Note from the ACDIS Editor: A glimpse into the industry’s professional development data plus CDI Week plans!

by Jess Fluegel

Is CDI Week really only a month away? It’s hard to believe, but considering the 2023 CDI Week Industry Survey is now closed and the Furthering Education Committee is hard at work preparing resources and celebration ideas for the CDI community, I’d say now is the time to download this year’s poster and mark the week of September 18-22 on your calendar!

With all the data in from the Industry Survey, I had the chance to preview some of our findings and wanted to share a teaser on a relatively new topic we decided to focus on: professional development and staffing. Given that so many have told us they were drawn to the CDI profession because of the opportunity to grow professionally, we found it valuable to learn the state of the industry when it comes to things like furthering education, career advancement, staffing, and work culture. And having this data can benefit those looking to find a different position or improve their department.

For instance, when asked their response to the statement, “My CDI team is adequately staffed for the workload we have,” only 24.12% of respondents strongly agreed, and almost 30% either disagreed or strongly disagreed. On the other hand, less than 11% of respondents reported not feeling valued or respected by their managers. Considering these two data points, CDI professionals seem to be a hot commodity and their managers know it!

When asked whether their department had a career ladder for advancement in place, more than half of respondents reported in the negative (52.74%), though a significant percentage of that same population also reported not working at a healthcare system—implying the size of a CDI program may have something to do with the career advancement opportunities available within it. Also, 14.9% of those without a career ladder reported that their department is discussing implementation of such opportunities. (For more on career ladders, ACDIS members can check out our most recent CDI Journal article on the topic.)

In good news, 86.08% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they have received sufficient materials to perform their job well, and 74.50% said that they receive adequate feedback and recognition regarding their job performance. Almost 75% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they trust their compliance department to support them and protect their confidentiality if they reported a compliance concern, and an encouraging 82.74% would trust their organization to do the right thing. While there’s always room for improvement, I’d say the industry is headed in the right direction.

Even just looking at a few questions in this survey it’s clear that there are so many important insights to glean. Given there were 49 industry questions and more than 700 respondents this year, I’m excited about all the data we will have available for you next month to kick off all our planned CDI Week festivities! Speaking of, besides the industry report, you can expect access to a full library of resources throughout September 18-22, including daily expert Q&As, a live free webinar, social media giveaways, ACDIS discounts, and activities posted for your CDI team to enjoy!

ACDIS highly encourages you to plan celebrations with your teams and local peers during this week as well. As a reminder, this year’s CDI Week theme is “CDI success stories: Writing your next chapter” and there’s an endless catalogue of bookworm-themed, literature-inspired activities to choose from. While the Furthering Education Committee will have an Odyssean list of celebration ideas posted on our website later this month, for now here’s just a few:

• Nominate someone in your facility with a great success story. Winners can receive their own Pulitzer Prize medal (cutout or digital).
• Hold a book cover contest that showcases your CDI team. Cut out pictures from magazines to make a collage or use scrapbook materials. Get creative!
• Create famous book-themed chart review games, such as character patient charts, where participants must figure out what’s missing or how to code the case—with bonus points if they can figure out the book or character the chart is based on!
• Print out CDI tips and make bookmarks that can be handed out to providers.
• Organize a book club with your department a few weeks before CDI Week and choose a book to read on the subject of finding personal success. Plan your book club meeting to discuss it during CDI Week.
• Ask everyone to contribute their favorite book, compile a list, and share. Or do a book swap between coworkers and share your thoughts with each other during CDI Week.

I hope this list inspires you to create your own CDI Week-themed celebrations as well—if you have a fun idea you’d like to share with the rest of the CDI community, feel free to email me or the ACDIS team at info@acdis.org!

Editor’s note: Fluegel is an editor for ACDIS. Contact her at jfluegel@acdis.org.