Healthcare Career Blog, Physician Blogs

Free from Medical School Debt?

Author Healthcare Career Blogger | 11.08.2009 | Category Education, Family Medicine, Healthcare Career Blog, Locum Tenens, Medical Student Loans, Medical Students, Medical doctor jobs, Physician Career Path, Physicians, Pre-Med Students

CNN’s recent article “Free Medical School for 40 Lucky Students” must have had premedical students salivating. The article celebrates the University of Central Florida Medical School, which opened its doors at the beginning of August, for offering free tuition to all 40 members of its inaugural class. Whether this will become the status quo at UCF or whether it is just a one-time deal to entice students to take a risk on a new medical school, is anyone’s guess, but the fact remains that this is “the first time that an entire class will go through medical school completely debt free.”

Dr. Deborah German, dean of the new medical school, says, “We’re giving our students the opportunity to come get a medical education free from debt so that they can pursue their passion.” German here is referring to two passions: 1) the students’ passion for medicine, in general, and 2) their passion for particular fields and specialties.

The astronomical cost of a medical education has two unintended consequences. First, it hinders qualified and passionate students of modest financial backgrounds from pursuing careers in medicine. Over 60% of medical students come from families in the top 20% of the annual income bracket, and a recent survey conducted by the AAMC cites cost of medical school attendance as the number one reason qualified minority students choose not pursue a medical career. Secondly, it deters students from going into less lucrative specialties, like internal and family medicine, and from working in under-served areas where they may not be paid as much. It is easy to accuse a physician of greed when he or she chooses a specialty based primarily on financial gain, but it’s not quite that simple. When a young physician is looking at $200,000 of debt, how can he or she afford not to consider salary a primary factor when making career choices? If students could come out of medical school debt-free, they could, in turn, have the freedom to practice whatever type of medicine they choose without the burden of loan payments hanging on their shoulders.

So, what does UCF’s decision mean for the rest of us? If this was simply a one-year lucky break for these 40 students, it could mean very little to the rest of the county. But, if UCF can set a precedent for medical schools and for the government to offer greater financial incentives for medical students, it could be the beginning of a new model of medical education.

Medical Students Weigh in on Healthcare Reform

Author Healthcare Career Blogger | 03.08.2009 | Category Medical Students, Medical doctor jobs, Physician Career Path, Physician Shortage, Physicians, Pre-Med Students, Video, healthcare reform

Like the doctors they aspire to be, medical students are not in total agreement on an ideal healthcare reform proposal. Many worry about the effect that reform will have on their chosen profession, others feel skeptically optimistic about the current bill, while still others feel that President Obama’s proposal is not enough.

A major personal concern of many medical and pre-medical students stems from the astronomical cost of medical school. Over 75% of medical students graduate with well over $100,000 of debt. The only thing that makes this cost a valid investment for many students is the fact that physician jobs salary are high enough to allow for repayment of those loans, but medical students and physicians alike worry about the effect that national healthcare reform will have on doctors’ salaries. Not only will salary reduction affect individual physicians trying to pay back medical school debt, but it is also likely to discourage future would-be physicians from making such an investment in the first place, leading to an even greater shortage of physicians.

Still, many medical students are optimistic about healthcare reform – if it is done right. One current student addresses the public’s fear of socialized medicine by saying that these fears have, ironically enough, “been realized in our privatized system […], with insurance companies and HMO’s dictating the care that can be provided and who can provide it.”

Medical student supporters of healthcare reform, including the American Medical Student Association, have a number of criteria and suggestions for a successful healthcare proposal, including:

• Coverage for all must actually mean coverage for all.  In order for healthcare reform to work, all patients should have access to all doctors, and no discrimination should exist against the elderly or against those with pre-existing health conditions.
• Transparency and accountability are necessities.  Insurance companies must be held accountable for their increasing costs.  Beyond that, insurance companies must not be allowed to deny claims for provider-prescribed care.
• There must be a greater focus on preventative care and cost-effective health care maintenance.  Great Britain, for example, rewards primary care physicians who maintain the health of their patients and who effect positive health changes in their patients (quitting smoking, eating healthier, starting a workout regimen, etc.).
• Incentives should be developed to encourage medical students to pursue primary care, rather than a more specialized field.  With the influx of patients expected from increased health insurance coverage, PCP’s will be in high demand.  Scholarships and loan repayment programs for medical students intending to focus on primary care will lessen the need to go into a high paying sub-specialty in order to pay back debt.

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Breaking news for professionals seeking opportunities in hospitals nationwide

Author Healthcare Career Blogger | 28.07.2009 | Category Anesthesiology jobs, CRNA, Colorado Physician Jobs, Healthcare Career Blog, Hospitals, Locum Tenens, Medical doctor jobs, OB/GYN physician jobs, Physician Career Path, Physicians

The Candidate Direct Healthcare Career Blog brings you this breaking news for professionals seeking opportunities in hospitals nationwide.

Given the severe shortage of physicians jobs and CRNAs, many current position postings for permanent and locum tenens are in often in urban and rural communities in a multitude of healthcare settings. There are also physician jobs in the top rated university teaching hospitals in the nation.

If you like the idea of working in a community setting in less populated areas, you are in luck! It’s no coincidence that many of these places are also in choice locations for locum tenens who wish to combine work and leisure and visit places like Fort Lauderdale Florida, Colorado Springs, or Atlanta Georgia.

America’s Best Hospitals

U.S. News and World Report released its annual list of the country’s best hospitals, ranked by various specialties like cancer care, heart treatment and children’s health.

Of the 174 hospitals that are ranked in one or more specialties, 21 qualified for the Honor Roll by earning high scores in at least six specialties. Here are the top 11 (two tied for 10th place):

1. Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
2. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
3. Ronald Reagan U.C.L.A. Medical Center, Los Angeles
4. Cleveland Clinic
5. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
6. New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell
7. University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
8. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
9. Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis
10. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
11. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.

For more information and Physician Career Resources, be sure to visit the  Physician Career Resources page

Learn how retired physicians can re-enter the workforce; find guidelines for physician re-entry regulations by state; update a CV; resources for physician residents, physician credentialing and much more.

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