It takes some planning and forethought to achieve your goals. Success is not an accident; it is the result of setting goals and taking appropriate action to achieve those goals.

Real UnderstandingIn order to fully incorporate

concepts related to your profession, most of us have to

revisit physiology, and pathophysiology.

Once you have work experience, you will have a way to classify that information and use it in your practice.

Then you can build on the essential knowledge base and develop mastery of your profession. Once mastery is achieved, then tips and timesaver can be appropriately added.

EssentialsEducational philosophy is

illustrated by the pyramid of success. The bottom layer is

the essentials of practice.

When fully-incorporated, basic concepts make a solid foundation for clinical practice. The Essentials take concepts that you have already learned and use them in different ways to help you classify the information.

In this way, you will be looking for problems where you may not have before. Essentials are high-level content intended to make stronger what you already know and introduce a wide range of material that is essential to your practice.

MasteryThe second level is mastery.

Most healthcare professionals want to “master” their practice.

This doesn’t happen from clinical experience alone.

It is through the experience of planned education and clinical practice that mastery occurs. This is the emphasis of the Mastery – putting it all together.

ExpertAfter mastery is achieved,

appropriate tips and timesavers can be implemented to maintain

a high level of practice. Tips and timesavers make your care

more effective

Too often, many healthcare professionals try to implement expert strategies before mastery and end up achieving the wrong results. A firm base is necessary before fine tuning the practice.

3-D PyramidA pyramid is three-dimensional. A one-dimensional pyramid is

merely a triangle that won’t stand up on its own. Career

development and success are based on turning your triangle

into a three-dimensional pyramid.

For example, once you have mastered a healthcare area you have developed a triangle. In order to achieve success, you must “fill out” your triangle into a pyramid.

This means adding mastery in other areas: cardiac, trauma, pediatrics, etc. Once you have mastered the second area you have two triangles,

More “filling out” has to occur to form a pyramid. Other areas of life must be mastered. This doesn’t mean that you have to master all areas of healthcare, just other areas of life.

Auto mechanics could be one, gardening could be another, and spiritual growth could be another. Mastering only one or two areas of life is rarely fulfilling.

Definition of SuccessSuccess occurs when intellectual,

physical and spiritual growth is sought in an organized and

continuous fashion, with the intent of helping others.

Success is not selfish, nor is it an end in itself.

Success is not monetary, although money will come to the successful person.

Rather, success is the end product of rigorous self-improvement with the intent of being of service to others.

Success can be achieved by setting goals, and working to achieve them. .

“Success is a peace of mind which is a direct result of self – satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.” .. Coach John Wooden