Healthcare Career Blog, Physician Blogs

Physicians Key Players During Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Author Healthcare Career Blogger | 08.10.2009 | Category Family Medicine, Healthcare Career Blog, Medical doctor jobs

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month and a time when attention to the disease is at a year-long peak. While breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women in the US, the death rate from the disease continues to drop, according to a new American Cancer Society report. However, there still remains much work to be done in prevention, screening and treatment, in particular among lower income groups that may not have as much access to early detection procedures.

This month, as always, it is a key part of any medical doctor’s job to emphasize the benefits of healthy lifestyle changes and potentially life-saving procedures such as regular self-exams and mammograms. There are many misconceptions in the general population about causes of cancer, treatment options and survival rates. Patients (and friends and family, too) should be encouraged to consult knowledgeable experts like their family physician, or even reliable online sources such as the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org) or the Susan G Komen Foundation (ww5.komen.org) websites.

Often patients and their families grow anxious because they feel there is not enough they can do in the face of a frightening and somewhat unpredictable disease. Volunteering is a great way to regain some personal control, and October is the month to do it.

Physicians — along with all healthcare workers — will get a special boost out of participating in local breast cancer awareness events like walks and fundraisers. Being involved demonstrates your concern for the community and most medical doctors — just like the rest of the world — have family members who have been affected by breast cancer.

Want to participate in a neighborhood event? Check out the American Cancer Society’s local event finder tool: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PAR/PAR_9_Calendar_Of_Events.asp

And if you’re looking for a more extended volunteering opportunity, the ACS needs volunteers in advocacy, patient service, online support communities: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/emp/emp_2_volunteers.asp

Candidate Direct Physician Staffing Offers Easy Search of Locum Tenens and Permanent MD Jobs

Author Healthcare Career Blogger | 24.09.2009 | Category Healthcare Career Blog, Locum Tenens, Physicians

Physician job seekers can visit Candidate Direct’s new physician jobs board or browse through the company’s  physician career resources page with its innovative real-time physician job listings.  Job seekers can review position requirements and facility descriptions as well as a brief sketch of the area where the healthcare facility is located. MD’s looking for permanent positions or locum tenens jobs can narrow their search or browse through the whole list. If a job interests them, they can apply online, all the while knowing they’ll be contacted almost immediately by a Candidate Direct representative ready to facilitate a job search

And if physicians don’t see the exact job they’re looking for, they can use the unique “Design a Job” feature to send their ideal job specs straight to Candidate Direct’s physician placement experts.

“We work hard to place physicians in their desired locations,” said Robert L. Bok, Candidate Direct’s Chief Executive Officer. “We have access to physician job openings in metropolitan destinations like New York, Chicago, and Miami. Or if a physician is looking for a more small-town feel, we have positions in rural and community hospitals throughout the country.”

Backed by 25 years of medical staffing expertise, Candidate Direct specializes in locum tenens jobs and permanent medical doctor jobs that advance the goals of physicians and their employers. Candidate Direct’s affiliate staffing company, Travel Force, which specializes in placement of rehabilitation therapists, offers a similar therapy jobs search for candidates in that field. Read the latest Travel Force press release about therapy jobs search tool.

MacArthur Genius Grant Goes to Physician/Researcher

Author Healthcare Career Blogger | 22.09.2009 | Category Family Medicine, Healthcare Career Blog, Hospitalist physician, Physician Career Path, Physicians, Surgery jobs, jobs

Every year the MacArthur Foundation awards a five year grant of $500,000 to around  20 very talented people. The money goes to individuals who exhibit extraordinary creativity and potential in their work, and allows them to spend more time working and less time fundraising. The awards are often referred to as “Genius Grants,” although the Foundation itself tries to avoid the term “genius,” preferring to recognize the value of hard work, too.

Winners can be U.S. residents of any age, working in any field. Historically, many of the winners have been in the arts — as well as in science and healthcare research.

One of this year’s winners is Dr. Mary Tinetti, a geriatrician at Yale medical school, who has researched falls among the elderly. Physicians who work with seniors know that the risk of serious disability from a fall can be just as high as that caused by a stroke. Dr Tinetti’s research showed that healthcare professionals often regard the possibility of falling among seniors as an inevitability, rather than as a preventable occurrence.

Dr. Tinetti and her colleagues have demonstrated that there are distinct factors that increase the risk of falls among the elderly — factors like muscle weakness, balance problems and use of multiple medications. They also found that by screening for and addressing these issues, doctors can reduce seniors’ risk of falls by about 30%.

It will be interesting to see if a focus on screening and prevention (coupled with the potential financial impact in critical care due to reduced incidences of falling injuries) will affect the treatment outcomes of seniors overall.

