Question
How can you apply the PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) cycle to improve your career?
Answer
I have a younger brother who had the Super Nintendo. I was a big fan. If you played Super Mario Brothers, remember when he would get the power star, he would be invincible for 10 seconds. He could knock everything and do all that he wanted to do. My point is that when we are motivated, we learn something new. When you are motivated, know that it lasts only for a couple of days. It does not last long.
You have to apply it. Here is a good way. I actually call this a life hack, the PDSA cycle in Figure 1. The PDSA is a quality improvement technique, a method. Basically, I make a lot of quality improvements. This is where we are because we want to do better, but what do we need to do? Those are the things that we are looking at. The PDSA is to plan, do, study, and act. We are actively focused on trial and error. That is all it is. You are tailoring it as you go. Plan, do, study, act. I really use this for almost everything in life. It is amazing.
Adapt, be adaptable, and welcome change. When I took a management position, this was something that even I struggled with in the beginning. I did not know how quickly things changed when it comes to management. You trickle down information from the higher-ups, and you have to quickly be able to find a way to deliver that to your team. This was something that I had to learn to unlock even my own power within my career and be an adaptable welcome change. Change is always coming, and nothing stays the same forever. Do you understand what I am saying? We have to find ways to be adaptable and welcome the changes. Look what happened with COVID. That is a prime example of change coming and having to roll with it.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, The Power of You: Unlocking Purpose Within Your Career, presented by Linda Nozart, MPH, BSRT, RRT, AE-C.
