SMART Goals
Yanetsi Alayon
St. Thomas University
NUR630 Psychiatry Management II: Clinical
Dr. PetitHomme
May 20th, 2023
Introduction
Professional goals are everything that one hopes to achieve in their career
SMART goals are:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
Professional goals need to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) because having a clear and defined goal helps to increase productivity, track progress and accomplish desired outcomes.
Goals
These are the professional goals that I would like to accomplish during this clinical experience:
To improve my therapeutic communication skills with pediatric population and parents by the end of this class by implementing active listening at least 10 patients per day.
To increase my knowledge of pediatric psychiatric disorders by the end of this class by reading at least one research article of a different disorder related to the field every week.
To improve my diagnostic skills by the end of this rotation by working under preceptorship to diagnose at least 10 pediatric patients per week.
To improve my documentation skills by the end of this class by completing at least 30 patient encounter notes correctly per week in InPlace.
To nurture my knowledge of cultural competency related to pediatric illnesses and non-traditional treatment modalities by attending at least one cultural competency training session per month.
Having professional goals for clinicals helps to develop a clear direction and objectives for the clinical experience, focusing on specific skills and knowledge that need improvement while becoming a professional.
Goal I
I. To improve my therapeutic communication skills with pediatric population and parents by the end of this class by implementing active listening in at least 10 patients per day.
Specific: It targets a specific area of improvement that is, patient therapeutic communication strategies and active listening skills.
Measurable: I can track my progress by requesting feedback on my performance from my preceptor.
I plan to achieve this goal using active listening techniques like:
Build trust and establish a rapport
Use brief verbal affirmative statements like “I understand”, “I see”
Use touch when culturally appropriate
Ask specific questions
Use open ended questions that enhance more details while gathering patient data
Lean towards the person being interviewed
Demonstrate concern
Do not judge the patient under any circumstance (Lee et al., 2022).
While communicating with children:
Use clear, concise, and direct language
Use some toy the kid like to get them to open up
If the kid is a toddler, give 2 options to choose
Repeating the question as needed
Constant re-direction as needed
Try to achieve sustained eye contact (Lee et al., 2022).
Improving my communication skills as a provider is important for building trust and rapport with patients, promoting effective treatment outcomes, and enhancing patient satisfaction which could be a way to measure and evaluate my performance towards meeting this goal (Lee et al., 2022).
Goal I Cont.
Achievable: Involves a realistic and manageable amount of work.
Realistic: Aligns with my clinical duties and skills for this class. which I need to master and is not overly ambitious.
Time-bound: Has a specific time frame (from now to the end of the class).
– Achievable: This goal is achievable as it involves a realistic and manageable amount of work.
– Realistic: This goal is realistic as it aligns with my clinical duties and is not overly ambitious.
– Time-bound: The goal has a specific time frame of the duration of this class clinical rotation
Goal II
II. To increase my knowledge of pediatric psychiatric disorders by the end of this class by reading at least one research article of a different disorder related to the field every week.
Specific: Targets a specific area of expertise for my daily practice (pediatric psychiatric disorders).
Measurable: I can track my progress by counting the number of research articles I read, how I see them reflected, and implement my learnings on my daily practice, evaluating my patients’ outcome.
Increasing knowledge of psychiatric pediatric disorders helps in providing better healthcare for children, allowing for early diagnosis, timely treatment, and improved outcomes.
– Specific: The goal is specific as it targets a specific area of knowledge, i.e., pediatric psychiatric disorders.
Measurable: The goal is measurable as I can track my progress by counting the number of research articles I read and its impact on my daily practice.
How will I achieve my goal:
I will choose, read, and research scientific, peer-reviewed, evidence-based practice journal articles from trusted sources (Oxman & Paulsen, 2019).
Goal II Cont.
Achievable: It involves a realistic and manageable amount of work.
Realistic: It aligns with this class learning outcomes and is not too ambitious.
Time-bound: Has a specific time frame of the duration of this pediatric clinical rotation.
– Achievable: This goal is achievable as it involves a realistic and manageable amount of work.
– Realistic: This goal is realistic as it aligns with my clinical duties and is not overly ambitious.
– Time-bound: The goal has a specific time frame of the duration of my clinicals.
Goal III
III. To improve my diagnostic skills by the end of this rotation by working under preceptorship to diagnose at least 10 pediatric patients per week
Specific: Targets a specific area of improvement (diagnostic skills).
Measurable: I can track my progress by counting the number of pediatric patients I diagnose under my preceptor supervision.
Improving diagnostic skills is essential for correct and accurate diagnosis of illnesses, minimizes chances of wrong diagnoses and provides direction for prompt and effective treatment (Maj, 2020).
– Specific: The goal is specific as it targets a specific area of improvement, i.e., diagnostic skills.
Measurable: The goal is measurable as I can track progress by counting the number of patients I diagnose, always under my preceptor’s supervision and using her feedback for accuracy which is how I plan to achieve it and evaluate the implementation.
