Three “Advanced” Tactics

In today's episode, John updates his tactics to help you ace your interview with 3 more items to consider. This topic was originally presented in PNC podcast episode 223.  

We'll explore three invaluable tips for acing your job interview and standing out from the competition. John, our expert in non-traditional job searches, offers his insights on these crucial interview strategies.

Our Sponsor

This week's sponsor is the From Here to There: Leveraging Virtual Medicine Program from Sandrow Consulting.

Are you ready to say goodbye to burnout, take control of your schedule, increase your earnings, and enjoy more quality time with your family? You’re probably wondering how to do that without getting a new certification or learning a whole new set of nonclinical skills.

Here's the answer: The quickest way to achieve more freedom and joy is to leverage virtual medicine.

Dr. Cherisa Sandrow and I discussed this in Podcast Episode 266. Cherisa and her team are now preparing to relaunch their comprehensive program for building and running your own telehealth business.

If you want to learn the tools and skills you need to live life on your own terms – then you should check it out today. After completing the 10-week program, you’ll be ready to take your career to the next level.

The program starts soon, and there are a limited number of openings. Go to nonclinicalphysicians.com/freedom to sign up and learn why telehealth is the quickest way to begin your career journey.

A Recap from Podcast Episode 223

In Podcast Episode 223 from November 2021, interview essentials, whether in a phone, video, or in-person setting, and one-on-one or group interviews, were highlighted. These include basics like dressing appropriately, punctuality, carrying extra resumés, and presenting transferable skills and achievements from previous roles. Maintaining assertiveness without being pushy, proper body language, and steering clear of negative answers to questions, were emphasized.

Ace Your Interview

Applying these three new strategies, you can significantly boost your chances of acing your job interview and leaving a remarkable impression on potential employers:

1. Building Personal Connections with Interviewers: Start by establishing a personal connection with your interviewers during downtime or waiting periods. A simple introduction, a friendly smile, and a genuine interest in common interests like alma maters or hobbies can go a long way in creating a memorable impression.
2. Crafting a Compelling “Tell Me About Yourself” Response: Prepare a well-structured response to the classic question, “Tell me about yourself.” Use a framework that covers your past, present, and future, aligning each aspect with the company and job you're applying for. Thorough rehearsal will help you appear confident and articulate.
3. The Game-Changing Question to Ask: When given the chance to ask questions, inquire, “When you picture the person excelling in this role six to twelve months from now, what does that look like to you?” This question reveals the employer's expectations and showcases your commitment to exceptional performance.

Remember that preparation and thoughtful engagement are key to your success.

Summary

John presents wise approaches to shine during your job interview. With his extensive experience and deep understanding of the topic, John equips you with a comprehensive toolkit for interview success. You'll gain the confidence and knowledge needed to ace your interview, blow away the competition, and leave a powerful and lasting impression on your potential employer.

And for those of you looking to take back complete control of your career, and quickly build your own freelance business, the quickest thing to do is create a telehealth practice. Learn how to do that in Dr. Cherisa Sandrow's 10-week comprehensive course by clicking right here.

NOTE: Look below for a transcript of today's episode. 

EXCLUSIVE: Get a daily dose of inspiration, information, news, training opportunities, and amusing stories by CLICKING HERE.

Links for Today's Episode:

• Episode 223: 8 Great Tips to Help You Prepare for Your First Job Interview 
• From Here to There: Leveraging Virtual Medicine
• NewScr!pt

Download This Episode:

Right Click Here and “Save As” to download this podcast episode to your computer.

Podcast Editing & Production Services are provided by Oscar Hamilton

Today's PNC Podcast Transcript

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Transcription PNC Podcast Episode 320

3 Top Tips to Ace Your Interview and Blow Away the Competition

John: Okay, let's get into the three top tips for acing your interview. This is definitely a critical part of our non-traditional job search. You've narrowed your job search to a single job at this point. There may be others, but you're going to start with this one. And you've convinced somebody that you're qualified, at least to the point where they want to interview you. And so, then you've got that interview scheduled.

Now remember, interviews can be phone interviews, tele-video interviews, or face-to-face, and they can be one-on-one or they can be group interviews. And we can cover a lot of topics related to this. But just keep that in mind and review that previous episode that I talked about. I'll put a link to that in the show notes.

But I don't want to go back over the basics of doing an interview. As we discussed before, you need to address properly, arrive early, bring copies of your resume, prepare a list of selling points. Don't show them to them, but at least prepare them and rehearse them and study them. Those selling points should talk about the transferable skills and measurable outcomes you've achieved in previous jobs that you can then apply to the current job that you're applying for.

You should be assertive but not pushy. Use the proper body language and never go negative on any topic, especially on the topic of why you're leaving your current position. And like I said, these have all been covered in episode number 223, but there's three more tips I want to talk about today that I don't think I got into great detail on before and they could be very critical to putting you over the top.

They're simple tips, but they may not come naturally to everybody, and they're often forgotten in the midst of a potentially stressful interview situation. So, let me get right to it.

Here is the first tip. When possible get to know your interviewers personally before getting into the formal interview questioning if you can. I don't mean try to get to know them before the interview. In those periods of time where there's downtime where you're waiting or they're waiting for other people to show up, not only should you smile and introduce yourself, but you should actually try and connect with that person.

Let's say you're going to do a group interview. The first person is in the room, you're there and you do have a couple of minutes. It reminds me of somebody I once met. I actually still know he is kind of a friend, although we don't see each other very often because he lives in another part of the state. But I remember meeting him at one of the state medical society meetings. I think we had lunch together, and he was the most inquisitive guy I've ever seen or heard.

And in fact, he had no barriers to just asking whatever came to his mind. We'd be sitting there and he'd ask me, "Oh, well, where'd you go to med school? And where's your office? And what kind of practice are you in?"

And then I remember later on during the conversation, we're just walking down the hallway and he says, "Oh, are you married? Oh, you're divorced. Okay, you have kids. Okay, why did you get divorced?" Now that is a question. That's somebody that can ask a question, it took me aback for a minute because I'm thinking, "Whoa, he jumped into something pretty personal right away."

But it was weird because I wasn't really offended because I think it's some question that many of us have when we meet someone who's just recently divorced. And I guess he was thinking about going through a divorce himself, but it actually also made me feel like he cared about my life even though maybe he was just doing it to get his own information and to help strategize what he was up to. But it didn't matter. He was liked that about everything. He would ask all about different things that normally you wouldn't in a routine conversation.

I just bring that up because you'll be surprised that people will not be offended, particularly if you're asking really questions to get to know the other person. And it's a method of persuasion that many authors have written about. And to try to get to know someone, have a conversation, make it about them. So, you can do a little research ahead of time and use LinkedIn and Doximity if you know who you're going to be interviewing. Obviously Doximity will only help you if it's another physician that's interviewing you.

And again, try to get that done during the little breaks in between when you can get a chance to do that. And you can talk about are there common interests? Did you happen to go to the same school or know someone who went to the same school, same university, same medical school, et cetera. Maybe workplaces you may have shared or friends you might know or hobbies. That's one. Hobbies and interests because you might overlap in those areas without necessarily being physically, geographically close to where your interviewer actually lives. And maybe travel. Interesting travel.

There's other things I'm sure you can think of. But that's the first tip. Try and do something and have a conversation that will make you more familiar to the other person. And that will help put you ahead of other people that are being interviewed for that job.

It builds that bond with the interviewer. It raises their awareness of you because the memory of you will be linked through some of those interesting short conversations or other connections that you have.

Okay, let's move on to the second tip. Like a lot of things that I've told you in the past, you need to do some rehearsing and prepare things in advance. And I don't think I've talked about this one specifically, but you need to prepare to answer this question "Tell me about yourself."

Now, most of us probably would say, "Well, I can answer that right now." But no, because you want to prepare this answer in a way that seems natural, but that accomplishes a couple of things. Number one, it follows a framework that you use, that you develop so that you can remember the answer. Because sometimes you just shouldn't wing it, like I said. And you should use a framework and then you should rehearse it many, many times.

Now, there's multiple frameworks you can use. One of the frameworks you can use is to think about this in terms of the past, the present and the future. You can tell a story about your past, present, and future. Those three stories should all link together.

And the other thing is that the story should be relevant to the company and to the job that you're applying for. Of everything in your life that you could talk about, which you could probably easily write a book, you need to link them, maybe use this framework and then make it pertinent to the company.

I put together a little example that might help you think through this for yourself. And by the way, you should write this down, rehearse it over and over and over again. Rehearse it with another person and then rehearse it without having your notes. And when you really feel comfortable and maybe jumping even around in the story, what have you, then you know you're ready to go.

But let me give you an example that I've written down. I've not memorized this story, but let's say that I was working as I was, and this is from my life. It's not exactly accurate because it's playing off a different type of story and a point that I want to make. But let's imagine that I'm working as a medical director at a hospital, and then I'm going to apply to become the CMO of a hospital, or let's say a VPMA, which is what I actually started with before becoming CMO. And it could be at my own hospital or even another hospital, but I think the concepts will be the same.

I'm at my interview talking about what I did, I'm going over some things in my resume. And somebody says, and this is usually going to be pretty early in the process, but it'll set the stage for future conversations, different topics later. And they say, "Well, let's just start by you telling me about yourself, or you telling us about yourself."

