Why vRad? Finding Work-Life Balance with Barbara Michele McCorvey, M.D.

Everything changes when you start a family.

OK – not everything – not all at once – but it certainly does bring change.

Let’s explore the story of a radiologist who faced – and embraced – that change with vRad.

Introducing Dr. Barbara Michele McCorvey

Dr. Barbara Michele McCorvey is a fellowship trained breast imaging and interventional radiologist. Influenced by her passion to serve women, breast imaging was just the right specialty for her:

“There's this stereotype that radiologists are sitting in the dark reading room and they have no patient contact (and that could be your experience if that's really what you want.) I was actually interested in the patient angle because my father is an OB-GYN, but that particular lifestyle did not appeal to me. When I went through my radiology elective in medical school, I thought, ‘wow’, this is great: I get the benefit of interpreting studies, as well as having personal interactions with women, and I can make a difference in their lives.”

After her residency and fellowship at George Washington University Medical Center, Dr. McCorvey married her husband – also a physician – and moved to Columbus, Ohio, where her academic tenure began at The Ohio State University Medical Center. After a year and a half, they moved to Texas to work at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) where she stayed in academia for another 10 years.

All the while, a little bundle of joy was growing up – and deserving of more and more of Dr. McCorvey’s time.

It was time to adapt.

Work-at-Home Mom with vRad

Dr. McCorvey needed something with more flexibility than her academic work and found vRad:

“vRad allows me the flexibility to spend the day time with my daughter because I work at night. Now I can find time during the day to attend student conference meetings or plays that she is in – I can always seem to get to her activities, which is very important to me.” She continues, “And I don't have to commute, which is wonderful here in Texas.”

See how other vRad radiologists have found balance between work and life. 

A Well-Rounded Radiologist

Dr. McCorvey admits she doesn’t have the same level of interaction with patients now that she’s with vRad:

“It was more hands on when I was in academics: I got to interact with ladies and perform breast biopsies, and I do like the interventional part of it.”

But her role in the Live Video Diagnostics program provides a level of balance to her work:

“The wonderful thing about vRad when I first started was the pilot program for breast imaging: Live Video Diagnostics. I had the opportunity to discuss the direction of the team with the Director of Breast Imaging, Dr. Arlene Sussman, and after talking with her, I decided to join. Now I have a combination of working at night doing ER while I am segueing into breast imaging full time.”

The Live Video Diagnostics program allows Dr. McCorvey to continue interacting with patients virtually – while she keeps her emergency radiology skills sharp:

“I really embrace the different pathologies and what I'm able to diagnose at night in the ER, and I don't want to walk away from that. I want to maintain those skills.”

Transitioning to vRad

During her transition to vRad, Dr. McCorvey was impressed by the level of support provided by the administrative support teams.

“The people and teams at vRad are very nice, very knowledgeable and always willing to help. You work with many different people – scheduling, credentialing, licensing – and you realize, ‘oh, this works very well because everyone is specialized in his or her own capacity.’ They are eager to help get the best results, whether that is the best schedule for you, or navigating unique state licensing processes so you will attain approval as quickly as possible. Whatever you need, there’s a point person that will help you.”

(We appreciate you too, Dr. McCorvey!)

A vRad Ambassador

Finally, Dr. McCorvey thinks it’s important to share how impactful the lifestyle change was for her with other radiologists.

“The only other thing I would mention – I think it’s important to act as an ambassador for the company. It does wonders if you can relay a wonderful experience to someone who knows you and they trust your opinion. That was my experience. I had a mentor who guided me for several months while I adjusted to the lifestyle. vRad CMO Dr. Strong meets with all the new hires to share his approaches to efficiency using macros and the vRad platform. And so, again, it's an inclusive environment from the CMO down to your scheduler and everyone in between, they're working to ensure that you succeed at vRad. So that's what I convey to people.”

Thank you for the Interview Dr. McCorvey!

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