Rejuvenating Your Career

The best classroom for learning management skills is your own facility, according to Dianne Dell, MT (ASCP). Although she's attended classes, seminars and workshops that have provided extensive technical and managerial advice, Dell's experiences prove that some things you learn better by doing.

"You can change your career lots of times without ever leaving the boundaries of your facility," she claims. "You just need to know where and how to look for the opportunities. It's rejuvenating to take on new challenges. You get a new perspective on things." A laboratorian for nearly 30 years, Dell is technical supervisor of the laboratory at Avera St. Luke's, a 200-bed hospital in Aberdeen, S.D. The community had two hospitals that merged 12 years ago, giving Dell the opportunity to tack on consulting work to her responsibilities. This monthly assignment takes her to seven other hospital laboratories located up to 85 miles away from Aberdeen. "I consult with some of the smaller hospitals in our area on quality control, quality assurance, federal regulations, corporate compliance, Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements-basically anything that they need assistance with," she explains. In addition to these roles, Dell is director of the Auxiliary Guest House, a remodeled old house that the Auxiliary of Avera St. Luke's purchased to provide inexpensive accommodations for outpatients and their families. She calls it a "home away from home." "When the guest house was going to be opened, administration wanted the director position to be filled from management that was already in place," she says. "I thought it sounded like a worthwhile project, plus something that was the total opposite of what I had been doing. I like to try new and different things." New Challenges While some multidepartmental/interdisciplinary managers say people are people, no matter what department they work in, Dell says this isn't always true. "The Guest House is staffed by volunteers rather than paid employees, so they're willingly and generously giving their time," she explains. "To just put out a schedule and expect them to be there is not how it works. You have to work around them. Volunteers are something special--they're there because they want to be." Another difference between the lab and guest house Dell had to adjust to was their fiscal structure. The guest house is run by an advisory board and supported by fund raising rather than true revenues. A solid understanding of financial issues helps, she said. "A budget is a budget whether you're doing laboratory tests or putting people in rooms and paying utility bills." With so many responsibilities, Dell finds it difficult to be everywhere at once. She fears that some employees may feel "shortchanged," despite her efforts to delegate tasks and empower staff. To remedy this, she relies on technology. "We have voice mail, e-mail and an internal e-mail system at the hospital. I always try to let staffers know where I'm going to be so they can find me if they have a question," she says. "Sometimes being in all places at all times is hard, but it never gets dull," Dell adds. "The laboratory staff is really good, and I have really great, reliable volunteers at the Guest House. With good support people, we manage successfully." Finding Resources The best way a multidepartmental manager can get acclimated to new roles is through professional organizations, according to Dell. She advises anyone considering expanding his/her management reigns to join a professional society or organization "because there are so many resources that you can gather, whether it's the meetings or the journals or just a source to go to that can offer you some options," she says. Organizational networking also allows you to develop contacts with people who are in similar roles. "The best way to maintain skills is learning on the job," Dell summarizes. "And the best way to learn is to try new things." Rebecca Thimm is a former staff member at ADVANCE.