Abstract
As we approach a new year, many sonographers and vascular technologists feel that the workplace is understaffed, highly stressful, and important changes remain unaddressed. One of the most important anecdotes to these situations is to strengthen the workplace team and overall group behavior. In addition, it is important to provide support for student sonographers, who are an important investment in the workplace. 1 So, what can one individual do to strengthen the work team and improve co-worker morale? Establishing mentoring relationships is an important investment in your colleagues and pays important personal dividends.
I was so fortunate in my early career to have an iconic mentor, who made an important investment in me, professionally. I sincerely believe that my career could never have been possible without the time and careful mentoring of Atis K. Freimanis, MD (see Figure 1). Dr Freimanis was the Chairperson of the OSU Radiology Department during the early 1980s, as well as being my undergraduate research mentor and teacher. Dr Freimanis provided devoted instruction in the clinical use of ultrasound (US) and computed tomography (CT), which allowed me to conceptualize my contribution to clinical practice, research, teaching, and service. My undergraduate project of building a tissue equivalent US quality control phantom and a state poster competition on axial imaging of the brain with CT was formative to my professional life.
Atis K. Freimanis, MD, The Ohio State University’s Chairperson of the Department of Radiology, 1976-1983.
Rebecca J. Hall, PhD, RDMS (Abd, OB, FE, NE), FSDMS (see Figure 2). For those who might not remember, Dr Hall was the SDMS Vice-President twice, as well as the first Chair of the Ultrasound Practitioner Commission. Dr Hall’s distinguished academic career, at the University of New Mexico, ended with her retirement, at the rank of full Professor in their Department of OB/Gyn. She is noted for her scientific contributions to better understanding the factors that contribute to a lack of female pelvic floor integrity. Dr Hall was one of the few doctorally prepared sonographers that I knew when I began my SDMS volunteering; she quickly took me under her wing. Dr Hall is my mentor, muse, and loving critic, which has been so important to my professional development. My mentors are amazing professional giants, who made an investment in my career and helped me to be successful. It is important to consider the important mentoring qualities that they both provided.
Rebecca J. Hall, PhD, Professor, University of New Mexico’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
A successful mentoring relationship is based on four important phases: preparation, negotiating, enabling growth, and closure.2,3 Preparation: As a mentor, it is important to be not only academically prepared but also personally ready to actively listen and provide quality guidance. When I am working with a colleague or student, I ask for time to read over a draft of their writing, resume, or whatever material that they are producing. Clinically, I also like to review images and recheck scanning protocols to make sure that I am providing accurate guidance and information. Negotiating: In a mentoring relationship, there is always a need to negotiate who is responsible for any products that are created, as part of the coaching relationship. The best example is a case study manuscript, or any sort of endpoint generated through the partnership. My advice is to make this clear at the beginning so there are no surprises or hurt feelings. I like to always put my mentee first but make it clear what it takes to be in that lead position. This helps to manage expectations and holds both the mentee and mentor accountable for whatever is being produced. I strongly feel that in scientific writing, the lead author (first) is the preeminent position, but the last author (senior) is the second most important position. Always work to make expectations clear when dealing with students, collaborators, statisticians, and funding agencies. Negotiating is as much a verbal skill as having confidence in what you or your team can deliver. Growth: As the mentor-mentee relationship grows, it is important to gauge whether both parties are experiencing growth and value from the partnership. This can come in the form of measuring an increase in skills related to writing, speaking, and publishing. As a mentor, it is important to assess whether you are gaining a track record of sustained professional growth. I personally like the phrase “guide on the side,” as it emphasizes that in the relationship, you want to avoid micromanaging your mentee. Closure: Finally, as a mentor you want to make sure that you can invest in people and relationships, such that you can be that mentor-mentee partnership to the end. I think it is important to have a mentor who maintains the mentoring relationship through both the opportunities and the challenges.
I feel very proud of my mentor-mentee relationship with Amitabh Dashottar, MPT, PhD (see Figure 3), who was my post-doctoral fellow. “Amit” (his nickname) came directly from India to the United States to complete his doctorate. I hired Amit and together we worked to further his applied research and improve his writing/publishing skills. Mentoring Amit meant that I had to be prepared to work with him on musculoskeletal elastography, therefore I had to read and study to be that credible mentor. I also negotiated with Amit that he was to be the lead investigator and I would be his senior support for publications, lectures, and so on. I also expected both of us to have growth in our research and work to sustain that growth, even after he was hired at Simons University in Boston, MA. Finally the act of closure was being with Amit through the highs and lows of his work. An example was that part of his hiring at Simmons University was the purchase of a Super Sonic ultrasound equipment system (Hologic, Germany). He started a study with measuring muscle elasticity and imaging with his newly purchased equipment. 4 Challenges started in getting accurate elastographic measurements so I proposed to meet him in Chicago at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting. Together we attended lectures, spent time talking about his project, and finally scheduling time to work on the Super Sonic ultrasound equipment system, being showcased at the meeting. I was determined to have closure on this project and make it the highest quality possible. My investment not only helped to complete the project but also gave me an amazing and long-term friendship with Amit. What a terrific side benefit of having gone through that mentorship experience.
Drs. Amitabh Dashottar and Kevin Evans attending the Radiological Society of North America meeting in Chicago, Illinois.
I believe so strongly in mentoring relationship and as Woody Hayes (Ohio State football coach) stated, “You can never really pay back. You can only pay forward.” 5 Please consider co-workers or student sonographers that you make that critical investment in mentoring.
Coda
When I was a student in our clinical laboratory, I would always try and clean up the waiting room at the end of the day (trying to repay the sonography staff). One evening, I picked up magazines out of the waiting room and took them into the office. As I was looking at the magazines to make sure they were worth keeping, Dr Freimanis walked into the office to go over images with me. He looked at me and said, “Kevin, I really think you could find better things to read!” Fast forward, 30 years to a luncheon that was being provided at RSNA for present and past OSU Radiology faculty. I was so honored to be asked to attend and sat toward the back of the ballroom eating. When I got up to leave, I noticed Dr Freimanis was sitting on the other side of the room. I got my courage up and proceeded to his table. All the while, I kept thinking how will I introduce myself? Will he even remember me, after so many years? I sat in an empty seat next to him and waited for him to finish speaking to a physician on his right. Suddenly, Dr Freimanis turned to his left and looked directly at me. I just froze, I didn’t know what to say. He looked at me and said, “Well Kevin, tell me what you have been reading lately!” No surprise, he was there for me to the end.