ATTRIBUTES OF A PROFESSIONAL

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ATTRIBUTES OF A PROFESSIONAL

• Ruth Nawotniak, MS, C-TAGME
• UB SUNY
• Ellie Gray
• Mayo Clinic Arizona, Scottsdale AZ
• ARCS Spring Conference 2006
• Tucson, AZ

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How do others perceive the Program Coordinator?
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How do Program Coordinators perceive themselves?
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What is Your Role?

• Den mother (father)
• Counselor
• Cheerleader
• Liaison between residents and the program
  director
• Liaison between faculty and program director
• Support Staff
• Arbitrator

• Manager
• Resource
• Data Entry/Analyst
• Advisor
• Human Resource Manager
• Information Resource
• Social / Event Planner
• Scheduler
• Advocate

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Attributes of a Professional

• Professional Roles
• Manager
• Advocate
• Advisor
• Counselor
• Communicator
• Liaison
• Arbitrator
• Information Resource

• Additional Roles
• Data Entry / Analyst
• Scheduler
• Social Event Planner
• Pseudo Parent
• Cheerleader
• Shoulder to Cry On

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Attributes of a Professional
Your role as seen by the Resident and the Program
Director

• Resident
• Den parent
• Counselor
• Liaison (PD, ACGME, ABS)
• Confidant
• Human Resource Person
• Documentation Manager

• Program Director
• Scheduler
• Data Entry / Analyst
• Liaison (Residents, ACGME, GME, ABS)
• Event Planner
• Person In the Know
• Support Person
• Manager

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For the Program Coordinator, You See Yourself As

• Pseudo Parent
• Scheduler
• Event Planner
• File Manager
• Cheerleader
• Support person

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But, Do You Also See Yourself As

• Manager / Administrator
• Human Resource Manager
• Data Analyst
• Advocate
• Advisor
• Counselor

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To our Applicants

• What is our role?
• How are we perceived by our applicants?

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• Survey of the applicants from two
• programs to see how they view the
• coordinator position

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Attributes of a Professional Applicant Survey
Results

• Survey Details
• Number of surveys sent out 111
• Buffalo 66
• Scottsdale 45
• Number of surveys returned 55
• 50 return rate

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Attributes of a ProfessionalApplicant Survey
Results

• State or Country of Medical School
• New York Michigan Egypt
• Minnesota Missouri Dominica
• Pennsylvania California Grenada
• Maryland Arizona
• Florida Georgia
• Nebraska Kansas
• New Hampshire New Jersey
• Illinois Texas
• Utah

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Attributes of a ProfessionalApplicant Survey
Results

• Number of Invitations received (average)
  18-20
• The number of invitations received ranged from 5
  to 40
• One applicant listed confidential
• Number of Interviews attended (average) 12-13
• The number of interviews done ranged from 5 to
  27
• One applicant listed confidential

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Attributes of a ProfessionalApplicant Survey
Results

• Information Regarding the Program
• (1 Poor / 5 Excellent)
  

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Attributes of a ProfessionalApplicant Survey
Results

• Information regarding Coordinator
• (1 Poor / 5 Excellent)
  

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Attributes of a Professional Applicant Survey
Results

• Extremely organized program coordinators who were
  informed about the program were the most helpful.
  
• One could really tell that the coordinators
  really cared about the program and the
  prospective candidates. It was not just a job
  responsibility. This has a very positive effect
  on the interviewees.

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Attributes of a Professional Applicant Survey
Results

• I remember calling one program coordinator to
  verify the time I was to be there, and she said,
  well, didnt you get the email? I had, in
  fact, received the email but I was just making
  sure I understood correctly.

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Attributes of a Professional Applicant Survey
Results

• At a few places, the coordinator did not
  communicate a change in the schedules for the
  interview day that was sent out prior to the
  visit. This was particularly distressing for
  applicants who had made travel plans based on the
  original itinerary.

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Attributes of a Professional Applicant Survey
Results

• Nine of the coordinators were excellent
  professional, provided useful information,
  organized, responded in a timely manner to
  inquiries. The rest were awful in those
  respects.

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Attributes of a Professional Applicant Survey
Results

• . . . if program directors and chairmen knew
  people were being turned off to their programs
  based on the poorly executed duties of the
  coordinator, they would probably be adamant about
  some sort of remediation.

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Attributes of a Professional Applicant Survey
Results

• The interview day is the coordinators audition,
  as well. If that person cant manage to put the
  programs best foot forward when it is absolutely
  mandatory, one can only imagine what life will be
  like to deal with this person day to day. It
  truly does affect ones impression of a program.

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Attributes of a Professional Applicant Survey
Results

• There is one program I will not be ranking,
  because of the way they presented themselves on
  interview day. The program coordinator did a
  good job in general, but the way the day was set
  up was strange.