Goal III Cont.
Achievable: It is achievable in the amount of time given.
Realistic: Aligns with my clinical expectations for this course and is not overly ambitious.
Time-bound: Has a specific time frame of the duration of this class clinical practice (from now to the end of the class).
– Achievable: This goal is achievable as it involves a realistic and manageable amount of work.
– Realistic: This goal is realistic as it aligns with my clinical duties and is not overly ambitious.
– Time-bound: The goal has a specific time frame of the duration of my clinicals.
Goal IV
IV. To improve my documentation skills by the end of this class by completing at least 30 patient encounter notes correctly per week in InPlace
Specific: Targets a specific area of improvement that is documentation skills.
Measurable: I can track my progress by counting the number of progress notes I complete correctly per week.
Documentation in pediatric psychiatry is important for tracking patients' progress, making informed decisions, and ensuring continuity of care even when there is a change in providers (Gajera et al., 2019).
– Specific: The goal is specific as it targets a specific area of improvement, i.e., documentation skills.
Measurable: The goal is measurable as I can track my progress by counting the number of progress notes I complete per patient.
I plan to implement what my professor, Dr. PetitHomme, explained were the expectations for documentation of patients’ encounters in InPlace for this class. Her grading and feedback will measure and evaluate my performance.
Goal IV Cont.
Achievable: Involves a realistic and doable amount of work and effort.
Realistic: It aligns with my clinical objectives and expectations for this class.
Time-bound: A specific time frame is set from the beginning to the end of this pediatric psychiatric rotation.
– Achievable: This goal is achievable as it involves a realistic and manageable amount of work.
– Realistic: This goal is realistic as it aligns with my clinical duties and is not overly ambitious.
– Time-bound: The goal has a specific time frame of the duration of this class clinical practice.
Goal V
V. To nurture my knowledge of cultural competency related to pediatric illnesses and non-traditional treatment modalities by attending at least one cultural competency training session per month
Specific: Targets a specific area of knowledge which is my cultural competency and its impact on my practice.
Measurable: I can track my progress by counting the number of cultural competency training sessions I attend, and the efficacy after the implementation of the knowledge acquired.
– Specific: The goal is specific as it targets a specific area of knowledge, i.e., cultural competency.
Measurable: The goal is measurable as I can track my progress by counting the number of cultural competency training sessions I attend per month.
How I plan to achieve it:
Being more culturally aware of the different non-traditional treatments or believes of diverse ethnic populations, and their specific approach to cope, deal, and treat certain illnesses. This will enable me as provider with a way to incorporate patient’s perception and choices in the plan of care, as much as possible and when it is safe to do it. This way, patients feel their autonomy is preserved, when possible, and enhance compliance with the treatment plan.
For instance, for a Chinese family, having a mental ill family member, in this case a kid, brings shame towards the whole family since this person is not able to develop the role assigned, and they will not be seen as an honorable family no more. They believe illnesses of any kind is a manifestation of Yin (evil, darkness and negativity) and treat their children with massages, acupuncture and herbal supplements rather than using western medicine (Ho et al., 2022).
I evaluate my performance through patient’s feedback.
Cultural competency is essential in pediatric psychiatry to provide care that is sensitive and responsive to the unique cultural experiences and needs of patients and their families, ensuring effective communication, collaboration, and the provision of the most appropriate treatment possible (Ho et al., 2022).
Goal V
Achievable: It is realistic and possible to do it in the time frame given.
Realistic: It is relevant because it aligns with this class learning objectives.
Time-bound: Has a specific time frame of the duration of the 6 weeks this class lasts (by the end of this clinical rotation).
– Achievable: This goal is achievable as it involves a realistic and manageable amount of work.
– Realistic: This goal is realistic as it aligns with my clinical duties and is not overly ambitious.
– Time-bound: The goal has a specific time frame of the duration of my clinicals.
References
Gajera, G., Srinivasa, P., Ameen, S., Gowda, M. (2019). Newer documentary practices as per mental healthcare act 2017. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 61(4), 686-692. https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_110_19
Ho, E. J., Leung, G., Lauer, B., Jih, J., & Karliner, L. (2022). Complementary and integrative healthcare communication in Chinese American patient / primary care visits: An observational discourse analysis. PEC Innovation, 1(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecinn.2022.100082
Lee, T., Lin, E. C., & Lin, H. C. (2022). Communication skills utilized by physicians in the pediatric outpatient setting. BMC Health Services Research, 22(993), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08385-5
Maj, M. (2020). Beyond diagnosis in psychiatric practice. Annals of General Psychiatry, 19(27), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-020-00279-2
Oxman, A. D., Paulsen, E. J. (2019). Who can you trust? A review of free online sources of “trustworthy” information about treatment effects for patients and the public. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 19(35), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-019-0772-5
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