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

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.

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.

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