| 1 | Tell me how you organize, plan, and prioritize your work. |
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| 3 | Share an experience in which a modification you made to a database benefited your company. How did you identify the need for modification? |
The decision has been made to ditch the file rooms and hard-copy archives and make the move to a PACS. For most facilities, the initial step to a filmless archive department is putting a team of stakeholders in place to make the critical decisions: what do we need the system to do, which vendor will provide that, and who will take charge of it once it’s in place?
Answering the last question requires filling the position of PACS administrator. Not to be taken lightly, breaking down the chore into manageable components can make the process less daunting and provide idyllic results.
You probably are not looking for a PACS administrator; you are seeking a certified imaging informatics professional, or CIIP.
Only in the world of technology would a job title be around for less than 10 years and be well on its way out of existence.
“I think PACS is an outmoded term; an archive is a lot more than what a PACS traditionally was,” says James Philbin, PhD, director, Radiology Center for Information Systems, Johns Hopkins Medicine (Baltimore). “Everything is communication these days, so ‘communication system’ is kind of an odd thing to be saying, so we refer to it as a medical archive.”
In fact, the new certification program for imaging informatics professionals being set up by the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM of Great Falls, Va)—currently in development and slated for debut some time next year—doesn’t use the term “PACS administrator” at all. Instead, individuals who complete training will be certified as imaging informatics professionals.
This shift is due to digital archiving’s steady progress to virtually every corner of the health care system. A decade ago, any reference to PACS was synonymous with radiology, but today’s systems also cover cardiology, endoscopy, and surgery, to name just a few departments seeking to take advantage of the benefits inherent in an electronic imaging archive.
“PACS itself is moving to be an information technology that’s a component of the complete electronic health record,” says George H. Bowers, principal, Health Care Information Consultants LLC (Baltimore), who also chairs SIIM’s Imaging Informatics Administrator education committee. “We also feel that the term ‘administrator’ implies a supervisory position that does not really describe the role, so we want to certify these individuals as professionals, as opposed to just administrators.”
Whatever the designation, a PACS administrator will definitely see expanded job responsibilities. Exactly how vast the scope is depends greatly on the facility, but it is not uncommon for a PACS administrator to take an operational lead role in implementing, managing, and monitoring the system, as well as being involved in projections, usage, infrastructure needs, request-for-proposal creation, and more.
Catalog the tasks associated with the ongoing maintenance of a PACS, noting who can and will do what. Once existing staff have staked their claim, look at the orphaned duties and tailor a job description to find the individual who provides the skills required to fill those gaps.
For example, a facility with a robust IT department most likely will not need its PACS administrator to handle hardware, networking, and related infrastructure. Instead, the new-hire’s skills can focus more on end-user support. The reverse would be true for clinics without much technical know-how on board. The combinations of skill sets are myriad and demand that adequate time be taken to create a customized job description.
“When you look at various ads, the PACS admin role is inconsistently defined because what one does in that role ranges dramatically from one environment to the next,” says Leonard S. Avecilla MS, vice president, SG&A Consulting Inc (Arlington, Tex) and director of Continuing Medical Education for the School of PACS Administration. Variables include the institution’s size, the level of IT support available, and the number of areas within the enterprise that will use the health informatics management system. “If you hire based on someone else’s position description, I can almost guarantee you that person could not be right for you.”
Here’s What a PACS Administrator Does – (Healthcare IT Jobs)
In this guide, you’ll find sample responses to some of the most common PACS administrator interview questions. By preparing ahead of time, you’ll feel confident when you walk into your interview and be able to focus on answering questions about your experience and skills.
Example: “As a PACS administrator, I would be responsible for managing all aspects of the imaging system, including its hardware and software. This includes installing new equipment, troubleshooting issues with existing systems and ensuring compliance with any regulations or standards. In my previous role as a PACS administrator, I also helped train other staff members on how to use the system and maintained documentation of all procedures.”
Example: “I have worked as a PACS administrator for five years now. During that time, I’ve had to deal with many stressful situations. However, I always try my best to remain calm and focused on the task at hand. When I’m stressed, I take deep breaths and remind myself that I am prepared for whatever situation arises. This helps me stay calm and focus on what needs to be done.”
