Not-To-Do List?

It’s no secret that most busy people today try to stay organized by scratching tasks and items of note onto a pad of paper, PDA or receipt found in a pocket. Many of these people are driven by their lists...others are haunted by them.

I, too, was a follower in the ways of To-Do list writing. I’d carefully record every task, item to pick up or drop off, and note I wanted to remember for the day. Despite my relentless attempts at completing my list each day, I found myself inevitably running out of time and bumping things over to my next day’s list until it eventually became more of a menace of guilt than the useful, productive tool it was when first employed in my daily routine. To put it lightly, my precious To-Do list was stressing me out.





As if I didn’t have enough worthless junk in my purse already, my To-Do lists of old would accumulate and randomly appear in my bag, my car, on my desk, or in the dryer after subjection to the wash cycle in the pocket of my pants. On each encounter, I’d look at the list and kick myself for things undone, unfinished or forgotten. No matter how old or how new the list, there was always at least one thing that never got accomplished. I’d group the notes together hoping for a day when I could spend some time reviewing them and hopefully catching up. Good thing I didn’t hold my breath, because that day never came.

Upon accepting the futility of my To-Do list system, I finally stopped writing them. To compensate for my lack of lists, I began training my brain to remember the things that I could absolutely, in no way, shape or form, forget each day. Yes, I still felt guilty for not being superwoman and conquering a daily list of objectives, but I rejoiced in the fact that I was at least remembering the critical things that could not be omitted from my day’s activities. That’s when it hit me-I’d been doing things all wrong. I had it backwards! Instead of making a To-Do list each day, I should have been making a Not-To-Do list!

For example, my typical To-Do list looked something like this:

To-Do List:
• Drop daughter off at school
• Put gas in the car
• Do x and x and such and such at work
• Review Joe Blow’s resume
• Interview Joe Blow
• Pick up husband’s dry-cleaning during lunch
• Pick up daughter and drop off at home
• Finish x and x and such and such at work
• Walk Delilah (my very spoiled Pomeranian)
• Pay light bill online
• Go by grocery store to get taco seasoning
• Cook tacos for dinner
• Take daughter to dance class
• Post jobs online while husband watches TV
• Try to take a bubblebath
• Go to sleep by 11 pm.
Editor's note: we ate KFC for dinner that night.

By the end of the night, here’s how much I actually got accomplished (and still lived):

Actually Accomplished To-Do List: • Drop daughter off at school
• Put gas in the car
• Do x and x and such and such at work
• Pick up daughter and drop off at home
• Walk Delilah (my very spoiled Pomeranian)
• Pay light bill online
• Take daughter to dance class
• Post jobs online while husband watches TV
Everything else on my To-Do list was rolled over to the next day or never done at all.

So what does this mean for you? Let’s see how my original To-Do list could have been a reasonable (attainable) Not-To-Do list and much less stressful on me and my sense of guilt.

Not-To-Do List

Don’t:
• Leave daughter stranded at school.
• Run out of gas.
• Get fired by not doing what needs to be done.
• Miss out on a potential placement by not making time to interview Joe Blow since I can review his resume while I talk to him.
• Acquire a late payment fee and scolding from husband by forgetting to pay the light bill online today.
• Inconvenience my husband by leaving his dry-cleaning unretrieved.
• Deprive Delilah of her beloved walk, even if it’s just around the yard and back.
• Starve family.
• Waste my money by letting Kayla miss dance class.
• Worry about jobs that need posting by getting them online while we watch TV.
• Go to bed too late.
• Forget to take a bubblebath tomorrow since I’ve earned it by remembering not to do everything on my list today.

If you made one right now, what would be on your Not-To-Do list? Would it be much more manageable than your tedious list of tasks glaring up at you from your notepad or that receipt from your pocket with a smudge of chocolate on it? Think about it and share your Not-To-Do with us by leaving a comment below.

On that note, I’d be sinning if I forgot to share this wonderful rendition of Breaking (Waking?) Up is Hard to Do, performed by the doo-whopping wonders, The Laryngospasms. The Laryngospasms are a group of five nurse anesthestists that spend most of their time providing anesthesia to the residents of Minneapolis & St. Paul, MN, USA.



