PEER TO
Leaders Share Tips, Tricks and Workarounds for Building a Successful Imaging Department
PEER
BY MATT SKOUFALOS
W
hat makes a successful imaging department often turns as much on the technology of the facility in which it’s housed as well as the staff within its walls. Critical to executing the missions of those departments are the people who lead them. Over years of holding positions of responsibility, their experiences comprise a wealth of significant information that can benefit colleagues doing the job in various environments. We asked a few of them to share their knowledge, the better to support others in similar roles. Husband and wife Joe and Sandy Phillips have been working in medical imaging all their professional lives. Joe is the Director of Clinical Services–Diagnostics at Connecticut Children’s Hospital, and Sandy is the Director of Radiology at Hartford Hospital. (Like the
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ICEMAGAZINE | MARCH 2020
couple, both facilities are interconnected; the Phillipses even get to share a commute.) In more than a half-century of combined experience, they’ve gleaned a lot from working their way up the ranks, from technology to leadership roles. Along the way, Sandy Phillips said, she’s focused on a three-part credo: trust, transparency and teamwork. “As a manager, I really value those,” she said. “To motivate my team, I have to be transparent with them in order to earn their trust. That helps you build a solid foundation.” Transparency to Sandy is anchored in the ability to remain in the moment when speaking with colleagues: no cellphone usage, no cross-talking and listening actively during meetings. To cut back on distractions, she sets achievable boundaries, like prioritizing and organizing her workload. She tries to address email twice a day, once in the morning and again in the afternoon. “Otherwise, I think people get addicted to their email all day, and it gets hard to get any other work completed,” Sandy said. Hand in glove with making herself availADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL