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Attributes of a Professional Applicant Survey
Results

• Worst Interview Scenario
• 30-40 applicants stuck in a very small room from
  630 AM to 730 PM
• First interview is at 700 AM no interview for
  another 2-3 hours
• No food or beverage provided throughout the day
• Applicants leave out of disgust

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Attributes of a Professional Applicant Survey
Results

• Program coordinators are the glue that hold the
  entire chaotic interview season together. They
  are generally overworked and under-appreciated.
  For all those that havent heard it enough lately
  THANK YOU!

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What is the Basis for Success for the Program
Coordinator?

• How the program director views the position
• How much credibility the coordinator has with the
  residents

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The Program Director

• Must see the position of coordinator as a
  mid-level manager and must value the skills,
  knowledge, abilities and opinions of the
  coordinator.
• Will then support the coordinators activities
• The residents will see the coordinator as an
  extension of the program director.

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• This is a powerful perception.
• It promotes adherence to
• compliance issues.

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The Residents..

• Must see the coordinator as
• an advocate and resource for them
• someone who has earned their respect
• someone who is professionally responsible

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• This is a powerful perception.
• It promotes the well-being and
• success of the resident.

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• The resident will then support
• the efforts of the coordinator
• on their behalf to meet
• program requirements.

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• When both of these perceptions
• come together, the coordinator is
• given the opportunity to be an
• active, productive participant,
• involved in achieving all the goals
• and objectives of the training
• program.

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• To strive towards the goal of
• being a successful and
• professional coordinator,
• remember the competencies

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Attributes of a Professional

• Competency 1 (Patient) Resident, Program
  Director, Residency Program Care
• The Professional Coordinator needs to
• Be compassionate
• Effectively handle (treat) accreditation
  issues for the health of the program
• Appropriately care for all aspects of the
  residency to keep it viable

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Attributes of a Professional

• Competency 2 (Medical) Coordinator Knowledge
• The Professional Coordinator needs to know
• Common and Surgery Program Requirements
• Evolving Board and accreditation processes
  and standards
• How to apply knowledge to care for the
  residency training program and keep it healthy

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Attributes of a Professional

• Competency 3 Practice-Based Learning and
  Improvement
• The Professional Coordinator needs to
• Network about and evaluate the program
• Appraise the residency looking at trends in
  graduate medical education
• Improve the residency by applying information
  learned through networking

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Attributes of a Professional

• Competency 4 Interpersonal and Communication
  Skills
• The Professional Coordinator must
• Communicate effectively with program
  director, residents, ACGME, ABS, GEC, applicants,
  and anyone else they come in contact with during
  their day
• Be able to network with appropriate
  institutions and individuals for sharing
  information to enhance the residency
• Take their role as counselor, liaison and
  advocate to heart and be there when needed in
  those roles

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Attributes of a Professional

• Competency 5 Systems-Based Practice
• The Professional Coordinator is
• A resource manager who is able to demonstrate
  their awareness of the larger context of graduate
  medical education
• Responsive to the issues by effectively
  calling on appropriate individuals or web site
  resources to provide education and/or direction
  that is of optimal value to the residency as a
  whole

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Attributes of a Professional

• Competency 6 Professionalism
• The Professional Coordinator is
• committed to doing the job in a responsible
  manner
• committed to presenting a professional
  appearance
• committed to adherence to ethical principles
• sensitive to a diverse graduate medical
  education population
• understanding and respectful of the
  confidential nature of our jobs

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Professionally ResponsibleWe Know It When We
See It

• Communication
• Organization
• Appearance

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Professionalism, as manifested through a
commitment to carrying out professional
responsibilities, adherence to ethical principles
and sensitivity to a diverse graduate medical
education population

• Appearance

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Appearance Communications

• Body Language
• Direct (speaking)
• phone
• in person
• In-Direct (writing)
• email
• letters / signature

• Appropriate Terminology

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Appearance - Organization

• Incoming resident activities
• Employment paperwork
• Files / Office
• Interview day
• Department orientation
• Other program functions

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Appearance - Dress

• Whats fashionable?
• Whats professional?
• Is there a difference?
• Whats reasonable?
• Who are your role models?
• What are others in your profession wearing?

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Appearance Actions

• What is your role?
• How do you manage stress?
• What is reasonable?
• Who are your role models?
• Is there a difference between how you act and
  speak at work and how you act and speak at home?
• Do you have a game face?

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Program Coordinators Professional and Successful

• How you are perceived by others
• Residents, PDs, Applicants
• How you perceive yourself
• What are your roles?
• Professional and other
• Apply competencies
• Appearances count
• Oral, Written, Visual