In this month’s Director’s Circle, ICE Magazine asked imaging directors and other leaders to share their insights regarding training. Continue reading to find out what to look for when seeking training as well as how training has changed in recent years.
Participants in this month’s Director’s Circle are:
- Beth Allen, Director of Clinical Operation Banner Imaging
- Michelle Dossa, Ph.D., CRA, RT(R), Radiology Director, West Market, University Hospitals
- Bryan Henderson, Ph.D., MBA, RT(R), Radiology Director, Valley Presbyterian Hospital, Los Angeles, California
- Amanda Miller, Imaging Manager, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
- Jacqui Rose, MBA, CRA, RT(R), FAHRA, System Director of Radiology, UC Health
Q: How has the training of imaging professionals changed over the past 5 years?
Allen: In the past 5 years, I have seen less enthusiasm to cross train. We have had less interest in cross-training opportunities when we used to have a wait list for a cross-training position.
Dossa: Programs/Clinicals – Imaging programs continue to teach many of the same concepts as I learned 30 years ago. But today, changes in how soon we employ our students has changed. We promote tech extender and GXMO positions more than in the past as a stepping stone into the organization. Cross-training opportunities are more frequent. We do not see as many external candidates applying, so our student and cross training pipelines have grown in strength over the past several years. We actively look for technologists who have the desire to cross train into other modalities and provide them the resources to do this. We worked closely with one of our community colleges to develop a CT didactic course that is covered by our tuition reimbursement program in order to send our techs for that part of modality training. We ensure all other advanced imaging programs such as MRI are covered by our tuition reimbursement as well. Technologists are doing these advanced imaging programs much earlier in their careers than in the past to help us combat technologist shortages.
Henderson: Technology in imaging changes rapidly and it sometimes feels hard to keep up. As leaders, we should provide our employees with as much help as possible. I send my employees for additional imaging training, educational conferences and even subscribe them to radiology magazines, so that they can stay on top of emerging technological advancements. I also pair up my new hires with my senior employees to work together throughout their orientation. The senior employees show the younger employees old-school positioning tricks, while the younger employees show the senior employees how to use all the latest computer technology. It’s a win-win for both generations.
Miller: The rapidly growing shortage of technologists has led many facilities to increasingly rely on travel staff to support their departmental needs. This staffing shortfall, coupled with the urgent need to bring in travel support, has significantly impacted the onboarding and training processes. Procedures that typically take three months must now be expedited, leaving many facilities and managers scrambling. This greatly affects the training staff, who feel pressured to cover everything in a day. Consequently, the overall process has been sped up, leading to an increase in online courses and learning for equipment and procedural processing.
Rose: Training has become more difficult and more time consuming recently primarily due to the shortage of quality staff to do this training and the need to stay productive. This causes delays in training and our new teammates are extending their training to get to a good comfort level. Leadership training has evolved to more online and virtual offerings post-pandemic and shortage of funds to support this. This is tremendously helpful due to that lack of resources but continued desire to help develop our teams. Thinking creatively is critical to get all types of training done.
Q: What should an individual look for when considering training opportunities?
Allen: Individuals should understand the role they would be training for. They should also consider their personal goals and what the expectations are surrounding the training.
Dossa: Training opportunities need to be a good fit for both the individual considering them as well as for the organization who invests in the training. For the individual who is considering a training opportunity, do your research. Be sure to understand the requirements, time commitment and long-term benefits. And for the organization, be sure to right match individuals with opportunities. Have stay interviews/discussions with team members to truly understand their career goals in both the short and long term. From there, work together to map out these goals and provide resources to help them achieve these goals.
Henderson: Radiologic technologists should always be looking to increase their technological skills and a great way to do this is by cross training into other imaging modalities. There are numerous e-training programs that can be found online, that will allow radiographers to seek out that additional knowledge.
Miller: I believe a hands-on approach is the most effective since it allows for questions and feedback to be provided by the trainers in real-time. Vendor-provided training is also crucial and essential. Purchasing additional education is always a good decision as it can be used for refresher training and for training incoming staff. This education can include online virtual support and additional training applications to build staff confidence and knowledge. It allows each staff member to approach their training in the way they learn best. Superuser training is another excellent opportunity for staff to become deeply familiar with the equipment and gain the ability to adjust settings and troubleshoot issues. Superusers are valuable resources for training and help expand the overall knowledge and proficiency of the team.
