cancer registrar « Registry Mindset

Cancer Registrars CAN Decrease Stress & Increase Output

By Michele, on February 11th, 2011%

Cancer Registrars are busy folks, just like everyone else. Sometimes it is hard to tell which “top priority” you should do first, right? This short video by Ed Muzio, author of Make Work Great, puts it all into perspective. This is a must-view for cancer registrars everywhere and worth sharing with your co-workers, friends and family. Learn how to define your purpose, evaluate your priorities and focus on where you headed!

SEER 2011 Workshop for Registry Professionals

By Michele, on February 11th, 2011%

Registration for the SEER 2011 Advanced Topics for Registry Professionals workshop to be held after the National Cancer Registrar’s Association Annual meeting in Orlando Florida is now open to hospital-based cancer registrars. This workshop is worth the trip alone! Register soon as seats fill up fast. Registration closes on Friday, March 11, 2011 at midnight.

Here’s the SEER description of their 2-day workshop:

“The National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Advanced Topics for Registry Professionals Conference will be a 2-day educational session on CSv2 for registry professionals. Hospital and central registry staff will benefit from a systematic review of key Collaborative Stage Data elements, including site-specific factors with emphasis on the breast, colon, lung, prostate, and melanoma schemes. Additional topics include updates on major changes for v0203, CAnswer Forum, and a preview of the upcoming 2011 CS Reliability Study.

Educational presentations will be posted on the registration site 1 week prior to the conference. Participants will receive notification via email when the presentations are available to print or save to flash drives if bringing a laptop computer. Hard copies will not be provided for this conference.

PARTICIPANTS WILL:

Utilize the Collaborative Stage Data Collection System Manual (CSv2) and site-specific schema relevant to coding breast, colon, lung, prostate, and melanoma cases
Expand understanding of the data elements, including site-specific factors
Learn the major changes in v0203 Part I, Sections I and II
Expand knowledge of CSv2 data sources and availability
Interact with subject matter experts from the CSv2 Educational & Training Team, CSv2 Mapping Team, CoC Team, CoC/AJCC/CS CAnswer Forum, and SEER DQT “

This is one of the best workshops offered to cancer registrars each year. It’s low-key, informative and while registration is free, travel expenses are not. However, registrants are never disappointed!

7 Types of Power in the Workplace

By Michele, on January 30th, 2011%

(Written by Sharlyn Lauby, HR Bartender and published on March 4, 2010)

There’s a quote by Margaret Thatcher that says, “Power is like being a lady…if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” Personally, I find the study of power fascinating. Dictionary.com defines power as “a person or thing that possesses or exercises authority or influence”. So in essence when we use power; we’re utilizing our authority to get something.

Everyone has power. Everyone. And, I don’t believe that power is a bad thing. The issue becomes what kind of power a person has and how someone uses that power. Here are some of the common types of power found in the workplace.

Coercive power is associated with people who are in a position to punish others. People fear the consequences of not doing what has been asked of them.

Connection power is based upon who you know. This person knows, and has the ear of, other powerful people within the organization.

Expert power comes from a person’s expertise (duh!). This is commonly a person with an acclaimed skill or accomplishment.

A person who has access to valuable or important information possesses informational power.

Legitimate power comes from the position a person holds. This is related to a person’s title and job responsibilities. You might also hear this referred to as positional power.

People who are well-liked and respected can have referent power.

Reward power is based upon a person’s ability to bestow rewards. Those rewards might come in the form of job assignments, schedules, pay or benefits.

Now, stop being modest and thinking to yourself…I don’t have any power. As you can see, there are lots of different ways power can manifest itself. And for that reason, it’s important to realize that power exists in all of us. It’s also possible that you have different kinds of power with different groups or situations.

Now, the two biggest mistakes I see with people’s use of power revolve around (1) trying to use power they don’t have and (2) using the wrong kind of power to achieve results.