Here is something that I might come up with. All right. Well, I obtained a B.S. degree in chemistry and worked for two years as a food scientist at Kraft Foods. And I'd been thinking about going to medical school. I decided to seek the degree, and I ended up getting in and attended the University of Illinois before completing my family medicine residency.

And right after that, I started in practice and became interested in nonclinical jobs such as physician advisor and medical advisor, or medical director. And partly it was because I wanted to moonlight and make some money, but I liked attending the QI committee meetings, the pharmacy and therapeutic committee meetings and other medical staff meetings. And I got interested in some of those things in leadership and management, but also in quality improvement and patient safety. I obtained a master's degree in public health while I was still in practice.

And during those years, I developed a lot of experiences that apply to the job I've applied for here. I was leading QI meetings, CME meetings, and I attended hospital board meetings as one of the medical staff representatives. I experienced a lot of satisfaction helping to improve quality and patient safety, reducing overutilization when I was working as physician advisor for utilization management. And I helped the board to understand the quality and safety measures that were being reported to it.

Later I had an opportunity to take leadership roles as chair of the committee on CME accreditation at the Illinois State Medical Society. I worked as the chair of the local board of health, and I was a board member of a local nonprofit hospice. I learned a lot of these leadership and management concepts.

And thinking about my future and why I was so excited to learn about this position that you're offering, I realized that I'm looking for an opportunity to help an organization like yours, a position where I can use my skills and experiences that I mentioned previously and others, to improve patient care, lead process improvement teams and improve outcome measures and patient satisfaction.

If given the opportunity, I'd love to join your team and lead process improvement efforts, eliminate "never events", reduce publicly reported mortality and complication rates, and basically enhance the organization's standing in the community.

That's my story that I might come up with. And I would rehearse that and rehearse that and rehearse that, maybe buff it up, make it go a little more smoothly and get to the point where I could rattle it off at least the major points without hesitation.

That's the second tip today which is to again, be prepared to answer the question "Tell me about yourself." Write it down, rehearse it and get to where it just becomes second nature.

Now, the third and final tip. Really this tip prompted me to go back and go over this topic today because I was glancing at a really highly renowned medical and leadership resource known as TikTok. It's kind of funny, I don't spend a lot of time on TikTok, but in this instance, I found something on TikTok that really struck me.

I've talked about something sort of like this in the past in terms of trying to anticipate what the CEO or your boss, whoever that's going to be, is expecting. You look through the job description, you really try and figure out what they're looking for and you try and be prepared to answer all the questions about your background and so forth.

But I heard this next tip in its most succinct form I've ever really heard it or thought about it when it was mentioned by somebody on TikTok who's a grant writer, and he puts posts about how to write grants. And his name is Eric Bruckbauer. I don't think he is very famous. I couldn't find a LinkedIn profile for him. But this was his advice that I'm going to share with you. And I think it is actually pretty profound. I wanted to acknowledge that it was him that did it. And I had a hard time finding out who it was because if you go on TikTok, he doesn't even have his name on the TikTok. You can't even find it.

Anyway, let's get to the point. He said this is what you should say on a job interview to practically guarantee you'll get the job. And here it is. When the interviewer asks you if you have any questions, here is what you should say. "When you picture the person in this role doing an excellent job, six to 12 months from now, what does that look like to you?"

And that's perfect. Let me say it again. They're asking you, "Do you have any other questions?" And if you haven't already addressed this one this way, then when they ask you if you have other questions, I say, "When you picture the person in this role doing an excellent job six to 12 months from now, what does that look like to you?"

And you could put it in your own words if you like, but it's so perfect. It's a great question for several reasons. Number one, it tells you what they're really looking for in the job. It sometimes differs from what is written in the job description. You go through this long job descriptions, paragraphs and paragraphs of what you're going to be doing, and you're not really sure.

Well, what's prompting you to interview me for this job now? What's going on now? And that this person needs to comment, particularly if it's management or leadership. There's going to be a certain set of three or four goals that they want to accomplish in the next 12 months, basically when you're in a leadership position.

And so, number one, you get to hear what they're really looking for. And number two, it does inform you then, if you are hired, what you should be focusing on for that next year or so. Number three, when you ask that question, the interviewer will be wowed by the wisdom and the depth of the question, because it's such an important question. And the fourth thing is kind of related to these other things. It shows that you're interested in doing a good job. You really want to know what is the core responsibility and duties and goals for this person for you if you're hired and accomplishing that hopefully.

I'm getting a little excited here. But really that's the end of today's presentation. In addition to all the stuff that you should rehearse and all the background research you should do and the prepping, and make sure you wear the right clothes and show up on time and bring a copy of your resume and all those other things we already talked about, write that question down. Be prepared to answer it or by asking your question, which is the one that I said twice.

That's it for today. Don't forget to check out episode 223 with all those other tips at nonclinicalphysicians.com/first-job-interview so you can get more on that topic. When you are interviewing, do not expect to be a perfect interviewee the first few interviews.

Now some people, if you do all these things that I'm talking about, you might just get that first job that you interview for, but most people don't and we all get better with practice. But you're going to be doing all the things I've been talking about today and on the previous episode.

By the way, if you don't get the job, you should circle back to the recruiter or the HR person, hiring manager, or even the person who you'd be their direct report and just ask them what you could have done better. Was it lack of training? Was it lack of experience? Was it your attitude? Was it the interview? Was it resume? Was it cover letter rather? Try to learn from each interview as you go along.

You can find related links in the show notes and the transcript for this episode at nonclinicalphysicians.com/ace-your-interview.

I was going to go into my usual sponsor, but the reality is I only have one sponsor today. And that sponsor is Sandrow Consulting and its course "FROM HERE TO THERE: Leveraging Virtual Medicine."

And what I want to tell you about that is that the quickest way to jump off the healthcare hamster wheel, achieve more freedom, increase your income is to leverage virtual medicine. Sandrow Consulting is relaunching its comprehensive program for building and running your own telehealth business called "FROM HERE TO THERE: Leveraging Virtual Medicine" as I just said.

The program starts soon and there are a limited number of openings. So I encourage you to check it out at nonclinicalphysicians.com/freedom before the cap is reached on this because there's only so many students that she can accommodate. Now, if you do it quickly enough, there might be a webinar you can see. Otherwise you'll just go to their main page and it'll tell you all about this program and you can sign up there.

One thing I love about this program is that a freelance telehealth business can be a permanent solution or it can be a bridge to another non-traditional career because it's built on your existing clinical expertise. And you can quickly and safely create it using the insights learned by Dr. Sandrow's course. Again, learn more about it with no obligation by going to nonclinicalphysicians.com/freedom.

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Disclaimers:

Many of the links that I refer you to are affiliate links. That means that I receive a payment from the seller if you purchase the affiliate item using my link. Doing so has no effect on the price you are charged. I only promote products and services that I believe are of high quality and will be useful to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The opinions expressed here are mine and my guest’s. While the information provided on the podcast is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge, there is no express or implied guarantee that using the methods discussed here will lead to success in your career, life, or business.

The information presented on this blog and related podcast is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only. I do not provide medical, legal, tax, or emotional advice. If you take action on the information provided on the blog or podcast, it is at your own risk. Always consult an attorney, accountant, career counselor, or other professional before making any major decisions about your career. 

The post 3 Top Tips to Ace Your Interview and Blow Away the Competition – 320 appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.

In this week's podcast episode, John describes three communication mistakes that will easily derail your career in many large organizations, if you do not stop making them.

Communication has ALWAYS been a big deal. And with social media, email, and texting, we have so many more ways to screw it up than ever. The higher you progress in an organization, the more important communication becomes. 

It is key to ensuring accountability, completing goals, and executing effectively. Good teamwork relies on effective communication! And your relationship with your boss depends on it.

Our Sponsor

We're proud to have the University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA Program, offered by the Haslam College of Business, as the sponsor of this podcast.

The UT PEMBA is the longest-running, and most highly respected physician-only MBA in the country. It has well over 650 graduates. And, unlike other programs, which typically run 1 – 1/2 to 2 years, this program only takes a year to complete. Recently, Economist Magazine ranked the business school #1 in the world as the Most Relevant Executive MBA.

While in the program, you'll participate in a company project. That will enable you to demonstrate your commitment. And, as a result, the UT PEMBA students bring exceptional value to their organizations.

Graduates have taken leadership positions at major healthcare organizations. And they've become entrepreneurs and business owners.

By joining the University of Tennessee physician executive MBA, you will develop the business and management skills needed to find a career that you really love. To find out more, contact Dr. Kate Atchley’s office at (865) 974-6526 or go to nonclinicalphysicians.com/physicianmba.

Why Is Communication Important?

There are so many aspects of communication that need to be mastered. There is spoken and written communication. And various forms of each.

When I was working as a medical director and CMO, the demands were high. We had many projects in play. And we needed to complete those projects on time and under budget. Accountability was important. And effective communication was a big key to success.

As you move up an organization, communication becomes even more important. Therefore, today I would like to discuss three big communication mistakes. These are mistakes that will impair your performance and derail your career if you don't address them.

Big Communication Mistakes

So, what do I see as three of the biggest communication mistakes? Here they are…

1. Choosing the WRONG MEDIUM

It is easy to default to more convenient methods of communication, using texts or email. But such methods lack the observation of body language and the opportunity to hear vocal intonations.