Don't worry; they haven't given up their day jobs! Their music uniquely blends operating room humor with the golden oldies of yesterday. In their own words, "We can modestly say that we know of no group quite like ours.”

That makes two of us!

Happy Not-To-Do whopping,

Heather J. Ali
President
Heather Ali & Associates
Phone: (800) 991-6288
Fax: (888) 399-8474
Email: hali@heatherali.com
Web: www.heatherali.com

ALTERNATE PATH FOR AMERICAN BOARD CERTIFICATION IN ANESTHESIOLOGY FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATES

Thanks to a pilot program, IMG Anesthesiologists (International Medical Graduates with MD’s in a Non-US country) can qualify for American Board Certification in Anesthesiology after Direct Fellowships in the United States without having to repeat a residency.What this means for IMG anesthesiologists is that there is no need to do a residency again after the fellowship in order to qualify for American Board Certification.

To completely access the physician job market in the United States, you must first obtain board certification in your specialty; but before that, you must be “board eligible.”Most American boards need completion of an ACGME-certified residency to be board-eligible, but due to short supply and increasing fellowship branches, a few boards are relaxing some rules to take advantage of foreign-trained qualified residency-trained physicians.

The American Board of Anesthesiology Says:

The ABA has approved a 7-year pilot program that would allow international medical graduates, certified by the national anesthesiology organization in the country where they trained in the specialty and practicing anesthesiology in the United States, to qualify for entrance into the ABA examination system for initial certification in the specialty at most once via an alternate entry path.
International medical graduates interested in using the alternate entry path must complete a total of 4 years of prospectively approved, continuous experience in one anesthesiology department that commences on or after July 1, 2007.

• At the time the anesthesiology department enrolls the international medical graduate with the ABA, the department must have an ACGME-accredited anesthesiology residency or fellowship training program that has continued full accreditation and a review cycle of three years or more.
  
• An anesthesiology department can have no more than two international medical graduates enrolled in the pilot program at one time.
  
• No later than 4 months before the department enrolls the foreign certified anesthesiologist with the ABA, the department chair must submit to the ABA a 4-year plan, co-signed by the physician, for prospective approval by the ABA Credentials Committee. This experience will consist of 4 years of resident or fellowship training, research, faculty experience or combination thereof, in the same institution in which the anesthesiology program resides. The 4-year plan must provide the education and research foundations needed for a successful career in academic anesthesiology and should be specifically designed and identified for the candidate.
  
• The department chair also must submit periodically to the ABA attestations that the physician is currently a resident or fellow in an ACGME-accredited program, or is actively engaged in research, or is a faculty member with a full-time primary appointment in the ACGME-accredited program.
  
• The department chair will provide the ABA with an assessment of the physician’s performance relative to the ABMS- and ACGME approved six general physician competencies at 6-month intervals.

So, with this final thought, I bid you adieu. To all my IMG Anesthesiologist friends who aspire to practice in America, I wish you luck and encouragement. With wise counsel, persistence and determination, eventually you’ll succeed.

And maybe one day you too will make the news for buying a million dollar home in the States like this IMG Anesthesiologist!

For more information, contact the American Board of Anesthesiology.

Best wishes on your journey,

Heather J. Ali
President
Heather Ali & Associates
Phone: (800) 991-6288
Fax: (888) 399-8474
Email: hali@heatherali.com
Web: http://www.heatherali.com/

Prescription for Preparation-The Successful Physician Interview

Interviewing for a position as a physician is very much like interviewing for any other professional position. Though your skill is in high demand, putting your best foot forward is key to making a favorable impression. The traditional rules of preparation and etiquette of interviewing still apply to physicians, anesthesiologists, and other doctors, regardless of specialty. In fact, for healthcare specialists and physicians, there are even a few additional steps to take in order to have a successful interviewing experience and a subsequent offer for the position.

Your Curriculum Vitae (CV)

1. Pay close attention to your CV - ask an expert in the field to review it for content and proofread your CV for grammar, spelling and punctuation. A CV is not simply a listing of education, experience and qualifications; hiring decisions have an increasing emphasis on generic skills like teamwork, initiative and teaching/mentoring.
   
2. Do not use the same CV for each position to which you are applying; customize it based on the facility and job description.
   
