How to treat a malignant caval occlusion. A product safety notice. New IR job listings. Insurance denials. Nitroglycerine shortages. A glance down the main page of SIR Connect (connect.sirweb.org) provides immediate insight into the frustrations and experiences of today’s interventional radiology community—all in one spot.
SIR Connect, SIR’s members-only online community, is a robust platform that allows for general, open discussion, but also gives home to specialty and section discussions—from the Resident, Fellow and Medical Students Section to the Peripheral Arterial Disease Service Line forum. And at a time in which members increasingly go online for education and networking, SIR Connect regularly shows its appeal and power as a professional forum.
“SIR Connect is fantastic. It might be the greatest value-add I have from my SIR membership.
Ezana Azene, MD, PhD
“[SIR Connect] is actually the first place I go to now for IR advice,” says Ezana Azene, MD, PhD. “There's really nowhere else you can go where you have access to literally the entire IR community, including the luminaries in the field.” Unlike in many industries and areas, SIR Connect provides an opportunity for medical students or early career physicians to pose a question and provide guidance from IRs who have been practicing for decades—or who are leaders and innovators in the area. “You put up a question and next day you have multiple responses,” says Dr. Azene. “And you can feel confident with the feedback and whatever determination you come up with based on that feedback.”
“Sometimes heated discussions happen,” says David Lawrence Jr., MD. “Comments can become a flurry when you’re talking about something people are passionate about, and human nature is that there are opposing opinions.”
These discussions can help hone a point or reveal the heart of an issue where individuals can meet in the middle, Dr. Lawrence says. The ongoing discussion about the value of independent practices vs. IR/DR groups is a good example. “We all agree there’s a spectrum and benefits to both,” Dr. Lawrence says. “And we wouldn’t have gotten there without strong feelings on either side.”
But these debates can also make some hesitant to join in, out of fear of criticism or getting embroiled in a debate. Dr. Lawrence cites discussions he’s seen on other medical forums that can get out of hand.
The SIR Connect Code of Conduct lists several rules intended to promote polite discussion—do not challenge or attack others and respect the right of everyone to speak their mind. Defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening or offensive language is also prohibited. But Dr. Lawrence recommends considering more personal “rules” to guide interactions.
“Rather than firing off a response, I try to take plenty of time to read, edit and make sure my posts aren’t confrontational,” says Dr. Lawrence. “I’ll hold my ground and take opposite opinions, but I try not to say one person’s way of looking and doing is worse or better than another person’s.”
Do:
- Remember permanence. Everything you post stays forever.
- Take your time. Read, edit and consider your words.
- Be willing to step back. Speak your piece and continue on to help discussions move forward.
Don't:
- Hesitate to contact people directly. Wary of joining a big discussion? Use the reply privately function.
- Worry about asking questions. A large community can give complex answers to even the simplest query.
- Forget your audience. SIR Connect is like a large workplace discussion—don’t forget to treat it accordingly.
Tips compiled from the SIR Connect Code of Conduct, David Lawrence, Jr., MD, and business.com.
Dr. Lawrence applies this mindset to all his online responses, not just in heated discussions. “I try hard to be sensitive and noncritical, because I think that really is the key. And I try to be encouraging to younger members, because there’s a lot of them and they’re eager to learn.”
This bridge between older and newer generations is one of the most engaging aspects of SIR Connect for Dr. Lawrence. “I’ve posted things before and heard back from people I knew long ago—people who practiced in my father’s era,” says Dr. Lawrence. He described his delight in hearing from members like Richard G. Fisher, MD, and John Rhoem, MD, FSIR, who occasionally weigh in to provide context on the history of IR and show how far the field has moved.
“IR has grown so much so quickly,” says Dr. Lawrence. “Young doctors are used to the tech and science, but back in the good old days it was a very ‘by the seat of your pants’ type of thing.” Hearing stories like this can provide context, but also a chance to connect with older generations. “Once a thread gets going, people jump on and get to hear the war stories, and I think it’s great—it’s a bit of reminiscing, a bit of a history lesson.”
The SIR Connect experience can be whatever you make of it—from networking to seeking job opportunities to connecting with experts in the field, the sky is the limit.
“SIR Connect is fantastic,” says Dr. Azene. “It might be the greatest value-add I have from my SIR membership.”