Example: “I would first try to speak with my colleague in private about the issue. If I noticed they were making mistakes because of a lack of knowledge, I would offer to train them on how to access data properly. If I noticed they were making mistakes due to carelessness or negligence, I would talk to them about the importance of accuracy when working with medical imaging data. I would also document our conversation so that if there was another incident, we could take appropriate action.”
Example: “I would first look at what new features the software has compared to our current system. If there aren’t any major upgrades, I would then compare the cost of upgrading to the cost of continuing with our current system. If the upgrade costs more than continuing with our current system, I would continue using our current system until we have enough money to upgrade.”
PILOT INTERVIEW Questions And Answers! (How to PASS an Airline Pilot Interview)
1. What is CRM process as Airline Pilot? The systematic and effective use of all available resources to ensure a desirable outcome and completion of the flight. Focusing on communication, teamwork, task allocation, decision-making and situational awareness. The major contributors in the CRM process are: Dispatchers, flight attendants, maintenance, ATC and of course the cockpit crew.
2. What is the MAP on a non-precision approach? Non-precision: MAP is usually visually identified by a capitol and bold “M” in the Jepps or at the end of the solid line on NOS. There are several ways to id the MAP: Published DME at the MAP, Navaid such as the middle marker (MM), or timing from the FAF
3. What is the importance of proficiency in several languages for a pilot? A private pilot may limit himself to knowledge of English good enough to understand control towers. Other pilots, being more publicly involved figures by necessity, greatly benefit from knowing more than one language.
4. What is your Proudest accomplishment? Becoming a pilot and graduating from college as to be the biggest accomplish so far.
5. What is the 1-2-3 rule? Requirements for filing an alternate. 1-2-3: 1hr before to 1hr after estimated time of arrival, the weather must be forecast to be 2000′ ceiling and 3SM vis.
6. What makes a good captain or what do you expect from a Captain? one that is knowledgeable, decisive, conservative and safety conscious, good people skills, superior communication skills, solid piloting skills, can manage stress and avoid confrontation
7. List your qualifications as a pilot? Besides relevant college degree(s), pilots graduate from flying school and participate in annual additional training.
8. What is GRID MORA? It’s an altitude derived by Jepp or provided by state authorities. If derived by Jepp, Grid MORA clear all terrain and structures by 1000′ in areas where highest elevations are 5000′ MSL or lower. MORA values clear all terrain and structures by 2000′ in areas where highest elevations are 5001′ MSL or higher. Grid MORA (State) altitude supplied by the State Authority provides 2000′ clearance in mountainous areas and 1000′ in non-mountainous areas. Also… a +/- denote doubtful accuracy but are believed to provide sufficient reference point clearance.
9. What is the definition of CRM? CRM is a system which allows optimum use of all available resources – equipment, procedures, interpersonal communication, team work – all to promote safety and enhance efficiency in operations
10. What is Vso of your most recent aircraft? Cessna 172 is 41Kts
11. What is the max distance from the runway if you were to circle to land? Depends on your speed
12. Have you applied anywhere else? Just be honest on this one. If you are in the job hunt, it’s normal to apply to several companies. It’s great to tell them that Cathay is your top choice, but it would be suspect to say Cathay is your only choice.
13. What is mach tuck? As the aircraft reaches critical mach the nose of the aircraft tends to pitch downwards due to the flow of air over the wing reaching supersonic speeds producing additional life and center of pressure moving rearward. As the center of pressure moves rearward the elevators become less effective, pushing the aircraft into a potentially unrecoverable dive.
14. What is tower’s NORDO signal to be cleared to land? Steady green
15. What is VMCG? minimum speed control in the ground
16. What is the difference between Blue, Green Airports? blue is IFR (has approaches) green is VFR (no approaches)
17. What is GRADIENT CLIMB? 3%
18. What is VMCA? Minimun Speed Control in the Air
19. What is windshear? its a change on direction and speed of the wind
20. What is MOCA? Minimum Obstacle Clearance that provides obstable clearance between Vor airways. It also ensures VOR coverage 22nm from the nearest VOR
21. What is hyperventilation? hyperventilation is when the body has too much Oxygen and not enough Co2
22. Ever had an emergency? yes, many over the years
23. Pilots have many simultaneous responsibilities during the flight. What can you tell me about this? Pilots navigate the flight, observe and direct the activities of the crew, check instruments, keep an eye on the weather, and monitor altitude and air traffic. Doing all these and more, often simultaneously, requires outstanding multi-tasking skills and power of concentration.
