You Are the Expert, Part II
Remember that there are people that know what we don't know. Find them, seek them out and in the words of Yoda, the Jedi master, learn from them. As a mother of three, my words of wisdom were often stated and seldom followed. However, as my children are all grown and in healthcare professions themselves, they do, upon occasion, follow one of my often quoted adages: “The sign of an educated person is not knowing all the answers, but rather knowing where to go to find them.” This was one of the tools that I used to help my children with school assignments that were out of my scope of practice. One sunny Sunday afternoon, my daughter and I dropped in on my friends, Mary and Andy, to ask for help with a chemistry crossword puzzle. Mary and Andy just happen to have PhDs in chemistry. So, if you are choosing to stay in your administrative position or wish to follow me into the depths of consulting, be sure to find your own "Marys and Andys" when you are beyond your scope.
When I returned home, I accessed the Web site for ADVANCE for Medical Laboratory Professionals. I searched for the term "expert" and was blessed with 330 hits. Guess what? We are all the experts. I searched through the articles in search of something relevant to present and was pleasantly surprised. I accessed one archived article entitled: "Choosing and Using a Consultant." The article was actually on choosing a computer consultant. However, the article put all of my above premises into practice:
· Know when you are beyond your scope: Hire a consultant for what you don't know.
· You are the expert. This would be the technical expert for the laboratory or area in which you are working.
I encourage you to access this article. It has very useful information that is relevant to resolution of many laboratory related issues. Even better, it touts us as the experts.
So, for now, with "a little help from my friends" my scope of practice for consulting is now established and my future career officially launched!
I hope you'll share your scope of practice. I would love to learn from all of the "Marys and Andys" out there who know things that I don't know. Maybe this blog will bring together a list of experts that might benefit us all.