital committees, working groups, and curriculum committees
Network with other good citizens to drive your agenda (or their agenda)

22. Final Point: Document Your Accomplishments!
Statement of philosophy on teaching
Teaching/Learner evaluations
Representative syllabi/course materials
Every new committee, work group, assignment
Every journal or granting agency for whom you review
Every publication, abstract, invited presentation
Every grant you have pending or awarded
Update CV Every Month !

23. Aligning Your Mission Reflect on Your PMS 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 you are busy or stressed can you recognize this alignment?

24. Homework Develop and Refine your PMS
Seek input from your Mentor/Supervisor
Re-Visit your PMS with Mentor/Supervisor
Junior faculty: Quarterly
Senior Faculty: Every 6-12 months
Share concerns with your Mentor/Supervisor
Use your Current Projects List as a Guidepost
Move toward “High”s and away from “Low”s
Revisit your Successful Faculty List at least yearly
Intentionally increase your assets
Share with your Mentor/Supervisor
Live your plan !

25. “Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.” Peter Drucker
“Plans are nothing; planning is everything.”
Dwight Eisenhower

26. References
Simpson DE, Fincher RM. Making a case for the teaching scholar Acad Med Dec;74(12):
Umiker W. Developing a mission statement for self and family Health Care Superv Dec;17(2):39-44.
McCurdy FA. Marcdante K. Setting a personal career direction J Cardiovasc Manag 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 Jul;8(3):
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 Medicine
Ed Zalneraitis, MD. Pediatric Program Director, Professor and Associate Dean, University of Connecticut
Willaim E. Smoyer, Vice President and Director, Clinical and Translational Research, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital