Healthcare Career Blog, Physician Blogs

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/

Locum Tenens Opportunities for a Difficult Economy

Author Healthcare Career Blogger | 27.07.2009 | Category Emergency jobs, Family Medicine, Healthcare Career Blog, Hospitalist physician, Internal Medicine, Locum Tenens, Medical doctor jobs, OB GYN jobs, Physician Career Path, Physicians, Retired Physician, Surgery jobs, jobs

Locum tenens positions are a valuable opportunity at any stage in a medical career, but in today’s trying economy, with healthcare reform under consideration, locum tenens jobs are looking even more appealing.

Locum tenens jobs offer new physicians the opportunity to “try on” various locations and types of positions before deciding on their long term plans. Locum tenens positions are available all over the country and in various clinical settings, so physicians can find placement in hospitals, small offices, or larger practices to see which provides the best fit before jumping head-first into a long-term commitment. Locum tenens opportunities are particularly valuable in today’s economy when the financial risk of starting a practice or joining a small office may be too great for new physicians to take on.

Young physicians struggling to pay off medical school debt will find that benefits such as competitive salaries and free housing make locum tenens positions a great way to earn extra money during difficult financial times. Physicians who are looking for a change but who have families and may not have the luxury of moving around can find locum tenens jobs near their home as a way to get out of a struggling practice. Physicians can also pick up a few locum tenens shifts each week as a way to supplement their income when trying to save money for bigger life changes – a new house or baby or a new practice or office building.

Retired physicians or those nearing retirement may find that the recent economy has caused their retirement funds to dwindle. Taking on a few locum tenens shifts can be a way to supplement and stretch those retirement funds while waiting for the market to stabilize.

Similarly, other physicians who have taken time away from their career – to start a family, for example – may find a part time locum tenens position a nice way to make some extra money or to ease back into the medical profession.

Locum tenens jobs offer strong career and financial opportunities at any time, but in today’s particularly difficult financial climate, more and more physicians are seeking out the benefits of locum tenens.  To see if locum tenens may be right for you, visit www.candidatedirect.com.

Google, MSN, and other Online News Channels Reporting on Locum Tenens Career

Author Healthcare Career Blogger | 17.07.2009 | Category Emergency jobs, Family Medicine, Healthcare Career Blog, Hospitalist physician, Internal Medicine, Locum Tenens, Medical doctor jobs, OB GYN jobs, OB/GYN physician jobs, Orthopedic Surgery, Physician Career Path, Physician Recruitment, Physicians, Retired Physician, Surgery jobs, jobs

A recent Marketwire Press Release reported on locum tenens jobs for physicians coming out of retirement.  In addition to great opportunities for retired physicians, the PR also reported that health care staffing industry leader, American Traveler, backed by 25 years of health care staffing excellence joined Candidate Direct to offer locum tenens staffing and permanent physician jobs nationwide. The PR was released on 7/14/09 and  distributed to major online news channels such as Google News, Yahoo News, MSN, and others.

Coming out of retirement isn’t easy for anyone, especially for doctors who haven’t practiced in a while. But with hospitalist jobs from locum tenens agency Candidate Direct, retired doctors can re-enter the workforce with ease.

Click here to read entire PR

Locum Tenens ideal for retired physicians looking to rejoin the workforce

Author Healthcare Career Blogger | 10.07.2009 | Category Anesthesiology jobs, CRNA, Colorado Physician Jobs, Emergency jobs, Family Medicine, Healthcare Career Blog, Hospitalist physician, Internal Medicine, Locum Tenens, Medical doctor jobs, OB GYN jobs, OB/GYN physician jobs, Orthopedic Surgery, Physician Career Path, Physician Shortage, Physicians, Pschyriatry Jobs, Retired Physician, Surgery jobs, jobs

Coming out of retirement isn’t easy for anyone. Especially for doctors who haven’t practiced in a while.

Doctors looking to re-enter the workforce after a brief career solstice face a number of challenges. Depending on how many years you’ve been out, you may have to catch up on continuing education credits, learn new technologies and be flexible in your medical setting. Either way, the medical profession beckons your skills, even if just for two to three shifts a week.

What’s the solution for a doctor coming out of retirement?

First thing, says Dennis Urbanski, American Traveler Managing Director, is to find a locum tenens agency experienced in matching older physicians with the medical facilities that need them.

“With the physician shortage the way it is, putting a retired doctor back in the workforce is a godsend.”

Urbanski says locum tenens is ideal both for doctors in search of 20 or 30 hours of practice and for providers looking to supplement quality patient care. Top salaries are available, along with mal practice insurance, housing, paid travel and competitive locum tenens benefits.

Urbanski suggests that older, retired doctors make a realistic assessment of their current skill set prior to calling a locum tenens agency. This helps recruiters determine the most efficient course for re-entry and employment. Typically, physicians out of work for a year or less are easier to employ than those who haven’t practiced for two years and more. This, of course, depends on specialty, said Urbanski.

“Hospitalist jobs, for instance, are ideal for doctors coming out of retirement. For those who possess the needed proficiency in inpatient medicine – and who don’t mind working weekends or night shifts – there are hundreds if not thousands of available jobs.”

Once thing retired doctors must consider prior to re-entering the workforce, say experts, is that things will not be the same as when they left. A doctor may find physician jobs in rural areas easier to get than in big city hospitals and university settings. Conversely, high-need areas of the country, often associated with low-income households, are quicker to employ retired physicians because of needed skills and an increased demand for healthcare.

“There are plenty of jobs out there for doctors, retired or not,” said Urbanski. The challenge is; effectively marketing their skills among locations and medical settings in demand. Hospitalist jobs and primary care jobs are hot right now.”

Last month alone, 20,000 people searched Google for locum tenens and more than 27,000 searched for hospitalist jobs.

Find physician reentry resources