And it is common for a complicated text or email “conversation” to run into dozens of entries when a three-minute phone call would have resolved the issue.

2. Lacking CLARITY

Too many messages, whether direct or via written word, are incomplete, or ambiguous. When we fail to spend sufficient time crafting our message, or reviewing what we've written, we can easily introduce confusion.

If you are building a culture of accountability, it is totally dependent on communicating with clarity. If a colleague or direct report is not clear on what is expected, it will be impossible to meet expectations.

3. Failure to Use REPETITION When Needed

Repetition is required for important messages. Creating a new corporate culture or adopting new goals requires repetition. It has been shown that repeating a message accomplishes the following:

• improves learning and understanding,
• breaks down resistance to the message, and,
• ensures that no one misses the message when it involves a large group.

Important messages should be repeated in different venues, in different ways to be effective.

Communication Mistakes BONUS: Being REACTIVE

Especially when communicating with your boss, it is best to anticipate what she expects. Then meet those expectations proactively. Develop communication styles and tactics that streamline and enhance the transfer of information. 

You will know you're being successful when your boss no longer needs to quiz you for updates during your one-on-ones.

Summary

Communication is a vast topic. But I have covered three major mistakes I’ve seen that you can easily train yourself NOT to make. And there is a BONUS tactic that will help you meet your boss’ needs and set you up for advancement.

For more thoughts on communication in healthcare, you can listen to my interview with Dr. Andrew Tisser on the Talk2MeDoc Podcast Episode #2.

Links for Today's Episode:

• The Three Disappointments of a Lack of Clarity
• Stop Making These Business Email Mistakes
• The Eight Essential Abilities the CEO Wants in a Chief Medical Officer

Download This Episode:

Right Click Here and “Save As” to download this podcast episode to your computer.

The post 3 Big Communication Mistakes That Will Derail Your Career – 161 appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.

In this week’s episode, John is alone behind the microphone to take a deep dive into nonclinical careers for discouraged doctors. This episode explores some of the best career options for doctors that are not board certified. However, they are also an option for more experienced board-certified clinicians.

Before getting into the specifics of the careers, John highlighted some of the key general tactics that should be used by every physician seeking a career pivot:

• Create a complete LinkedIn profile;
• Network with classmates, colleagues, contacts, etc.;
• Join professional organizations in the chosen field;
• Join LinkedIn groups in the space you're exploring;
• Find a mentor to help guide you.

6 Nonclinical Careers to Save Discouraged Doctors

Medical Writer

For physicians who are looking for flexibility and a career they can do from home, medical writer may be the answer. With a vast range of options, from blog articles to technical writing, discouraged doctors are sure to find something that fits their needs.

Travel requirements are minimal. But this job requires self-discipline. And interactions with others are uncommon unless you're writing based on interviews. So, this may not be the career for the gregarious extrovert.

A great way to get started as a medical writer is to submit unpaid articles to online publications while working at your current job. You can test the waters and build up a portfolio at the same time. If you're interested in pursuing medical writing, check out the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) and take a listen to episodes 22, 56, 63, and 75.

Clinical Documentation Improvement

Medicare regulations have caused an explosion of companies focused on Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI). As a CDI professional, you will be trained in the fascinating intricacies of translating chart information to appropriate billing codes.

Working in CDI is a great choice for discouraged doctors. This job allows for the option to work in-house at your current hospital, as an independent contractor, or from home. The job requires working on CDI teams, interacting with individual physicians, and teaching small groups of physicians.

There are some great resources, such as the Association for Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists, which offer training and certification. You can also check out Episodes 5 with Cesar Limjoco, and 77 with Christian Zouain, for more information about this career choice.

Medical Communications

Medical Communications is one of the careers that are open to physicians with clinical experience and those without. Generally, you’ll be working in marketing agencies that deal with pharma and device companies.

It’s a great role if you enjoy working in a conventional office with a regular schedule. Teamwork and communication skills are important. There is a great infographic to check out with a list of agencies in the space. You should also take a listen to our interview with Dana Carpenter in episode 61.

Consulting

Consulting can be an excellent career choice for physicians without clinical experience. Firms sometimes prefer doctors without experience so they can train them to their way of doing things, without having to break old habits.

Depending on the firm and your location, it may require significant amounts of travel. It can be very lucrative, though, with opportunity for advancement. There are a many companies to look at if you are interested. Here are some of the biggest ones:

• McKinsey and Co.
• Boston Consulting Group
• Deloitte
• Bain and Co.
• Huron Consulting Group

Medical Monitor

Frustrated and discouraged doctors that have experience working in research or with committees that deal with medication would be well suited to a career in medical monitoring. Medical monitors generally work in pharmaceutical research. They monitor research studies and ensure that they are medically sound. The job may involve some travel, but not as much as some of the other roles we covered. If you are interested in medical monitoring, listen to episode 70 of the podcast for more info. There are hundreds of companies that employ medical monitors. Here are some of the biggest ones:

• IQVIA
• Parexel
• Syneos Health
• Covance
• Icon
• PRA Health Sciences
• PPD
• Medpace

Our Sponsor

We're proud to have the University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA Program, offered by the Haslam College of Business, as the sponsor of this podcast.

The UT PEMBA is the longest-running, and most highly respected physician-only MBA in the country, with over 650 graduates. Unlike other programs, which typically run 1 – 1/2 to 2 years, this program only takes a year to complete. And Economist Magazine recently ranked the business school #1 in the world for the Most Relevant Executive MBA.

University of Tennessee PEMBA students bring exceptional value to their organizations. While in the program, you'll participate in a company project, thereby contributing to your organization.

Graduates have taken leadership positions at major healthcare organizations. And they've become entrepreneurs and business owners.

By joining the University of Tennessee physician executive MBA, you will develop the business and management skills you need to advance your career. To find out more, contact Dr. Kate Atchley’s office by calling (865) 974-6526 or go to vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

Medical Science Liaison

Medical Science Liaison (MSL) is a good entry job for getting into the pharmaceutical space. Ideal candidates for MSL roles will need to be very familiar with the regulatory landscape. You will also need to be okay with traveling regularly and meeting new people. A career as an MSL can require up to fifty percent travel and involves lots of “meeting and greeting.” The MSL Society and MSL Institute are both great resources. You can also listen to episodes 50, 51, 66, and 89 of the podcast.

Summary

These six careers will allow you to apply your medical training to help patients in a different way. There is an ongoing demand for each of them.

Pursuing them will require some old skills and a period of intense learning. But physicians who have made the transition have generally been very happy with their decision.

Eager to Build a Rewarding Career as a Medical Science Liaison?

Here's the smart way to do it (even if you never completed a residency training program)…

I recently released my first formal course How to Secure a Career as a Medical Science Liaison.

It’s designed to take you from where you are in your career, to your first job as an MSL in the growing pharmaceutical industry.

I chose to focus on this career because it's open to both licensed and unlicensed physicians.

The course is now open. It will be closed for enrollment soon. And the current price is the LOWEST price at which it will ever be offered.

To learn more, go to vitalpe.net/mslcourse.

Links for today's episode:

See text for links.

Thanks to our sponsor…

Thanks to the UT Physician Executive MBA program for sponsoring the show. It’s an outstanding, highly rated, MBA program designed for working physicians. It might be just what you need to prepare for that joyful, well-paying career. You can find out more at nonclinicalphysicians.com/physicianmba.

I hope to see you next time on the PNC Podcast.

If you enjoyed today’s episode, share it on Twitter and Facebook, and leave a review on iTunes.

Podcast Editing & Production Services are provided by Oscar Hamilton.

Disclaimers:

The opinions expressed here are mine and my guest’s. While the information provided on the podcast is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge, there is no express or implied guarantee that using the methods discussed here will lead to success in your career, life or business. 

Many of the links that I refer you to, and that you’ll find in the show notes, are affiliate links. That means that I receive a payment from the seller if you purchase the affiliate item using my link. Doing so has no effect on the price you are charged. And I only promote products and services that I believe are of high quality and will be useful to you, that I have personally used or am very familiar with.

The information presented on this blog and related podcast is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only. It should not be construed as medical, legal, tax, or emotional advice. If you take action on the information provided on the blog or podcast, it is at your own risk. Always consult an attorney, accountant, career counsellor, or other professional before making any major decisions about your career. 

Right click here and “Save As” to download this podcast episode to your computer.

Here are the easiest ways to listen:

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The post Nonclinical Careers That Will Save Discouraged Doctors – 095 appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.

I really enjoy speaking with physicians who have found a nonclinical career they love. I’ve seen that in life insurance medicine, teaching, and now in medical communications. The other aspect of this career that excites me is that it’s one in which you can express your creative side along with your scientific and technical side.

Before I get to the interview, I want to acknowledge our sponsor…

The University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA

I'm very thankful to have the support of the University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA Program offered by the Haslam College of Business. You’ll remember that I interviewed Dr. Kate Atchley, the Executive Director of the program, in Episode #25 of this podcast.

The UT PEMBA is the longest running, and most highly respected physician-only MBA in the country, with over 650 graduates. Unlike most other ranked programs, which typically have a duration of 18 to 24 months, this program only takes a year to complete. And, it’s offered by the business school that was recently ranked #1 in the world for the Most Relevant Executive MBA program, by Economist magazine.

