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We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com. Back to Healio Key takeaways: Defining a goal requires assessing readiness and using the transtheoretical model of change. Having an effective formula for goal setting can provide calmness, structure and clarity. CHICAGO \u2014 SMART goals \u2014 an approach centered on making objectives specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound \u2014 provide a useful framework for personal growth, a speaker at the Women in Medicine Summit said. However, before setting a SMART goal, physicians should first assess their readiness, confidence and the importance of the goal to improve their chances of success, according to Robyn Tiger, MD, DipABLM, FACLM, founder of StressFreeMD.
Defining a goal requires assessing readiness and using the transtheoretical model of change. Image: Adobe Stock
\u201cIt\u2019s wonderful that we have this model of SMART goals, but when I was coaching other physicians on those, there were lots of times they weren\u2019t effective, and that only made us feel worse,\u201d Tiger told Healio. \u201cIf we jump right into SMART goals and don\u2019t take the smaller steps to identify if we\u2019re even ready, how confident we are and how important this is, then we will most likely not succeed in our goal.\u201d Tiger spoke further about her five-step formula for goal setting that can help users better understand the thoughts behind their efforts, what barriers may hinder successful goal setting and more. Healio: Why is effective goal setting and implementation especially important for women in medicine? Are there any barriers that affect it? Tiger: The biggest barrier is our lack of education in how to successfully implement a goal that we desire, and that goal could be something related to work, health, wellness or anything that we see as something that we\u2019d like to achieve. There\u2019s something called the intention-action gap, where we have the best intentions ever and we can visualize this wonderful outcome, but there\u2019s a gap between us getting there. We have over 60,000 thoughts per day and many on repeat, and we have two key components that really are creating this gap. The first is thoughts that do not serve us. These can be, \u201cI don\u2019t know how to do that. It\u2019s too hard. I tried and I failed before. Others are better than me at doing this thing. Maybe it doesn\u2019t even matter anymore.\u201d The other component is figuring out, \u201cWhere do I even begin?\u201d which is because the lack of structure. Healio: Could you go over your five steps? Tiger: The first step is defining the goal. Ask yourself, \u201cWhere\u2019s my readiness? Am I even ready to do this thing?\u201d Defining a goal also begins with the transtheoretical model of change, which includes: precontemplation, where you are either not believing this applies to you, or you have lack of awareness that you need to change a particular problem, and you\u2019re not planning on making a change in the next 6 months; contemplation, where you\u2019re thinking about making a change in the next 6 months; preparation, where you\u2019re aware you need to make a change and you will make that change in the next month; action, where you\u2019ve started to make changes for less than 6 months but haven\u2019t hit your goal yet; and maintenance, where you\u2019ve made changes for more than 6 months. The second step is where you are in the transtheoretical model of change, and the third step is determining how confident you are on a scale of zero to 10. Research tells us that you need to be at least seven out of 10 in your confidence level to be successful, and if you\u2019re not, that\u2019s where life coaching comes in. The fourth step is determining how important this change is to you, again on a scale of zero to 10. And again, it needs to be at least a seven out of 10 in importance to you to be successful. If not, you need to understand where those thoughts that this isn\u2019t that important to you are coming from. How can we make it important enough so that you will be successful? The fifth step is SMART goals. Healio: How does the formula help users account for the unpredictability of healthcare? Tiger: The only thing constant is change, and just like anything else, healthcare is constantly changing. The biggest change in healthcare right now, I would say, is AI. There\u2019s a lot of AI utilization happening in different realms, and we as physicians are very structured and organized in our thinking. It\u2019s not that things are too hard: it\u2019s that we don\u2019t know how to do them. But when we have structure and an organized way of addressing a situation, including any change that may be coming up in the healthcare world, we are calmer, grounded, clear and have clarity of how to approach it and how to make that change. Healio: If there is one message you want physicians to take away, what is it? Tiger: That there\u2019s nothing wrong with you if you\u2019ve tried and failed at successfully achieving your goals. People get discouraged and it\u2019s so self-deprecating, but what I always like to say is, you don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know, that today is the new day, and that we\u2019re lifelong learners. Once you have the knowledge, structure and formula, you will succeed at what you\u2019re trying to achieve. For more information: Robyn Tiger, MD, DipABLM, FACLM, can be reached at robyntiger@stressfreemd.net. Sources\/Disclosures Source: Tiger R. Make it happen! 5 step formula for effective goal setting and implementation. Presented at Women in Medicine Summit; Sept. 24-26, 2026; Chicago.
Disclosures:
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