You worked hard, earned your certification and started your new career in healthcare. Congrats! Your dedication speaks volumes about your character.
But there's still room to grow. (There's always room to grow.) And if you want to level-up your career, the best person to consult is yourself. Yes, YOU!
“There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.” - Aldous Huxley
Taking time to reflect on your work performance — especially in regards to "soft skills" — can help you identify areas for improvement and give you a solid foundation for achieving your professional goals.
So, where do you start?
We're here to support you before, during and after earning your certification, and we put together a tool to help you create a career plan. A career check-up, if you will, which includes the self-assessment worksheet below to help you take an honest look at your work performance.
Skills Self-Assessment
Take time to reflect on where you feel you are on some essential “soft-skills.” This assessment is for you, so be honest with yourself. The best way to improve a skill is recognizing that you have room to grow and then taking action. Rate yourself on your performance of these skills from 1-5, 1 being “needs improvement” and 5 being “always excellent.”
You’ll use this assessment when you create your career plan on the last page of the free guide to leveling up your healthcare career.
FORWARD-THINKING (1-5)
Do you always go above and beyond to anticipate problems before they even happen? Or do things often sneak up on you or surprise you? Perhaps you are somewhere in the middle — always following protocol and doing exactly what you’re asked to do, no more, no less.
COLLABORATION (1-5)
Do you notice when a teammate needs extra help and jump in? Or do you often avoid anything extra? Maybe you are somewhere in the middle — sometimes you step up and sometimes you don’t.
COMMUNICATION (1-5)
Do you ask questions so you feel confident that you understand the instructions? Do you listen actively to the patients so you can provide them with the best care? Maybe you feel in a rush and cut corners to get things done. Maybe you’re somewhere in between.
PROFESSIONALISM (1-5)
Are you ALWAYS on time ready to start with the correct uniform and information you need to do a great job? Are you treating your coworkers, supervisor, and patients with the kind of respect you’d want to be treated with? Or are you stressed and running to your post at the last possible second?
DETAIL-ORIENTED (1-5)
Do you read every insert/instruction fully before you begin a new task? Do you double check your work/notes? Maybe you feel overwhelmed sometimes and skip a step here or there.
So ... how did you do?
It can be challenging to assess yourself, but don't think of it as negative criticism. The goal isn't to bring you down, the goal is to empower you with the awareness you need to raise you up!
When you're ready to start taking the next steps in your healthcare career, download our free guide, "Check-Up: Your 6 Month Career Plan".
There are always ways to improve your work and become a better team member. We hope you'll use the self-assessment and other resources in the guide to help you improve your daily work and your long-term career.
