Four spine surgeons share advice for young physicians looking to move into leadership roles.
Ask Spine Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons around the country about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. We invite all spine surgeon and specialist responses.
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Question: What advice do you have for young surgeons who want to attain management roles in their facilities?
Kern Singh, MD. Co-Director of Minimally Invasive Spine Institute at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush (Chicago): As with any surgical practice, the road to management is long and only becomes more demanding with time, so the ability to handle a lot of stress is crucial. Management in surgical practice requires the ability to effectively collaborate with patients and other healthcare providers. Persistence and attention to detail are important attributes for managers in the surgical field. Having a positive attitude, confidence and clinical knowledge in your field of study earns patients' trust and will build your credentials as a successful leader.
Plas T. James, MD. Spine Surgeon at Atlanta Spine Institute: It depends on the person's personality, number one. And I think it depends on the hospital, in particular the hierarchy of the doctors. It's important to stay current and be up on procedures that maybe not everyone else is aware of. And a lot of it depends on the environment within the hospital.
Vladimir Sinkov, MD. Spine Surgeon at New Hampshire Orthopaedic Center (Nashua): Get several years of experience under your belt before deciding to go into management — you will be a much more competent and credible leader. Realize that management duties will take time away from clinical responsibilities — not all meetings can be scheduled after hours. You will need to learn how to deal with administrators. A lot of them will not have clinical training and clinical aspects of operations that you deem self-evident would have to be explained to them.
Brian R. Gantwerker, MD. Founder of the Craniospinal Center of Los Angeles: Join a committee, listen and take responsibility. Most of these positions should be filled by the active surgeons at the facilities. If you are interested in quality measures, outcomes and so forth, there is definitely a demand for these types of administrative roles. I would caution those who take high-paying management roles on how the optics look to regulators.