| Dear Reader,
This issue includes a wide range of reports on issues ranging
from patient safety, clinical laboratory workforce shortages
in California, the continued annual increases in US health care
spending, and the arts in health care.
On this last issue, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman
Dana Gioia has said, "We must reconnect the arts with the
actual human existence that Americans lead, the journeys we
take in life, which lead us through hospitals, to hospices,
to the end of life."
The AMA’s core purpose is “To promote the science and art of
medicine and the betterment of public health.” As we read in
article #7 below, the arts have much to offer to the art of
medicine.
Best regards, and thanks for reading,
Fred Donini-Lenhoff
Health Professions E-Letter, 8/1/2003
1. Thanks to those who've completed
AMA online survey!
2. Twenty graduate from ASRT leadership
academy for educators
3. Just the facts on race, ethnicity,
and medical care
4. New AMA data book now available
online
5. The state of clinical laboratory
workforce in the state of California
6. Health care spending remains
high
7. NEA: Increase the role of the
arts in health care
8. Thirty ways to improve patient
safety
9. Click here for list of health
professions conferences
10. Occupational Therapy is "Allied
Health Profession of the Month"
1.Thanks to those who've completed
AMA online survey!
Many thanks to the nearly 30% of programs that have responded
to the 2003 Survey of Health Professions
Education Programs.
For those who have not done the survey, please remember that
our deadline for collecting these data is August 31. Data
collected on this survey will appear in the 2004-2005 editions
of the Health Professions Career and Education Directory and
Health Professions Education Data Book.
For survey login information, please contact Dorothy Grant
at dorothy_grant@ama-assn.org or 312-464-4936 for login information.
The survey is available at: http://www.ama-assn.org/go/hpsurvey
2. Twenty graduate from ASRT leadership
academy for educators
Twenty radiologic science educators from around the country
recently graduated from the first American Society of Radiologic
Technologists (ASRT) Leadership Academy for Educators, a 3-day
program designed to support the instructional needs of radiologic
science educators.
During the Leadership Academy, educators polished their instructional
skills, shared teaching strategies and learned to use the
latest Web-based tools.
"Through the academy, I have a better understanding
of what students value most in their instructors, which will
enable me to become a better instructor," said Lisa Perez-Bain,
director of the radiologic technology program at Oakwood Health
Care Systems in Dearborn, MI.
The ASRT Leadership Academy for Educators is the profession's
first effort to bring together instructors in a setting where
they can share strategies to improve education for radiologic
science students.
3. Just the facts on race, ethnicity,
and medical care
As part of its commitment to ongoing research into access
to care for vulnerable populations, the Kaiser
Family Foundation has released an updated edition of Key Facts:
Race, Ethnicity & Medical Care, last published in 1999.
This chartbook is a quick reference on racial and ethnic
disparities in health, health insurance coverage and health
care access and quality. It highlights the best available
data and research and provides a selective review of the literature.
Topics include: demographics, health status, patterns of
health insurance coverage, access to primary and
preventive care, and use of specialty care for selected health
conditions.
To access the publication, see: http://www.kff.org/content/2003/6069
4. New AMA data book now available
online
Attention workforce analysts, policy makers, professional
associations, and career counselors:
If you’re interested in a wide range of allied health education
data, then check out the AMA’s new Health Professions Education
Data Book.
This new publication includes 22 tables of data for academic
year 2001-2002, including:
- Number of Programs and Enrollments, Attrition, and Graduates
by Occupation
- Enrollments, Graduates, and Number of Programs by State/Province
and Occupation
- Enrollments, Attrition, and Graduates by Race/Ethnic Origin
and Gender
- Health Professions Salary Ranges
To order the publication in Adobe Acrobat pdf format, see:
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/10250.html
The price is $20 for AMA members or directors of health professions
programs and $40 for nonmembers.
5. The state of clinical laboratory
workforce in the state of California
“There is a severe shortage of clinical laboratory science
workers in California, and the state does not have enough
educational programs to meet the demand for these workers
in the near future or beyond. There are some promising efforts
to address the shortage, such as the introduction of MLTs
to the state, and the development of distance education and
career laddering opportunities through the MLT program at
Hartnell College.” - from The Clinical Laboratory Workforce
in California, published by the Center for the Health Professions,
University of California, San Francisco.
This report provides an introduction to clinical laboratory
science professions, including a discussion of critical workforce
shortages and initiatives in the state to address them.