University of Tennessee PEMBA students bring exceptional value to their organizations by contributing at the highest level while earning their degree. The curriculum includes a number of major assignments and a company project, both of which are structured to immediately apply to each student’s organization.

Graduates have taken leadership positions at major healthcare organizations and have become entrepreneurs and business owners. If you want to acquire the business and management skills needed to advance your nonclinical career, contact Dr. Atchley’s office by calling (865) 974-6526 or going to vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

Today's Guest

Dr. Dana Carpenter is Senior VP, Director Medical & Scientific Affairs at CDM New York, a leading healthcare communications agency. She's an experienced OB/GYN, medical director and health communicator combining expertise in medicine, management, and medical communications within the health communication/medical marketing arena.

She's recognized as a subject expert and strategic consultant in women’s health, with additional marketing experience across many therapeutic areas. She obtained her medical degree from Rush Medical College at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and her residency at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Moving Into Medical Communications

Dana decided she wanted to pursue a medical career while in high school. But in medical school, she realized she did not want to spend her entire career providing direct patient care.  After working for almost a decade in an all-women OB-GYN practice (and paying off her student loans), Dana began her journey from medicine to medical communications.

She left her practice and started a consulting business. As part of the business, she created an online presence with a website, podcast and published articles. And she did some public speaking. All of these activities demonstrated her skills in medical communications, and a recruiter contacted her about working in the field. That led to her landing a job as VP, Associate Medical Director with CDM New York, a medical marketing company.

Dana's story is inspirational. And she provides great advice if you're considering a career in medical marketing and advertising,

Some of the highlights of our conversation:

• What Dana loved (and didn’t love) about clinical practice;
• The projects that helped her transition into medical communications;
• What appeals to her most about the world of medical marketing;
• The skills, experiences, and assets that healthcare agencies are looking for;
• What training and support to expect from within the industry;
• The wide array of possible roles in communications, and who’s a good fit for each;
• The three main sectors in medical communications, and how to choose yours;
• How to stand out to recruiters and break into the field; and,
• The kind of lifestyle and work-life balance communications professionals enjoy.

Click here to download the TRANSCRIPT

Summary

We’ve talked before on the show about medical writing, but my latest guest shares her insightful perspective on the world of medical communications: what it is, how to get into it, and why it’s a great fit for many physicians looking for a change.

Dana was passionate about her career in obstetrics and gynecology. And it's clear that she carried that enthusiasm into her current career. It was great to get her perspective about her career transition.

She was able to clarify a lot for me about the communications industry, which can seem pretty confusing from the outside. As you heard in this episode, there’s a wide range of opportunities in this field. If you’re interested, you can explore each sector, and select one based on your skills and personality.

Dana emphasized that the most important thing you can do to get the attention of recruiters: start communicating. You should publish health and medical content through;

• a blog,
• in published articles,
• on a podcast,
• via YouTube videos,
• in your local newspaper, or
• on social media, such as LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.

Learn more about CDM at CDM New York. You can connect with Dana on LinkedIn and via email at dcarpenter@cdmny.com, or

The University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA Program

I want to sincerely thank the UT Physician Executive MBA program, again, for sponsoring the show. It’s an outstanding, highly rated, MBA program designed for working physicians. It might be just what you need to prepare for that joyful, well-paying career. You can find out more at vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

Thanks again for listening. I hope to see you next time on Physician NonClinical Careers.

As always, I welcome your comments and feedback.

If you enjoyed today’s episode, share it on Twitter and Facebook, and leave a review on iTunes.

Podcast Editing & Production Services are provided by Oscar Hamilton

Disclaimer:

The opinions expressed here are mine and my guest’s. While the information provided on the podcast is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge, there is no express or implied guarantee that using the methods discussed here will lead to success in your career, life or business. 

The information presented on this blog and related podcast is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only. It should not be construed as medical, legal, tax, or emotional advice. If you take action on the information provided on the blog or podcast, it is at your own risk. Always consult an attorney, accountant, career counsellor, or other professional before making any major decisions about your career. 

Right click here and “Save As” to download this podcast episode to your computer.

The easiest ways to listen:  vitalpe.net/itunes or vitalpe.net/stitcher

The post Why Medical Communications Is the Best Nonclinical Career – 061 appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.

Before I get to the interview, I want to acknowledge our sponsor…

The University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA

I'm very thankful to have the support of the University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA Program offered by the Haslam College of Business. You’ll remember that I interviewed Dr. Kate Atchley, the Executive Director of the program, in Episode #25 of this podcast.

The UT PEMBA is the longest running, and most highly respected physician-only MBA in the country, with over 650 graduates. Unlike most other ranked programs, which typically have a duration of 18 to 24 months, this program only takes a year to complete. And, it’s offered by the business school that was recently ranked #1 in the world for the Most Relevant Executive MBA program, by Economist magazine.

University of Tennessee PEMBA students bring exceptional value to their organizations by contributing at the highest level while earning their degree. The curriculum includes a number of major assignments and a company project, both of which are structured to immediately apply to each student’s organization.

Graduates have taken leadership positions at major healthcare organizations and have become entrepreneurs and business owners. If you want to acquire the business and management skills needed to advance your nonclinical career, contact Dr. Atchley’s office by calling (865) 974-6526 or going to vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

Today's Guest

Dr. Lynette Charity grew up in the 1950s in the segregated South. She was one of the first black students to attend her high school. She faced plenty of doubt when she announced she was planning to become a physician. But she went on to graduate with honors from Chatham College for Women in Pittsburgh, PA on a full academic scholarship. And she earned her medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine. She became an expert in anesthesiology, working in hospitals and for the U.S. Army. But, after a 35-year career, she was ready for a change.

Learning to Speak

When she knew she was looking for something else, Lynette turned to SEAK for help, attending its national meeting in 2012. But none of the alternate career paths they set out really appealed to her. Luckily, through SEAK she met career coach Heather Fork, who was able to roll with Lynette’s unconventional dreams for her career change.

When Lynette said, “Heather, I want to be a stand-up comic, lounge singer, voiceover actor,” Heather didn’t back down. Instead, she convinced Lynette to sign up for Toastmasters, so she could take her first steps to leearn keynote speaking as a professional. Lynette was resistant at first. After all, she’d given lectures and presentations for years. But she learned pretty quickly that lecturing to a room full of other medical students and residents was a far cry from the kind of public speaking she needed to learn.

So she dove in, and started making Toastmasters speeches. She used their programs to learn confidence, communication, and the elements of storytelling. It was a learning curve for Lynette, learning to connect with audiences rather than just lecture at them. But she was excited to learn. And, as it turned out, she was very good at it.

Learning to Shine

Lynette’s mentors at Toastmasters were seriously impressed with her talent. Hence, they encouraged her to compete in speaking competitions. Her very first year, she won the competition in her district. She competed again the following year, and made it to the World Championships of Public Speaking held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

She was able to share her story about growing up in the segregated South with a completely new, international audience. And she placed third worldwide! It wasn’t first prize, but it was a huge success. And it felt good.

“I was a rock star! I felt really good walking around with my big old trophy… this was a foreign country, and I was telling a story about the fact that I had grown up in the segregated South in the 1950s… And I did it using the Wizard of Oz, because a lot of foreign people don't know anything about segregation in America. So I tried to relate it to that, and I sang, I danced.  I did it all in that speech! And people came up to me later on, wanting to know more about that part of history that they didn't know anything about.”

Lynette knew she’d found what she wanted to do: speak, connect, and make people laugh. Now she needed to make it into a career.

Getting Professional

In order to take herself from an amateur public speaker to the real thing, Lynette invested in professional speaking coaches. Starting with a coach recommended by Toastmasters, she moved up through different coaches as her skills improved. She stresses the importance of finding the right coach to effectively advance your career.

On the comedy side of Lynette’s dreams, she took the time to go back to school. Her local community college offered acting and improv classes. And that’s where she tried her hand at comedy for the first time. Her instructors always kept her on her toes. As the oldest student in the room by far, she would be given roles as kids and teenagers while her college-aged classmates took the adult roles. The contrast added to the comedic content. The classes took her out of her comfort zone, helping her to learn to think on her feet.

From there, she gained the confidence to do a stand-up routine for the first time — and she loved it! Her jokes were landing and she was getting laughs. She learned how to handle hecklers. Things went well enough to take her show on the road, and she’s performed at open mic nights and comedy shows all over the country. And Lynette often integrates comedy into her keynote speaking, which her audiences enjoy.

Finding a Niche

Lynette knew she loved to speak, but it wasn’t until a phone call came from Heather Fork that she found exactly the kind of speaking that she wanted to do. Out of the blue, Heather put her in touch with a school in Coimbra, Portugal, looking for a keynote speaker. The school was willing to fly Lynette and her husband overseas in exchange for a keynote speech to a group of young medical students. No honorarium, but all expenses paid.

Lynette said yes.

It was there that she developed what is now one of her signature speeches: “Stay Inspired, Stay Healthy, Stay True to You.” And that helped identify her niche as a speaker: inspiring physicians and physicians-to-be. From there, Lynette developed her specialty as a keynote speaker on physician burnout, depression and suicide. 

Click here to download a TRANSCRIPT of this interview!

