Month: July 2021

Posted on by

Hobbies For The Radiologist: Are They Just A Fling?

hobbies

Yes, I enjoy radiology. But, a whole world of other pursuits awaits me when I finish work. I may write for this website, learn two different languages (Spanish and Hebrew), play guitar, prepare for the next gig, read about finance, or cook. These are just some of the long-term projects and hobbies that I always seem to fall back on. Yet, I understand that not everyone has the time or inclination for my daily rituals. But, maintaining at least one toe outside the field of medicine is necessary nowadays. And, it is not just about making a paper trail for applications to medical school, residency slots, and radiology jobs.

So, what is it about hobbies and long-term projects that enhance my radiology career? Well, there are a whole host of benefits that come with other endeavors that I enjoy. These include looking at radiology with a fresh eye, reminding me that there is more to life than medicine, finding new friends with differing interests, keeping my brain active/enhancing my energy, and enabling me to transition to a post radiology world. And, these passions may also apply to you as well. Let’s explore some of these reasons to establish a hobby now!

Looking At Your Daily Work With A Different Perspective

Hobbies can allow you to look at the world from a different perspective. For example, instead of dreading waiting for a translator to help translate a Spanish-speaking patient, as a time sink, I look forward to interacting with patients who speak Spanish. It is a way for me to get to learn their culture and get more Spanish practice. Or, as if I am working at home, having a guitar on hand as I’m reading some film enables me to play a little bit while I take a short break. All these different hobbies allow me to look at work from a different perspective.

Hobbies Remind You There Is More To Life Than Medicine

As much as I enjoy radiology and medicine, most of us need time apart from the field so that we can go back to it with a fresh eye. Working on outside projects enables you to accomplish just that. It could be a musical ensemble or a trip to a third-world country. Whatever the case may be, you enhance your enthusiasm for your career when you return to work.

Enlarging Your Familiar Circle

Pursuing hobbies outside the field of medicine can allow the added benefit of meeting other people that think and operate differently from yourself. It is a way to expand your inner circle and make new friends. It’s effortless to stagnate and drift inward as a radiologist, especially for those radiologists that tend not to see as many patients. Hobbies can keep you socially active and engaged.

Keeping Your Brain Active

Radiology can indeed be an intellectual pursuit. But, focusing on anything too much can cause a lack of stimulation. When you branch outside of radiology and medicine, it can keep you more excited about learning and reading. And, this is not just about your hobby, but rather anything else that you pursue, including radiology!

Allows You To Eventually Transition To A Semi-Retirement Or Retirement That You Enjoy

This concept may seem a long way off. But, hobbies you establish today will allow you to do other things the day you decide to partially or entirely retire. Few radiologists can work forever (although I do know a few!) Nevertheless, starting some hobby that you love today is more than a fling. It can become a lifelong mission that you can look forward to in your later days.

Hobbies- More Than Just A Fling!

You may think that hobbies should be the last item on your mind when your days are so busy as a trainee. But, starting a hobby now or continuing with projects from your past should become mission-critical. The best radiologists are happy outside the field the medicine as well. So, don’t forget to pursue other hobbies and projects that you enjoy. It will enhance your career and make you more excited about the day-to-day work!

 

Posted on by

Are Less Paperwork And EHR Selling Features For The Radiology Specialty?

paperwork

As I was scrolling through some random Twitter feeds that came up in my email, I saw the following statement come up from a fellow physician: “Physicians should not use the amount of paperwork as means to decide on which specialty they should choose.” Well, as I stared at this statement, I became more and more incensed. Why? Because many burgeoning medical students were possibly looking at this Twitter feed. And, some may utilize this suggestion as they search for their specialty of choice. Meanwhile, this statement/question could not have been further from the truth. An excessive amount of paperwork could ruin the most glamorous and exciting medical specialty work.

High Paperwork Burden And Electronics Health Records (EHR) Use Is A Cause For Burnout

One of the main reasons for burnout and lack of interest in a specialty is the excessive paperwork and the inordinate number of clicks on an EHR system. This person suggested that medical students should ignore this factor and go into a subspecialty regardless. Now, I don’t know about you. But, for me, one of the best parts of radiology is having to deal with much less paperwork than our colleagues in other subspecialties. I delight in not having to constantly document interactions with patients and write tons of prescriptions, and mull through a myriad of HIPAA forms every day. These are tasks that would have made me miserable. And, we, as radiologists, do not have nearly as many of these issues as other subspecialties.