24. What are the max airspeeds in C airspace? 200 KIAS within 4 NM of Primary Class C Airport
25. How would you behave as the pilot of a plane during an emergency? Describe first what your emotional response would be. It is important to demonstrate, preferably through examples, that you can maintain your poise during such events, and that you possess enough presence of mind to activate emergency procedures and delegate duties among crew members as necessary.
26. Where do you see yourself in 6 months? with your company
27. Did you ever have to modify the flight course in the past? Pilots are able to modify the course in flight, if this is dictated by internal or external conditions. This is not a small responsibility and needs careful coordination with control towers and scrupulous attention to detail.
28. What Is V2? takeoff safety speed
29. What Is Max A/s In Class C? Airspeed maximum of 200 knots indicated within 4 nautical or 5 statute miles and 2500 feet above the ground of the primary airport.
30. What Are The Cdi/raim Sensitivities Of A Gps Outside 30nm? Inside 30nm? +- 5 mi +- 1 mi
31. What Is The Effect Of Aft Cg On Performance? rearward Cg gives better fuel efficiency
32. What Is An Lda? a precision approach that is offset from the runway, it may have GS
33. Where Is The Faf On A Vor/ils Approach? On a VOR approach, the FAP is whenever you are established on course inbound and the final decent may be started. For non-precision approaches, the FAF is the “Maltese Cross” and for precision, the arrow which identifies the GS intercept.
34. Why Cape Air? big airline paneer
35. What Kind Of Airspace Is Around Lax? Class B. Very congested airspace.
36. What Is V1? Take off decision speed
37. What is hypoxia? Lack of oxygen to body tissues
38. Why do you like Compass? I like the new modern equipment and I like the fact that it’s got flow through to/ is part of Northwest.
39. What is a squall line? It is a continuous narrow line active of thunderstorms ahead of cold front but can develop far removed of any front. May be too long to detour, too thick to penetrate. It forms very rapidly reach Max intensity in late afternoon or early evening. IT IS THE SINGLE MOST INTENSE WEATHER HAZARD FOR AIRCRAFT.
40. Why do you want to work for Allegiant? growing company, day trips, upgrade potential
41. Why Ameriflight? I’d like to fly cargo and gain the single-pilot IFR experience
42. Did you ever have a problem with an F/O? Yes
43. What is your clearance limit when cleared for the approach and then you loose coms? The published hold on the missed.
44. What is MEA? Minimum En Route Altitude, lowest altitude on that airway that assures obstacle clearance and acceptable navigational reception.
45. What is Definition of V2? Single engine climb speed until safe altitude or clear of obstacles
46. What is Definition of V1? on a balance runway it is the last chance for you to decide not to go if you have and emergency and still stop on the runway according to the air data
47. What is the definition of Hypoxia? Not enough Oxygen
48. What is the seating capacity of the Dash 8 100 and 300 and how many flight attendants you need? DA-100 (37) DA-300 (50) FA 1
49. Tell me the biggest factor as far as fuel conservation goes as it relates to a jet engine? TSFC thrust specific fuel consumption which directly inperpolates to power setting and altitude. Higher you climb the less fuel required. Throttle settings also have a say in conservation and relates more to maintenance issues which is why full throttle takeoffs are rarely done.
50. What qualities make a good captain? Confident, Diligent, Good CRM skills, Good Problem Solver
51. What’s your choice of base? PDX or Seattle
52. World Airways Pilot Interview Questions:
53. Flight Express Airline Pilot Interview Questions:
54. Lion Air Airline Pilot Interview Questions:
55. LAN Airline Pilot Interview Questions:
56. Miami Air International Airline Pilot Interview Questions:
57. Mokulele Airlines Pilot Interview Questions:
58. Ryan International Airlines Airline Pilot Interview Questions:
59. Seaborne Airlines Pilot Interview Questions:
60. XOJET Airline Pilot Interview Questions:
Reality check: Can one person do the job?
Styling the job posting to fit the facility’s specific needs also brings a touch of reality to the adventure.
“Through this process you get an idea of whether you’re looking for someone who has a technical background and has to learn more about radiology, or you find you need someone who’s got a radiology technologist background, who can pick up some of the IT functions,” Bowers says. “In some cases, it’s not just a single PACS administrator. In many cases, you’re looking to hire multiple people.”