Breaking into the Industry

Expertise in a particular topic is critical, Lynette says, to booking speaking engagements. Event planners don’t want to hear you say that you’ll speak on anything and everything. You need to be an expert in one particular niche to prove that you have something unique to offer.

Lynette’s first several speaking gigs (outside of her competition speeches) weren’t paid. She spoke to Rotary Clubs and retirement homes, at community events and for local chapters of professional organizations. She built a track record one speech at a time. And she began to build enough of a reputation to start collecting $300 to $500 honoraria for her work.

But how did she turn it into a real career? Lynette studied other speakers in her field. She discovered Kevin Pho, of KevinMD fame. She reached out to him for a coaching session. By the end of it, he asked her if he could promote her as a speaker to his network.

She agreed. And with Kevin Pho's support, she was quickly booked for eight speaking engagements earlier this year. Lynette notes that joining speakers’ bureaus is great way to connect with event planners.

Dr. Lynette Charity

To beginning professional speakers, she stresses the importance of having a strong social media presence, and a website of your own. It's essential to present actual video giving a speech to an audience. You must prove yourself in advance, she says, because “an event planner does not want to be embarrassed by hiring someone, and they get up there and they make them look bad.”

Lynette’s Quick Keynote Speaking Tips:

• Follow the Rule of Three! No more than three chunks of information per slide, and no more than three major messages.
• Engage your audience, don’t talk at them, and don’t read your slides, ever!
• Pick a lane! Find your niche and become an expert in it. Don’t try to be all things to everyone.

What’s Next?

Lynette says she’s taking a break from working and speaking in November and December of this year. But in the new year, she’s going to keep speaking, doing comedy, and finding even more ways to build community between patients and practitioners.

She dreams about putting together an all-doctor comedy troupe, and taking it on the road. It’s all part of her broader mission to reach out and support other physicians. And bring attention to what their lives are really like.

“I see a mission for myself here,” Lynette says, “because we need to get the word out about who we are, what we do, and how we can help ourselves and our communities in the future. And the only way we're going to do that, is to get more of us out there speaking.”

Summary

Lynette provided great advice when it comes to public speaking, and to pursuing any new career. She serves as a role model for all physicians as we pursue the careers we love. I'll definitely keep in touch with Lynette, and update you on her speaking and performing engagements.

The University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA Program

I want to sincerely thank the UT Physician Executive MBA program, again, for sponsoring the show. It’s an outstanding, highly rated, MBA program designed for working physicians. It might be just what you need to prepare for that joyful, well-paying career. You can find out more at vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

Thanks again for listening. I hope to see you next time on Physician NonClinical Careers.

As always, I welcome your comments and feedback.

If you enjoyed today’s episode, share it on Twitter and Facebook, and leave a review on iTunes.

Podcast Editing & Production Services are provided by Oscar Hamilton

Links for Today's Episode:

Dr. Lynette Charity’s website

@LynetteDCharity on Twitter

Lynette Charity on Facebook

Lynette Charity on LinkedIn

Heather Fork’s website

Kevin Pho (Kevin MD)

SEAK

Toastmasters

Disclaimer:

The opinions expressed here are mine and my guest’s. While the information provided on the podcast is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge, there is no express or implied guarantee that using the methods discussed here will lead to success in your career, life or business. 

The information presented on this blog and related podcast is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only. It should not be construed as medical, legal, tax, or emotional advice. If you take action on the information provided on the blog or podcast, it is at your own risk. Always consult an attorney, accountant, career counsellor, or other professional before making any major decisions about your career. 

Right click here and “Save As” to download this podcast episode to your computer.

The easiest ways to listen:  vitalpe.net/itunes or vitalpe.net/stitcher

The post How to Blend Stand-Up Comedy and Keynote Speaking – 062 appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.

After working clinically, she transitioned to working full-time in medical writing. She has experience as a freelancer and a full-time employed writer. She currently serves as a Medical Director for HealthLoop and continues freelance medical writing at Armitage Medical.

I've been interested in writing myself. It's one of  the reasons I started this blog. But Mandy is very serious about writing and describes what she did to make this her full-time career.

Mandy is also passionate about helping others to pursue a career in medical writing. During our conversation, she describes her transition from practicing physician to full-time writer, including resources that she used to develop her writing skills. She also defines the various categories of medical writing.

Here is some of her advice for transitioning to a writing career:

• Join the American Medical Writers Association;
• Enroll in a writing course;
• Identify and engage a writing mentor; and
• Use LinkedIn to advance your writing career.

She goes into some detail about each of these resources.

Although we did not spend much time discussing her freelance activities, Mandy still provides writing services through her own company, Armitage Medical. Some of the content she produces includes abstracts, CME and CE materials, treatment guidelines, journal articles, literature reviews, news stories and feature articles.

As mentioned in the podcast, I am still promoting a fantastic online course produced by the White Coat Investor, Dr. James Dahle, called Fire Your Financial Advisor. It is the best and most affordable way for high-income professionals to learn about reducing student loan debt; creating budgets and financial plans; selecting the right disability, life and housing insurance; investing for retirement; asset protection; the right way to approach housing; creating an investment portfolio; estate planning and much more. To learn more and to purchase with a money-back guarantee, go to vitalpe.net/money.

In Closing

You can contact Mandy Armitage using her contact form at Armitage Medical. You can also reach her on LinkedIn.

Let’s end today’s episode with this quote:

Next Time

In my next podcast episode, I'll present a conversation with a physician who transitioned out of medicine because of an injury. Although she loved her chosen career, she could no longer practice her specialty because of it. She tells us how she came to grips with that, and leveraged her experiences to create a new career as a physician advocate.

Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter so you don't miss it, using the form below.

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Here is a list of resources mentioned in this episode:

[table id=19 /]

If you liked today’s episode please tell your friends about it and SHARE it on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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The post How to Become a Medical Writer with Dr. Mandy Armitage – 022 appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.

During the recent SEAK NonClinical Careers for Physicians Conference, I was surprised by the number of times LinkedIn was mentioned. It is a critical tool when seeking a nonclinical job. In one presentation the speaker noted that LinkedIn was the primary method for finding jobs as a medical writer.

In this week’s podcast, I address two of three major issues related to LinkedIn. The third issue will be addressed in the follow-up episode next week.

The three major aspects I'll describe are:

• Exactly what LinkedIn is;
• Why it is so important that you create a LinkedIn account; and,
• How to set up your account and use it.

What is LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a social network designed for the business community. The site allows members to establish networks of people they know and trust professionally.

It’s a social media site that was founded in 2002. It is now owned by Microsoft. With over 500 million users worldwide, it boasts about 130 million users in the United States. It currently posts about 10 million jobs.

The primary feature that defines LinkedIn is each member’s profile. Think of this profile as a dynamic visual resume. But there are several other important LinkedIn features. These features make it critically useful to the physician pursuing a new career. These include networking, writing and posting articles, and online education.

That’s what it is. Let’s move on to…

The Top Reasons to Use LinkedIn

I believe that LinkedIn is a must for those planning to pursue a career in any nonclinical field. It is especially useful for physician managers and executives, consultants, coaches, and medical writers.

Here are the reasons I find it so useful. Most of them relate directly to its status as an online resume.

Reason #1. Job Hunting

My Story

Three years ago, I updated my LinkedIn profile and submitted my name to the job listings page. A short time later, an entrepreneur contacted me. He indicated to me through the Messaging feature that he was looking for a physician with my background. And he wanted me to consider joining him as a minority partner in a new venture: to open a new urgent care center.

He had devoted a couple of years to researching the business opportunity. And he had plans to open a clinic in a region north of Chicago that had a deficit of urgent care services. He thought that I had the necessary skills to partner with him. And offered to meet to discuss the opportunity.

About six months later, following some negotiation, I signed several agreements. I purchased stock in the new company. And I gave notice to my current employer that I was leaving my job as chief medical officer.

Fast forward two and a half years. Our clinic, called PromptMed Urgent Care, has grown from an unknown entity to a very thriving healthcare facility, treating 40 to 50 patients per day.

LinkedIn Has Helped Many Colleagues

I know of several other physicians who have found jobs in this way.

By creating and updating your profile and participating in LinkedIn jobs, you can constantly receive alerts about new jobs that match your search criteria. As an online resume, it works best if your profile is detailed, clear, complete, and authentic. However, it can present much more information.

It should contain your complete employment history (no gaps), and educational background. It should also list other experiences, including volunteer work. And you must include endorsements from those who know you well (professionally).

Think of this as creating your own personal brand that can be used for a variety of purposes, but especially job hunting.

Reason #2. Connections and Followers

LinkedIn provides recommendations for potential connections on an ongoing basis. You can cull your existing email lists or manually search for connections to add. But LinkedIn also facilitates the process of identifying new connections.

It will use your first-degree connections to identify second- and third-degree connections. You can message them and invite them to connect.

You can identify people in your workplace, and alumni from your undergraduate school, medical school, and residency programs to connect with or follow.

Once you’ve developed this network, you can sort and categorize them for the information you want to send them. You can message them, ask them questions, and consult with them in ways that help each of you professionally.

My Networking Story

About 2 years ago, I started with about 100 connections, mostly people who worked at the hospital where I was working as Chief Medical Officer.

After I started my blog, which targets physician leaders and executives, I made a concerted effort to nurture and grow my network, gradually adding mostly physician leaders. I would attend professional association meetings, then afterward reach out to physicians I had met, and connect with them on LinkedIn, adding them to my network.

