Make yourself a more attractive job candidate by heeding the words of three seasoned experts.
As seen in Advance for Imaging & Radiation
Published July 21, 2009
By Heather Simons
After years of working as a radiologic technologist, you may feel ready to assume greater responsibility. But before you apply for that promotion, arm yourself with advice from three veterans of the radiology department. Their administrative experiences may inform your professional future.
What are the biggest mistakes that health care professionals make when attempting to ascend the career ladder, and how can they avoid such errors?
Erchinger: In my opinion, the No. 1 mistake is not building on relationships, both internally and externally. You never know who might be your next boss or who could be in a position to recommend you for a promotion based on their experience working with you. Don't make the error of saying "I don't have time" or "That's not my job." Demonstrate how valuable you are by showing interest or volunteering to take on additional tasks, join task force committees or work groups. The more people you get in front of you, the more opportunities you'll have to influence others with your work ethic. The knowledge you gain from being involved is valuable.
Gaschen: Being unprepared for the ascension. Far too many young health care professionals believe they are ready to make the jump to the top without having learned the most important aspect of management/leadership-experience. I suspect this is not what readers want to hear, but having "been there and done that" provides the leader with a vast pool of experiences upon which to draw when confronted with new problems/opportunities. As I tell my physician owners, it's not my MBA that I earned 35 years ago that serves them well; it's what I've seen, done and learned over the succeeding 35 years that makes me effective.
Kroken: One of the greatest mistakes involves failing to master and model the behaviors and skills required for an advanced position. Decisions regarding your future will be made based on how you work, including how you handle problems, interact with peers and expand your skill base. When you make a mistake, how quickly can you recover and/or mitigate damage? (If you never make a mistake, you aren't taking the type of initiative required of a future leader.)
Compounding the situation of failure to master and model is the inability to coldly assess personal strengths and weaknesses in comparison to the task at hand and, too often, underestimating the task at hand-or, to state it another way, failure to do your homework.
In light of today's economy, what factors should medical imaging professionals consider when looking for a promotion? Is it wise to hold off until the economy improves?
Erchinger: I would encourage anyone interested in the challenges and opportunities of promotion to continue their efforts. I don't see a reason to delay your goals. If you're being considered for the job, you must have proven yourself, so don't shy away from it. Go into it knowing this is really what you want to do and the time is right for you.
Everyone should always be cognizant of what it takes to deliver health care in any environment. In this economy, health care leaders are looking for people who can influence ownership of fiscal responsibility.
Gaschen: Opportunities for promotion come along even in a recession. People still retire, quit, transfer, are promoted, die or are terminated, offering opportunities for someone to move out or up. So I wouldn't say that the economy is a factor when looking to move up. However, people need to ask themselves if they're ready for a promotion (wanting a promotion and being ready are two different things), if they have the required skill sets, why they want this job (For instance, are they running to the new job/promotion or away from the old job?), etc.
Kroken: How are economic conditions impacting the radiology practice, imaging center or hospital? If, for example, the imaging center has seen a loss in volume, it is likely to plan for belt-tightening in the near future. A business in a state of contraction won't be creating new opportunities, so promotions could be limited to filling positions that are vacated-and it is more possible the facility will try to figure out how to distribute that workload (rather than hire/promote) to reduce overhead.
In a radiology group, if the practice continues to grow by expanding the number of sites covered or through seeking new business opportunities to distribute risk, promotions may still be an option. However, if the physicians are making less money this year, they're more likely to be in cost-cutting mode.
How important is maintaining society memberships and continuing education? How can candidates for promotion prove their commitment to lifelong learning?
Erchinger: It is imperative to maintain memberships and continuing education to keep current in the field. The changes and advancements in imaging are ongoing.
Gaschen: Social networking and continued learning-both features of society memberships-are extremely important in any career. There is an old adage: "If you are not moving forward, you are falling behind." You cannot advance to a position of higher authority and then rest on your laurels. You must continue to learn and move forward to succeed in this job or your next. Even the top executive must stay abreast of what's happening in our industry-an industry that validates the expression that the only constant is change.
Kroken: Maintaining society memberships and pursuing continuing education are very important. Not only do professional associations provide educational opportunities, but they help attendees develop a network of resources. Involvement in committees and volunteer opportunities also can be invaluable in terms of building organizational and project management skills.
Because the national meetings can be expensive and perhaps available only to top management, the rising star can become involved at the state or local level. Lifelong learning isn't restricted to information gained from meetings, however; the wise candidate will consistently absorb and convey information from industry publications, association forums and Web sites.