3. An increasing number of positions use application forms instead of or in addition to CV’s so candidate information can be viewed in a standardized format and comparisons between candidates can be made more easily. Do not grumble about an additional application process and be sure to carefully review print and online forms before submitting. It’s nothing personal. The potential employer simply needs you to do it.
   
4. Copies, copies, and more copies. Make sure to bring at least 4 (four) extra copies of your CV with you to the interview. You never know who might waltz in on your interview and you want to be prepared with a nice, clean copy of your CV on the spot.
   
5. I can't believe I have to include this, but I've seen phenomenal candidates get rejected for positions for having wrinkled or folded CV's, or CV's with pencil revisions handwritten in, or smudge stains of jelly or God only knows what else on the CV given to the interviewer. Never, ever, ever is this okay. Let's face it. It is better not to give a CV at all than to give one that looks like it came out of a hobo's pocket.

General Job Interview Tips

1. Learn as much as you can about the organization and its staff.
   
2. Practice an interview with an expert in the healthcare recruiting industry who will provide honest feedback. If you can, practice an interview with someone who works in your specialty.
   
3. Many health systems and corporations are now asking questions related to emotional intelligence and anticipated behaviors. Spend some time on the Internet researching these areas and be prepared to answer questions.
   
4. Dress conservatively, be well-groomed, do not wear too much perfume or cologne, make sure nails and hair are trimmed and neat, and do not wear too much makeup or jewelry. You've heard this before, but seriously. It's true.
   
5. Arrive before the scheduled interview time—you may have to complete paperwork first.
   
6. Practice good eye contact.
   
7. Always offer positive answers to questions and avoid negativity. The prepared candidate can put a positive spin on any topic or articulation.
   
8. Focus your answers on your accomplishments and successes. Use specific examples and scenarios to demonstrate your experience and ability. Be careful, though. Don't talk too much. Know when to shut up. (Really! It's okay to say your piece and then simply shut up. You don't have to fill the silence. The last thing you want is to ramble your interviewer into an open-eyed coma while you painfully relay every last detail of your experience. Answer the question articulately, using concise examples if possible, nod your head slightly, smile, and shut your pie hole.) On that note, try to avoid opening yourself to areas of questioning that may be difficult for you to answer.
   
9. Don't just answer questions. Be prepared to ask them, too! In doing so, you’ll demonstrate your interest, enthusiasm and motivation for the position and organization. Just be careful not to ask obvious questions that are easily answered by company literature or a web site. This could make you appear unprepared and as if you did not research the opportunity and organization prior to the interview. If you're working with me on your search, you will be prepared and research is a requirement before interviews I'll arrange on your behalf. If you don't care enough to google a press release or read the "About Us" section on the employer's website, then you probably don't want the job badly enough. Both are a waste of my time, as well as my client's time and money.
   
10. Ask for business cards. Not only can you add the names and numbers to your contacts, but you'll know to whom and where you should send 'thank-you' cards. While I encourage you to shoot a brief email thanking your interviewers for their time and reiterating your interest in the position, handwritten 'thank-you' notes are still a must. No one does it anymore-it'll make you stand out, and besides; it's the right thing to do. One should be thankful for opportunities to explore quality positions. Show it!
    
11. If time permits, ask for a tour of the facility to get a feel for the culture and some of the people with whom you might work. Smile and be friendly to anyone and everyone you encounter on your tour. You never know who you'll bump into or pass in the hall. Shine-make them wonder who you are.
    
12. Close the interview by expressing your thanks and restating your interest in the position. It's okay to ask for the job! Just not more than once and definitely not like an overzealous stalker. View my video on closing the interview for tips on how to properly conclude your meeting.

Now that you’re more prepared, it's time to line up interviews. That's where I come in. When you're ready to move forward, contact me for physician openings in your targeted geographic location. For approved physician candidates*, my professional marketing editors offer complimentary expert CV review & revision. My practice recruits a variety of specialties and works with companies, hospitals, and health systems all across the country.

Now that you've got the prescription, it's up to you to fill the order. Go get 'em, Tiger!

All the best,

Heather J. Ali
President
Heather Ali & Associates
Phone: (800) 991-6288
Fax: (888) 399-8474
Email: hali@heatherali.com
Web: www.heatherali.com