Stepwise Success : Professionalism

The Fair Fix

Scott Warner — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:02:00 GMT

I last blogged that I would suggest how to really fix what's not fair in your laboratory. We've all felt rising resentment from unfair treatment: an extra weekend, being blamed for another's mistake, a poor evaluation. Let's consider the chronic problem...(read more)

Equitable: See Fair

Scott Warner — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:07:00 GMT

"Scott refuses to define the word equitable ," someone once complained about me. The American Heritage dictionary defines equitable as "just and impartial," then tells us to see fair . Fair , unsurprisingly, is defined as "just to all parties; equitable."...(read more)

Rules and Algorithms

Scott Warner — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:26:00 GMT

Just the other day a question of how to alert physicians of laboratory reflex rules came up. After all, everyone's rules are slightly different. Examples: if the dipstick is positive for blood or leukocyte esterase, perform a microscopic examination of...(read more)

Teachable Moments

Scott Warner — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:25:00 GMT

Much was made of the President's "beer summit" last July, a meeting between a black professor and the white policeman who arrested him, something the Wall Street Journal labeled a "teachable moment." Aside from wondering what kind of beer goes best with...(read more)

Valuable Work

Scott Warner — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:16:00 GMT

When a round robin of "What's New" got to me at a recent department head meeting I said, "We're working on a new C. diff algorithm that screens for toxin-producing antigen and not just the toxin." Amid blank stares one manager laughed, " English please!"...(read more)

Competency

Scott Warner — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:04:00 GMT

According to CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) Sec. 493.1413(b)(8) , the technical consultant is responsible for "evaluating the competency of testing personnel." There are a number of ways to do this: direct observation, review of records,...(read more)

More Bullies

Scott Warner — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:54:00 GMT

I've written about bullies in contexts of relational aggression and most recently in terms of what it means to you. Let's consider several examples. The Coworker Bully – this individual goes to breaks and lunches before you, volunteers early for the sweet...(read more)

Bullies

Scott Warner — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:30:00 GMT

When I was a kid, every grade seemed to have a bully, often a large boy with thick fists who didn't do well in school. Small for my age, I saw many of them up close. I was told to stand up to bullies -- essentially cowards -- or suck it up. (I got larger...(read more)

The Box

Scott Warner — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:28:00 GMT

Along with "Aha!" moments – those insights that punctuate hard work – you've probably heard the idea to "think outside the box." It means to think from an unconventional or different perspective, assumed to be essential in creativity. It's a cliché these...(read more)

Take Home the Aha!

Scott Warner — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:21:00 GMT

One of the catch-phrases at seminars is The take home message is… Giving your audience a pithy "take home" message is good public speaking. It can be a memorable way to summarize an idea, merge ideas with action, or put a complex idea in terms everyone...(read more)

Survey This, Survey That

Scott Warner — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:16:00 GMT

Suddenly, they are everywhere: in letters, emails, on little cards handed out by servers, and on cash register receipts. Major retailers and restaurant chains want my opinion of their service. We want to hear what you think! In return, I get a freebie,...(read more)

Error is Just a Word

Scott Warner — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:20:00 GMT

Error means to deviate, blunder, or make a mistake. Merriam Webster's Dictionary of Law has this marvelous definition: "an act that through ignorance, deficiency, or accident departs from or fails to achieve what should be done." No matter how we strive...(read more)

Differences

Scott Warner — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:49:00 GMT

Our words reveal our attitudes. Take this exchange I had with an RN while walking into work: Me: "Healthcare is a great profession. We get to help people, and that's different from many other lines of work." RN: "I agree, I love that about my job. The...(read more)

Safe Choices

Scott Warner — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:58:00 GMT

The other day at a meeting about patient identification the subject of redrawing an improperly identified patient for the blood bank came up. One person thought this a terrible idea and said, "This is all about saving the patient a stick." "Actually,"...(read more)

Questions and Answers

Scott Warner — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:02:00 GMT

Your workplace may have a buddy system to bond new hires with your organization. That's great for trivial questions about the lunch menu, where to park, or who handles payroll. But what about tough questions? For example: Why do I work more weekends than...(read more)