I now have over 600 first-degree connections. And unlike Facebook and other social networks, there is no one spamming me or trying to convince me to join multilevel marketing schemes or forward chain letters.

For the physician pursuing a career transition, this networking feature is the second important feature of LinkedIn and it may actually supersede the importance of the Job Listings. In his book, Do You Feel Like You Wasted All That Training?, Michael J. McLaughlin describes the extensive amount of time he devoted to networking and its importance in assisting him in leaving plastic surgery and securing his first nonclinical job in the medical communication industry.

He does not specifically mention using LinkedIn, but had it been available it would have greatly streamlined his networking efforts.

Reason #3. Get Published

I enjoy using LinkedIn to post articles and showcase my expertise and writing skills. Posting on LinkedIn enhances my authority and reputation by allowing me to share articles from other sources, or my own original writing.

My Story

I posted my first article in August of 2015. It was a simple description of my wife’s business, a Home Helpers franchise that she opened in 2009.

After that, I posted articles focused on topics I thought would be of interest to physician leaders. The topics included physician employment, contracting and compensation issues, management, CME planning, quality improvement, patient safety, and communication.

So far, I’ve posted about 20 articles. Most receive less than 100 views. But I had one article (The Best Hospitals Are Managed by Physicians) posted in December of 2016 that has been viewed by 562 LinkedIn members so far.

I also post links to my blog articles and this podcast, both to my main feed and to some of the groups that I have joined on LinkedIn.

Share Your Articles

In addition to posting articles on LinkedIn, if you write for other outlets, like Medium or KevinMD, those can also be shared on your LinkedIn home page.

The article mentioned above (The Best Hospitals Are Managed by Physicians), and shared on LinkedIn, was picked up by Doximity. While most of my popular blog posts generate about 150 to 300 views, that one generated 1,000 views in one day, and so far over 2,800 views since it was posted in July of 2017.

Writing can help with career advancement, network development, and promotion of your side business or consulting practice if you have one.

Reason #4. Groups

There are thousands of groups on LinkedIn that can expand your reach and serve as a source of education and networking.

I’m personally a member of 14 groups, most of which are related to physician leadership, hospital executive interests, and non-clinical careers. I also enjoy the conversations posted to the Writing on LinkedIn Group.

Group members can interact even if they’re not otherwise connected on the site. I can post specific articles and opinions to my groups and thereby encourage interaction with other members. I sometimes post questions to experts in the groups.

Group members can help to identify nonclinical careers and share their experiences and answer questions you may have about various career options.

Reason #5. Good Source of News

I receive an ongoing flow of information from LinkedIn, including posts and articles on my feed from my connections and group members. I’m also able to find new authors to follow by managing my feed preferences. By clicking the “More“ icon on any post, I can add persons to follow from the Improve My Feed list, or the Followers list.

News and other content is also delivered to me daily from each of my groups. When I enter the Groups Area, I’m presented with Today’s Highlights, which is a personalized selection of conversations from my groups.

Reason #6. LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning grew out of LinkedIn’s purchase of Lynda.com. It has taken this content and merged it with its professional networking.

The content is free if you have a Premium Membership. There is a monthly fee to access LinkedIn Learning if you don’t.

There is a library of over 9,000 digital courses. And LinkedIn Learning will create personalized recommendations of courses for you, based on your interests and expressed needs. These courses can be accessed anytime, anywhere, on cell phones and other personal devices. And they’re very professionally produced.

Bonus Reason #7: It’s Free!

One of the big reasons to sign up is that you get all of this for free. Sure, there are premium services that can sometimes be useful but are often not required.

I’ve been growing my network on LinkedIn for about two years, mostly using the free membership.

In Closing

There you have the top reasons to join LinkedIn. If you are serious about pursuing a new career, especially a non-clinical one, you MUST use this platform.

If I’ve convinced you that you need a LinkedIn profile, you can go ahead and set it up now, or wait until next week when I'll walk you through Steps to Create an Awesome LinkedIn Profile. With that episode, I will provide a downloadable set of instructions to use if you need them.

I want to thank you so much for joining me today.

If you’ve enjoyed the podcast please tell your friends to check it out and Subscribe on iTunes

Let’s close with a quote.

Resources

Here is a list of resources mentioned in this episode:

[table id=10 /]

Right-click here and “Save As” to download this podcast episode to your computer.

The easiest ways to listen:  vitalpe.net/itunes or vitalpe.net/stitcher

If you'd like to listen to the premiere episode, you can find it here: Getting Acquainted with Physician NonClinical Careers Podcast – 001

The post Top Reasons to Use LinkedIn – 008 appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.

On several occasions, I recall feeling totally unprepared to inform an elderly woman that her spouse did not survive the cardiopulmonary arrest that occurred while I was on call. Or the fact that the chest X-ray demonstrated a likely lung cancer in a patient admitted with a cough and bloody  sputum.

Admittedly, I probably should not have been the one having those conversations, but it just worked out that way.

Over the years, I became more comfortable with delivering bad news. I watched others do it. I read about it. But I never did receive any formal training on how to do it.

Several decades later, I was asked by the Director of Graduate Medical Education at my hospital to present a series of lectures to the residents. This past month, I presented one of those lectures devoted to the topic of delivering bad news to patients. It gave me an opportunity to review the subject.

I developed my method of delivering bad news by observing my instructors as I completed medical school and family medicine residency training. I don’t recall being taught a consistent method or process to follow.

As I reviewed the subject matter and integrated what I learned with the approach that I had come to follow, I was pleased to find out that there has been an effort to study the subject and several processes have been described and tested.

I think my readers will find this review of the process I taught to the residents to be a useful model to share with colleagues or use themselves in delicate conversations of this nature.

Definition

Let’s define the term “bad news” using Robert Buckman’s definition: “any information likely to alter drastically a patient's view of his or her future.”

Think of these examples:

• A young, pregnant woman is told that she has experienced a fetal demise, her fantasy of a healthy, happy newborn crushed in an instant;
• A middle-aged man with arm pain for several months, discovers he has metastatic prostate cancer causing his pain;
• An elderly woman with “indigestion” and weight loss is found to have pancreatic cancer.

These are life-altering conditions with implications for ensuing disability, loss of autonomy and premature death. Learning of these ailments causes intense emotional responses in most patients, which can interfere with their ability to fully grasp what you're telling them.

Why is This So Important?

The reality is this: patients want to know the truth. They expect the truth from their doctors. They don't want to be lied to, or misled.

Patients want to know what their life is going to be like, the constraints that an illness is going to place on their activities and how long they might have to live.

They need to get their affairs in order. And they're legally entitled to know what's happening to them because they cannot make informed decisions unless they have all the facts about their medical condition.

Barriers to Conveying Bad News Effectively

There are three major challenges to completing an effective conversation about news such as this:

1. Time constraints

This conversation cannot be completed during a five-minute visit or while rounding briefly on a hospitalized patient. It will require an extended meeting to allow the patient to absorb what is being said, ask questions and reflect. Most physicians are not prepared to take 30 minute break to sit down with their patient and talk this through unexpectedly, so it is a conversation that must be planned and scheduled.

2. Physician Fears and Misgivings

There was a time when physicians believed that patients should be sheltered from the truth about a terminal or disabling illness, believing it will destroy hope and impede healing.

Consider this quote published in the American Medical Association’s Code of Medical Ethics in 1847: “The life of a sick person can be shortened… by the words or manner of a physician… avoid all things which have a tendency to discourage the patient and depress his spirit.”

We've certainly dropped this idea that giving bad news should be avoided in order to protect patients. But physicians still have fears about the emotional outpouring that might ensue, fear of being blamed for the bad news, or of having failed the patient in some way.

3. Lack of Instruction

Most of us in medical practice learned how to deliver bad news by watching others do it. We’ve not received formal training. If we had sensitive, empathetic mentors, that might have been good enough.

But, if our instructors were impatient, or not naturally good listeners, or cursed with a low emotional intelligence level, we may have learned some bad habits during our training. Good leaders will be certain that members of their organization present bad news in a measured, empathetic and humane way.

Hospital and medical group leaders need to ensure that our colleagues, department heads, and others have the tools needed to communicate effectively. We should develop educational programs that include much of the information that follows. Taking this a step further, it would be ideal if groups of caregivers, including physicians, could get together and do some role-playing in order to practice having such conversations.

The S-P-I-K-E-S Protocol to Deliver Bad News

So what are the steps? I'm going to outline the steps following the SPIKES protocol. Each letter in the word SPIKES represents one step of the process:

1. Setting
2. Perception
3. Invitation
4. Knowledge
5. Emotional response
6. Strategy and Summary

There have been other approaches developed for delivering bad news. For example, the ABCDE method was described by Rabow and McPhee. But they generally follow a similar approach.

Let me go through each step individually.

Setting

There are several components we should address under this preparation phase. We should go through a mental rehearsal of the conversation we hope to have with the patient. We should plan to have this conversation in a private setting where we can sit down face-to-face with the patient and have good eye contact.

This setting must be free of distractions so we should leave our telephone and pager outside the room or put them on “do not disturb” mode. We should be prepared to have sufficient time to have this conversation. This is not a conversation that will occur in five minutes during rounds or in a semi-private room with another patient in the room in the hospital setting.

