SSCP reality - Systems Security Certified Practioner Updated: 2023

Your mind is very powerful. Yet, if you're like most people, you probably spend very little time reflecting on the way you think. After all, who thinks about thinking?

But, the way you think about yourself turns into your reality.

The Link Between Thoughts, Feelings And Behavior

Your thoughts are a catalyst for self-perpetuating cycles. What you think directly influences how you feel and how you behave. So if you think you’re a failure, you’ll feel like a failure. Then, you’ll act like a failure, which reinforces your belief that you must be a failure.

I see this happen all the time in my therapy office. Someone will come in saying, “I’m just not good enough to advance in my career.” That assumption leads her to feel discouraged and causes her to put in less effort. That lack of effort prevents her from getting a promotion.

Or, someone will say, “I’m really socially awkward.” So when that individual goes to a social gathering, he stays to in the corner by himself. When no one speaks to him, it reinforces his belief that he must be socially awkward.

Your Beliefs Get Reinforced

Once you draw a conclusion about yourself, you’re likely to do two things; look for evidence that reinforces your belief and discount anything that runs contrary to your belief.

Someone who develops the belief that he’s a failure, for example, will view each mistake as proof that he’s not good enough. When he does succeed at something, he’ll chalk it up to luck.

Consider for a minute that it might not be your lack of talent or lack of skills that are holding you back. Instead, it might be your beliefs that keep you from performing at your peak.

Creating a more positive outlook can lead to better outcomes. That’s not to say positive thoughts have magical powers. But optimistic thoughts  lead to productive behavior, which increases your chances of a successful outcome.

Challenge Your Conclusions

Take a look at the labels you’ve placed on yourself. Maybe you’ve declared yourself incompetent. Or perhaps you’ve decided you’re a bad leader.

Remind yourself that you don’t have to allow those beliefs to restrict your potential. Just because you think something, doesn’t make it true.

The good news is, you can change how you think. You can alter your perception and change your life. Here are two ways to challenge your beliefs:

• Look for evidence to the contrary. Take note of any times when your beliefs weren’t reinforced. Acknowledging exceptions to the rule will remind you that your belief isn’t always true.

• Challenge your beliefs. Perform behavioral experiments that test how true your beliefs really are. If you think you’re not good enough, do something that helps you to feel worthy. If you’ve labeled yourself too wimpy to step outside of your comfort zone, force yourself to do something that feels a little uncomfortable.

With practice, you can train your brain to think differently. When you give up those self-limiting beliefs, you’ll be better equipped to reach your greatest potential.

Amy Morin is a psychotherapist and the author of the bestselling book 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do.

[Devin Coldewey] shared his experiences with some of the more unusual VR concepts on display at SIGGRAPH 2023. Some of these ideas are pretty interesting in their own right, and even if they aren’t going to actually become commercial products they give some insight into the kinds of problems that are being worked on. Read on to see if anything sparks ideas of your own.

In the area of haptics and physical feedback, Sony shared research prototypes that look like short batons in which are hidden movable weights. These weights can shift up or down on demand, altering their center of gravity. [Devin] states that these units had a mild effect on their own, but when combined with VR visuals the result was impressive. There’s a video demonstration of how they work. Continue memorizing “See Some Of The Stranger VR Ideas From SIGGRAPH” →

Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

Defining and Assessing Productivity

Productivity has been defined as a measure of output per unit of input. Within the discipline of nursing, productivity is described as proof or evidence of how efficient the NP is in his/her labor, job setting, or how efficiently she/he handles resources and equipment (Martin, 2005). It is a measure of how well the health care provider meets the needs of the community she/he serves (Blumenthal, 1999; Martin, 2005). Frequently productivity is expressed in terms of numbers of patients seen per day or amount of reimbursement a provider brings to the practice. But productivity is really much more than that. Martin (2005) reminds providers that all successful practices build on the three A's: availability, affability, and ability.

How available the health care provider is to patients is crucial for productivity. Obviously the more available a health care provider is to the community served, the greater the client base. Martin (2005) states that being available to patients is essential: "you can't get 'em in if you're not there..." Availability speaks to both physical presence and the ability to move smoothly from one patient to the next. Providers who cannot move from patient to patient because of ancillary demands on their time are not "available."

Beyond the basic availability question of how many patients can the NP see in one day, is the issue regarding how much support the practice provides for seeing the number of patients expected. For example, does the practice provide the practitioner with adequate space and support staff to see patients efficiently; are support staff available to perform diagnostic and treatment regimes ordered by the practitioner (for example, blood work, immunizations, allergy injections, spirometry, dexascans, EKG, and diabetic education)? If this support is not available, the practitioner may find that a portion of his/her productivity includes functioning as the clinic nurse. Under these circumstances, traditional methods of collecting provider productivity will not capture the full value of the practitioner's efforts. Practitioners who function as both the clinic nurse and a clinic provider will clearly lower productivity as a provider. In the analysis of "how available is the practitioner," ancillary duties not performed by other providers will reduce provider revenue, but may be offset by the value of the ancillary duties to the clinic. If this is the case, simply reviewing billables will not provide an adequate picture of the productivity of the practitioner. On the other hand, if the clinic is focused on the income generation potential of the provider, all providers should be given similar supports.

Affability addresses the health care experience from the patient's point of view. It requires health care providers to examine how pleasant, open, responsive, and approachable they are. Because the discipline of nursing is grounded in caring, most NPs do well on this measure. Nevertheless, we must review how patients view their interactions with us. On the whole, do patients feel comfortable with the provider? Does the provider listen to the patient, taking his/her concerns seriously? Additionally, the patient experience within the clinic should be reviewed. For example, how difficult it is for patients to contact the provider? Is the staff in the clinic responsive to patient needs? Do patients complain about the service or that the staff is rude? This is an important aspect of productivity as providers who spend a portion of every visit apologizing for rude or dismissive staff cannot function as smoothly as those who can dedicate the entire visit to the patient's health issues. Measurement of these key issues can be done through patient satisfaction surveys.

Ability is also important, not only of the health care provider but of the office staff as well. Is diagnostic data readily compiled for the health care provider to review? Incomplete and confusing medical records reduce the efficacy of the most capable practitioner and set the stage for missing key components of adequate followup. If practice records and scheduling are in disarray, and the practitioner must serve as the manager to alleviate these problems, the practitioner's revenue figures will be reduced. Support staff who cannot keep records, materials, and bookings up to date will negatively affect the patient's experience and, over time, will directly reflect on the patient's evaluation of the practitioner's competency. This directly impacts the productivity of the office, costing the practice patients and revenue (Martin, 2005).

Although Martin's (2005) three A's are one method for reviewing productivity, there are additional models to consider. Ability or NP competency must be held against a specific standard, and availability can be measured indirectly by the number of patients seen each day.

Shelley Yerger Huffstutler, DSN, APRN-BC, FNP, GNP, Nurse Practitioner; Associate Professor & Director, FNP Programs, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Gayle Varnell, PhD, MSN, BSN, CPNP, Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Advanced Practice, University of Texas at Tyler College of Nursing & Health Sciences, Tyler, Texas

Disclosure: Shelley Yerger Huffstutler, DSN, APRN-BC, FNP, GNP, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Disclosure: Gayle Varnell, PhD, MSN, BSN, CPNP, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.