It’s our favorite time of the year here at Cassling!
That’s because November 4 – 10 is Rad Tech Week, when healthcare organizations across the country go all-out to celebrate the contributions of their imaging team to the medical profession.
For 11 years, we’ve helped hospitals, imaging centers, clinics, Office-Based Labs and Ambulatory Surgery Centers take part in this weeklong event, and this year has been a banner year.
More than 1,000 of our customers ordered materials to honor rad techs this week, and we couldn’t be more honored that you’ve chosen our free swag to raise awareness about the incredible work imaging professionals do every single day for patients.
Radiologic technologists have a crucial impact on the patient experience. It’s rad techs who are there to interact with patients going through a difficult time, who can answer questions about their unique medical situation, and who lend a helping hand (or an ear) in order to get that person to a better place. Their knowledge of state-of-the-art X-ray systems is certainly important, but it’s their compassion during patients’ time of need that help them stand out within the field.
If it were up to me, every week would be Rad Tech Week. But because this is the week we’ve got, I think we should make the most of it. Here are a few more ways you can take that extra step and go above and beyond for your imaging superstars.
Spread the Word Far and Wide
Anyone who’s ordered their celebratory swag has already done a service by acknowledging the work of their “rad” team within the building… but why not take that acknowledgement to the next level?
There’s a reason we’ve included a sample news release in our toolkit. Local news stations and newspapers are more than willing to help clinics and hospitals showcase the work of Rad Techs. By distributing a news release that announces the event and the reason for its importance and then sending personalized messages to media in your town, you’d be surprised by the positive attention you can get within the community.
Even though we’ve already shipped posters and buttons, you can still download the sample news release here. Once you have it, follow these steps to ensure your announcement will catch the eye of local media:
- Personalize the news release by adding your organization’s information in the appropriate blank spaces.
- Compile a list of the newspapers and news stations in your area.
- Do some research online to find the editors and producers, respectively, of these publications and find the contact information for these individuals or news desks (there will almost always be a public-facing email or phone number available for news tips and press releases).
- Email the press release, a photo of your imaging team and a personalized note thanking the reader for their consideration.
- If you don’t hear back right away, follow up the next day with a phone call to further gauge their interest in covering your organization’s efforts to celebrate rad techs.
You should also consult with your administration team, marketing, business development or event HR to see if they’d be willing to sit for an interview (if not, that job might fall to you!).
You’d be amazed how many hospitals gain fantastic media attention by following these steps, and that kind of publicity can potentially bring in patients for weeks and months to come (along with the compliments from these same persons who say they saw you on the news or in the paper).
Emphasize Education
Professionals in the healthcare field, and rad techs especially, are always on the lookout for continuing education credits that are worthwhile, relevant and convenient to their schedules. Providing a simple means of acquiring these credits is crucial and goes a long way toward showing rad techs and others at your facility how important they are.
To that end, we’re hosting a webinar during Rad Tech Week that will be valuable not just to rad techs, but to anyone who has a vested interest in enhancing their interactions with patients.
Presented by Teri Yanovitch (a former customer service ambassador for Disney!) on November 8, “Creating a Culture of Service Excellence” seeks to help medical professionals embrace a customer-first approach to care. This begins with establishing a Service Philosophy and Service Standards, but that’s only the beginning. Providing a gold standard in patient experience means creating the tools to embrace this patient-centric philosophy and then sticking with those tools (and iterating upon them) well into the future.
Specifically, Ms. Yanovitch’s presentation will delve into:
- How to develop a Service Philosophy and Service Standards
- Identifying the critical elements that affect the patient experience and explore the touch points that can wow your patients
- Creating a mechanism to ensure your organization's processes are designed looking through the "lens of the patient"
- Recognizing that "Everything Speaks" in your physical environment
- Understanding the systems and processes that create and sustain a culture of amazing service that empowers your employees to become service heroes
Your organization may already have a philosophy that puts the patient first. But ensuring that this mission statement remains front of mind in the years and decades that follow its creation is the tricky part, and that’s where Ms. Yanovitch’s insights will come in handy.
Spread the word to departments throughout your organization, as this topic is valid for anyone in healthcare, not just rad techs. Better yet, bring your team together for a Lunch and Learn (the webinar is at noon central time) to watch the presentation and then discuss what you learned. When it’s over, you can even task someone with spearheading the initiatives taught in the webinar.
It’s going to be a valuable presentation that pays off for your facility, so I encourage you to make this an interactive event that your organization looks back on for years to come.
Keep Things Going
Rad Tech Week is, well, only a week, but that doesn’t mean you have to relegate the celebration of these imaging professionals to just seven days.
Ongoing lunch and learn’s for CE credits, Q & A’s with staff, promotional materials posted year-round; there are a variety of ways to recognize the contributions of those who rise to the challenge each and every day to provide imaging expertise and a stellar patient experience. You can even create a patient awareness campaign that uses fliers, pamphlets, and radio and television spots to highlight to your community the power of rad techs and the technology they use.
We’re honored to serve imaging professionals, and I can’t wait to see what you all do. Send us your photos or post to social media using #RadtotheBone and tag @Cassling so that we can share your celebration with the world!
Have a fantastic Rad Tech Week, and please reach out if you have any questions about this event or are just looking for additional ideas to celebrate your team.
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