Can I Install My Own Imaging Desk? DIY Fails.

Written by Ken Carson | Apr 17, 2015 5:45:33 PM

Everyone wants to save a buck. Trust me, I do, too! Sometimes I have visions of grandeur that I can make some quick repair around the house. And the way these projects usually turn out is that they are larger then anyone expected, taking longer then anyone expected, and usually doesn't get completed in the time frame expected.

Currently, I only have one operating sink in my bathroom because I could not get the other one out of the existing vanity. (Believe me when I tell you that, right now, I have an unhappy wife because I am encroaching on her sink.) I don’t think the sink has been touched since it got installed in 1994 and no matter what I try, the sink will not come out (even with the special tools I bought).

Now, granted, my house or bathroom vanity is not a professional imaging center. I understand the importance of having your equipment up and running in order to be profitable. So in my situation, being out of a sink for a few weeks (sorry, honey), is not that bad.

I’m not the only one to make this mistake. I think it is genetically programmed into men to make these grandious home repair, do it yourself (DIY) promises. But, it’s OK, we can’t help it (grunt grunt).

Here are some stories of some imaging desk self-installs gone wrong (I mean WAY wrong). But, hey, let's look at what we can learn from them.

DIY Fail #1 - One (BIG) Part Missing!
One doctor who bought an imaging desk from, let's just say, CompanyX was surprised that it came in two shipments. The shipments did not show up on the same day. The doctor has his room ready — all that was missing was the top to the desk. (Oopsies!) All of the computers were sitting on the floor waiting for the new desk to be put in, but, there was no desk. This is a great way to anger a radiologist.

DIY Fail #2 - Gone Fishing...Really?
The next story is about a hospital had everything scheduled with their facilities department to set up three imaging desks. Everyone did a great job planning ahead and knew of the exact date when the furniture would arrive. The desks showed up on time, and all the old imaging furniture was removed from the room late that night by the IT team. The next day, the scheduled facilities person went fishing. Leaving the entire department without any operating imaging stations. Panic set in and the scramble began to get something up and running.

DIY Fail #3 - It'll Take No Time - No Time at ALL
While, all men think they are the best at building...well, anything! I will be the first to say that it even takes me a while to put together all of the Ikea furniture my wife insists that we buy. And I build and design furniture for a living! Let's face it, time = $. And a doctor's time is ever so valuable. So, why would a doctor want to waste their time assembling furniture?

As you can see from my examples the cost of not having a professional team install your new imaging furniture can be costly. It gets expensive to not have your people doing what they do best. That means if a radiologist is standing around watching someone fumble around with the setup, or worse yet, they are crawling around on the carpet with a wrench in their hand, there is no value. (Remember time = $)

My advice to you is, before you embark on a project like installing your own imaging furniture, think about what your capabilities are and what you can do effectively. There are professionals that are available to install your stations and overcome the (Man) Murphy’s Law, which seems to arise with every DIY project.

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