Leadership and Challenges in Medical Physics: A Strategic and Robust Approach
A EUTEMPE network book
By (author) Carmel J Caruana
Publication date:
30 March 2020Length of book:
100 pagesPublisher
Institute Of Physics PublishingDimensions:
254x178mm7x10"
ISBN-13: 9780750313964
Leadership and Challenges in Medical Physics: A Strategic and Robust Approach aims to help present aspiring future medical physics leaders with effective, strategic and robust leadership skills in a world dominated by austerity economics, inter-professional competition and sometimes unchecked commoditization.
Chapters are dedicated to healthy leadership and leadership styles, organizational politics, organizational psychology and negotiating skills. A compendium of SWOT themes provides leaders with a ready resource of possible ideas to trigger initial SWOT brainstorming and discussions when developing strategic plans with their own group or team. In addition, the script is peppered with reflection/discussion points or case studies to promote a systematic and well-thought out approach to strategic planning.
Medical physicists working in the clinical environment undergo a structured education and training programs to keep on track with the fast progress of technological development in their field. Medical physicists feel that these programs provide little experience in how to deal with the real-world issues facing them when they move from the relative security of their academic physics departments to the realities of modern, multi-professional healthcare systems.
This book guides a professional medical physicist to become a strategic and robust leader, emphasizing that a people-oriented approach to leadership is crucial for team motivation and stressing the difference between leadership and management. It is divided into 10 chapters to narrate various aspects of leadership and its influence on growth and recognition of the profession. The text is laced with reflection/discussion points or case studies to promote a systematic and well-thought-out approach to strategic planning. I agree with the point of view of the author that no book will turn someone into a leader—ultimately a person has to make oneself a leader! The book is recommended for medical physicists, postgraduate students and educators in health professions.
Reva Garg 2021 Optics and Photonics News, The Optical Society
Medical physicists as clinical scientists are facing tremendous challenges in their professional clinical practice and administration in the real world. Confronted with strategic planning, project planning, team building, negotiation skill, manpower development, …they are more confused and frustrated. Furthermore, our education and training programmes do not equip them in dealing with the complex issues in healthcare settings.
Professor Caruana, a very experienced academic as well as clinical medical physicist, is the originator and leader of the EFOMP-EUTEMPE module MPE01 on ‘Leadership in Medical Physics’, advocates a contemporary practical approach for aspiring leaders.
In this very readable 104-page 10-chapter book, the author aims to present aspiring future medical physics leaders with effective, strategic and robust leadership skills in a very competitive and uncertain world. He has in mind to impart healthy leadership and leadership styles, organizational politics, organizational psychology and negotiating skills.
The author provides a compendium of SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) themes for leaders with a resource of several ideas to trigger initial SWOT brainstorming sessions when developing strategic plans with the team. It also has a compendium describing various leadership styles. This book is filled with reflection/discussion points or case studies to facilitate a systematic approach for strategic planning. It is also sprinkled with many words of wisdom. One that I particularly like is this; ‘Please keep in mind that no book will turn you into a leader – Ultimately you have to make yourself one.’
If you are curious to find out how you could survive and win the political game, then this primer is highly recommended for you.
Kwan-Hoong Ng, PhD, DABMP, FInstP 2020, MEDICAL PHYSICS INTERNATIONAL Journal, International Organization for Medical Physics