Set Goal, Plan, Achieve, Repeat

Published: April 13, 2021

Whats with that inner voice that rouses us out of complacency and urges us to try something new?

Alyssa Schmidt cant explain it, but she knows to listen.

• After eight years as a physical therapist assistant she felt moved to complete her bachelors degree through the Organizational Leadership program at Greenville College.
• Seven years later she felt moved again to trade physical therapy for coordinating safety and quality improvements at the hospital where she worked.
• After developing leadership skills and pursuing her black belt in Lean Six Sigma methodologies, she followed her heart again and enrolled in GCs masters in management program.

My goal was to continue advancing within hospital administration, she recalls, ultimately to become one of the directors.

After she graduated, Alyssa was promoted to manager of patient outcomes and medical staff affairs. Soon an opportunity came her way to take another step up and serve as director of compliance and medical staff affairs.

Goal met.

Alyssa offers these insights to others who see an advanced degree as the ticket to moving up.

• About back-to-school jitters Work experience gave me an advantage as a student. I was able to draw on past experiences and apply new knowledge to work situations throughout the coursework.
• About back-to-school as a mom I realized that with the taxi mom stage of life I was in, the online platform was really the only way that I would have been able to complete my degree.
• About forging relationships with classmates online When you are in class with most of the same people throughout the program, you really get to understand each other and begin to connect through mutual sharing of work-life experiences.
• About using what she learned to improve processes in the emergency department of the hospital where she worked I was [able to] make drastic improvements, which directly impacted patient care, safety and satisfaction.
• About valuable skills she acquired along the way Change management was one of the greatest things we learned that helped me in my position. Few people like change, good or bad. The strategies for mitigating resistance to change, gaining staff engagement/buy-in, and implementing lasting change were very beneficial.

Click here to learn more about GCs masters in management program.

Click here to learn more about career-enhancing degrees:

Back to School Just a Little Later in Life: Five Keys to Making It Work

Growing a Business by Degrees

The One-Year MBA

MBA in Human Resource Management

MBA in Nonprofit Management

Master of Arts in Education Coaching Completely Online