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A genuine question here. Why does it have to be the consultant who fields the paperwork / does rotas / goes to meetings to defend their turf? Has anyone ever appointed a proper manager (ie someone with a proven track record in industry, not just worked up the closed shop ranks of the NHS, although I realise the 2 are not mutually exclusive) to manage their department and leave the skilled, trained consultants to see patients like only they can? After all, the best teachers aren't always the best head teachers. The best engineers aren't always the best production managers. The best athletes aren't always the best tour managers. Surely the best doctors don't always become the best heads of department, so maybe we need to rethink radically how best to organise ourselves. It can't be any less radical than the way some of the politicians are thinking for us. Howard Simpson -----Original Message----- From: Shane Curran [SMTP:[log in to unmask]] Sent: 09 August 2000 13:32 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: non academic stuff << File: ATT00010.htm >> Lets get some of this straight. A short proviso I am one of those guys who spends half of his time in the office doing that admin stuff. I don't particularly want to and have much more fun on the floor where i think i may do some good,both as far as patient care goes and supervision and teaching of junior staff and students both medical and nursing. HOWEVER,a department that is not administratively strong will get nowhere! If there isn't someone polishing a chair with their backside ,then the department will continue to function at a low level. Policies do not magically appear,rosters do not appear as if by magic.Proactive behaviour against admin low blows is not sexy but is needed. If you are not at a lot of meetings building your power base then your department will get screwed and left with everything that other people don't want(telephone advice lines for one!) However the visible face for most interactions worth other specialist colleagues is by seeing patients at ungodly hours.Until my colleague and i chose career longevity over patient service and gave up shiftwork we would ring people up and they would do stuff.Its a bit hard for a registrar to knock back a request when he knows you'll just ring his/her boss! Until you get enough consultants for 1 person to sit in the office and drive the great paperwork juggernaut to the departments advantage and then enough consultants to cover the floor then you will have arguments like "there are too many consultants who sit in their office". But next time think to yourself before saying it "has it worked to my advantage?" They may be the reason that emergency medicine(none of this stupid accident stuff!) is where it is in your hospital by continually battering down doors with a small forest of dead trees! Shane (who proved the worth of Emergency Physicians by diagnosing by the end of the intern presentation what was wrong with the guy who bounced back the day after he had been discharged from the surgical ward after a week of masterly tests but no diagnosis!!) Shane Curran Emergency Department wagga Wagga Base Hospital Wagga Wagga NSW 2650 And Cliff Heretics are welcome in my department! Your allowed to say anything you want provided you can back it up logically! Just quote Emergency Physician vacancy # 545!