To help you identify your ‘power zone’, take a moment and think about how you try to influence action from others. You could use the descriptions above as a pseudo self-assessment. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-5 in each of the different kinds of power. With 1 being not at all characteristic of you and 5 being quite characteristic.

This can be a (sorry for the pun) powerful exercise. If you’re honest with yourself, I hope you’ll find the results helpful. Not only for the way you tend to use power but in the way others use power with you.

(RegistryMindset would like to thank Sharlyn Lauby and her blog, HR Bartender, for sharing with us her excellent content and thoughts!)

The Quest for Perfection and Certainty

By Michele, on January 26th, 2011%

“The quest for perfection and certainty is one of the greatest stumbling blocks our profession faces. Too many learning leaders are paralyzed because they don’t want to make a decision without perfect information and without diligently addressing all the uncertainties and possible outcomes. My advice: “Just do it.”

OK, let’s back up a minute. Of course, you need some information. You need enough to make a good decision. So yes, gather the required intelligence, do some benchmarking, perhaps even hire a consultant to help. There comes a time, however, where a good leader will say “We now have enough information to make the decision and here is what we are going to do.” Could that decision be wrong? Of course. Will spending the next year gathering more data and hiring another consultant guarantee the decision will be right? No.

There are no guarantees in the learning field or in any field. Leaders always make decisions based on imperfect, incomplete and often contradictory information. Welcome to the real world! So make the decision and see what happens. You will learn from the implementation and the execution. Make adjustments as you go based on what you learn. The important thing is that you are moving ahead.

Although this issue confronts all leaders, it may be that learning leaders in particular struggle because many have not had the experience of running a business, where they were forced to make decisions under uncertainty and with incomplete information. Experience also means you will have been wrong before and yet lived to tell about it. The world did not end. You made adjustments and moved on. It really does get easier with experience.

So, next time you have to make a major decision, decide how much information is really needed to make a good one, and when you have it, make the decision. If you hear yourself saying “We are almost there” or “We need to study it just a little bit more” month after month, then you are probably procrastinating. Stop waiting for perfection and certainty – they do not exist. It is time to “just do it.””

(This post re-posted from Chief Learning Officer and was written by David Vance, published January 24, 2010). Registry Mindset wishes to thank the author and Chief Learning Officer for their great material and insight!

Swapping Stability for Continual Change

By Michele, on January 24th, 2011%

In 2010 sweeping changes were launched that are pushing cancer registrars to their limits and beyond. Undeniably it is the pace in which science and clinical medicine is changing that drives how cancer registrars need to work to keep pace and deliver the data and value to their healthcare teams. In a recent Journal of AHIMA article, Laura Vondenhueval, RHIT, CTR, said it best, “This is a massive change. It is a new way to look at how we are gathering our data.”

It is obvious that cancer registrars need to learn how to work in an environment where change is no longer the exception, but the norm. In the past we used to have long periods of stability with intermittent periods of change. Today, we need to shift our mindset and accept that we will now have almost constant change with intermittent periods of stability. Here are some common challenges cancer registrars face with constant change.

Challenge #1

Before the 2010 changes were introduced we thought that this was just a phase that healthcare was going through, and after a very brief period of adaptation, everything would revert to normal and we could go back to enjoying a long period of stability. Here’s a reality check, it’s not going to be that way any more because it’s not just a phase. Healthcare providers and standard-setters are expecting more from cancer registrars and are telling us that they are willing to make adjustments in their workforce if cancer registrars cannot change their thought processes or do their work differently. It’s not about workforce reductions, it is all about changing how we think about and do our work day to day.

Challenge #2

Today, when we do hit those infrequent moments of stability, we think that we have time to relax and enjoy the moment. In the past we focused on simply enduring the turbulence so that we could return to the comfort of stability. In order to succeed with today’s changes we must take advantage of the quiet, stable moments and use them as a “launching pad” to prepare for managing the next wave of change. During these moments of stability we should be thinking about what our healthcare teams and standard-setters will need from us in the short- and long-term future as well as what the new requirements might be. Look at the industry and investigate how to position yourself more competitively so you are prepared when the changes inevitably come.

