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Program Information

Management Skills for Medical Physicists


P Halvorsen

D Pavord

M Price

S Sutlief

P Halvorsen1*, D Pavord2*, M Price3*, S Sutlief4*, (1) Lahey Clinic, Burlington, MA, (2) Vassar Brothers Hospital, Poughkeepsie, NY, (3) Rhode Island Hospital / Warren Alpert Medical, Providence, RI, (4) University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA

Presentations

TU-E-213-0 (Tuesday, July 14, 2015) 1:45 PM - 2:45 PM Room: 213


Management of a medical physics team, especially when the members are dispersed among several satellite clinics, requires both sound clinical skills and a high degree of management acumen in order to meet the needs of all stakeholders. The patients are most important within this group, but the stakeholders also include fellow staff members and ancillary support, the institution’s leadership, and owners of other sites where the team’s services are contracted.

To be fully successful in meeting stakeholder’s expectations, a medical physics manager should focus on the following three objectives: ensuring quality and safety, optimizing return on investment, and creating opportunities for personal growth. The first step is to assess the nature of the organization and the health of the team. Management of a new or dysfunctional team will require the creation of a healthy infrastructure, while sustaining or reorienting a successful team involves leveraging the strengths of the group. To ensure quality and safety, a manager can utilize assessment tools such as the AAPM Safety Profile Assessment and the TG-103 peer review framework, can introduce prospective tools such as failure mode and effects analysis, and can utilize proactive tools such as competency assessments and incident learning systems. Return on investment involves mindfulness toward the stability of the organization and the role that incentives such as accreditation play in getting appropriate staff and equipment resources. It is also necessary to be mindful of the interests of the staff for personal growth and sense of accomplishment through work structure and special projects.

Learning Objectives:
1. To appreciate the implications of different organizational arrangements on management.
2. To learn practical steps to optimize quality and safety in a team setting.
3. To gain skill in applying quantitative techniques in decision making and providing justification.



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