Exactly how many individuals should be responsible for the PACS system depends on how extensive the list of “wants” is—if it is long and varied, it may be easier for a facility to divide and conquer. Such is the case at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), Strong Memorial Hospital (Rochester, NY), where the department of Imaging Sciences collaborates with IT techs to provide service to the PACS users.
“The technical people are in their own group, and we are the end-user specialists, so we keep a database of users, set users up on the system, and troubleshoot whatever issues we can handle,” says Josephine Zanghi-Smith, imaging sciences IT application specialist, Department of Imaging Sciences, URMC, Strong Memorial Hospital. “Anything we can’t take care of, we call on IT.”
Even when the job duties assigned to the PACS administrator can be managed by one person, establishing a backup is strongly advised, assuming your future employee is human. After all, demands are placed on the PACS admin 24/7/365, and if he or she ever catches a cold or plans a vacation, someone else must be able to step up and keep things humming along smoothly.
“You need a backup, but does that person need to be full-time? Not necessarily,” says Stuart Gardner, president and founder, SG&A Consulting Inc, who recommends at minimum 1.5 full-time employees be devoted to maintaining the PACS. “Exactly how many resources are dedicated to it is going to be institution-specific based on what they can afford.”
Often, the “half” person can be found in a tech-savvy radiology technologist or an IT tech familiar with the PACS. When hiring multiple individuals, duties can be divided up by expertise.
“If you can afford a couple of people, you need one person who knows about computers, storage, and traditional IT-related topics to focus on managing the archive,” Philbin says. “The other person should be focused on the workflow and assisting both physicians and technologists.”
Because of the disparate skill sets required to successfully handle all related duties, it is wise to consider what you will settle for initially and how you wish the position to grow before you begin the candidate search.
“The blended sensitivity to the requirements of clinical functioning, the technology, management, and quality control—along with everything else—is something you can only get over time and with experience,” Avecilla says. More often than not, one hopeful will meet one set of desired qualities while another person will bring a different set of qualities. “When deciding what you want in the position, creating a category of ?desirable’ experience helps you understand which trade-offs to make to best accommodate the requirements of your facility,” Avecilla says.
At this point, the bulk of the work is done. The PACS-specific duties have been outlined, a job description is completed, and the number of—and qualities possessed by—the future PACS administrator has been set.
Before reviewing applications, those responsible for evaluating candidates must also look for essential qualities that do not always show up on a resum?. Sure, “candidate A” may be able to define DICOM without skipping a beat, but can she quell the worries of the hospital’s busiest radiologist? Both issues must be given the same weight by a PACS administrator and should be handled with equal ease.
“To be good at this job, you can’t get rattled easily—you have to have a sense of humor and not take things personally,” Zanghi-Smith advises, and laughingly adds that anyone dealing with a PACS and its end-users should have a “Weeble” quality. “Remember ?Weebles wobble, but they don’t fall down?’ You need to be a Weeble, so when you get knocked over, you just kind of pop back up again.”
She also emphasizes that the absence of these qualities can have serious consequences. “If you have someone who can’t handle the stress or who gets aggravated, agitated, or angry, that really can drag down the rest of the team.”
Maintaining an even keel is essential in a position responsible for hearing—and resolving—everyone’s grievances and concerns. And as important as it is to not be the resident downer, a PACS administrator must also be adept at keeping everyone up to date and involved.
“The ideal person should be an excellent communicator in training and user-development at all levels, from doctors down to clerks,” says Doug Ricci, BSEE, manager of Johns Hopkins Medicine Archive, Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore). “You need a well-rounded, even-handed person to be able to look at complaints and suggestions from all over and not be too quick to jump to conclusions.”
Why did you decide for a career of a pilot?
Say them that you enjoy flying, and that you believe to be a responsible person. You can also say that you have all skills and strengths needed for this type of work. Alternatively you can refer to an experience that motivated you to pursue the career, such as meeting a pilot when you were young, or having passion for aircraft models since childhood.
The key is to convince them that you really want the job, and did not apply just because you’ve already spent a small fortune on your studies and training.
FAQ
What questions are asked in an admin interview?
What is PACS role?
- QUESTION: How do you handle stress?
- QUESTION: Why do you want to be an administrative assistant?
- QUESTION: What computer skills do you have?
- QUESTION: Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult client or customer.
- QUESTION: How do you stay organized?
- Get more answers.
What is a PACS analyst?