Of course, I also chose radiology based on the diversity, large information base, and my interest in technology. But, if I knew at that time that we had so much less paperwork than most other specialties, that would have indeed reinforced my decision. I certainly would use it as a way to choose between several subspecialties of interest!

Should We Use The Benefit Of Less Paperwork To Our Advantage In Recruitment?

Now, telling medical students that they should choose our specialty because we have less paperwork is like saying to become a secretary because you get to sit down all day. Sure, it is a perk of the job, but not the reason for joining our fold. But if presented in the right way and placed in the context of how other specialties have to deal with the work daily, it could become a game-changer. Have a student ask an internal medicine doctor how much time you spend on dictating reports and phone calls. And then have them sit with them while they are doing these tasks. The amount of time spent away from the more exciting patient care activities may shock them!

Then, have a student sit next to a radiologist on any given day. And let them see the amount of time we get to spend on patient care activities such as looking at films and performing procedures. They will see a significant difference between the amount of paperwork and EHR time. Then, they can use these factors as a valid means to deciding on which specialty is right for them.

Let The Student Decide On A Specialty Based On The Facts!

We all should choose a specialty in medicine based on the facts, not on emotion alone. One of those critical factors is the amount of paperwork and EHR. It is a pressing problem. And, pundits should not gloss over the unenticing aspects of a specialty. Practicing a medical specialty is not just about the glorified moments in the operating room or with a patient.

In reality, you can’t always do only the things you love. You also need to accept the facts of any specialty. And, if excessive paperwork is one of those realities, students need to know about it and make an informed decision. Negative information cannot just be swept under a rug when you make your specialty choice!

 

Posted on by

My Experience With The Powerscribe Undo Button: A Call For Better Technical Radiologist Training!

undo button

I find one button on Powerscribe more satisfying than almost any other. No, it’s not the sign button, although signing off a study feels quite rewarding. Indeed, it’s not the auto text button. However, I press that one all the time to make my templates. And it does shorten my dictation time. Instead, it is that button typically buried in the edit menu of Powerscribe, the lowly undo button. I can’t tell you how many times I clicked the wrong button to lose half my dictation. And then I clicked on the Undo button to restore it to how it was.

Most of you are aware of this undo function. It returns anything you did before to its previous state as long as it was a line of spoken text, a cut, or a paste. But imagine not knowing about its existence. Well, that was my world as an attending physician for a good year or two. Now, it is embarrassing to release this information to the masses. But I have to let it out. It is true. I spent eons trying to recreate what I had dictated before without knowing there was a simple way to retrieve the information. I was not aware of the existence of the undo button for way too long. Imagine that.

The Undo Button: A Symptom Of A Bigger Problem With Radiology And Technology

This point about the undo button brings me to one of the most significant technical radiology issues. We, as radiologists, don’t know about so many computer and technology functions that can potentially make our lives easier and shorten our days. Now, maybe this issue is somewhat magnified because I have reached middle age, but I don’t think that is the case.

I have seen younger physicians, like residents and early attendings, who need to learn how to link two studies together and compare them slice by slice. I have seen other attendings needing to be made aware of the simple functions of our software for calcium scoring, which would have saved them tons of time. And there are many other time-saving technology tools I am unaware of. If all the radiologists were to pool their technology know-how together, we would all shave off an extra hour of work every day. So, why do we not receive the technical training we need to make us more efficient at our job?

Radiologists Do Not Receive Formal Training Because We Are Expected To Learn On Our Own

Many radiologists jump headfirst into the world of dictation and PACS without receiving any formal training. Many of you who work for hospitals and imaging centers know what I am talking about. As a resident, I cannot remember any technology folks training the residents on using PACS. That same philosophy has continued throughout the years. Hospitals and imaging centers expect us to use our highly paid professional time to figure it all out independently.

Technology Trainers Don’t Know How To Train Radiologists

Several things happen when we get the “training” we need from the technology folks. First, they show you what you can do and allow you to play around with everything. And then they say you need to use it for a while to get accustomed to it. While that is undoubtedly true, we often miss out on multiple functions and knowledge that can increase our efficiency. The problem is that the technology experts training you are not radiologists. And they will never know the most important functions we need to use.

Lack Of Time/Money Dedicated Toward Training

Or, once in a while, you will get an excellent technology expert who will try to help you by creating hanging protocols, setting easy keys, and more. Some may become irritated when they realize they need to sit down with you for an extended period to make the technology precisely how you like. Or, the institution received a package deal that included limited training for the radiologists. The bottom line is that you may receive less education than you need.