More grant winners in the healthcare field:

• Lin He - Molecular Biologist, for researching the role of microRNAs in the development of cancer and laying the groundwork for future cancer treatments.
• Jill Seaman - Infectious Disease Physician, for adapting 21st-century medicine to treat infectious diseases endemic to Southern Sudan and other war-torn regions.

Click here to learn more about the MacArthur foundation’s  2009 winners .

Physician jobs are as varied as the people who hold them. Newer specialties like  hospitalists and locum tenens are changing the way we think about the profession.  And while the general public may think of MD’s as running a family practice or a hospital surgery, grants like these  shine a spotlight on the many physicians who are also working in research.

HHS Regulations Updated to Include Notification of Patient Record Security Breaches

Author Healthcare Career Blogger | 17.09.2009 | Category Healthcare Career Blog, Hospitalist physician, Locum Tenens, Physicians, healthcare reform, jobs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently updated the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (commonly known as HIPAA). The new regulation requires healthcare providers and other covered entities to  notify patients if the confidentiality of their health records is breached. The new requirement is designed to increase consumer confidence in the personal security of electronic medical records, as the industry moves more and more data online. One way or another, the nature of  physician jobs is always changing.

Many physicians agree that paper record-keeping can be inefficient and can compromise the accuracy, speed and portability of patient care. However, there are major obstacles to conversion to digital record-keeping —  including cost and privacy issues. With the current administration in Washington pushing for electronic medical records, these concerns have moved front and center.

Not only are more patient records moving online, so too are physician’s professional records — including credentialing and peer review information. You and the various organizations with which you work should be taking measures to ensure the privacy of patient and staff information.  Locum tenens and hospitalists have a particular interest in electronic record keeping, due to the mobile nature of their jobs.

You can learn more about HHS privacy regulations here: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/

How to Start Medical School

Author Healthcare Career Blogger | 28.08.2009 | Category Education, Healthcare Career Blog, Medical Student Loans, Medical Students, Medical doctor jobs, Physician Career Path, Physicians

The decision to become a physician is not one that should be made lightly.  Medical school is a long, grueling, and expensive process that is not for everyone.  Some students grow up knowing that they will become a doctor and grow into a physician career; others make that decision after several years in another career or perhaps after starting a family.  Whichever category you fit into, you should think long and hard about your reasons for wanting to pursue a medical career, taking time to weigh all of the pros and cons of your decision.

Why Choose a Medical Career?

The reasons a person chooses to become a physician are as varied as they would be for any other profession: intellectual curiosity, a desire to help people, money, prestige, family tradition, etc.  The question to ask yourself is whether or not your reasons for wanting to become a doctor are going to lead you to be happy in your medical career.  As a medical doctor, you will likely be working long hours with patients from all different walks of life; how does that fit in with your desire to become a physician?

The medical profession is an interesting one because, as heavily as it relies on the sciences, the humanities are also incredibly significant.  To be a successful doctor, you must have not only the scientific knowledge to understand what is happening in the body, but also the analytical and interpersonal skills to work well with your patients.

What next?

Once you have decided that a medical career is right for you, what next?  If you are still an undergraduate student, the first step is to take the required science classes and to be assigned a premed advisor who can walk you through the medical school admissions process.  If you are an older student who graduated college without taking the required science classes, you can look at classes at a local college and begin the process on your own, or you can consider a formal post-baccalaureate premedical program, which will give you more structure and guidance but may be more costly.

Choosing a Medical School

Choosing a medical school is not unlike choosing an undergraduate university.  Many of the same factors come into play as you decide what medical school is going to make you the happiest and most productive student possible:

Location may be one of the most important factors in the decision process.  Consider how far from your home and family you’d like to be.  Do you want to live in a particular region of the country?  Do you prefer urban, suburban, or rural areas?  How will location affect clinical or volunteer opportunities?  Is cost of living a factor?  Does the campus itself appeal to you?
Curriculum should also be a major influence.  Do you prefer the traditional lecture-based format, or is a problem-based learning format more effective for you?  What clinical opportunities are available?  Are you looking for research opportunities?  What is the grading system like (pass-fail or letter grades)?  How important is the reputation of a medical school for you?
Money, like it or not, must also be heavily considered.  How are you going to finance your medical education?  What financial aid opportunities are available at particular medical schools?  Would an in-state public medical school be the best option?

The student body could make or break your happiness at a particular medical school.  Think hard about the size of the school at which you see yourself.  How competitive of an atmosphere are you looking for?  Some people enjoy the cut-throat competition of many medical schools, while others prefer a more collaborative style.  Also consider the gut-feeling you get as you walk around a school; do you feel comfortable there?  Talk to current students and ask questions about their experiences.

College counselors at high schools around the country often share the mantra, “College is a match to be made, not a prize to be won.”  The same should hold true for medical school admissions.  While the U.S. News and World Report rankings may mean the world to some people, they do not necessarily make for the happiest and most successful students.  Decide what you personally value in a school, and make your decisions accordingly.