It is that time of year again when we decide what we will do to improve our lives and the lives of others. As people who manage biomedical programs, whether we hold the title of supervisor, director, or manager, we have a responsibility to our staff, our department, and ourselves to make every effort to be the best we can be at our job. The New Year is a great time to make resolutions that will help you to achieve that objective.
Resolution #1: I will become the best biomedical program manager I can possibly be.
In order to become the best manager that I can be, I will understand that although most of my education and focus has been on technology I must spend more of my time learning and developing the important skills that managers need to become successful. I also need to start reading and learning about how managers in disciplines other than biomedical engineering have become successful so that I can bring fresh ideas to my profession.
Resolution #2: I will not blame others for my shortcomings.
I will not blame hospital administrators and others when they do not listen to my ideas and I will not complain that we do not get the recognition we deserve. I will admit that if my ideas and proposals are not accepted, it is because either they are bad ideas, or I have not presented them well. Instead of complaining and blaming, I will learn how to present my ideas more effectively by developing my speaking and writing skills. I will learn the techniques that sales people use to become successful. I will not wait around for things to happen, but I will make them happen.
Resolution #3: I will make every effort to improve relations with nurses and physicians.
Instead of complaining about the nurses and physicians in my hospital, I will find ways to improve relations with them. I will ask the Vice-President of Nursing to appoint a nurse as a liaison with my department. The role of the nurse liaison will be to attend our department meetings and apprise us of nursing issues. We, in turn, will use the nurse liaison as a conduit for our issues. I will invite nurses and physicians to attend our department meetings and discuss their work and the kinds of ways we can use technology to improve their efforts. I will ask permission to attend nursing and physician meetings so that I can learn more about their profession.
Resolution #4: I will encourage all department members to become active members of their local biomedical society.
As part of promoting the continued growth of all of the members of my department, I will encourage them to become active in their local biomedical societies where they will have the opportunity to network with others and exchange ideas. I will also support their efforts to hold office within the organization and to give presentations that will help improve their communication skills.
Resolution #5: Instead of complaining about my workload, I will find innovative ways to reduce it.
I will understand that the entire healthcare field is being challenged to do more with less and I will accept that it is my responsibility to participate in this effort by innovating or finding out how others have managed to cope with this problem.