Zen and the Art of Program Development
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PROFESSIONAL ISSUES
Zen and the Art of Program Development MaryAnn Campion
Received: 7 October 2011 / Accepted: 16 November 2011 / Published online: 30 November 2011 # National Society of Genetic Counselors, Inc. 2011
Keywords Program development . Genetic counseling
My name is MaryAnn Campion, and I am a recovering perfectionist. I used to thrive on familiarity, structure, and predictability; now I prefer the possibilities of the unknown. Such is the life of a program director. But how did I get here? I spent the majority of my life taking myself too seriously before a series of personal and professional developments sent me on an unexpected trajectory. Just a few years out of graduate school and living within a 5 hour radius of my entire history, I was happily employed as a prenatal genetic counselor with Greenwood Genetic Center. However, I had always dreamed of “life in the big city,” and along came a posting from Boston University School of Medicine for a genetic counselor interested in creating a master’s program. As the daughter of two educators, I had always held teaching to be my ultimate goal. However, the timing seemed a bit early, and I wondered if I had the qualifications or experience necessary to lead such a charge. On the other hand, I knew that opportunities like this don’t come along often, and I didn’t want to feel regret for not trying. I was confident that I could give it my all and then live with the outcome. As my choir director says, “If you are going to risk failure, you might as well be loud and proud, wrong and strong.” The next step was to call my own program director, Janice Edwards, at the University of South Carolina to see if she thought I was crazy. In her nurturing way, she guided
M. Campion (*) Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA e-mail: [email protected]
me through the peaks and valleys of each choice and offered practical words of wisdom and encouragement. After numerous conversations with mentors and extensive soul searching, I decided to let go of my security and expectations to set sail on this new adventure. I bought a one-way ticket to Boston and waved goodbye to my life in the South. I felt a shiver of wonder and reverence when the plane landed and the pilot said, “If you are visiting, we hope you enjoy our fine city. If you live in Boston, welcome home.” Upon arrival, I reached out to dozens of genetic counselors in the greater-Boston area to learn about the community, elicit feedback, answer questions, and begin brainstorming. I learned the importance of embracing both avid supporters and critics alike, as your chances of success increase significantly if you are willing to look at a situation from multiple perspectives. Given my limited professional experience, I knew that the most vital thing I could do was surround myself with the brightest and most energetic minds in each arena of genetic counseling. I set up meetings and conference calls with anyone who was willing to share their expertise. I soaked up the ideas of my BU colleagues, Maureen Flynn,
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