With the arrival of 2025, there’s no better time to channel those “new year, new you” vibes into crafting career goals. Setting goals is a powerful way to keep your work engaging, unlock new opportunities, and find fulfilment in your current role. As pharmacists, we know this process isn’t just good practice—it’s part of professional development and an AHPRA requirement.
This year, let’s make those aspirations a reality by setting SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Following this structure ensures your objectives are clear, actionable, and realistic within a set timeframe. So grab your pen and paper—let’s brainstorm and turn 2025 into your best career year yet!
Step 1: Brainstorm Your Interests
Start with an open mind and a blank page. Write down anything that piques your interest, whether it’s super specific or a broad idea. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Some examples include: something you’ve seen a colleague achieve, an interesting topic you’ve overheard in conversation or an idea from your imagination. Don’t filter yourself at this stage—just let the ideas flow!
Step 2: Focus on the Top Three
Once you’ve brainstormed a list, grab a highlighter and identify the three most exciting or important ideas. These will be your focus areas for the year.
Why three? Because while your brain excels at generating ideas, it struggles with juggling too many at once. By narrowing your focus, you can consolidate your energy and give each goal the attention it deserves. If you tend to get easily distracted, start with just one.
Step 3: Turn Interests into SMART Goals
Now it’s time to turn those highlighted topics into actionable SMART goals. Here’s an example:
Goal Idea: An interest in cardiology and managing chronic conditions.
SMART Goal Example:
- Specific: Develop a quality improvement project at work to educate community members on managing cardiac conditions, targeting patients who’ve experienced a myocardial infarction.
- Measurable: Create a post-session survey to evaluate participant progress and gather feedback.
- Achievable: Research similar programs, consult colleagues, and assess available government funding or resources.
- Relevant: Look into data on readmission rates after a first myocardial infarction and medication misadventures, supported by anecdotal patient feedback.
- Time-Bound: Set milestones, like finalising the project proposal by March, launching sessions by June, and reviewing outcomes in December.
Whether your goals are big projects like this or smaller commitments like completing one CPD activity per week or reading a research article every fortnight, defining them SMARTly will help you stay on track.
Step 4: Start Small, Think Big
Not every goal has to be elaborate. Small, consistent efforts add up over time. Here are some simpler examples:
- Attend one pharmacy conference this year
- Undertake a set number of rural locum shifts
- Read one new journal article per fortnight
These incremental achievements contribute to your growth while keeping things manageable.
Step 5: Reflect and Share
As you set your goals for 2025, take a moment to reflect on what worked (or didn’t) in 2024. Learning from your past helps refine your approach and fuels future success.
We’d love to hear about your goals for the new year or your reflections on the past one. Share your aspirations in the comments, and let’s inspire each other to make 2025 the year of career progression and personal fulfilment!