Advice for dealing with slow, annoying staff

[colbgw02]

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Yeah, I know we've all been there with the staff who is a little too quirky or takes too much time, but we have this new guy that takes it to a whole new level.

A few examples...

1) Making me go back through and change dimensions from 2.3 x 2.1 cm to 2.3 cm x 2.1 cm. (imagine this on C/A/P cancer staging CTs)

2) Making me me change image 17 to image #17 (imagine this on C/A/P cancer staging CTs)

3) Not reading any studies when the service (which is supposed to be double covered with residents) is super busy because the other resident is post-call.

4) Taking an hour (yes, 60 minutes) to read a single study that was supposed to be read by another service.

5) Not reading out stat ER films until about 7 hours after they're completed.

6) Showing up only a few minutes before a) conference and b) sign out to read out.

7) Despite being completely clueless vis-a-vis the transcription software and PACS, not letting the resident "drive".

I'm completely aware of the need to just suck it up to a degree, because the guy is staff and I'm not. But this guy is so bad that he actually prevents me from learning anything. I don't really want to, but if I have a repeat of today, I'm thinking of going to the chief resident or even the PD.

Anybody got any tricks or tidbits on how to deal with these types?

 

[hans19]

Really?!? OMG, I think we might be at the same residency! 😉

J/k... We ALL have these types in residency. If (s)he's that terrible, chances are other residents feel exactly the same way about him/her. The other attendings probably know whats up as well.

You may feel like your time with that attending is time wasted because you are not learning, but you have to keep in mind the learning process happens over the process of your entire residency and continues throughout your career. It happens in little baby steps, and not in just a few profound teaching sessions. A lot of radiology you will just have to learn on your own. Some of the best lessons I've learned in radiology, I've learned not via lectures but from mistakes-- my own and others'.

Unless that attending is a danger to patients, resist the urge to complain. Its just not worth it for many reasons.

You don't want to be seen as a complainer. When other residents bash attendings, resist the urge to join in. Radiology is a small word and rumors get back around really quickly. And some attendings are SUPER passive aggressive. OMG they can hurt you way more than you can hurt them. And you never know when you might need a reference in the future, so don't burn any bridges.

I digress, but heres the deal on incompetent techs. Techs are a lot harder to come by than residents. Chances are techs have been around before you and will be around after you are gone, and the attendings already know who the good ones and bad ones are. Also NEVER fool around with a tech, b/c if it goes sour (and it eventually will), and they file a harrassment suit against you, its ALL OVER. I've seen it happen. Tech students-- it may be tempting, but stay away from them, its just wrong...

Anyways back to the main issue. Keep a low profile, stay under the radar, get the work done, go home! The attendings always think the quiet ones are a lot smarter than they really are.


Your 40 days in the deserrrr... I mean 4 years of residency will be done before you know it and then you be in the promised land!

Trust me I've been there.

Best,
Hans

 

[f_w]

I know that guy !

1) Making me go back through and change dimensions from 2.3 x 2.1 cm to 2.3 cm x 2.1 cm. (imagine this on C/A/P cancer staging CTs)

there will be a day that some nitpicky oncologist will come back 'you say 2.3x2.1 in the body of the report but 2.3x2.1 in the conclusion. Which one is it now (if you are lucky he will come back to you, if you are less lucky he will smear your name in the hospitals physicians lounge).

2) Making me me change image 17 to image #17 (imagine this on C/A/P cancer staging CTs)

His name on the report, his style guidelines. Annoying but nothing to fight about. Change your macro or your dictation style when you work with him.

5) Not reading out stat ER films until about 7 hours after they're completed.

The only quality of care issue so far.

6) Showing up only a few minutes before a) conference and b) sign out to read out.

7) Despite being completely clueless vis-a-vis the transcription software and PACS, not letting the resident "drive".

Highly annoying but again questions of style. Also annoying, the attending who finishes sign-out at exactly 5pm every day and drops a 5:01pm study into the call residents box (who he knows won't show up until 6 from the outside hospital or neuro rotation). Some of these people couldn't (or didn't) hack it in private practice where slowness and dumping work is frowned upon.

because the guy is staff and I'm not.

Don't fight fights you can't win. Give him poor evaluations, that is about all you can do. In a pissing match with an attending over mostly issues of style you will loose any time at any program.

Anybody got any tricks or tidbits on how to deal with these types?

Suck it up !

The other thing to keep in mind are the 'hidden values' in some of these at first sight annoying attendings. We had one real stickler for grammar and details at my program. He was 78 years old, worked 2 days a week, extremely sharp, and if he wandered in for post-call signout you knew that leaving at noon was just an illusion. He taught me a lot about radiology in general and still today, I will avoid atrocities like 'bilateral kidneys' in my reports and mention that 'incidental calcaneal spur' (that podiatrists cream themselves over).