Take the initiative to develop your own curriculum based on an assessment of your personal strengths and weaknesses. The American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE) and The Association for Medical Imaging Management (AHRA) both publish "body of knowledge" guidelines for health care managers. Lifelong learning is a commitment, not an industry meeting. Start now to demonstrate that commitment and show those who are in a position to promote you that they've made an excellent investment.
What personality traits or characteristics are generally required for higher-level radiology positions?
Erchinger: The person in a higher-level position needs to be consistent in her interactions, maintain relationships at all levels and have an approachable, attentive character.
Gaschen: The most important traits are leadership, understanding the value and importance of your employees and how to motivate them, and the ability to discern. Leadership and motivating employees are pretty self-explanatory. Discernment, on the other hand, isn't an ability that's usually taught in textbooks. It's a learned trait developed over years of seeing what works and what doesn't, what is and what's not important, and which matters require your attention vs. which matters you can-and should-delegate to others or just ignore. Without discernment, the executive will be overwhelmed by the minutiae of the job.
Kroken: One of the strongest personality traits is the ability to accurately assess and respond to a particular situation. Ours is an unpredictable world where regulatory activity, for example, can change the rules of the game overnight. When is the situation urgent as opposed to disruptive? Are you the person constantly yelling "Alarm! Alarm!" to those around you? Or can you be counted on to calmly assess the situation, keep others from jumping off a cliff and move the organization (or project) forward? Calmness is an underrated and extremely valuable trait, usually developed through experience surviving a few crises.
Communication skills are essential. If you can't craft a professional letter, memo or e-mail to physicians (or administrative leadership), they may not seriously consider you for a more advanced position. When presenting to leadership (especially physicians), you must be organized, factual and accurate-and getting a second chance is exceptionally difficult if you drop the ball the first time.
A broad-based skill set and understanding of key business areas will be expected. For example, every manager should be conversant in the general compliance requirements of a group practice, but the expert who can assist with a specific complex problem is equally important. Curiosity is an excellent trait. Utilize the expertise around you to develop this general financial/operational knowledge. This includes learning from those on the organization's front lines.
How should someone preparing for a promotion interact with colleagues in the radiology department?
Erchinger: Be consistent and professional in your relationships. Maintain your high-standard work ethic alongside the colleagues that you may someday be promoted to lead.
Gaschen: One of the bigger problems often cited when someone is promoted from within is the ability to move from being "one of the guys" to being the boss. Acting buddy-buddy with peers will decrease your chances of management seeing you in the role of leader. The best way to interact with colleagues in the radiology department is to maintain a high level of professionalism in all your dealings with others, both inside and outside the department.
Kroken: With utmost professionalism and respect-and again, by modeling the behavior you wish to engender in others. Stay out of the "griping about management" game, avoid gossiping about those around you, do exceptionally good work and show you can carry a heavier load than those around you. The goal is to achieve recognition that your promotion came from your ability to produce consistent results.
Transitioning from being "one of the gang" to a supervisory or management position is especially difficult. If your peers think you got there by back-stabbing and brown-nosing, you won't be able to manage effectively. However, if the promotion is tied to your ability to set the mark in the department, you'll likely enjoy greater acceptance.
What is the most important piece of advice you can offer medical imaging professionals who are looking to advance their careers today or in the near future?
Erchinger: We're constantly striving to improve our processes. Strive to be the person who has already determined a way to fix a problem and offer a solution. Never bring a problem to a boss and walk away expecting someone else to take care of it for you. Be the person who recognizes a problem or a way to do something better and offer to work on it at the same time. If you don't have the answers, be the person who wants to be part of implementing the solution.
Gaschen: Spend the time working for someone you admire and respect. Get a job with a radiology leader who is willing to be your mentor. Make sure the job offers you a lot of opportunities to learn, grow and develop. Don't be in a rush to move on. Develop that foundation of knowledge and experience that will serve you well in all of your subsequent positions. Be sincere. Don't suck up. Work harder than your boss.
Kroken: The bottom line is that promotions are never a given, and while you may feel you deserve one, the opportunity may not exist in your situation. Often, the biggest leaps in job responsibility and/or pay result from leveraging your knowledge and moving to another organization.
To advance your career today or in the near future, be ready when your preparation meets a new opportunity. Be the person who proactively volunteers to help, not the one who writes on his evaluation, "I am always willing to help when asked."
And don't assume everyone knows how wonderful you are. You're responsible for your own internal public relations campaigns-not with the intent of hogging the glory for a job well done, but to ensure that people know who you are and that they can count on your work.
Participants
Linda Erchinger, RT(R)(M)(CT), is director of diagnostic imaging at Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, Ill.
Fred Gaschen, MBA, is executive vice president of Radiological Associates of Sacramento (Calif.).
Pat Kroken, FACMPE, CRA, is president of Healthcare Resource Providers, Albuquerque, N.M.