What Makes You Tick? Part 2
The ADVANCE team likes to be inquisitive (it's part of our job, ya know). Sure, we've met you at conferences, chatted you up on the phone, but we want to know what really goes on in that head of yours. Thus, we introduced "What Makes HIM Professionals Tick," a series of 10-question surveys about anything from your first job to your favorite cuisine. We asked and you delivered, and today we present the results of our second installment in the series (Check out the results of our first survey here).
A shiny new set of questions is now up and ready for your input. Click here to fill out the newest "What Makes HIM Professionals Tick" Survey.
I've been itching to kick off this Labor Day weekend. I'm taking my first real vacation day--OK, I took off a Friday for my sister's wedding, but dealing with last minute details is so not a vacation--and I'll be spending it lakeside. And it looks like I'm in good company; 53 percent of you had plans to jet off--or maybe just staycation--this summer. Nearly a third of you decided to forgo a trip this year, and 16 percent of you never take a summer break (someone has to hold down the fort, right?).
We can see why you'd need a vacation; times are stressful, and many of you are dealing with less-than-favorable changes at work. The majority of you (58 percent) have added minor cost-cutting measures, like reducing paper use, to your routine. About one quarter of respondents have been hit with layoffs, 16 percent lost their 401K match and 10 percent saw benefits cut. About 8 percent had pay cuts and nearly 7 percent took unpaid furloughs. Amazingly, more than a quarter of respondents said they haven't been affected by cuts. (You lucky ducks!)
If you didn't give yourself a real respite this season, we hope you at least took a few breathers at work. Fortunately, when the pressure builds, most of you take a step back. Eighteen percent of respondents take frequent, short breaks throughout the workday, but 23 percent said you plow straight through the day. The majority of respondents (58%) find a happy medium, taking a few trips to the water cooler or down the hall each day.
In fact, HIM professionals are all about moderation, according to results. When it comes to your workspace, 16 percent are neat freaks, 7 percent are packrats, but a whopping 77 percent keep it just right. In the garden, about 54 percent of you admitted to being so-so. Only 13 percent of respondents were blessed with a green thumb, while a third are just all thumbs around garden tools (my wimpy herbs sympathize). With all that activity, you need to stay hydrated. Thirty four percent of you gulp the recommended eight glasses of water per day, 55 percent stick to a more reasonable bottle or two, and 11 percent of you rely on coffee for your fluid intake--we just hope it's not a 32 oz. jolt of joe.
We know it's tough to land your first job; it's probably our most frequently asked question at ADVANCE. Responses were across the board about what factor played the biggest role in getting a foot in the door. Nearly one third said a good education made the difference, while 22 percent attributed it to diverse skills. Twelve percent relied on persistence, but 16 percent said they just lucked out, and 19 percent said it's all who you know--they networked their way to employment.
Of course, even when you're out of school and have a job, there's always room to learn. When it comes to training, 22 percent of you embrace the e-learning approach. Nearly the same amount prefers in-person presentations, while about 9 percent like the "gimme a book" method. The majority of you, however, like to dive right in for some trial and error--48 percent claimed to be hands-on learners.
Whatever your learning style, many of you will be applying it in the switch to electronic health records (EHRs). Only 5 percent of respondents said EHRs won't work, but the rest were split between complete optimism (46 percent) and more moderate expectations about EHR initiatives (49 percent).
Finally, after a long day of abstracting data, auditing charts or reminding physicians to stop dictating in the car, you need to kick back at the movies. So what tickets do you Fandango? More than a third of you like action/adventure, but comedies are right behind with 31 percent of the crowd. Thirteen percent of respondents choose a cheesy romantic comedy, while about 10 percent pick a chick flick. According to the results, kids movies (7 percent) and horror films (2 percent) usually aren't your thing.
For data purists, full results sans-commentary are below (some do not total 100% due to rounding or multiple select options). Once you've satisfied your curiosity, feed ours by taking the next survey installment, which can be found here.
1. Are you planning to take a summer vacation this year?
53% I'm counting the days.
31% No, I never do.
16% No, I chose not to this year.
2. What do you think of President Obama's efforts to promote the use of EHRs?
46% It's a great idea.
5% It'll never work.
49% It might make more physicians adopt EHRs, but not all physicians will use the technology.
3. What type of movies do you run to the theater for?
10% Chick flicks (You like the feel good films!)
13% Romantic comedies (You know how it ends, but enjoy the ride.)
2% Horror films (And you don't even cover your eyes at the scary parts.)
36% Action and adventure (The only way to watch is on the edge of your seat!)
7% Stuff the kids will like (You know every single word to all of the High School Musical movies.)
31% Comedies (Everybody likes to laugh!)
4. Your work area is:
16% Pristine, with each and every paper clip in its place.
7% A wreck. Is the cat under there somewhere?
77% In between. You can find what you need, usually, and that's the most important thing.
5. How often do you take breaks at work?
59% A couple times a day, just to clear my head.
18% I take frequent, short breaks.
23% I haven't taken a break since side ponytails were all the rage.
6. What kind of cost-cutting measures has your employer implemented? You can select more than one.
58% Little things, like saving paper here and there.
7% Mandatory unpaid furloughs.
10% Cutting back on benefits like health care coverage.
16% Taking away the employer match to the retirement plan.
8% Pay cuts across the board.
26% Laying off employees.
26% None of the above, luckily.
7. How do you prefer to get training for work?
22% Over the computer, in Webinar form.
21% In-person presentations work best for me.
9% I can read about whatever's coming and pick it up pretty well.
48% I'm a hands-on learner, and I learn best by doing.
8. How green is your thumb?
13% My garden's in this month's issue of Better Homes and Gardens.
54% I dabble in gardening, but only have a 50 percent success rate.
33% If I even look at a plant, it's as good as dead.
9. What proved most important in landing your first HIM job?
19% Networking
12% Persistence
16% Luck
22% Diverse Skills
31% Education
10. How much water do you drink a day?
34% Eight 8 oz. glasses.
55% A bottle or cup here and there.
11% Does coffee count as water?