I’d love some feedback on this one.  Does it really matter what type of background and training you have to make a good IIM, PACS Admin, or RIS Admin?  I know this has been rehashed over the years but I’m ready to get off the fence.

Let me first begin in saying I have a BS in Electrical Engineering Technology.  What does that mean?  Well, it means I’ve sat through numerous classes in electrical theories, dozens of calculus classes, splattered with little drops of Programming, Humanities and English. Upon graduation, I worked in Medical Imaging my whole career.  18 years as a field engineer and 14+ in Imaging Informatics. So, does my degree say, “Watch out, I’m going to be great as an IIM” or does my experience speak to that?  Of course it’s the experience.

But, what if I had decided to go to radiology technology school?  I’d get the deep dive into anatomy, Roentgens, Mas.  If I did that for 18 years, then I’d know workflow, body parts, and reason for exams.  All of which are needed to be a superb PACS Admin.

What about completing everything you need know to be an effective IIM.  In most cases you need to know about voice-recognition.  Not too difficult if you get some vendor training.  You need to know about databases, utilities, and reporting to succeed as a RIS Manager.

This is where the roads split in my opinion.  I had broad knowledge of DICOM, servers, and system implementations as an FE.  I dabbled in networking of systems, switches, and facilitated computer deployments for a major imaging vendor.   I was fortunate to have learned radiology workflows throughout my FE years of constantly being in a radiology department.  So this is rather unique.  To me, it was the perfect storm for an engineer to excel as an IIM.

Unless a Rad Tech gets the opportunity to explore the IT realm, it will take years to understand completely all aspects of whats happening behind the curtain.  The little pieces of data that make up the huge quilt of healthcare imaging informatics.  Both avenues have their benefits.  Both have a better knowledge opposed to the other in some aspects.  To me, it’s the ability to make up for that shortcoming quick enough to not miss out on the overall Big Picture.

So, today I’m  on the engineer/IT bandwagon.  Apart from the department workflows, the majority of the skills needed for being an overall, up-to-speed IIM comes from the abilities of an average IT analyst.

With this said, I am not saying it can’t be the other way around.  I personally know many good rad tech IIMs.  I’m asking for your point of view.  Post ’em if you’ve got ’em!