- Order your new Health Care Careers Directory
- 2008 survey of health professions programs coming soon
- Featured profession: Dance/movement therapist
- Nurse shortages in the headlines
- Are you an artistic radiologic technologist?
- "Mini Medical School" a maximum success
- Take part in The Next Generation of physicians
- More women going into veterinary medicine
- Pharmacists can play key role for patients with heart failure
- Report offers solutions to Colorado's health professions shortage
- Parade magazine details health care salaries
- Proposed federal bill to help returning veterans become paramedics
- On the calendar: National Cytotechnology Day, May 13
- Increased focus on cultural competence in health professions education
Subscribe to this e-letter.
I was honored to have a manuscript accepted for publication in the current issue of the Journal of Allied Health . The article looks at the history of allied health education and accreditation, chronicles the AMA's historical role in the development of the concept of allied health, and considers whether the term "allied health" is still relevant today. If you'd like a copy, please contact me at fred.lenhoff@ama-assn.org or (312) 464-4635 and I'll be happy to mail it to you.
Incidentally, the Journal is the official publication of the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP), which has a "Branding Allied Health" task force examining the ambiguity of "allied health" and the resulting repercussions. Read more in the April issue of ASAHP's Trends (page 1)(PDF, 100KB).
Also in the same issue (page 5-6), Stephen Collier, PhD, workforce analyst from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, finds that ASAHP institutional members with "allied health" as a part of their name declined from 41 in 2000 to 23 in 2008.
As always, we welcome your comments at meded@ama-assn.org .
Best regards,
Fred Donini-Lenhoff, editor
1. Order your new Health Care Careers Directory
The Health Care Careers Directory (formerly the Health Professions Career and Education Directory) for 2008-09 has been published. Be sure to order this newly expanded edition, now with 8,000 educational programs in 77 different health care fields. Careers included this year:
- Dentist
- Nurse
- Optometrist
- Pharmacist
- Physician
- Podiatrist
- Psychologist
- Veterinarian
- Veterinary technologist and technician
To order your copy, call (800) 621-8335
To receive a copy of the order form, send an e-mail.
2. 2008 survey of health professions programs coming soon
The 2008 version of the Annual Survey of Health Professions Education Programs will be e-mailed to program directors soon. This survey will collect data for the 2007-2008 academic year.
Note: Respondents to this year's survey will be entered in monthly drawings to win a complimentary copy of The Art of JAMA (list price $70), with full-color reproductions of a wide range of artwork from the world's finest museums.
3. Featured profession: Dance/movement therapist
This month, we feature the profession of dance/movement therapy.
Check out these informative links (PDF, 44KB), from the AMA and the Health Professions Network, respectively, for more information on education and careers in the field.
Also, be sure to consult the AMA's chart of health care career income ranges, for salary in this and other health professions fields.
4. Nurse shortages in the headlines
Silver lining: The economic slowdown may be having a positive effect on the nurse shortage (Wall Street Journal, May 8).
A new study concludes that the nurse shortage could reach half a million by 2025 (UPI, March 29).
The report is available for purchase online.
Despite generous incentives, south Florida hospitals continue to go wanting for nurses. Florida has the oldest population of any state, and ranks 37th in nurses per capita. The underlying problem? Not enough slots at nursing schools (Miami Herald, April 7).
Meanwhile, Caribbean countries are suffering a "brain drain" of nurses who are emigrating to other countries with higher pay and better opportunities (Miami Herald, April 7).
In Washington state, Bellevue Community College is using a $1.8 million federal grant to expand its nursing program (Puget Sound Business Journal, April 4).
5. Are you an artistic radiologic technologist?
Radiologic technologists with an artistic flair have the opportunity to see their creations displayed on the cover of Radiologic Technology , the scholarly journal of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT).
The ASRT is sponsoring a contest to select cover artwork for the journal's 2008-2009 volume year. Radiologic technologists and students enrolled in accredited radiologic technology programs are invited to enter their original artwork.
6. "Mini Medical School" a maximum success
Since its founding in 2005, a mini medical school for high school students at an Illinois community hospital has graduated 156 young people.
The program was created by pediatrician Ira Rubin, MD, PhD, when his two sons, then in high school, asked how he'd become a physician.
"Unlike similar programs at academic institutions, our community service program , at Edward Hospital in Naperville, offers an overview of both the basic and clinical sciences of a typical medical school at the level that a talented high school student will understand," said Dr. Rubin.
