No one understands the complexities of diagnostics, patient care and the clinical environment better than those who have been on the frontlines of healthcare.
To relate to sonographers, radiologic technologists, radiologists and other members of the imaging team, and to understand the obstacles they encounter on a daily basis, we believe you need to have walked in their shoes. Experience comes from being in a healthcare setting every single day, working with patients, solving complex issues and operating the imaging equipment regularly, to the point where you know it like the back of your hand.
Dedicated Healthcare Professionals
At Cassling, some of our clinical team members, service engineers, sales reps and company leaders came to us after spending years in the healthcare trenches. In fact, we consider this to be one of our biggest strengths as a company.
Our goal is to strengthen community healthcare, and we do that by being proactive about maintaining equipment, providing creative solutions to the biggest issues facing the imaging environment, and offering our support on clinical and administrative topics that go far beyond diagnostic imaging equipment.
We can only do this by having team members with clinical skills listening to you, our customers, and anticipating your needs as early as possible. We do this because we know the hard work we put in for our customers ultimately makes a difference to the patients you serve.
I recently spoke with some of the clinical experts at Cassling to get their insight into why they made the leap from a clinical environment to a corporate one. Specifically, I wanted to find out how their background on the frontlines of healthcare has helped them succeed on behalf of our customers.
Our Team Members Were Customers Before They Were Customer Service
Many of those I spoke with expressed comments that were variations on the same theme: they’re able to work well with customers because they were once in their shoes.
“I wanted to re-tool myself and get clinical experience for medical-specific sales,” said Jeff Schmid, Clinical C-arm Specialist. “My approach to customers certainly has evolved and gives me credibility when I can speak their language.”
Elizabeth Grieger, Cassling’s Vice President of Strategic and Clinical Solutions, took this one step further. Her background was in nursing, so she has critical insights into clinical issues and the sorts of initiatives that have the biggest impact on patients and workflow.
“My clinical background, especially understanding some of the pain points that exist for the direct providers of healthcare, has helped me in my role. Understanding their challenges helps position and create solutions to our customers and healthcare providers. This means helping them improve their workflows, creating better outcomes or streamlining their operations, which ultimately enables them to provide better care to their customers: patients and their families.”
Learning Never Stops
Randy Wobig, Chief Information Officer for Cassling, had somewhat of a circuitous route through healthcare, beginning his path as a sonographer before taking an interest in information technology, a skill that allowed him to make his mark on the system in different ways.
“My road within healthcare echoes what so many of my colleagues have been through, transitioning from clinical roles to supervisory positions and between public and private facilities. The one thing we all seem to have in common is that we never stop learning. This willingness to jump at whatever opportunity presents itself has served me well, and I’m always excited to touch base with our customers, many of whom I know from my Nebraska Medicine days, to see how they’ve also progressed in their careers. We share a few laughs and reminisce, and we tend to shake our heads in disbelief at where we are today.”
The decision to take on a new role outside the environment of a hospital or clinic isn’t always an easy one, as Shawn Pew, Regional Service Manager, explains. He is a radiologic technologist who has made it a point to keep his certifications up to date even as he transitioned to his management role at Cassling.
“A career in the allied health field is very challenging and rewarding, allowing you the opportunity to interface directly with patients and the care they receive. It was a difficult decision to transition from that role, as I enjoyed the interaction and being able to sincerely impact their care.
“I put my full effort into providing the patient the best diagnostic care I could, as well as putting a smile on the patient’s face while they were going through illness or adversity. I worked the evening shift and one of the best compliments I received was when a patient was scheduled during the day shift and told the staff they would rather wait until I came in for their follow-up exam that night.”
Walking the Imaging Walk
Shawn acknowledges that making the transition to Cassling was ultimately the right call.
“Transitioning to the vendor side of healthcare was not an easy decision, but I felt it could help me grow professionally by presenting new opportunities and challenges. Having a clinical background in radiation science technology helped me tremendously with that change.
“I could ‘talk the talk’ and ‘walk the walk,’ so to speak, with doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, clinicians and hospital staff. I knew the workflow of the radiology department very well and how different diagnostic equipment and information systems worked together.
“Today, as a Regional Service Manager for Cassling, I am proud of the service I provide to our customers. Not that long ago, my customers were my co-workers, colleagues, peers and mentors. And although I am no longer directly involved with patient interaction and their care, I know the service I provide to my customers allows them to directly provide the best diagnostic care for their patients.”
Shawn speaks for many at Cassling who have had similar experiences. Clinicians are the lifeblood of our company and enable us to do more for our customers than would otherwise be possible.
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