Learning The Undo Button: A Simple Solution To Improve Workplace Efficiency

So, why do I bring up an entire blog about a simple undo button and the issues that go along with it? Well, it is a cry for good, down-to-earth technology instruction that every radiologist should have. We, as radiologists, hear about burnout and misery all the time. But, it is the little things that make radiologists happy. Radiologists are highly paid professionals who should become as efficient as possible to save time and money. Many excellent radiologists have left the field because of simple technology inefficiencies such as this one. Coming home 20 minutes earlier every day to be with our families should be a much bigger priority for radiology practices and hospitals. Improving radiologists’ technical and computer training is a simple and relatively inexpensive fix.

 

 

 

Posted on by

The Doximity IPO: What To Do With A Small Windfall As A Radiology Resident?

windfall

Last week many residents throughout the country had the foresight and were lucky enough to get involved with the Doximity initial public offering for stock. It was a rarity because, unlike most IPOs, only doctors could get in on the initial public offering (IPO) action instead of the finance guys. Physicians were able to purchase up to 250 shares. In a few short hours, what was initially an investment of up to 26 dollars a share (6500 dollars), climbed to 55.98 dollars. On that one day alone, you could have made ((55.98-26)*250 or 7495 dollars. That would represent a 115% profit in one day. Not all bought the maximum number. Regardless, although not life-altering, for a resident, that means a significant sum of money compared to a typical resident salary. You could call it a sort of windfall.

Sure, there is lots of information out there about windfalls for physicians. Check out some of the articles on the white coat investor- My Experience With A Windfall. Or, you can read about What To Do With A Windfall.

But, most are not specific to your situation. Some may tell you might plunge that money back into the market. Others say take it and pay off your credit card debt. (Those folks should probably not have done the Doximity IPO in the first place!) And, others may decide to repay some more interest on your student loans. But what is the right place for you to plug that money in as a radiology resident? Are the considerations different for a radiology resident than other types of physicians?

Personal Finance Is Personal- What Is Right For You Might Not Be Right For Everyone (Except For Credit Card Debt!)

First of all, anyone with credit card debt should probably remove that debt immediately from your life. That is a no-brainer. Of course, that simple tenet is not just for the radiology resident. But, it is indeed a personal situation. Anyone paying interest over 10-15 percent is slowly getting their financial life sucked away like a Hoover.

But let’s assume that you are without credit card debt and have a decent amount of student loans. Currently, most of you have loans that are accruing very little interest because of the low-interest-rate environment and all the deferments from the pandemic. So, it is reasonable not to plug all the money back into the student loans. On the other hand, debt can be burdensome and a proverbial noose around the neck for others. What to do next depends on your tolerance for debt and your financial situation.

Where Should The Windfall Go If Not Student Loans (Think Roth!)

If some of the windfall is not going back into student loan debt, where should it go?. To answer this question, if you haven’t done so already, it is time to get a head-start on investing. You are already behind the eight-ball as a physician. So, filling a Roth IRA with an index fund would probably not be a bad start for most of you. One of the best financial decisions I made many years ago was to start a Roth IRA when I was in residency. A small amount has significantly increased in value over time. So, with this small windfall, consider taking some of the money and adding it to a Roth IRA.

Reasons For Radiology Residents In Particular To Choose The Roth IRA

How does being a radiology resident change the equation about where to put the money? Well, because you are more likely to make a higher salary than your pediatrician and internal medicine colleagues, you may want to consider putting more into investments than loans.

In particular, for two reasons, the Roth IRA even makes more sense for the radiology resident. First of all, your salary will be higher as a radiologist, so you will have to pay more taxes on the amount of post-tax money you put in than your lower-salaried colleagues. So, now is even a better time to take advantage of your low tax situation.

Second, you can afford to be a little bit more aggressive than other specialties. More future dollars allow you to put more into stocks because you can afford more risk. So, putting more away into investments can make more sense.

A Small Windfall And Investing For The Radiology Resident

Opportunities arise from time to time, and you may find new money, such as the Doximity IPO. As a radiology resident, your situation may differ slightly from other physicians. So, based on your risk profile, consider taking a bit more of your windfall and investing in a Roth IRA. That’s what I would do if I had a few extra dollars and were still a radiology resident!