Challenge #3

Some cancer registrars may have developed an attachment to stability and focused their energy on creating and sustaining it in the workplace. The hardest challenge of all will be to lose our attachments to stability. The cancer registrar needs to embrace change and harness its power and seek out new opportunities that change brings to us. Before 2010 we worked hard to get over change so we could relax; now we need to work hard at change so we can work hard at more change. Registrars who choose to play the role of the victim can ignore change and how to deal with it, but by the time they are in a position to do something about it they will have lost the opportunity to prepare for it, and likely their “edge” and career success as well.

So, what’s the solution?

First, make it OK to deal with change. Accept where we are and what we as cancer registrars need to deal with. Stop making judgments about change being necessary or unnecessary, good or bad, justified or not justified. Change does not have to control the reality of our situation or our ability to manage it or serve our teams.

Second, create a “safe” environment for yourself and other cancer registrars to deal with the change. Break the changes down into manageable chunks and begin to take action on small pieces of it. Start small and build from each successful step. Encourage and allow your staff and peers to take risks by coming up with new ideas and solutions to changing how we do our work. Provide a lot of encouragement and support to one another by building a solid support network and then by using it by tapping into its resources.

Third, if you, or some of your peers or co-workers tend to identify with the victim, set up some accountability and support for each other. Discuss the expectations and if necessary create workplace agreements and identify ways to interact and help one another so that each cancer registrar, whether they are local, regional, statewide or even nationally, can encourage you and other members of your network.

Fourth, begin a process of constant acknowledgement, support and challenge for cancer registrars. Be careful to not perpetuate the old paradigm of sitting back on your laurels during a stable period. Acknowledge people for managing the current change and encourage all to begin talking about and planning for new, incoming changes. When people get discouraged, provide support, acknowledge their success, and then present them with new challenges for growth.

Change is not new to cancer registrars, nor will it ever cease. Continual learning and enhancing the data that we collect to keep pace with medicine and science is driving the need for cancer registrars to develop new ways of thinking and doing their work. Periods of stability with intermittent change are now the old paradigm. Today, we must work hard to manage change in order to look ahead and be prepared for more change. Cancer Registrars cannot do this alone, they must develop a strong network of their peers for support, accountability and positive acknowledgement of their role in the fight against cancer.

IF YOU HAVE FOUND WAYS TO MANAGE THE 2010 CHANGES AND KEEP YOUR SANITY….POST A COMMENT BELOW. QUESTION: HOW CAN REGISTRARS HELP ONE ANOTHER THINK & DO DIFFERENTLY?

http://www.CancerRegistrar.com. Michele Webb is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar (CTR) committed to Cancer Registry leadership and professional development. She helps cancer registrars worldwide as a coach, mentor, educator, motivational speaker, and author. You have permission to repost this article as long as you do not alter it in any way, give credit to the author and link back to her website.

How Do You Kill ANTs?

By Michele, on January 16th, 2011%

Automatic negative thoughts, or ANTs, are thoughts that come into our mind automatically and ruin our day or send us into a negative tailspin. Dr. Daniel Aman, who developed the concept, talks of the destructive power of negative thoughts and how they alter the physical and chemical composition of our brains and literally destroy our mental and physical health.

We should not believe every negative thought we have because our thoughts lie to us all the time! It is our uninvestigated thoughts that turn us into mental midgets, make us sad or anxious, and erode our abilities as a Cancer Registrar.

Our success as a Cancer Registrar depends on how we manage our thoughts and mindset. ANTs may attempt to invade our mind, but through proper care and maintenance of our physical and mental health we can avoid disaster by managing the thought appropriately and “killing” the ANTs.

