Thursday, December 10, 2009
New York survey shows dire need for hospitalists, internists
The Health Care Association of New York State released its 2009 Physician Advocacy Survey, "The Doctor Can't See You Now," that says the state's doctor shortage is likely to worsen. The study shows recruitment barely offsets retirements, and there is a severe lack of physicians in internal medicine and hospitalist care, as well as specialties such as obstetrics/gynecology, general surgery and psychiatry. Survey respondents reported a lack of 1,300 physicians, with 35% of that total comprising a need for primary care/internal medicine and 7% a lack of hospitalists.
The survey found that:
--45% of hospitals lack ED coverage for certain specialists, and patients must travel to other hospitals, some time distant ones, to receive care;
--24% had to reduce or eliminate specialty services because of an inability to recruit physicians;
--66% indicated that they have to pay for on-call services; and
--75% employ locum tenens physicians.
The report not only calls for better funding of physician education from the state and the nation, but an expansion of telemedicine and an increased role for nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
Labels: medical education, recruitment, staffing
posted by Ryan DuBosar at
9:38 AM
0 Comments
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Pinpointing the transition from human to doctor
"When they embark on the journey to become physicians, most students are enthusiastic, filled with idealism and a genuine intention to serve those in need of help," says a new study in Academic Medicine. What happens to them, you wonder? The study authors did too, so they set out to analyze the loss of empathy in a group of medical students.
Turns out empathy takes a big hit during the third year of medical school, when the students start really interacting with patients. And no, it's not just because real patients are more obnoxious and difficult than hypotheticals. Researchers attribute the problem to a number of factors, including a lack of role models, too much to learn, lack of sleep, technology and a focus on the science of medicine. The article suggests several methods for teaching empathy to med students (including keeping them away from the really obnoxious patients) and calls on medical educators to take action.
"Most of us in medical education advocate empathy, but the effect of simply advocating empathy without embracing it and living with it, and without implementing targeted programs to enhance it, is analogous to singing a lovely song only in one's own mind without others ever enjoying it!"
Labels: medical education
posted by Stacey Butterfield at
6:00 PM
0 Comments
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