| HEALTH PROFESSIONS E-LETTER, November
2004
1. November 7-13 a celebratory
week for allied health
2. Key allied health issues discussed
at Health Professions Network
3. How much do they make? Check
out our online salary table
4. AAPA: Don't look at physician
shortage in a vacuum
5. Turning on students to careers
in the health professions
6. Report examines clinical laboratory
sciences workforce in North Carolina
7. Recreational therapy is "Allied
Health Profession of the Month"
8. ARC-PA: Request for comments
on standards, and a correction
9. Guidance for managing sport-related
concussion available from NATA
10. Medical transcriptionists working
to increase quality, standards
11. ARRT changes names of interventional
disciplines
1. November 7-13 a celebratory
week for allied health
Allied Health Professions Week honors the 5 million health
care providers working in more than 80 allied health professions
and representing about 60% of all health care providers. See:
http://www.healthpronet.org/prog_resources/ahpw_2004.html
Another celebratory week is National Radiologic Technology
Week, Nov. 2-8, when radiologic technologists reaffirm their
commitment to patient health, increase awareness about the
profession, and celebrate their contributions to the medical
community: https://www.asrt.org/content/eventsandconferences/nrtw.aspx
2. Key allied health issues discussed
at Health Professions Network
A good overview of the recent Health Professions Network
(HPN) meeting in Salt Lake City is available via the Web site
of the American Association for Respiratory Care: http://www.aarc.org/headlines/hpn_fall_meeting.asp
For more information on the HPN, see: http://www.healthpronet.org/
3. How much do they make? Check
out our online salary table
How much to athletic trainers make? What about radiographers?
Or music therapists? For salary information on these and more
than 60 allied health professions, see: http://www.ama-assn.org/go/hpsalary
4. AAPA: Don't look at physician
shortage in a vacuum
Speakers at a recent Capitol Hill forum noted the warning
signs of a looming shortage in physician supply.
At the same time, it's important to consider the growing
numbers of non-physician practitioners, said Stephen
Crane of the American Association of Physician Assistants
(AAPA). "Any workforce analysis that doesn't take into
account non-physician health professionals doesn't just miss
the boat, it will miss the ship," he said.
AAPA estimates there will be approximately 55,061 people
in clinical practice as physician assistants at the beginning
of 2005, compared to 37,821 in 2000. More than 200 million
patient visits will have been made to PAs in
2004. See: http://www.aapa.org/newsroom/articles04/102104info-updates.pdf
(Adobe Reader required)
5. Turning on students to careers
in the health professions
After a 3-day summer camp that explored health careers at
Pennsylvania College of Technology, high-school students unanimously
said they were interested in working some day for local hospitals.
To read more, see:
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/13264.html
Research finds that a similar program in New York, which
recruits urban minority youth into health professions as
early as middle school, is motivating more of them to pursue
careers in health, science, and medicine:
http://jurban.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/81/3/516
Information on the program, at the New York Academy of Medicine,
is available at: http://www.nyam.org/initiatives/shp-research.shtml
(scroll down to "The Junior Fellows Program")
6. Report examines clinical laboratory
sciences workforce in North Carolina
Excerpts from a snapshot of medical technologists (MTs) and
medical laboratory technicians (MLTs) in NC:
- Average MT and MLT salaries in NC are relatively low
compared to other health professions requiring the same
educational preparation
- MTs and MLTs in NC earned far less in 2002 than their
national counterparts and practitioners in several
neighboring states
- The number of MT educational programs in the US declined
70% from 1970 to 2003 (from 791 to 240 programs)
- Academic rigor translates into high attrition: 47% for
MLT and 10% for MT programs
- Program directors cite a lack of qualified applicants
to fill available spaces across programs
- Practitioners are predominantly female (85%) and are
not ethnically or racially diverse (8-10% are from an underrepresented
minority)
Source: "The State of Allied Health in North Carolina:
A Focus on the Clinical Laboratory Sciences Workforce"
A collaborative project of the:
- Council for Allied Health in North Carolina
- North Carolina Area Health Education Centers Program
- Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
http://www.shepscenter.unc.edu/hp/labsci04.pdf
(Adobe Reader required)
7. Recreational therapy is "Allied
Health Profession of the Month"
Now featured on the Health Professions Network's Web site
is the profession of recreational therapy:
http://www.healthpronet.org/ahp_month/10_04.html
To request that HealthProNet.org feature your health profession
in the future, send an e-mail to: webmaster@healthpronet.org
8. ARC-PA: Request for comments
on standards, and a correction
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the
Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) is requesting comments by
December 1 on its revised accreditation Standards, available
at: http://www.arc-pa.org/General/distributioncopy9.27.pdf
(Adobe Reader required)
An open session for discussion of the proposed Standards
will be held in Nashville, TN, on Sunday, November 7.
All interested parties are encouraged to submit comments
via e-mail to standards@arc-pa.org
or in writing to:
ARC-PA
12000 Findley Rd, Suite 240
Duluth, GA 30097
CORRECTION: Please note that ARC-PA's new fax and second
telephone number is 770 476-1738.
ASRT radiation therapy conference draws 1,400 to Atlanta
for learning and networking: https://www.asrt.org/content/news/pressroom/pr2004/asrtradiat041008.aspx
9. Guidance for managing sport-related
concussion available from NATA
Thousands of sport-related concussions occur to active people
of all ages, including high-profile athletes. Many of these
concussions go unreported, putting victims at risk for serious
physical and mental impairments.
To provide certified athletic trainers (ATCs), physicians,
parents, and coaches with the newest research on how to
improve the immediate and long-term health of athletes with
concussions, the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA)
has released "Management of Sport-Related Concussion"
in the Fall 2004 issue of the Journal of Athletic Training:
http://www.nata.org/publicinformation/files/concussion.pdf
(Adobe Reader required)
10. Medical transcriptionists
working to increase quality, standards
Increasing the profile, professionalism, and preparedness
of medical transcriptionists was on the agenda of the
American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT) at its
annual convention in September.
The AAMT will work to promote mandatory credentialing of
medical transcriptionists and set the bar for medical
transcription education and curriculum standards.
11. ARRT changes names
of interventional disciplines
The term "Radiography" is replacing the term "Technology"
in the three interventional disciplines in which American
Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) certifies and
registers radiologic technologists:
Old: Cardiac-Interventional Technology
New: Cardiac-Interventional Radiography
Old: Vascular-Interventional Technology
New: Vascular-Interventional Radiography
Old: Cardiovascular-Interventional Technology
New: Cardiovascular-Interventional Radiography
The name changes will be reflected on new certificates and
credential cards beginning in January 2005. Certificates with
the previous name will still be valid, provided they are currently
registered. See:
http://tinyurl.com/3kclk
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 60 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
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have any leads or story ideas, please contact us. Also, let
us know what you think about this newsletter--and feel free
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Direct suggestions, comments, compliments, gripes, to
Fred Donini-Lenhoff
American Medical Association
Medical Education Products
515 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610
312 464-4635
312 464-5830 fax
fred_lenhoff@ama-assn.org
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