PACS Administrator Career
series (Part 3): PACS SA career opportunities with imaging vendors.
The second interview which
took place during our “hang-out” about the difference between careers at a
vendor or provider side was with Daniel Knepper (see the video
for the complete interview). Dan is another “ex” PACS administrator who has
worked for a vendor in several different positions. Dan has also a mixed
clinical, IT and sales background, having started as a X-ray technologist. (The
information below is the “short” version as the full interview that can be seen
on YouTube, see link).
As mentioned in an earlier blog,
there are several types of vendor opportunities for PACS system administrators,
Dan is a good example of someone who moved into both an application support and
sales position at the vendor side.
Now the interview with Dan
Knepper:
Herman O.: How did you get
involved in PACS?
Dan K.: I started as an
X-ray technologist and also got a BsC in business administration and marketing
at that time. I did general radiology and CT for 4-5 years and tried to learn
as much as I could. My first break into IT was when I got an opportunity to
install RIS systems which was a good match as I got to know the radiology
workflow. After 6 years I also got involved with PACS systems and moved to
sales support and marketing.
Herman O.: Which position
did you prefer? Sales/marketing or technical support?
Dan K.: I like sales a
little bit better, especially the “thrill of getting the sale, which is similar
when I was a PACS SA, i.e. having the thrill of installing a working system.
Herman O.: Than you took a
job as a PACS SA?
Dan K.: Yes, I was getting a
little bit burned out from travel and took a position in radiology informatics
at a major teaching hospital taking care of radiology, cardiology and voice
recognition. Having multiple hospitals to support, I had three people helping
me. These professionals came out of radiology with a knack for IT, and we were
reporting to IT with a dotted line back to radiology.
Herman O.: Now you are back
at the vendor side?
Dan K.: Yes, after seven
years with a provider, I switched again and now work with a contracting
company.
Herman O.: Was it hard to
switch back and forth?
Dan K.: There is definitely
a cultural difference between providers and the corporate worlds, but you just
have to be careful not to get into something that is over you had and that you
clearly know the expectations that the employer has of you.
Herman O.: What do you see
as pros and cons of working on either side?
Dan K.: At the vendor side,
you’ll have to like to travel. Also, you will be involved with multiple
projects and need to be able to juggle between them. It is also more challenging,
in addition to the fact that there is a fine line between what was sold and can
be delivered.
Herman O.: What is your
recommendation for a PACS SA who is considering making a career change to a
vendor?
Dan K.: Make sure you keep
up with reading many publications, such as Auntminnie, Advanced Radiology, etc.
You need to be forward thinking and know what the trends are in the marketplace.
Going to conferences and following educational series is important such as at
RSNA and SIIM.
Herman O.: What do you think
will be the next development over the next 5-10 years we should anticipate as a
PACS SA?
Dan K.: Lab, pharmacy and
EMR system need implementation support which are not that much different. Try
to volunteer for different projects as these are not that different. If you can
speak, write and document processes well, it will really relatively easily be
translate well your expertise to other subject matter areas. You can learn the
differences in workflow, and there are subject matter experts in those department
you can rely on.
Herman O.: Any final
remarks?
Dan K.: Keep your resume up to
date, list your accomplishments, and generalize them as they can be
transferrable. In my opinion, PACS administrators are the cream of the crop as
they are used to manage complex systems, and therefore their future should be
bright!
