1. The Professional Mission Statement: Defining Your Career Goals
OSUCOM Center for FAME
John D. Mahan MD
Ryan Nash, MD, MA

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 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/Goals
Enact your Plan
Set priorities!
Ensure productivity – minimize surprises

4. Vision/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 you mission and efforts in the next 1, 5 , 10 or more years
Is written succinctly, in an inspirational manner, and is also 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 and use to assess the value of any new activities (asked of you or in your interest)

5. Defining Your Professional Mission Statement

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

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

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

9. Defining Your Professional Mission Statement

10. Specific Project / Activity
Current Projects List
List your current working projects.
Rate degree of congruence (H, M, L, Not) with your PMS and Perceived Priority of YOUR Supervisor (Division Chief/Department Chair)
Specific Project / Activity
Completion Date
PMS
Supervisor Priority 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
10.

11. Matching Mission Reflect 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?

12. Homework Develop 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!

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

14. 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
Bill Smoyer, MD. VP Clinical and Translational Research, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Professor Pediatrics, OSU COM