Strategic Change

This article underscores the evolving narratives surrounding healthcare professionals and the increasing demands they face in filling critical gaps within the healthcare system. While these changes present opportunities, they also come with the weight of responsibility.

The narratives for healthcare professionals right now are changing. The demands on professionals to fill gaps are increasing. While on the surface it is an exciting opportunity, we also need to acknowledge that it’s a heavy load to be tasked with responsibilities that will help keep our dumpster fire of a healthcare system afloat.

What it means to be a healthcare professional  is changing.  If we zoom out, we can see that our scope and our responsibilities and the value that we offer to our communities is fluctuating right before our eyes. The changes we have experienced in the past got us to where we are today, but we will need a professional community full of change makers and change handlers to get us to where we need to be tomorrow.

I speak often to healthcare audiences around this country on best practices to strategically navigate big changes and I want to share a few of those tips with you:

Tip #1: Remember how far you have come.

We spend a lot of time focusing on the uphill battles we must face. Sometimes they seem insurmountable. But we can’t lose sight of what has already been conquered. When I graduated pharmacy school in 2009, we were not really expecting to get injection authority, we weren’t talking about prescribing in our training program, we didn’t even focus on interprofessional collaboration in our curriculum, and we certainly were not talking about technological disruption and the threats to brick and mortar pharmacies. In times of uncertainty, practice positive reflection about how far you have already come and pay it forward to help others to recognize just how much they have already conquered. 

Tip #2: Status quo is not an option so let’s build a better future.

We are seeing upheaval, changes in behaviours, restructuring, and technological advancements. We need to find out how to accept and embrace critical changes. We have the chance to pave a new path towards a regenerative practice. We can use this moment in time to assess the pieces of our work and the realities of our profession that no longer serve us well. That are no longer healthy, and which shouldn’t continue. 

The questions become:

“What part of our story are we writing now?”

“Who deserves a change?”

“How can we support the changes?”

We can see the potential for a new identity from healthcare professionals but living up to that new identity is where the hard work is.  

Tip #3: Give Back Autonomy

Most people value autonomy. We aren’t all looking to influence other people, rather we have more of a desire to be free from the influence other people have over us. When people can embrace the steps to change in their own way, in their own time, they can practice more authentically. Remember, the role of a leader is to support people in finding ways that work best for them to reach the finish line. 

The reality is, not everyone in your practice wants the changes that are coming. The changes are not lighting a fire in the hearts of people who feel like they worked tirelessly through the pandemic and now are being rewarded for their good work with more work. 

As healthcare leaders, we need to find ways to give other people hope. When our hearts want to fix the system, but our minds are exhausted we have problems. We need our teams to adapt, adopt new behaviours and systems, but at the core we need to help them WANT change. Not just be willing to change. 

Adapted for general health practices from publications written for Pharmacy Practice + Business magazine:

https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/strategic-change