| Health Professions E-Letter, 2/2004
1. Radiologic Technologists learn
leadership skills
2. Quotable: Schools' reliance on
standardized scores hurts minority applicants
3. New AMA health professions directory
now available
4. Therapeutic recreation students
invited to apply for scholarship
5. Physicians: Interested in medical
assisting accreditation?
6. Comment on proposed OT and OTA
standards till mid-March
7. Dept. of Labor forums yield health
care workforce solutions
8. Reminder: Dental assistants week
coming in March
9. Three minutes could be key in
fighting obesity
10. Cytotechnologist H. Daniel
Schantz wins teaching award
1. Radiologic Technologists learn
leadership skills
Strategic planning, decision-making, and consensus building
were just a few of the subjects addressed during this year's
Leadership Academy of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists
(ASRT). The 4-day educational program trained 17 radiologic
technologists and four radiologic science students to effectively
lead nonprofit organizations.
Now in its eighth year, the Leadership Academy has trained
more than 300 radiologic technologists to assume leadership
roles in the ASRT and its 54 state and local affiliate societies.
In related news, more than 100 radiologic technologists will
meet with their members of Congress on March 9 to educate
them about the Consumer Assurance of Radiologic Excellence
(CARE) bill.
During this "R.T. in D.C." event, the third annual
Award for Excellence in Radiologic Science Advocacy will be
given to Rep. Mike Doyle, D-PA, and Sen. Mike Enzi, R-WY.
2. Quotable: Schools' reliance on standardized
scores hurts minority applicants
"Many health professions educational institutions employ
admission policies that threaten both the diversity and quality
of admitted students. Many schools, for example, rely heavily
on applicants' standardized test scores in identifying those
who will receive serious consideration for admission. Standardized
test scores are generally good predictors of subsequent academic
performance, but have in some cases been used inappropriately
as a barometer of applicants' academic 'merit,' often to the
detriment of underrepresented minority students."
- Lonnie R. Bristow, MD, Chair of the Institute of Medicine's
Committee on Institutional and Policy-Level Strategies for
Increasing the Diversity of the US Health Care Workforce.
The committee developed the new report, In the Nation's Compelling
Interest: Ensuring Diversity in the Health Care Workforce,
which recommends actions training programs and accreditation
bodies should take to make it easier for minority students
to pursue health careers.
The report is available at: http://books.nap.edu/catalog/10885.html
3. New AMA health professions directory
now available
The new 2004-2005 edition of the AMA's Health Professions
Career and Education Directory has been printed. This updated
edition includes information on 6,500 educational programs
in 64 different professions. New professions this year
include:
- Clinical assistant
- Dance therapist
- Massage therapist
- Surgical assistant
To order your copy, call 800 621-8335 or visit https://catalog.ama-assn.org/Catalog/product/product_detail.jsp?productI
d=prod120006.
To receive a copy of the order form, send an e-mail to meded@ama-assn.org.
For fastest service, be sure to specify the phrase "HPCED
order form" in the subject line of your e-mail.
4. Therapeutic recreation students
invited to apply for scholarship
Undergraduate and graduate students in therapeutic recreation
can now apply for the Peg Connolly Scholarship. Recipients
receive one of eight stipends to attend the American Therapeutic
Recreation Association's Annual Conference in Kansas City,
MO, September 30 to October 4.
For full details and an application form, call 703 683-9420
or see: http://www.atra-tr.org/conference/pegannouncement.htm
Note: Scholarship applications must be completed and postmarked
by March 26.
5. Physicians: Interested in medical
assisting accreditation?
The Curriculum Review Board of the American Association
of Medical Assistants Endowment (CRB-AAMAE) is looking for
a physician to represent the American Medical Association
on their Board. The physician would need to review and be
prepared to discuss and vote on accreditation recommendations
for medical assisting programs.
The CRB-AAMAE meets in Chicago for 4 days twice a year, late
January/early February and late July/early August. In addition,
there are two telephone conference calls of approximately
2 hours each, usually in May and December.
