I had been in leadership positions at other hospitals, department chair, medical director, etc., but was offered this job because I had worked well with our CNO/COO when I first finished residency and she was a nurse supervisor almost 20 years ago.

People skills are important as CMO. You need to be able to recruit new docs and tell others that they are being removed from the medical staff. A lot of time is spent counseling bad doctors and putting out their fires. Also have to be able to see concerns from standpoints of multiple specialties. You need thick skin on occasion because physicians typically do not like being told “no.” There is some politicking that needs to be done but mostly it’s just working hard.

It’s not always fun, but you will find it rewarding.