October 2nd, 2011 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Opinion
No Comments »
Doctors have an image problem. People see us one way. Perhaps more importantly, we see ourselves one way. And it seems to start at a young age.
I had a premedical student in my office recently – A friend of a friend interested in a career as a doctor. And as I often do I like to ask the question, ‘what do you think medicine will be like when you’re done training?’ It’s something of an exercise. I usually get an answer involving some combination of hospital rounds, physical examinations, telephone calls, and busy office visits. Occasionally I’ll get rehearsed nonsense about black leather bags and house calls. The young woman in my office didn’t fail to deliver.
What does the next generation of physician know? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
July 26th, 2011 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Opinion
No Comments »
I can’t help but think that as time passes we’ll forget about how much medicine has changed with the introduction of the Internet. We’re witnessing a transition that hasn’t been seen in generations. We live with the end result but the memory of how we got here is fading quickly. Like any kind of cultural shift, once we’ve arrived it’s hard to remember what it was like along the way.
How did patients think before the information revolution? And how did it go down when patients began to search? How specifically did information clash with the old model of doctor and patient and how did we deal with it? There are stories here that need to be told. I think the real stories are in the small details of what went down between doctors and patients. But as early adopters, most of us spend our time looking forward, not back. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
May 19th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
1 Comment »
Yep, you read that right. The Chicago Public Schools, not exactly known for quality education, have a plan for training our future healthcare providers — high school:
Chicago Public Schools this fall will open the city’s first high school specializing in healthcare, a move local hospitals hope will help relieve chronic workforce shortages.
The school, which recently used a lottery system to enroll a freshman class of 160, will have a heavy emphasis on math and science. Juniors and seniors will be able to earn credits by shadowing hospital workers and interning as assistant nurses and in other professions.
Planners aim to prepare students for health- and science-related college programs and certify them for entry-level jobs in healthcare, such as pharmacy technicians or assistant physical therapists.
So this is what the Department of Labor had in mind for their healthcare education funds? Wow.
-WesMusings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist.
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
