Graduate Studies

I am going to address the Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success. I am going to be organized and prepared to succeed in my graduate studies. By doing this I have formulated a plan to succeed in my graduate studies.

I have begun to pursue my graduate studies for several reasons. Furthering my education will prepare me to meet the minimum qualifications of a larger hospital pharmacy director. Most positions require or prefer a Master's degree when applying for a director role. I am always looking to broaden my knowledge base. Education is not everything, but I believe it is a great way to become a well-rounded individual.

I have set several goals. My most important short-term goal I have educational is to finish this Master's program on time. I do not want to take any time off, or have any delays. By obtaining by short-term goal, I will position myself for a long-term goal of become a vice president of a pharmacy services in a hospital system.

One challenge I face in reaching my goals is balancing work, home, and school. I need to focus on all three. I need to function at a higher level in all three. To manage these things effectively, I need to plan and allocate certain time in these areas. I will focus on work at work, and plan time with my family, and time for schoolwork.

Because companies have established their hierarchy of management, retirement, firing, and promotions limit the available open positions. Therefore, I am going to prepare myself as much as I can and learn from my current director to gain as much knowledge and experience that I can with the time I have. This will include taking on additional jobs and responsibilities.

The final challenge I face is the role and expectation of this position. I am much younger than most individuals who hold this position. Because of my age, I fear subordinates will not respect me in this position. I will gain respect through my education and work ethic and that I not only would I be able to function in the director role, but also would also have an effective leadership role through my experiences.

I measure my achievements by goal accomplishments. I also measure achievements by obtaining milestones on the path to reaching these goals. Some examples of quantifiable milestones completed projects, positive references and encouraging recommendations by supervisors.

Communication is one of my strengths as well as one of my weaknesses. I have a tendency to be confident and persuasive with my communication. This is very helpful along with my knowledge and education. Unfortunately, others may view this as arrogance. Once somebody gets to know me and learns that is not my intention, I am fine. Sometimes, until people understand my intention, they question my attitude. I would rather over-communicate than not communicate. People can interpret my confident tone as either, trying to get my point across