For more information, contact:
Gail Cates
gail_cates@ama-assn.org
(312) 464-4649
6. Comment on proposed
OT and OTA standards till mid-March
Until March 15, all interested parties are invited tosubmit
written comments on the current:
Standards for an Accredited Educational Program for the
Occupational Therapist:
http://www.aota.org/nonmembers/area13/links/LINK31.asp
Standards for an Accredited Educational Program for the Occupational
Therapy Assistant:
http://www.aota.org/nonmembers/area13/links/LINK30.asp
Access the full article regarding the Call for Comment on
the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education
(ACOTE) Educational Standards: http://www.aota.org/nonmembers/area13/links/LINK52.asp
or click on the direct link to the Call for Comment Survey:
http://www.zoomerang.com/recipient/survey-intro.zgi?ID=L222EQR2GE6C&PIN=
YHNB3373KDGK
Those wishing to respond by letter may do so by writing to:
ACOTE Educational Standards Review Committee
c/o the AOTA Accreditation Group
4720 Montgomery Lane
PO Box 31220
Bethesda, MD 20824-1220
All comments received by March 15 will be reviewed at the
April 23-24 meeting of the ACOTE Educational Standards Review
Committee.
Additional opportunities for comment on the ACOTE Standards
will be provided at an open hearing on May 20 at AOTA's Annual
Conference in Minneapolis and throughout the Standards revision
process.
7. Dept. of Labor forums yield health
care workforce solutions
The Health Care Industry Workforce Development Forums, sponsored
in October 2003 by the US Department of Labor, Employment
and Training Administration (as part of the High-Growth Job
Training Initiative), led to a number of proposed solutions.
Those anticipated to have the clearest impact on health care
workforce include:
- Focusing on youth-related programs developed and
implemented by partnerships among schools, health care
employers, Job Corps centers, and/or post-secondary
programs for health occupations, and public workforce
system entities
- Developing career ladders/lattices and industry-defined
competencies that support career mobility and retention
- Recruiting alternative labor pools (eg, dislocated
workers, older workers, veterans, the disabled)
- Increasing the capacity of educational institutions
by enhancing the availability of qualified instructors
- Helping individuals transition from declining
industries into health care occupations
For more information, contact:
Angela Dayton, Coordinator
(202) 693-3949
dayton.angela@dol.gov
8. Reminder: Dental assistants
week coming in March
Dental Assistants Recognition Week ("Delivering Excellence
Throughout The World") is scheduled for March 7-13, 2004.
For more information, contact:
Dennis Marrell
dmarrell@adaa1.org
http://www.dentalassistant.org/
9. Three minutes could be key
in fight against obesity
A new report from the Archives of Internal Medicine urges
primary care physicians to spend a few extra minutes with
patients to discuss diet and exercise.
That is less time than doctors spend treating high blood
pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease, some
of the major complications of being overweight, said lead
author JoAnn Manson, MD, DrPH.
"We're treating the symptoms of the disease, rather
than the root cause," Manson told the Associated Press.
"We will be spending more and more of our time addressing
the health consequences of obesity if we don't spend these
few minutes with prevention."
"The Escalating Pandemics of Obesity and Sedentary Lifestyle:A
Call to Action for Clinicians"
JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH; Patrick J. Skerrett, MS; Philip
Greenland, MD; Theodore B. VanItallie, MD
Arch Intern Med. 2004;164:249-258
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/164/3/249
10. Cytotechnologist H. Daniel
Schantz wins teaching award
Congratulations to H. Daniel Schantz, MBA, CT(ASCP) on receiving
the Excellence in Education Award from the American Society
of Cytopathology.
Mr. Schantz has long been involved in cytopathology education,
having just graduated his 30th class of cytotechnology students
as program director/education coordinator at the University
of Texas Health Science Center.
Of the 168 cytotechnology students Mr. Schantz has graduated,
several have gone on to excel in cytology, becoming active
in state and regional organizations.
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
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Copyright 2003, American Medical Association
Submitted By: David
Yoder |
