The Fire Within

By Curtis R. Bush, FACHE, MBA, CRA

Friday night lights has begun, the State Fair of Texas is a week away, and the application deadline for the November CRA exam has just passed. Fall is upon us, football is underway, leaves are changing, nights are getting cooler, and like many of you I enjoy a good fire in the cool night air.

What feeds your fire? Is it the excitement of watching football, or the upcoming baseball playoffs? Is it increasing your scope at work, or leading a challenging project? Is it being outside, having quality family time, going to the beach, or looking up at the stars? It could be all of these things, some of them, or none of them. Whatever it is, it is important for you to identify what feeds your fire for you to live your best life.

At the AHRA Annual Meeting in Denver, there was a lot of conversation at the CRA booth surrounding people being driven by achievement, or driven by validation of skills, or driven by credentials, or even promotion opportunity. Becoming a Certified Radiology Administrator can provide all of that. No matter what drives you, if a single event in your life can provide multiple levels of gratification it’s likely a worthwhile endeavor.

There were many questions about how to best prepare for the test. Is it the books, or the workshop, or practice tests? The answer is yes! All of these valuable resources, combined with leadership experience, and all the growth experience that has led you to where you are in your career today. Most of you have exactly what you need to be successful on the exam, and just need to take the next step to submit an application for the upcoming May exam. Preparing for the exam will most certainly teach you something that you did not know, and therefore make you a better leader. After all, if we aren’t driven to be better, and being better doesn’t feed our fire, why do we do what we do?

Last spring I had the opportunity for a significant amount of reflection. I questioned my purpose, my path, and my passion. Fortunately, I was surrounded by great people, and a series of fortunate events soon followed a series of unfortunate events. I was able to find my fire again. What feeds yours? Don’t let it pass you by like a “missed” application deadline.

Curtis R. Bush, FACHE, MBA, CRA is the director of diagnostic and therapeutic imaging services at CHI Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston, TX. He can be reached at cbush4@stlukeshealth.org.