The easier path—a blueprint for failure

Excerpt

Everyone knows we have a shortage of pediatric radiologists. Our chiefs are always in the recruiting mode! The workload has increased around 10% per year in most major children’s hospitals. We must work smarter and more efficiently. Thankfully, technology is our major ally. With PACS alone (soon most trainees will never have read from actual film), we add 15–25% to our productivity without increasing the number of imagers. Voice recognition may be great for a lot of reasons, but no one has shown increased productivity or saving of a radiologist’s time. We can, however, get night coverage (the “nighthawk” concept) or even day coverage fairly easily. We can read all the studies from a host of locations. The work is getting done, and I venture to say that pediatric radiologists do not stay as late and are probably working fewer hours than in years past. If this is not the good life, this must be the better life—the easier path. …