I have always believed that it’s important to keep learning. I have also come to realize the value of lessons learned through life experiences. After completing any step along the formal education path, there is always the challenge of being able to retain and effectively apply what was learned. That same concept holds true with the lasting impact from life experiences. Just as each student retains different pieces of information from a lecture or reading assignment, each significant event in life may leave a different impression on every individual who shared in the experience. Have you ever thought about why people remember things differently?
Has there been a time that you remember vivid details of an event, yet another person who was with you the whole time cannot even remember that he or she was there? If it’s a spouse or significant other, we may write it off as them intentionally having selective memory (just like selective hearing) and not think much about it, right? There are other times, though, where it doesn’t seem possible that someone could completely forget what someone else perceived as a memorable event.
Do you know what factors are involved in determining whether something will be retained or forgotten? According to one publication on the Study of Intelligence from the Central Intelligence Agency, “the contents of memory form a continuous input into the analytical process, and anything that influences what information is remembered or retrieved from memory also influences the outcome of analysis.” I understand that to state that if you have a positive experience when a memory happens, it will be a positive experience when you retrieve the memory, or vice versa. You remember based on what has meaning to you.
I started doing some random, informal research into the factors required to create “meaning” within any situation. Terms that surfaced frequently include: substantive, of value, important, make a difference, have influence, and affect. My findings can be summarized with a simple statement. People must care about something for it to have meaning to them, and they will only remember things they care about.
Now translate that to the requirements for achieving success within the HTM profession. If you are part of the HTM profession, regardless of your specific role, you had to learn at least a few things to get to this point. It is reasonable to expect that you will have to continue to learn if you want to be effective in this profession in the future, and it will probably be helpful if you retain at least a portion of what you learn along the way. My recommendation is to direct your energy toward an end goal that will have lasting meaning for you, and not be distracted by aspects of the journey that may be less rewarding. Focus on the aspects of the role that you care the most about, and remember what is required to ultimately be successful in that role.
Let me explain what I mean by using a correlating example. I have remembered some specific details from my past experiences that I am not sure I actually cared about, like the formulas that are still bouncing around in my head from my college classes. I don’t think I had any feelings toward the formulas, but in retrospect I realize that I cared about passing the classes so I could graduate and find a meaningful job. Learning those formulas was a necessary task to make that possible, so I cared about them in an indirect manner.
Within the HTM profession, there are some tasks that we may not enjoy. Most of us dislike the requirements for documenting our activities, and many of us are uncomfortable when we have to communicate directly with the users of the equipment when they are displeased about an equipment related situation. In the course of delivering service, there are times of frustration when parts are not delivered on time, or when an intermittent failure eludes our best troubleshooting efforts.
For those in management roles, perhaps the challenge of dealing with budget constraints or regulatory requirements is overshadowing the joy that comes from seeing the professional growth of your team members. We all have days like those, where there are more frustrations than rewards, but we keep working toward that end goal of being successful, of overcoming whatever the challenges are that we face along the way. We are in this profession because we care, directly or indirectly, about doing things of value and making a positive difference for our customers and the patients we serve. That is what it means to be an HTM professional.
Disclaimer Notice: All comments, ideas, opinions or suggestions expressed herein are those of the author and are not in any way representative of the author’s employer or of any organization the author may be associated with.