Congratulations! You’ve nabbed the job you have always wanted. And your employer has placed you on a partnership track. But, you know that not all who started on the partnership track made it to the Promised Land. To prevent yourself from becoming the next casualty, you’ll do almost anything to ensure that one day you will become a partner with all its benefits. So, how can you entice your employers over the next two, three, or four or more years to take you into their fold? Having experienced the process and worked for many years as a partner in private practice, let me give you some basic tenets you need to follow.
Make Small Pleasant Waves, Not Large Ones
Let me tell you a little obvious secret. As much as the practice owners say they will treat you the same as other partners, please don’t believe a word they say. Until the day that you become a partner, any current partner can use any irritation or error against you. Worst case scenario, the upset partner can delay your partnership indefinitely!
So, my advice to you is: don’t rock the boat. Do what you must, but don’t push your views on others. Sure, consider changing a knee MRI protocol with the blessing of all the other MR readers in the department. But, don’t overhaul all the protocols on the magnet without their consent. Talk to the CT scan representative but don’t volunteer to become the promoter of the CT scan manufacturer without notifying the chairman. And so on. I think you get the picture.
Complete All Your Assigned Work And Some
Want to impress your fellow practice partners? Of course, you need to complete all of your work. But even more importantly, when you finish everything, help out your fellow radiologists. Over time your extra effort will get noticed. It certainly can’t hurt to have rave reviews from your cohorts when the time comes for them to vote you in as an equal shareholder. Who doesn’t want a fellow partner that always wants to take on additional responsibilities?
Pace Yourself
Many former employees never made it to partner: What do they have in common? Either they made too many mistakes because they read films too fast. Or, they become so worried that they will miss essential findings that they take forever to read and dictate the studies. Especially at the beginning, you don’t want the partners to categorize you as either of those sorts of radiologists. So, take your time. But remember, you don’t have all the time in the world!
Avoid Saying Anything Bad About A Partner
This advice seems obvious but is a common reason for ending a partnership track or, even worse, your employment! Never. Never utter a bad word about your superiors to anyone else. Trust me. Trash talking about your colleagues is a cardinal error that will bite you when you least expect it. Indeed, that partner you were talking about will not want to hear that he is lazy when the time arrives to decide on your future!
Don’t Complain Unless It’s Unavoidable
OK. Maybe, that PACS system keeps malfunctioning. Or that technologist always to forgets to put the measurement of the spleen on the worksheet. Try to deal with these minor situations yourself before running them by the partners. No one likes a constant complainer. And, who wants to make that person your fellow partner? Indeed, not your employers!
Volunteer For Practice Building
You are taking on a partnership track for a reason. Of course, you expect to play a role in not just the daily reading of films and performing procedures. Instead, you desire to involve yourself in the other facets of the business. In that vein, nothing looks better than taking on Grand Rounds talk that no one else can or wants to do. Or volunteer for the hospital credentialing committee. Perhaps, you should become the point man for the CT lung screenings in your community.
Practices usually do notice these additional activities. But most importantly, the partners appreciate the extra effort when the time comes to vote on your final disposition.
The Psychology Of The Partnership Track
Like any other path that you have undertaken in your career, you have to first start at the bottom. Beginning a partnership track is no different. So, put your tools to the grindstone and prepare to work hard for the time you are on a partnership track (and hopefully beyond!). Only then can you increase your chances of reaching your final goal of reaping a partner’s added rewards, prestige, and respect!
