[Pa24] Dean's Dispatch January 2023

Wed Jan 4 09:53:12 EST 2023

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Happy New Year CPHS Colleagues and Students (who will soon be Colleagues)!

I hope that everyone had a pleasant Christmas break and was able to spend some time in reflection on the past year and in preparation for the year to come.  The academic cycle is one of rhythms that start with the newness of each semester, progress to the challenge of the first round of tests and ends with a flurry of activity to close out the term.  As we begin 2023 at CPHS, we are continuing to learn and grow as professionals to accomplish the university mission of preparing ourselves for purposeful lives and meaningful service as well as fulfill the CPHS vision of being nationally distinguished, locally engaged educators and professionals transforming healthcare together.  The start of the semester provides a new opportunity to reflect on the process of becoming a professional and how we travel this journey together.  I ask that you take a few minutes at the start of this semester to explore what it means to learn your way into your profession.

What does it look like to learn your way into your profession?  Quite simply it means that both our students and our professors have the unique opportunity and privilege to make continuous professional growth a priority.  Together, we celebrate the successes and learn from the failures.  We learn to depend on fellow students, colleagues, and mentors to strengthen professional skills.  We intentionally take time to reflect on situations and determine effective and productive outcomes.  We learn what works and embrace innovation, humility, resilience, diversity, and collaboration.  These are all skills and values that make CPHS a unique and special place.

Learning and preparing for service as a professional requires the acquisition of the prerequisite knowledge and skills.  It is difficult, if not impossible, to serve in most any capacity without the required knowledge and/or skills.  While the learning process may be difficult, often this knowledge and skill acquisition is one of the easiest parts of the educational and professional development process.

This expertise is relatively easy to access with tests, OSCEs, etc.  The simple acquisition of knowledge and skills alone does not make us professionals but rather it is the combination of knowledge and skills with the continuous process of developing and refining the professional attitudes and behaviors that define us as professionals.  Invest in your growth, by this I mean to invest in high-impact personal and professional development activities to enhance our capacity to serve not only our students but our colleagues and our communities.

The desired knowledge and skills for each profession are clearly defined in learning objectives for each course within the curriculum and scores provide us a clear benchmark for our proficiency in the subject.  Attitudes and behaviors are more abstract than skills and knowledge but are just as critical to your success in your chosen profession.  These attitudes and behaviors are a significant part of how you learn your way into your profession.

Please consider the following attitudes and behaviors as you commit yourself to a bright new year full of opportunities to learn your way into your profession:

  *   In choosing to embrace professions of healthcare service, you must accept you are held to a higher standard than others in the community – your integrity, behavior, and interactions with others must always be above reproach – “learn your way”
  *   Practicing now to be the professional you aspire to be provides you a tremendous advantage for engagement in the real world – learn your way
  *   Every single human being – despite differences, disagreements, and disabilities -- deserves respect, kindness, and grace; anything less than this is unacceptable – learn your way
  *   Treating others as you would want to be treated is always the right way – learn your way

Just a few thoughts as we begin again – some reminders of what it means to be and become professionals who can offer help and healing in this hurting world.  As faculty and students in professional programs, it is important that we remember these attitudes and behaviors and help each other continuously grow and develop our professional approach.

Happy New Year!  In 2023, let’s all continue our professional journey and learn our way into our professions together!

Best regards—Michael

Michael L. Adams, PharmD, PhD | Campbell University
Dean, College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
205 Day Dorm Rd, Room 101
PO Box 1090
Buies Creek, NC  27506

•: 910.893.1686 |•: adamsm at campbell.edu<mailto:adamsm at campbell.edu>

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