By Lynn Antonopoulos
Dr. Chong spent her entire career in the afterhours space in emergency radiology. During a Thursday morning session sponsored by the RSNA Professionalism Committee, she provided insights on the pros and cons of teleradiology and afterhours work and shared her thoughts about what it takes to truly thrive in your career.
“There have been lots of incredible changes in radiology these past five years, and we know that remote and hybrid work are here to stay. They are definitely the new norm for radiology,” Dr. Chong said.
Afterhours work and teleradiology are appealing to radiologists for several reasons, Dr. Chong noted. “First, we have great and interesting cases, and this is a big draw, but people are really drawn to afterhours and teleradiology because of the flexibility,” she said.
But how do you know if afterhours work is right for you? “It’s really important to know what your phenotype is,” Dr. Chong said. “The afterhours are for you if you are a night owl, and prefer to stay up late, with an extra bonus if you’re a good sleeper. That combination is kind of a superpower.”
To determine whether teleradiology is a potentially good career, Dr. Chong said radiologists must ask themselves, “Do you like being with other people? And do you need to be with other people? If you check ‘yes’ and ‘yes’, teleradiology may not be a good fit because the remote work is isolating, so you’ll feel lonely on the job,” she said.
(Left to right) Jamlik-Omari Johnson, MD; Suzanne T. Chong, MD;
Marta E. Heilbrun, MD, MS; Christopher M. Straus, MD
Reflecting on the sobering burnout statistics among physicians, Dr. Chong said radiologists can beat the odds and thrive in the workplace. “The key ingredients are mindset, core values and social support,” she said.
Looking at mindset, she recommended having a positive attitude, compassion, resilience and a growth mindset, while embracing failures.
Gratitude is also key. “If you can practice gratitude with these forays of appreciation, approval, admiration and attention, you’ll notice you feel better and happier, and you’ll also love the spirits of the people around you and become a positive force,” Dr. Chong said.
She added that in all endeavors, radiologists should check to see how an activity aligns with their core values. Sharing a value sorting exercise, Dr. Chong showed how working through a big pile of potential values can help you drill down to those that are most important to you.
“Your core values become like a North Star. You check your behaviors to make sure they are in line with your core values, and if they’re in line, you’re more likely to be happy and thrive,” Dr. Chong said.
Finally, regarding social support, Dr. Chong said it is a powerful resource that is important to cultivate when you work in afterhours or teleradiology. “Please develop those authentic meaningful relationships,” she said. “And make sure you find opportunities to talk, vent and discuss work. Don’t keep it bottled inside you.”
The responsibility of burnout mitigation is shared by management who must also find ways to add value for their employees. “One of the goals of practice management should be to increase job resources while decreasing job demands,” Dr. Chong said.
Strategies for adding value may include professional development, promoting self-care, social connectivity, recognition, operational strategies and creating a positive work culture.
“In this market, if practice leaders want to be competitive, to hire and hope to retain their radiologists, they need to be integrating these strategies into their practices,” Dr. Chong said. “It cannot just be about the bottom line, revenues, costs and margins. All of these need to be thoughtfully integrated because there really aren’t a lot of radiologists to be hired. So, you’ve got to keep everyone you’ve got.”
Other panel topics included insights related to identifying types of career pivots, navigating the challenges and opportunities inherent in moving between academia and private practice and moving from the interventional radiology suite to the reading room.
Access the session, “Afterhours and Teleradiology: Embracing and Thriving With New Schedules and Settings,” (R4-RCP11F) on demand at RSNA.org/MeetingCentral
© 2024 RSNA.
The RSNA 2024 Daily Bulletin is the official publication of the 110th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. Published online Sunday, December 1 — Friday, December 6.
The RSNA 2024 Daily Bulletin is owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc., 820 Jorie Blvd., Suite 200, Oak Brook, IL 60523.
