editorial
Thank You for This Opportunity,
Now Start Writing!
By Paul Dubiel, MS, RT(R), CRA, FAHRA
When I first told my wife I was going to
be editor-in-chief for AHRA’s journal,
Radiology Management, her first ques-
tion was: “You’re not in charge of spell-
ing or grammar review, are you?” When
I told her, no, I would leave that up to the
professionals I saw a look of relief come
over her face. She smiled and said, “Con-
gratulations, you’ll do great.”
Some people may have gotten upset
with that interaction, but the truth is I
am the first to admit I can’t spell to save
my life and using “then” as opposed to
“than” in a sentence still throws me for a
loop. To be honest, the question my wife
asked me was the same question I asked
Deb Murphy, AHRA publications direc-
tor, three years ago when I first had the
idea that maybe I would like to be a part
of the Editorial Review Board (ERB).
In the three years since my discussion with Deb, I have worked with some
amazing people on the ERB—people
who are incredibly dedicated to making this journal the best in the industry.
It was through that work, especially by
Deb Murphy and Jim Lipcamon, that
made me think that maybe being editor
is something I can and want to do. I want
to thank all the people I have worked
with on the ERB, especially Jim who has
done such a great job in his six years as
editor-in-chief of the journal. I promise
to do all I can to continue the hard work
Jim has put into the journal and work
Sharing experiences and knowledge through articles in the
journal will help us not only get through the unknown
future of healthcare, but help us be better leaders in our
imaging departments and organizations.
with the ERB and Deb to maintain the
tradition of quality articles that have
been a part of this publication for many,
many years.
But (and you knew there was a “but”
coming) we cannot do it alone. Many of
the articles and columns in the journal
are written by members for members.
The information is there so readers
can share best practices, learn about
new technologies, understand the ever
changing world of coding, and, most
importantly, help each other grow both
professionally and personally.
The sharing of this knowledge will
be even more critical as the healthcare
environment continues to evolve. ACOs,
ICD- 10, and Meaningful Use are just
some of the trends that will affect each
of us in the coming years. Sharing experiences and knowledge through articles
in the journal will help us not only get
through the unknown future of health-care, but help us be better leaders in our
imaging departments and organizations.
So, now what? The answer is easy: start
writing. Look around your department,
look around your hospital, your state,
your city, and see what you have done to
improve your environment. Write about
a process or project you put in place
at your facility that made a difference
in a patient’s or employee’s life. Write
about collaborations you had with other
departments. Write about your experi-
ences with Joint Commission or other
certification boards. Write how you bal-
ance work and home life or how you deal
with stress. Pick something that interests
you and start writing. If every journey
starts with a single step then every article
starts with a single word. Start by putting
one word on a piece of paper and let it
grow. I bet once you start, the words will
flow and the next thing you know you’ll
have an article ready for submission.
