Leadership begins at all levels,” says Harprit S. Bedi, MD, vice chair for education in radiology at Boston Medical Center. “We hope and expect residents to be emerging leaders but seldom provide them with formal leadership training. We can do better. Leadership education should complement clinical education to create future well-rounded residents.”
The ACR’s commitment to invest in the leadership education of residents and fellows has guided the development of a significant portfolio of programs and other resources to equip residents with the foundational, non-interpretive leadership skills that will help them maximize early-career success. The RLI offers residents and fellows an array of live and online courses for comprehensive training in professional development, leadership, and career management.
Building Emerging Leaders
The RLI Resident & Young Physician Leadership Program, an annual event held in conjunction with the RLI Summit, serves as an accessible and efficient introduction to the fundamentals of leadership for early-stage radiologists. Kerri L. Vincenti, MD, then a chief radiology resident at Pennsylvania Hospital, attended the 2018 meeting on a scholarship provided by the Pennsylvania Radiological Society and was awed by the supportive environment. “My voice was not drowned out by perspectives from ‘the good old days’ but rather echoed and magnified by the collaborative spirit of the conference attendees,” Vincenti recalls. “Our conversations focused on how to redefine opportunities and develop strategies to innovate within our own environments.”
Vincenti returned to Pennsylvania Hospital inspired to share new insights with her own residents and create opportunities for meaningful conversations. “I felt more connected to the residents because of that knowledge, and I understand another principle that I learned at the 2021 Summit: leadership equals relationships, not results.”
Providing residents with an opportunity to attend the RLI Summit is an important part of the RLI mission. The RLI Emerging Leader Award (formerly the RLI Resident Scholarship Program) provides exposure to expert business and radiology faculty in a business school setting. Residents can apply for a scholarship in early 2022. In addition, several ACR chapters offer scholarships for their members to participate in RLI activities.
Launching Careers
The RLI Leadership Essentials program equips residents and fellows with noninterpretive skills to maximize their potential during and post-residency — including topics such as effective communications, social and emotional intelligence, mentorship, making yourself indispensable, and many more.
Residency programs must provide their residents with a comprehensive understanding of key healthcare economics concepts, and the RLI helps programs through its RLI Resident Milestones Program: Economics and the Physician Role in Health Care Systems. The program, developed by the RLI in concert with healthcare economics experts and residency program directors, brings together nationally recognized professionals and seasoned practitioners to provide residents with a state-of-the-art educational experience. According to Bedi, the program is designed with modern learning theory, where lectures are combined with interactive components (learn more in the August 2021 Bulletin.
“The whole point of the program is to learn by doing,” says Bedi. “You can read and listen but now you’re required to gather data and reinforce your knowledge by applying it within your practice setting.”
According to Anne Marie Pascoe, senior director of the RLI, whether you’re a resident looking for the career essentials that will prepare you for your first years in practice or a program director looking to close the gaps in your resident career training curriculum, the RLI offers affordable programs that deliver a self-paced and immersive learning experience. “With the RLI’s focused leadership training, residents gain access to the best and brightest radiology educators and thought leaders,” says Pascoe. “They will be empowered with skills for real impact, as well as the knowledge to succeed in today’s competitive healthcare landscape.”