Emotional Intelligence in Medical Physics: Lessons Learned at the Summer School

In 2016, the AAPM Summer School presented the Medical Physics Leadership Academy (MPLA) program. The 5-day course guided attendees through various activities and introspective exercises centered on developing the competencies of emotional intelligence (EI) in a medical physics context. The following paragraphs review the process behind establishing the MPLA and highlight the benefits of developing EI in one's career.

Think back to a time when you had a conflict in the workplace. Though it may have been fairly professional with only a hint of passive aggressiveness in your tone of voice, can you tell whether the unpleasant event had downstream effects, and how they could impede your efforts for improving patient care in the future? The science of emotional intelligence presents the argument that one can either significantly improve or destroy their ability to motivate and inspire others, and to successfully drive projects to completion based on their interactions with others.

Oxford Dictionary definition of "emotional intelligence"

The concept of emotional intelligence has been around for several decades, but only recently has it been recognized as an important factor in being a successful medical physicist. How you get along with and are perceived by others can greatly determine your effectiveness in the workplace. Studies show that roughly one-third to nearly one-half of one's success in their position is based on their emotional intelligence (BarOn Model, Center for Creative Leadership). Because physicists are leaders, whether it is defined formally or implied by the role they serve, it is imperative they carry a set of soft skills previously thought nonessential to success in this highly technical field.

Seeing this as potentially unexplored territory for physicists, the AAPM Medical Physics Leadership Academy Working Group (MPLAWG) was formed in 2015 under the AAPM Professional Council. While there was already much work done on the topics of ethics and professionalism in medical physics and initiatives such as MP 3.0 were well underway, the MPLAWG wanted to learn whether medical physicists possessed the aptitudes of great leaders, and if not, what could be done to improve their abilities.

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The Key Domains and Competencies of Emotional Intelligence as defined by Daniel Goleman

The MPLA WG used a 360° Analysis for the assessment of various emotional intelligence competencies for about 50 AAPM members. The sample group included individuals practicing in therapy and diagnostic physics coming from academic centers, community hospitals, and consulting positions, with various years of experience. The survey was sent to peers, subordinates and superiors and the individuals were scored on how they handled conflict, dealt with change, responded to problems, and whether they instilled trust in their teams.

Specifically, the 360° survey tested the group on competencies within the key domains of emotional intelligence: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Relationship Management. When the results came in, nearly half of the surveyed group showed lower aptitude for two key competencies: Self-Awareness and Empathy. While the survey revealed that physicists may fall short in two major emotional intelligence components, the good news was that these skills could be learned and that the MPLAWG was putting forth great effort in gathering resources and presenting opportunities for physicists to develop these essential skills.

One fantastic opportunity for developing EI competencies was the 2016 AAPM Summer School program. Approximately 200 attendees participated in activities that mimicked stressful situations encountered at work, and listened to talks put on by speakers from IMPACT International (a leadership development consultant) and by AAPM members who shared lessons in leadership through their own experiences. All sessions and resources from the AAPM 2016 SS are available on the AAPM virtual library and the SS homepage.

The WG has also formed three Task Groups (TG), each responsible for major aspects of implementing leadership learning into the Medical Physics community. TG295 will work with CAMPEP to ensure graduate programs and residencies are including the leadership training physicists will need as they enter their first formal roles in the field. TG296 is tasked with creating an MPLA website, providing resources and a venue for discussions and shared learning. It is also working on making the 360° survey available to AAPM members for a fee. TG297 members work to prepare MPLA sessions for AAPM meetings and are creating a master catalog of talks and materials that relate to leadership and other professional teachings.

In addition to the many resources currently available on the AAPM website, healthcare organizations frequently offer classes on dealing with conflict and managing others. They may also hold retreat-style leadership courses for physicians and staff such as Physician Leadership Institute (PLI). Consult with your HR department to find out what is offered. There are also simple ways to practice putting emotional intelligence into action in the workplace.

The very act of maintaining a high level of self-awareness during a difficult interaction can help reign in the temptation to react harshly. We are all coded with the fight-or-flight response, but the office may not be the best place to demonstrate this remarkable survival mechanism. When we exercise discipline and moderate the natural inclination to escalate our responses, we have a much better chance of keeping relationships positive, even with those who challenge us. The perception of ill-intent or disrespect is often just that. After careful reflection on the situation we can usually see things from a different perspective, unhindered by the lack of rational thought during heated moments. By just noticing that you are becoming tense and agitated, you can work towards accepting the discomfort, but remaining calm throughout the interaction.

Practicing empathy can also take significant patience and composure during a difficult situation. Poor performance of a staff member can be perceived as a lack of respect and professionalism. Taking the time to understand the root cause of the struggle may reveal someone going through a difficult personal matter or show a need for additional support and training. By creating space for staff to share how they are doing in and out of the office, leaders can build a relationship based on trust and mutual respect while maintaining accountability.

It was Daniel Goleman who first popularized the term "emotional intelligence" with his book titled Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More Than IQ published in 1995. Now, thanks to the formation of the MPLAWG, physicists can learn the skills necessary to be exceptional leaders in a challenging and ever-changing healthcare environment.