Whenever you feel a negative or out-of-control thought, or have thoughts that are bothering you or making it hard to focus, Dr. Aman gives four questions to ask yourself:

Is the thought true? Is the thought that is upsetting me really true?
Can I know absolutely for sure that the thought is true?
When I believe in the negative thought, how does it make me feel? (physically, emotionally and spiritually)
Who would I be, or how would I feel, without the thought?

Work through the four questions then turn the original thought around to its opposite and ask yourself the same four questions. Is the opposite thought upsetting to you or true? You may be surprised at what you learn through this simple exercise.

Here’s an example of an upsetting thought: “My hospital does not care about my work as a Cancer Registrar.”

Is it true? Of course not, you do have some control.
Can I absolutely know that this thought is true? No.
How do I feel when I believe the negative thought? Weak, inferior, sad, anxious, out of control, or worn out.
Who would I be, or how would I feel, without the thought? Free to be in control and to be the best Cancer Registrar I can be.

Now, take that negative thought and turn it around to its opposite and ask yourself if the opposite of the upsetting thought is true? I have complete control over my skills and quite a bit of control in how others perceive my value and contribution as a Cancer Registrar.

How will you use this technique to “kill ANTs?” What ANTs have invaded your mind today and how did you handle them? Post your response as a COMMENT below.

http://www.RegistryMindset.com. Michele Webb is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar (CTR) committed to Cancer Registry leadership and professional development worldwide as a coach, mentor, educator, motivational speaker, and author. You have permission to repost this article as long as you do not alter it in any way, give credit to the author and link back to this website.

Reinventing Relationships

By Michele, on January 10th, 2011%

(Part Five of our series titled “Agility Training for Cancer Registrars”)

Every business today is about relationships, including cancer registry. The quality and impact of your work, and the success of your cancer registry, depends on your relationships. As a Cancer Registrar you are facing new challenges in terms of reporting standards and data quality. As professionals it is important that you shake things up to stay fresh and viable in the business by reinventing yourself and your relationships. Cancer Registrars must figure out the next chapter in their lives, despite ever-changing requirements, economic struggles or organizational cutbacks. Standing still is not an option because if you are not growing, you are becoming stagnant or even dying professionally.

So, you’re probably asking yourself why you need to reinvent your relationships. As healthcare business changes, as the cancer registry operations change, so should you as a professional and now is the perfect time to get started. It’s time to re-evaluate your life and work and to objectively assess where you are now and where you are headed. And, since you’re starting over, dream big and bold!

Use these eight questions to evaluate where your situation and to take action to ensure that your career and professional success keep pace with cancer healthcare. In fact, use these questions with your staff or co-workers to align yourselves for even greater success.

What fundamental activities or aspects about your work is important to you? Why?
What is your mission in life and as a cancer registrar?
What is your philosophy in life and as a cancer registrar?
To find your passion, think back to a time when you were operating “in the zone.” What were you doing to get to that place in your life?
Look at the people in your circle of influence, are they helping or hindering you? What, or whom, do you need to add to your circle of influence?
Look ahead three years, where would you like to be in your professional life? What would your ideal cancer registry career look like? Then, frame your responses in the form of professional goals.
Ask yourself, if you are sitting here in this same spot three years from now, what would have to happen for you to feel fulfilled and content with your work?
Look at the cancer registry masters who have accomplished what you are trying to achieve, what strategies did they use? How can those strategies work for you?

If you honestly answer these questions you will have a good framework and idea of what your professional life should look like. Take each response and form it into a step, activity or goal that you need to accomplish. Always keep the end goal or picture in your mind and then work backwards to create an action list to get to your goal.

Reinventing yourself is hard work and reinventing relationships will require patience, thought and planning. However, if you choose not to do this you will likely be left behind or miss out on the success and professional recognition you deserve. Always keep your eye on the end goal and “prize.” Take responsibility for how your interactions at work impact others and the healthcare business. Make a commitment to take your work to a higher level and one that is dedicated to serving the needs of your organization, your professional community, and the customers they serve. Capitalize on the value that cancer registrars and the healthcare team brings to their work and find new or different ways to collaborate and serve the needs of others. This kind of focus will ensure that your business relationships remain fresh and productive and that you, as a cancer registrar, achieve success.

