How to Improve Relationships with your Coworkers

You are Super-Tech.  Your ability to obtain those difficult trauma views is unmatched and your savvy knowledge of every feature of every c-arm in the hospital has made you the go-to guy for surgical procedures.  You are efficient, accurate, the Radiologists love your films, and you have arrived!

A Radiologic Technologist can have all the technical skills in the world, but even someone with the attributes listed above can be someone that you absolutely dread working with.  Here are 10 things you can do to improve your relationships with your coworkers. 

1. Process your coworkers' images - nothing helps reduce patient exam time like being able to focus on performing the views (especially during multiple exams), and being able to view your images immediately after shooting the last image.


2. Relieve someone for a break - most departments have scheduled break times for their employees to ensure that everyone gets to eat/rest in a timely manner.  Being aware of your own stomach grumbling is easy, but being aware of your fellow techs' is often overlooked.


3. Clean up your mess - Clean up your exam room after your procedures.  Wipe down surfaces, throw away trash, dispose of contrast containers, get rid of dirty linens and replace with clean linen.  Your mother didn't even like leaning up your messes and your coworkers most definitely are not being paid to baby you.


4. Do your job - don't mysteriously go missing or decide to take a break whenever an exam needs to be done that you don't partiularly like doing. Oh yes... this happens.


5. Talk up your coworkers - when handing over patient care to a coworker, make sure to reassure the patients that they are in good hands.  Also see #6


6. Don't talk down your coworkers - you may have a negative opinion of something a coworker did, but letting everyone know about it makes you and the department you represent look bad.


7. Restock supplies - nobody likes to be in need of supplies, especially in an urgent situation, and open the cabinet to find that it hasn't been stocked in the department.  I bet you can think of one or two techs who do most of the stocking in your department.  What happens when they're on vacation?


8. Stay until your shift is over - if your shift is over in 15 minutes, don't avoid exams because you "want to leave on time."  This is just bad patient care, you're still getting paid, and if your relief staff notices this becoming a pattern, you are sure to make enemies.


9. Be flexible - be available for shift coverage, sick calls, holidays, weekends, call.  Anyone doing this for a while without a break is sure to burn out.  Besides, you may need someone else to do this favor for you one day.


10. Be a trainer - contribute to the training of new staff and students; they may just be your supervisor some day.  Take some accountability for their improvement in skills - a student is only as good as his teacher.

It all boils down to treating your coworkers how you would like to be treated.  I'm quite sure you already know people who don't exacly live up to these simple guidelines, but don't let that keep you from abiding by them yourself.  People do notice when others go out of their way for their fellow coworkers and it can inspire them to do the same.  Pretty soon the people who don't do these things will be the minority, and you will have contributed to your department and health care system in a way that supercedes technical skill and know-how.