To read this publication, visit: http://futurehealth.ucsf.edu/pdf_files/clinical_lab_workforce.pdf
(Requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader)
6. Health care spending remains high
Health care spending per privately insured American rose
9.6% last year, nearly four times faster than the overall
US economy, according to a recent study from the Center for
Studying Health System Change (HSC).
Highlighting the largest increase in approximately 10 years,
employer-based health insurance premium
trends rose again in 2003, increasing an average of 15%.
To read the study, see: http://www.healthaffairs.org/WebExclusives/Strunk_Web_Excl_061103.htm
7. NEA: Increase the role of the arts
in health care
Arts in healthcare programs must be strengthened and expanded
to improve the country's medical services, according to a
recent report from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
Among other goals, advocates must raise awareness of the
benefits of arts in health care and develop
adequate training to educate and train health workers and
administrators, the report states.
A recent symposium, hosted by the NEA and the Society for
the Arts in Healthcare, brought together 40
experts across multiple professions to develop a strategic
plan for advancing cultural programming in health care.
"The arts and health care are at a turning point, both
buffeted by the economy and changing demographics
. . . ," said Naj Wikoff, President, Society for the
Arts in Healthcare. "It is clear that a closer alliance
between those in the arts and health care will greatly benefit
both fields and the people they serve."
The NEA-sponsored research detailed in the symposium concept
paper indicates art contributes to the perception of quality
of medical care by bringing more warmth, stimulation, and
comfort to a health care facility. In addition, it states
that art can have a positive impact on the mood of patients,
their families, and health professionals.
Related links:
New Arts in Healthcare Strategic Plan
http://www.nea.gov/endownews/news03/AIHStrategic.html
Arts in Healthcare Research
http://www.nea.gov/endownews/news03/AIHResearch.html
Symposium Concept Paper (requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader)
http://www.thesah.org/research/backgroudpaper.pdf
8. Thirty ways to improve patient safety
A coalition of businesses and organizations, including the
AMA, AARP, and the Ford Motor Company, recently released a
report detailing 30 safety practices recommended for use in
hospitals and other health
care settings to reduce medical errors.
Safe Practices for Better Healthcare: A Consensus Report,
from the National Quality Forum, identifies such safety practices
as:
- informing patients who need certain high-risk elective
surgeries that they will likely fare better at facilities
demonstrating superior outcomes;
- hiring critical care specialists to manage intensive care
unit patients; and
- creating a culture of safety in all health care settings.
For more information:
National Quality Forum
http://www.qualityforum.org
AMA's National Patient Safety Foundation
http://www.npsf.org
9. Click here for list of health
professions conferences
The Health Professions Network maintains a list of conferences,
meetings, and events (eg, Healthy Vision
Month, in May) on its Web site: http://www.healthpronet.org/calendar/index.html
To add your profession's events to this calendar, click on:
http://www.healthpronet.org/calendar/calendar_add.html
10. Occupational Therapy is
"Allied Health Profession of the Month"
Now featured on the Health Professions Network's Web site
is the profession of occupational therapy:
http://www.healthpronet.org/ahp_month/07_03.html
Profiled in recent months were respiratory therapy, medical
assisting, athletic training, and nerve conduction studies
technology.
The Health Professions Network is a group of professionals
representing diverse aspects of allied health, including primarily
provider organizations but also educators, accreditors, and
administrators.
To request that HealthProNet.org feature your health profession
in the future, send an e-mail to:
webmaster@healthpronet.org
ABOUT US . . .
The Health Professions Career and Education E-letter is produced
by the American Medical Association (AMA).
This periodic newsletter covers educational trends and career-related
issues for more than 50 professions
that participate in the delivery of health care, including diagnostic
and rehabilitative services, therapeutic treatments, health
or information services management, counseling for psychosocial
and cognitive needs, or related services.
Newsletter readers and contributors include staff of health
professions accrediting agencies, educational programs and institutions,
professional organizations, certifying/licensing boards, and
media contacts.
Previous issues are available online at: http://www.ama-assn.org/go/hpe-letter
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
fred_lenhoff@ama-assn.org
http://www.ama-assn.org/go/hpe-letter
SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE
To subscribe or unsubscribe to this e-letter, please send name,
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course your e-mail to: dorothy_grant@ama-assn.org
Copyright 2003, American Medical Association
Submitted By: David
Yoder |