Perception

The next step is to assess the perception that the patient has about her illness and the pending conversation. You could say we should “ask before we tell.” Ask the patient, “What is your understanding of your medical situation?”

If you've had a conversation with the patient about testing that was going to be done or the consultation that was going to be arranged, and you explained what the expected outcomes of that test or consultation would be, then the patient should have a pretty good understanding of the potential implications.

But if you're a hospitalist encountering a patient for the first time, or an emergency room physician who has no personal relationship with the patient, it's going to be a little different. You'll need to determine the perception by the patient of their situation.

Do they know that they might have a terminal illness or one which is going to seriously affect their long-term living situation? Did they know that coming into this meeting today you were going to provide them the results of the testing and explain any bad news that might be coming?

Invitation

The next step is to understand whether the patient is ready to proceed, and how they want to proceed. Do they want every detail, or a short summary of the illness, with a focus on the treatment? You're seeking an invitation to provide the information and answer questions. You want to be sure that the patient is prepared to do so. If your patient says that they really aren't prepared emotionally to hear the results, then you might need to stop and regroup later.

The patient might want to have a family member present with them. Or he might not have been aware of what was coming. And, is the patient ready to receive both the medical knowledge and the plans for dealing with the bad news going forward?

Knowledge

The fourth step is imparting the knowledge or the information. The most important advice here is to take… your… time.

Do not rush through this conversation.

This is the most lengthy part of the interaction, explaining in layman's terms exactly what is going on. Is this a terminal illness? Is this an illness that is going to severely impair the patient's daily activities, ability to work, ability to travel?

This part of the conversation should start with a warning, something like, “I'm sorry but I've got bad news for you today.” Be sure to use non-technical terms. Provide the information in small bites. Pause frequently, and assess the patient's response.

And don’t use euphemisms, like referring to a “growth”, when you should use the term “cancer.” Use terms like “very serious,” limited “life expectancy” and “death,” if necessary. But be gentle and patient at the same time.

Is the information sinking in? Are they grasping what you're saying? Be sure to provide reassurance as you go. Tell the patient, “Yes, this is a serious condition, but we're going to be here to help you along the way. We're not going to abandon you.”

Emotion

The fifth step is the emotion phase. How is the patient responding to the news? Observe the patient. See what emotions have been elicited. Is the patient sad, angry, or in denial? Acknowledge that there has been a strong emotional response, and try to reflect back what that emotional response is. Use terms like, “I see you're very sad” or “I can see you're very upset” or “You seem to be angry.”

Then try to connect the emotional response to the underlying reasons. It may seem obvious that since they received bad news, they should be angry or upset. But it's the interpretation of the news that drives the emotional response. Find out, if you can, what fear is driving the emotion. Then help the patient connect meaning to the emotion.

Consider using observations such as, “You look angry. What is it about this news that makes you so angry? Tell me more.”

The patient may state that they had plans coming up for a trip and they're angry because now they won't have a chance to travel.

They may be more worried and upset about the impact of this news on other members of their family, rather than the direct effects on themselves. Or, perhaps the patient has lived through a loved one’s illness and are fearful about the effects of treatment (hair loss, other side effects) or uncontrolled pain.

Link the Emotion to the Meaning

It's important that you identify both the emotional response and the meaning that’s driving it. Then acknowledge both. Be empathetic, acknowledge their concerns and their emotions, pausing frequently to allow them to vent.

At this stage, they must get their emotions under some level of control before we can proceed to the next step of the process. If someone is completely distraught, and crying uncontrollably, they're not going to hear what you have to say.

Give them a few moments. Wait to see if they can compose themselves enough to answer your questions. Verify that they understand what you've said, and move forward with the conversation, answering questions slowly and deliberately.

Be sure to validate their emotions and their concerns as you go. But, again, do not downplay their condition. Don’t say “Don’t worry, everything will be OK” in a way that whitewashes what is going on.

Once they seem to have accepted the reality of the situation, and are composed enough to proceed, move to the final phase of the discussion.

Strategy and Summary

This final step is designed to verify that they've heard the information. You might ask them, “What is your understanding of what we've just talked about?” Are they able to clearly articulate what you've conveyed? Are they using euphemisms that you may have used like, “I have a tumor”? Or are they being realistic and accurate with their assessment?

Be sure that if this is a terminal illness, that is understood. Be prepared to describe what is known about the course of the illness. You can explain that the condition may result in their death at some point, but you're going to be there to help them and not let them be suffer needlessly. Describe some of the support that will be available to them.

Provide a brief overview of the steps that will be taken to address their diagnosis. Then ask them to reiterate the plans that you have discussed. Explain decisions that might need to be made. Once they've heard about them, give them a chance to express their initial thoughts. But a final course of action should be discussed later, after they have fully digested the information that has been provided.

You might ask. “Is there a direction that you'd prefer to follow, or would you like to come back later and discuss the treatment options again in more detail?”

If the patient is too distraught to finish this part of the process, then it's best to stop, circle back to the beginning of the SPIKES protocol and reiterate some of the information.

If necessary, stop completely and reconvene later in the day or the next day with the patient, perhaps with a family member present. Then reiterate the plan, including when you're going to meet next.

Recap

Let's quickly recap the six steps of the SPIKES protocol.

First, you're going to address the SETTING. In setting up, you're going to rehearse mentally, make sure you have a private setting where you'll be sitting eye-to-eye with the patient, and that distractions are going to be eliminated.

Second, you're going to assess the patient's PERCEPTION of what's going on and any recall of previous conversations leading up to this meeting.

In the third step, you're going to look for an INVITATION by the patient to proceed. That means they're ready to proceed and they've told you how much detail they want to have during this conversation.

The fourth step is imparting the KNOWLEDGE that needs to be delivered, starting with, “I'm sorry to tell you that I have bad news” and avoid using jargon. Give the information in small bites, pause frequently and reassure as you go.

During the fifth step, you must address the EMOTIONS evoked in response to the news. You should observe the patient, acknowledge their emotions, clarify them, connect them to the meaning that the news has to that patient, and validate them.

The sixth and final step is to elicit their SUMMARY of what has been discussed and outline the STRATEGY for moving forward while reassuring them. Then set a particular time and place when you're going to follow-up with them.

This process seems to be a little bit too “cookbook” for some. But after using it a few times, it becomes second nature. The six seemingly discrete steps start to blend into one another, so that this conversation can be done in a very responsible and effective manner. This will enable you to convey the news to the patient and prepare them for the next steps in their treatment.

Final Suggestions

You may find it useful to watch some videos, demonstrating poor examples of giving bad news and more effective examples. Below are two such videos:

• Poor approach to delivering bad news.
• Good example of delivering bad news.

Questions

Does this approach seem useful? Does it generally follow the process you've developed to convey bad news?

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Next Steps

Please add you're thoughts in the Comments. I will respond to them all.

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Contact me: johnjurica@nonclinical.buzzmybrand.net

Thanks for joining me.

Until next time.

The post Use This Proven 6-Step Process to Deliver Bad News appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.

It's a poor management technique that wastes time, fails to utilize our staff’s full potential, and causes resentment and frustration in those being controlled.

… the highway!

It is one of the 4 things that drive employees crazy, according to Dan Rockwell.

Micromanagement is Not Inherent

One afternoon I was having an informal conversation with one of my colleagues, Dennis (a pseudonym for this story). He was lamenting the fact that our CEO was such a micromanager. According to him, the CEO displayed a need to be involved in every decision. He never seemed to trust Dennis to pursue his job independently. And the CEO seemed compelled to instruct Dennis how to do his job.

I listened quietly to Dennis' complaints. But I was thinking that the CEO did not come across as a micromanager to me.

Weekly Operations Meeting

A few days later, on a Wednesday morning, ten of us were attending our weekly planning meeting with the CEO. I was sitting at my usual spot at the south end of the boardroom table. The VP for Senior Services was seated to my right. The CEO was next to her, leading the meeting.

The CEO was expressing his frustration that there were several projects that seemed to be “stuck.” And he didn't understand why.

During the discussion, he also mentioned that one of the hospital board members had called him. The board member asked why we had stopped sending one of our medical specialists to an outlying clinic near her home.

The CEO was unable to answer the question for the board member. He was not aware that this staffing change had been made. And he was angry that he had not been notified so that he could reasonably respond to a question like this. He felt he appeared uninformed to the board member.

I thought about those comments later, and about my colleague's complaint about being micromanaged. The CEO had not called Dennis out during the discussion. But Dennis was the involved VP in some of the struggling projects and the staffing change at the clinic.

It became clear to me that the need to micromanage may not be inherent in a leader, but a result of our own behaviors and attitudes.

Causes of Micromanagement

Granted, some micromanagement comes from the insecurity of the micromanager. It is often driven by fear: of making a mistake, or of failing to complete an important project. The micromanager then responds by trying to escalate his control.

Some micromanagement is a result of inexperience, and tends to be temporary. Managers are promoted by being successful at what they do. They may have achieved success by being meticulous about what they do and how they do it.

Then they think they should teach former peers to do things their way so they can also be successful.

Shift in Mindset

What these new leaders must learn is that there is a new set of skills that need to be applied. These skills involve granting more responsibility to team members, and allowing them to fail and learn. And they must learn to trust their teams to accomplish goals in their own ways.