"Some of the students learn that medicine is not for them and they move on to another career choice," such as dentistry or podiatry, added Rubin.
The program has also expanded to a 4-hour Mini Medical Experience for the pre-medicine fraternity at Case Western Reserve University, where Dr. Rubin's younger son is enrolled. Next year, he and other students hope to bring a similar experience to high school students in inner-city Cleveland.
7. Take part in The Next Generation of physicians
The Next Generation is a monthly online publication that presents interesting and relevant information to over 10,000 premedical students, medical students, and general interest readers.
Produced by Harvard undergraduate students in collaboration with the New England Journal of Medicine, The Next Generation has published such articles as:
- An interview with the medical advisor for "Scrubs"
- Physicians' tips on living a sane life
- First-hand experiences from gross anatomy
The May issue features four articles:
- An in-depth look at anesthesiology
- A report on medical oncology
- A discussion of the current challenges of TB research
- A description of the MD/MPH combined degree and its merits
Want to reach over 10,000 readers each month? Submissions are sought from readers for articles and ideas. E-mail Allen Cheng.
8. More women going into veterinary medicine
About 30 years ago, three quarters of all students in veterinary medicine were male. Now it's just the opposite, in "one of the most dramatic gender shifts in the workforce."
One reason for the change: today's vets are more likely to practice on family pets, rather than on cows, horses, and other large farm animals in rural settings (San Jose Mercury News, April 21).
9. Pharmacists can play key role for patients with heart failure
A new study (abstract) in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that "Pharmacist care in the treatment of patients with heart failure(HF) greatly reduces the risk of all-cause and HF hospitalizations. Since hospitalizations associated with HF are a major public health problem, the incorporation of pharmacists into HF care teams should be strongly considered."
10. Report offers solutions to Colorado's health professions shortage
A new publication explores promising strategies to strengthen health professions training in Colorado:
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Creating awareness and readiness among students
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Supporting and expanding training opportunities
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Promoting employer efforts and community partnerships to recruit and retain health professionals
Preliminary findings from the Colorado Trust's Health Professions Initiative Evaluation indicate that these three components contribute toward a long-term solution to the shortage of health professionals.
11. Parade magazine details health care salaries
In its annual salary survey, Parade magazine lists salaries for a number of health care fields, including registered nurses ($57,280 median), pharmacy technicians ($12.32 an hour average), and medical transcribers ($17 an hour).
12. Proposed federal bill to help returning veterans become paramedics
In our April issue, we referenced a new study (PDF, 44KB) from California that outlined the difficulties faced by military allied health personnel in qualifying for similar health care jobs in the civilian sector.
New proposed federal legislation in the US Senate would help streamline the transition for veterans who already have emergency medical training and help relieve the shortage of emergency medical personnel, especially in rural areas.
13. On the calendar: National Cytotechnology Day, May 13
Cytotechnologists celebrate National Cytotechnology Day on May 13 — the birthday of George N. Papanicolaou, MD, inventor of the Pap test.
14. Increased focus on cultural competence in health professions education
There has been a push in recent years for allied health schools to incorporate cultural competence content into their programs. "Teaching Cultural Competence in Allied Health Professions in California" (PDF, 73KB) assesses the availability of cultural competence curricula in allied health professions schools in California.
Note: A hard-copy of the issue brief is available by contacting meded@ama-assn.org or (312) 464-5333.
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About us...
The Health Care Careers e-Letter is produced by the American Medical Association (AMA).
This periodic newsletter covers educational trends and career-related issues for 77 health professions.
Newsletter readers and contributors include staff of health professions accrediting agencies, educational programs and institutions, professional organizations, certifying/licensing boards and media contacts.
Note: By using any external links on this page, you will be leaving the AMA's Web site. Although the sites are evaluated and reviewed, the AMA cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information that is provided by each of the links, nor does the AMA necessarily endorse the content on any of these links.
Give us your story ideas and feedback
What's happening in the world of health professions? If you have any leads or story ideas, please contact us. Also, let us know what you think about this newsletter—and feel free to forward it to your colleagues.
Direct suggestions, comments, compliments, gripes, to:
Fred Donini-Lenhoff
Medical Education Products
515 N. State St.
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 464-4635
(312) 464-5830 fax
meded@ama-assn.org
Content provided by: Medical Education Products