What are you doing to reinvent your business relationships? Post a comment below to tell us what ONE thing you have done that has made a positive difference in your work and life.

http://www.RegistryMindset.com. Michele Webb is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar (CTR) who is committed to Cancer Registry leadership and professional growth. She helps cancer registrars around the world as a motivational speaker, author, and educator. You have permission to repost this article as long as you do not alter it in any way, give credit to the author and link back to her website.

A Little Bit of Inspiration

By Michele, on January 9th, 2011%

“You can learn new things at any time in your life

if you are willing to be a beginner. If you actually

learn to like being a beginner, the whole world opens

up to you.” ~ Barbara Sher

(image from http://www.endemicworld.com/can-of-inspiration.html)

Happiness is a Work Ethics …

By Michele, on January 7th, 2011%

Recorded September 9, 2010 with Shawn Achor, author The Happiness Advantage
Interviewed by Max Miller

“Question: What is the biggest misconception about happiness?

Shawn Achor: I think we think that happiness is something that you find or if you reach some level in a company or a school, then you’re happier. And what we’re finding is that happiness is not something that happens to you; happiness is a work ethic. It’s something that requires our brains to train just like an athlete has to train. In order to become happier, we actually have to focus our brains down on things that actually move us forward instead of getting stagnating in the things that… for example, stressing about things that are outside of our control doesn’t move us forward at all.

So what I think that what we need to be able to do is to not only change the formula for success, to help us to be able to focus upon this idea that if we prioritize happiness, it will then raise our success rates, but also a recognition that is something that we actually have to be conscious about on a daily basis because it’s something that actually requires effort, it requires training and requires us to be able to focus our attention on this. And if we do so, I think the thing that we oftentimes think is that if people get happy, they’ll stop working hard or that happy people are unintelligent. And what we’re finding is just the opposite. I think it is the most counter-intuitive thing we’ve found, which is happiness actually raises an individual’s intelligence and their success rates.

We find that the happy people aren’t always the smartest people, we know that there are… I’ve met tons of people that are very successful and not happy, and people that are extremely intelligent and not happy. So we might assume that those two things are divorced, but now what we really realize in the science is that both of those individuals are actually underperforming what their brain is actually capable of. And if we have more role models in our companies and schools of individuals that are positive and infect other people with that positivity rippling out through those mirror neuron networks, not only can we raise the levels of happiness and engagement in our schools and companies again, but we’ll actually raise their levels of successes as well.”

Hematopoietic & Lymphoid Project Update

By Michele, on January 4th, 2011%

SEER released an update to the desktop version of Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Neoplasm Case Reportability and Coding Manual version 1.6.2 today. If you are a working cancer registrar or cancer registry student and have not already downloaded this update you may want to consider doing so right away.

This online manual contains the instructions and data collection rules for hematopoietic and lymphoid neoplasms that went into effect on January 1, 2010. Remember the older version we dubbed “the red book.” This online database replaces the “red book” and contains more information, including the MP/H rules.

When you download and install, don’t forget to sign up for email updates so that as new versions are released you are notified right away so you keep your references up-to-date. This is an incredibly valuable resource that every cancer registrar must have!

TELL US YOUR STORY … how have you used, or how has the SEER hematopoietic online database helped you? Scroll down and post a short comment and help another cancer registrar today.

http://www.RegistryMindset.com. Michele Webb is committed to cancer registry leadership and to making a difference in the lives of cancer registrars worldwide. She is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar (CTR), a motivational speaker, author and educator. You have permission to repost this article as long as you do not alter it in any way, give credit tot he author and link back to this article on this website.

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