Later, experienced leaders may revert to micromanagement to obtain better performance from a direct report who under-delivers.

In my world as senior VP, I observed that micromanagement often resulted when a direct report lost the trust of her boss by:

• Under-communicating;
• Underperforming (under-delivering); and,
• Making excuses.

So, that leads me to my list of tactics that can reduce or eliminate micromanagement.

Stop Your Boss' Micromanagement

If you feel that you're being micromanaged, try to determine whether you have contributed to the situation. And, by following these simple steps, prevent it from continuing.

1. Be consistently and totally accountable.

I describe the four step process for demonstrating accountability in Preparing to Be a Better Physician Leader.

Being totally accountable means understanding and demonstrating that you hold yourself responsible for the things that you control, and the much larger domain of things that you can influence.

In a recent post on Medium, author Nick Caldwell writes about the day he learned what separates managers from leaders. In the article he does a good job of describing the “aha moment” when he recognized the difference between identifying problems (as a manager) and taking on responsibility for solving problems (as a leader).

2. Keep your boss informed.

This doesn't mean to ask permission for every move you make. But when a significant change is being made, especially those that might leave a stakeholder (board member, physician, patient or employee) unhappy, let your boss know what's going on. That way, she will be prepared for questions or blow-back from the decision.

3. Build deeper trust.

This is a different kind of trust than the trust developed within a team.

I’m talking about the trust of a boss in a team member to follow-through. The deeper the trust, the less need to micromanage. This gets back to being 100% accountable. And it only occurs with persistently demonstrating that you can deliver results without being micromanaged.

4. Write things down.

One of the reasons our bosses micromanage us is because we forget to follow-up on some things.

We forget about specific problems we promised to address. Or we remember to address the problem, but forget that we promised it would be done by noon today.

By being compulsive about following up on our promises, the need to micromanage will dissipate. This compulsiveness will come from taking notes, writing down deadlines, and putting things in writing so our boss can review them later.

5. Be honest and timely in communication.

When things go bad, be the first to let your boss know. Ignoring failures or trying to cover up missteps will only increase the boss' need to micromanage.

Then circle back to Step 1., apply the four-step accountability process, and get back on track.

One Tool I Use to Eliminate Micromanagement

I was being a little dishonest when I made it sound like I never experienced micromanagement by my CEO. As I described in Four New Skills Physician Executives Must Learn, there were many lessons I needed to learn as a new hospital executive.

Some of those lessons involved meeting my CEO's needs, and communicating completely and proactively.

So, I developed a process and tool that enabled me to combine written and verbal communication with being accountable. Using this tool, I virtually eliminated micromanagement by my CEO.

We met once every week or two. So, I created a checklist that served as an agenda for our meetings. On it, I included every topic that I knew or suspected my CEO would be interested in.

I maintained a working copy of the list of issues in a shared electronic folder that I created. It was in a location on our shared drive that anyone on the senior team could access. I named the folder “CEO Meeting Agendas.” And, I updated the list as things changed, in real-time as much as possible.

On the afternoon before our next one-on-one, I updated the list and reordered and highlighted the topics according to what I thought was important. Then, I saved the file using the date of the meeting in the file name.

I would generally email the file, or a link to the file, to the CEO asking if he wanted to discuss anything else during our one-on-one.

Posting this series of documents enabled the CEO to quickly review the list of ongoing goals and activities at will. The folder contained all of the previous lists, so he could look back and follow the progress on any job or goal.

The Tool in Action

An image of a sample list is shown below. This example reflects the kind of topics that I generally included. They originated in specific departmental duties, from my management goals, or from other challenges that I was addressing, such as personnel (HR) issues.

Some things to note about the tool:

• The list for a busy VP can get very long, so not everything can be addressed during the one-on-one;
• The level of detail can be adjusted to the desire and needs of your boss;
• Important (urgent or contentious) items should be highlighted – I am using an asterisk on this list; and,
• The highlighted items will be discussed first, then the remaining items as time allows.

In this example, I know that the CEO is likely to be concerned with:

• Acquisition of Dr. XXXXX's practice, one of the oldest and largest practices in the county (3.);
• Unusual demands by Dr. C. S. during his contract review with potentially significant cost ramifications (4.i.);
• Completing the revision of the compensation plan for the medical group (5.b.);
• Providing a review of the quality reports for the CEO prior to my presentation at the next board meeting (6.);
• The resignation of one of our top directors (14.); and,
• The progress on the opening of a new urgent care clinic (15).

As you can see, using this virtual agenda and keeping it up to date will enable you to demonstrate ongoing accountability, maintain a written record, and avoid under-communicating important information.

Next Steps

Try creating a written agenda for every one-on-one meeting with your boss. Post each one where it can be reviewed easily, yet securely. After using it for a while, ask if the tool needs to be tweaked in some way.

Let me know if it reduces micromanagment. Happily, it should also reduce phone calls and emails for updates between meetings.

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Thanks for joining me here on Vital Physician Executive.

Until next time.

The post How to Stop Your Boss’ Micromanagement Today appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.

Leadership Favorites – April 2017 Edition

This month's favorites follow…

United Airlines Faux Pas

United Airlines provided some obvious examples recently of how NOT to treat your customers (a.k.a. patients). Without getting into the weeds, here is what was reported:

• United Airlines overbooked a flight;
• UAL subsequently found that it needed four of the seats for its own employees to travel;
• The discovery did not happen until after the paying passengers were already seated;
• Four passengers were reportedly selected, using an unclear algorithm, to leave the plane to accommodate the employees;
• Three of them left quietly, but one passenger refused to exit;
• The passenger that refused to give up his seat was confronted and forcibly removed by airport security personnel;
• Much of the altercation was videotaped by other passengers and has been extensively shared on YouTube and other social media;
• The initial responses to the incident by the CEO of UAL was less than stellar.

There are several lessons to learn here, for sure. I think two of the best analyses that I have seen, especially regarding the importance of leadership in the face of a public relations nightmare, are provided by Skip Prichard and Michael Hyatt.

A Sincere Apology is a Must

Skip Prichard presents several very astute observations, and offers suggestions for dealing with a situation like this:

“United apparently chose policy over principle, chose employees over customers, chose to save a few dollars only to lose millions.” – Skip Prichard

His advice for addressing an incident such as this:

• Avoid it in the first place by establishing protocols and giving employees freedom to do the right thing.
• Admit your mistake and don't trivialize it.
• Apologize sincerely for the mistake.
• Assess the situation thoroughly before it spirals out of control.
• Acknowledge what went wrong.
• Act to resolve the issue and take steps to prevent future occurrences.

The first rule of holes: When you’re in one, stop digging. – Molly Ivins

Next is some sage advice from Michael Hyatt: Why United’s PR Disaster Didn’t Fly.

He notes that Oscar Munoz initially gave a “defensive, legalistic apology” and then tried to blame the customer. He recommends that leaders display “extreme ownership” when attempting to control the narrative in a situation like this.

Making Excuses

One of the traps that Munoz fell into was making excuses for the failures at UAL that led to the PR embarrassment. It is unusual for a seasoned leader to fall into that trap.

But our teammates and direct reports can easily forget the difference between the cause of a failure and an excuse. In How to Confront Excuse Makers, Leadership Freak Dan Rockwell provides specific responses for the four most common excuses leaders hear:

• “I didn't have time.”
• “I'm not ready.”
• “It's just the way I am.”
• “I'm afraid I might fail.”

Have these responses ready the next time of your direct reports tries to lower your expectation of him/her using one of these excuses.

Reverse Delegation

There is another maneuver that employees sometimes use to avoid accountability. Dan Rockwell calls this reverse delegation and provides some advice for combatting it in 12 Sentences That Prevent Reverse Delegation.

He explains what reverse delegation is:

Reverse delegation happens when delegated tasks end up back in your bucket.

A couple of examples of statements that can be used to deflect reverse delegation follow:

• “What’s the next step you can take?” Use “You,” not “we.”
• “No. It’s better for your career for you to grab this opportunity.”

You can find the full discussion by Rockwell in his recent article.

More on Powerful Language for Leaders

As leaders, we need to use language to inspire and motivate others. This is not manipulation. This is using our words to bring out the best in those that we influence.

Skip Prichard provides a list of Powerful Phrases that every leader should use regularly. The first one brings us back to the UAL debacle that I started this post with:

I'm sorry.

Prichard goes on to explain that this short phrase demonstrates self-awareness and personal responsibility, and is very powerful.

Moving away from accountability, his list of powerful phrases includes:

Tell me more.

What's working?

I'm proud of you.

I think you'll appreciate the other 8 phrases and Prichard's explanation of why these work so well.

Tools for Quality

On a more practical note, Becker's brought together a list of 19 Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Toolkits. Several come from the AHRQ, an organization whose tools I described in Six Steps for Delivering Outstanding Patient Safety and Addressing Disruptive Behavior.

These toolkits can help to address quality and safety issues in ambulatory, hospital and nursing home settings. I recommend that you or your quality staff check them out and use the ones that can help in your QI efforts.

In Closing

Those are some of the articles I found inspiring and educational this month.

I will be attending the AAPL Spring Institute and Annual Meeting in New York City in a few days. My plan is to write a couple of posts with fresh information and/or news from the meeting.

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The post Monthly Leadership Favorites – April 2017 Edition appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.