Rose: Flexible schedules, quality content, reasonable expense. Timely availability. All of these things will make all types of training more readily available and utilized.
Q: How can training advance one’s career?
Allen: Training can advance one’s career by showing they are open to new things, whether it is learning a new modality, software or management skills. Once trained, that training is yours to keep regardless of what the next step is.
Dossa: We actively look for individuals who have a desire to learn more, take classes and be life-long learners. These individuals demonstrate how training can advance one’s career. Someone with the initiative to cross train and work in other modalities, allows us to promote to multi-modality positions. Someone with the initiative to learn new skills/take on new tasks in their current modality, provides an opportunity to be promoted through our career ladder. Starting as a tech I, those that take on more in conjunction with years of experience, can be promoted to tech 2 and tech 3 positions. And, of course, we are looking for those who take the initiative to be involved in advanced degree programs as we develop leadership succession plans for our future.
Henderson: For those technologists who want to be better with their job skills or even move up in the organization, they should look to cross train in as many imaging modalities as possible. Not only does this increase their own net worth by getting pay increases, but it makes them more useful for leaders preparing a department schedule, as this highly trained staff member can be scheduled in multiple imaging departments.
Miller: Training and additional education provide a comprehensive understanding of equipment and procedures, boosting confidence in handling challenging situations. This training can also open doors to mentorship and teaching opportunities, as well as lead to educational or leadership advancements.
Rose: The more skills our team has, the more successful they can be and better prepared to move to the next level when the opportunity presents. As leaders, it’s our goal to have highly effective teams and that will naturally be noticed and lead to opportunities in leadership roles.
Q: How does an employee’s training benefit a facility?
Allen: Training benefits a facility by investing in current team members to expand services and promote from within. This can lead to better retention and the savings that comes with that. By offering advancement opportunities, facilities can be more attractive to potential candidates.
Dossa: Quality training results in quality team members who provide excellent care to our patients and families, who are good stewards of our financial resources, and who support our organization’s mission, vision and values. Quality patient experience, teamwork and resource management result in positive organizational outcomes. These positive outcomes ensure that our organization maintains a healthy operating margin that can be reinvested into our facilities, equipment and teams.
Henderson: When an employee invests in their own well-being; it not only benefits them as a person, but also their employer. Additional employee training provides patients with higher quality imaging studies and better services that improves overall patient satisfaction, as there are less repeats and errors and this greatly benefits the employer as well.
Miller: There are multiple reasons why a facility should invest in and continue employee training. Providing employees with the correct resources and tools allows them to grow and improve while building their confidence. Setting up the employee for success! Ongoing training demonstrates an investment in employees, improving job satisfaction and staff retention. Patient satisfaction will also improve due to the increased efficiency and comfort level of the staff. This makes patients feel comfortable and safe with the care they are receiving. Trained employees also gain the confidence to train others, enhancing the overall efficiency of the department. Efficient processes decrease turnaround times, allowing for more exams to be completed and providing an opportunity to increase revenue.
Rose: Employee training tremendously benefits all organizations and patients by increasing their knowledge and capabilities. Those teammates are more effective, productive, safe and improve all levels of service. This is a significant win for any organization lucky to have them on board.
Q: What else should ICE Magazine readers know about training?
Allen: Training is always an opportunity to learn more, which is yours to keep. A good training program requires great “trainees” that are willing to put forth the effort to learn and engaged “trainers” that are invested in progress. Both need to be given the time needed to make the program successful.
Dossa: Be a life-long learner. Change is the only constant and those who have the mindset to continuously learn and improve day to day with training will be successful. Utilize both internal and external partners in developing training opportunities for your teams. There are great resources all around you.
Henderson: There is a plethora of educational resources and training available to radiographers online. Everything from tutorials to cross-training guidelines are available for employees to review, prior to them scheduling or enrolling in educational classes.
Miller: To be the best at getting better by investing in our people and teams.
Rose: New creative models for training our teammates is imperative in our busy world. Vendor partners have stepped into those environments to improve overall training and thus boost competency. By leveraging these partnerships, hospitals and health systems ultimately benefit.
