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By Kim Evans, MS, FABC, CRA
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! A time for celebration, a time for family and friends, a time for joy, a time to reflect, and a time to look ahead. Perhaps in your time of self-reflection this holiday season, you will realize that you have worked hard this year and have attained a greater level of professional experience in your career. It’s often not until we take the time to look back to see our progress, recognize the achievements we have made and measure the goals we set, that we truly see how far we have come. Isn’t that what the New Year is all about? And it feels great, right? Then we look forward, so often focusing our next year efforts on those physical and practical goals: getting more exercise, choosing a better diet, perhaps reducing stress or even sleeping better. I suggest to you that this year be different. While goals surrounding health and nutrition are admirable and worthy of attention, I encourage you to also build upon your professional accomplishments, your education, and your advancing experience and set the goal of Certified Radiology Administrator® (CRA) in 2020.
What does the required experience look like? Perhaps just like you! If you are advancing in Imaging leadership and have worked in roles with increasing responsibilities, then a CRA may very well be your next big step. If you have knowledge in the domain areas of asset management, fiscal management, human resources, operations and communication management, you have already started to reach the goal. If you participate in capital planning, budgets, day to day operations, informatics and strategy, you may find that you are well on your way. Perhaps you are not totally comfortable in one or more of these domains or perhaps you haven’t extensive experience in a few areas; if you are willing to start the study process to acquire the knowledge and learn those areas, not only does it help to prepare you for the CRA exam, it also helps build the package of a Certified Radiology Administrator®.
So not only is this a time to look back, but also to look forward. What might you accomplish in 2020? It is time to set new goals and reach to achieve new heights. Perhaps 2020 is the year you will work to become a CRA. Certainly, it requires a commitment. It requires planning. It requires preparation. It requires time. It requires investment. And finally, it requires action, but isn’t that true for all goals? My hope for you is for results, and that you will find in your December 2020 self-reflection the CRA credential at the top of your accomplishments in those things you set out to do for yourself. And it will feel great!
Happy New Year!
Kim Evans, MS, FABC, CRA is the Vice President of Imaging at Christiana Care Imaging Services, Newark, DE. She can be reached at kevans@christianacare.org
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