8 practical strategies to retain radiologists

Amid an ultra-competitive hiring climate, imaging experts are offering some practical strategies to retain radiologists in 2023 and beyond.

Jay R. Parikh, MD, and Frank Lexa, MD, MBA, offered their insights in a new pre-proof opinion piece published Tuesday in JACR [1]. They highlighted the importance of addressing workplace fatigue, coupled with certain other considerations.

“Previous work has shown that practice interventions to reduce physician burnout and improve wellness are more impactful at the levels of the organizational culture and local operations, rather than the level of individual radiologists,” Parikh and Lexa, with the MD Anderson Cancer Center and University of Pittsburgh, respectively, wrote Dec. 12. “Herein we describe a parallel approach of practical cultural and operational strategies to help retain radiologists while simultaneously mitigating their burnout.”

Here is a quick rundown of their list:

CULTURAL

1. Professional development: “This can range from administrative work, leadership, research, mentorship, teaching, self-education, to philanthropy. Once the focus (or foci) of interest is identified, a longitudinal plan can be generated in conjunction with the individual to support the professional growth and development of the radiologist.”

2. Promotion of self-care: “A recent study of burnout in private practice radiologists across the United States demonstrated that improved radiologist self-care was associated with increased professional fulfillment. Practice leadership should therefore advocate and support self-care of the radiologists through multiple routes.”

3. Social connectivity: “Leadership can promote a culture of community within the department. Leaders can lead by example by rounding and meeting with radiologists on a regular basis. In these encounters, leaders can actively listen to radiologists, garner input and make changes.”

4. Recognition: “For the recognition to be effective, it should be timely, personalized and sincere. Just going through the motions or sending a generic email message may be perceived as ingenuine by the receiving physician. Effective recognition can take on different forms, including a personalized note, a heartfelt announcement at a departmental meeting, providing gift cards for coffee, or shaking hands with the individual.”

OPERATIONAL

5. Financial considerations: “Financial compensation is fundamental for retention of radiologists in a practice. Various benchmarks are available to gauge appropriate practice and radiologist financial compensation.”

6. Scheduling flexibility: “Some radiologists may want to work early shifts in the day while others prefer to work later in the day. Practice leadership can take a poll of the preferences of the radiologists. Then by scheduling radiologists as much as possible during their desired times it can be a win-win for work-life balance for all radiologists in the practice.”

7. Staffing support: “Leveraging staffing support can help radiologists work efficiently at the top of their license. There are several proactive steps that radiologists and their groups can take to optimize the structure of work. First and foremost is to build a work culture that maintains stability of the departmental staffing.”

8. Leverage informatics: “Improved informatics infrastructure can help reduce radiologist interruptions, improve radiologist workflow, and help mitigate diagnostic errors in interpretation. This in turn can promote radiologist wellness and retention.”

Read further details about the authors’ suggestions at the link below.