What Is the Radiology Personality?

Posted on July 2, 2015 | Leave a comment

What’s your radiology personality?

I recently ran into this thread on an online forum about an introverted medical student trying to choose a specialty. The thread referred to this book which contained a chapter declaring the “best-fit” specialty using Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The types including radiology are as follows:

  • ISTP – Otolaryngology (ENT), Anesthesiology, Radiology, Ophthalmology, General practice
  • ESTP – Orthopedic surgery, Dermatology, Family practice, Radiology, General surgery
  • ENFJ – Thoracic surgery, Dermatology, Psychiatry, Ophthalmology, Radiology
  • ENTP – Otolaryngology (ENT), Psychiatry, Radiology, Pediatrics, Pathology

In the comments section, one astute contributor promptly posted the following… Continue reading →

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The Bliss of Zero

Posted on June 23, 2015 | Leave a comment

The clock hit 7pm. My thumb off the deadman switch on the dictaphone. The glow of the reading room workstation monitors reflected off my glasses. I squinted. A click of the mouse. A curious pause.

And then there it was. I saw…

Nothing. A worklist with zero unread exam.

Inbox zero, Epic Radiant variant.

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Posted in Figure Stuff Out, Residency Productivity 'Hacks'

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Organizing OneNote to Rock Your Radiology Training

Posted on June 14, 2015 | 1 comment

Radiology residents have a massive volume of information to keep track of in the discipline, consisting of texts, images, and sometimes videos.

The variety of data type is made more complex by the data sources, from website clippings, PDF from PubMed, a slide from noon conference, or simply freehand typing.

To complicate matters, a resident also must keep abreast many sets of requirements, documentations, conferences, reimbursements, and academic projects.

How do you keep track of it all? Continue reading →

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Posted in Residency Productivity 'Hacks', Technology and Informatics

Opening Up – Adding Value to Your Open Source Project

Posted on June 9, 2015 | Leave a comment

This is the third of a series of three posts on open source software. The discussion is geared towards non-programmers who – more frequently than expected – becomes involved in an open-source project.

Open-source is a complex paradigm, but sometimes it is also thrown into an academic abstract or grant proposal without much thought. Previously I presented a basic description of open-source and discussed some common misconceptions about OS software.

If you were involved in an open-source project as the clinical expert (i.e. not the programmer), you are likely the team member best positioned to bridge this gap. This post focuses on how you are uniquely positioned to contribute. Continue reading →

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When IBM Watson Looks – Does It See Pictures or Patients?

Posted on June 8, 2015 | Leave a comment

This TV commercial caught my attention a few days ago.

In the TV spot, the narrator outlines the number of images a radiologist must parse through to find an abnormality. To help, IBM will teach its Watson “to see.”

Therein lies the problem: Seeing is not enough. Continue reading →

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Posted in Radiology Innovation and Quality, Technology and Informatics

Signature

Posted on June 5, 2015 | Leave a comment

A signature is our handwritten imprint on a document for authenticity.

A signature is also a unique identifier for what is distinctly us, like DNA and fingerprint.

Your work, too, deserves a signature. It deserves a sign of authenticity, and if you are proud of that work, mark it yours. If the quality of the work is not to your par, then don’t put it out.

Just as importantly, the work is itself a signature. Innovation is as much about doing something new as it is doing something you. An easy and sobering way to decide is to first write down all the components of a project onto a list. Then, strike away all the parts that could be accomplished by someone else. Your team will always solve those problems. But if nothing is left, then you have learned that the project doesn’t need you.

That which remains, then, is uniquely you. It’s your value-added. Your signature.

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The Natural Progression of Radiology as A Business Practice

Posted on June 1, 2015 | Leave a comment

The terminal destination of all products and services is commoditization.  So that’s a simple answer, though one that’s not all that simple.  The management journal Harvard Business Review dedicates several classic articles on the process of commoditization, including global competition, process modularization, and, simply, the natural resting place of a mature product.

So where does radiology sit in the natural growth process?  More importantly – as junior residents – what have we gotten ourselves into?

Where is radiology in the natural growth progression?

Credit: http://bigideabiology.wikispaces.com/ED+2.C

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Posted in Figure Stuff Out, Radiology Innovation and Quality

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The 5 Myths of Open Source – A Guide for The Non-Programmer

Posted on May 27, 2015 | 2 comments

This is the second of a series of three discussing open source software for non-programmers interested in informatics.

A previous post discusses what you can expect from a software project when it is “open source.” However, the concept of OS is not so clear cut.

This post aims to clarify five commonly held beliefs about open source.

Continue reading →

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What Is Open-Source? A Guide for The Non-Programmer

Posted on May 24, 2015 | 3 comments

This is the first of a series of three discussing open source software for non-programmers interested in informatics. I try to stay as accurate as possible while avoiding jargon.

Open source (OS) has been a popular phrase not only in software engineering but also in radiology. Open source is closely tied to DICOM, the most popular format in medical imaging, in part because many frameworks available to manipulate DICOM files are open source.

OpenSource2

A thorough discussion on OS is available here.  If you are more into an abbreviated 3-minute introduction, stick around.

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7 Things Worth Checking out at SIIM 2015

Posted on May 18, 2015 | Leave a comment

Society of Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) is having its 2015 meeting in Washington DC from 5/28-5/30. SIIM is a wonderful event with something to offer to engineers, clinicians, and radiology trainees alike. For a resident it is also an opportunity to learn something new.

Aside from all the cool sessions during conference, also do remember to touchbase with old friends and meet new people. The point of a great conference is the great people.

During the day, though, it can be daunting to keep abreast all the things that are going on.

Here are 7 events that compelled me as can’t-miss sessions – to be used as a roadmap for myself at the conference, and shared with you now:

A World Without PACS

Woodrow Wilson A
Thursday, 8:00 am – 9:30 am

Traditional PACS – solutions with vendors, hardware, and software all integrated as a single offering, is a decades-old technology – Slowly, imaging in America is moving towards vendor neutral archives (VNA).

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