The Post: Radiology Operations Manager, Kingsbridge Private Hospital
The Post Holder: Anthony McKenna
Excellent people skills are at the heart of Anthony McKenna’s role as a Radiology Operations Manager.
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
I began my career in 2010 as a diagnostic radiographer in the Mater Hospital Belfast. Here I joined a highly skilled team working in the MRI department covering all areas of MM from Neurology to Cardiac imaging.
I remained there until 2012 when I moved to New Zealand. My wife and I decided that it was the right time to experience something different before settling down. Leaving was difficult but in the end one of the best decisions of my life. New Zealand was astounding, the people, the culture and the outstanding natural beauty was exactly as advertised. While there I worked for Pacific Radiology in Wellington covering a number of clinical sites working in x-ray, surgical theatres and MM. While there I helped establish a cardiac MM service bringing the skills and knowledge which I had obtained in the Mater across to Wellington.
My wife and I eventually re-turned home where I joined Alliance Medicaid initially worked in Lurgan but quite quickly moved to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown to help set up their first MM service. This was an exciting, challenging project joining a team to develop a department from scratch with brand new equipment. It was here I learned some of my most valuable lessons in management, safety, regulation and the other various skills I use daily in my current role. From Conolly I spent a few months in Cork University Hospital eventually returning to Antrim as unit manager for Alliance Medical.
In 2015 the role of Radiology Operations Manager opened up in Kingsbridge Private Hospital taking charge of all modalities and developing their new MRI service. After my experiences in Dublin I relished the chance to once again undertake the challenge of developing a new service so left Alliance to join the team at Kingsbridge.
What was your favourite subject at school?
I had two favourite subjects in school, Physics and Geography. I went to St Patrick’s College Maghera where I had a number of excellent teachers; Mrs Hughes and Mrs Mussen made geography very simple and surprisingly fun, but particular credit must go to Mr McGale who could teach physics to a rock if he wished. It was his class which made me look to the science-based subjects in university.
Did you go on to further/ higher education, if so what did you study and where?
After school I went to the University of Ulster to study Diagnostic Radiography and following that attended the University of Cumbria to undertake my postgraduate studies in Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
How did you get into your area of work?
My mother is a Psychiatric Nurse so a career in healthcare was always of interest to me. When I looked at the various options available in university, I also want-ed to use physics to some extent so landed on Radiography. It was the best of both worlds, patient care and a technical physics-based aspect combined
Is this what you always wanted to do?
I aspired at one point to become an aeronautical engineer but the job situation at the time was difficult in that particular field and I knew the health service was struggling, so the greater job opportunities pushed me towards Radiography.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
A Bsc Hons in Radiography is re-quired to become registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. All Radiographers must maintain registration with the HCPC to practice To move into more complex areas such as CT or MRI a postgrad qualification is usually required to demonstrate a level on competence in each area. From a radiographer to clinical specialist and overall management you will go through various courses to help develop your skills along the way.
Are there alternative routes into the Job?
At the minute a university degree is the only route into radiography.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
The main skills required in my current role are people skills. Communication, empathy, negotiation and some conflict resolution are all important working with staff, referrers, and patients. You also need time management skills, organisation skills and negotiation skills when dealing with suppliers and arranging contracts. The hospital environment can also be very fluid, every patient is different and a number of situations can happen all at once so the ability to think on your feet is very important both in the clinical and management aspects of my daily activities.
What does a typical day entail?
Typically, on my arrival I go through the days plan with each department, check the patient lists and volume for each modality ensuring that we are using our time as effectively as possible. I have an exceptional group of staff working alongside me. Knowing the level of clinical excellence that each of my staff possess means I know that every patient attending will be treated with the highest levels of care no matter what their illness maybe. That in turn means I can focus on business development for the future. I take care of all radiology and medical imaging within the hospital; every department is constantly developing. I look at advancing technology and advanced changes in clinical practice to ensure we are currently at the forefront of patient care. This also gives me the opportunity to see any market gaps which arise where we can step into to provide a service not currently offered here in Northern Ireland.
On different days of the week I am involved in various hospital wide management meetings to make sure that as a wider hospital we remain a centre of clinical excellence. We go through each department’s developments, dis-cuss any issues or incidents and feed back any learning to our respective teams. In between meetings I ensure staff are trained appropriately undertake appraisals, ensure that we meet all regulations required by the various regulatory bodies and complete audits on our various key performance indicators to ensure our service is meeting or exceeding the standards expected.
Finally I like to have a day every few weeks of clinical practice where I will join my staff and work alongside them treating patients for the day. This maintains my skills and gives me a chance to see how things are going in the clinical environment
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
The best part of my job is seeing each project come to fruition, it can take time to develop new services in healthcare but when they are ready, and you can see patients benefit from the months of work its satisfying knowing that it was worth the time and effort required to get the department to that level.
Why is what you do important?
We provide access to healthcare for the population of Northern Ireland and further afield. The NHS is a world class system and one of our greatest assets, yet it is under strain from an ever growing, ever ageing population. We provide access to the most modern imaging techniques for everyone and anyone who may need them but primarily our patient groups are those who want to be back in action as quick as possible such as athletes, those who want to return to work or those who can wait no longer due to their level of pain.
We also provide health screens and check-ups for anyone who wants to keep an active eye on their health where we can advise on changes to minimise the risk of disease later on in life.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
Grab every opportunity with both hands, it might be hard work, but you learn a little from everything especially the setbacks.
Describe your ideal day off. Being anywhere with my friends and family, whether that be relaxing at home or snowboarding in the Alps as long as they are there, I am happy.
And finally, what’s the key to any successful job search?
Have a well written CV, look for a job that excites you and dress well for interview.