| HEALTH PROFESSIONS E-LETTER, May
2005
1. 2005 survey of health professional
programs now available
2. Anesthesiologist assistants help
increase access to care
3. "Pyramid scheme" to change Americans'
eating habits
4. Registered Dietitian is "Allied
Health Profession of the Month"
5. Your neighborhood can be hazardous
to your health
6. Doctors' employment of physical
therapists at risk
7. "Ctrl-Alt-Delete" can't kill
these computer bugs
8. Consumer's Guide to Occupational
Therapists now online
9. Quotable: Health workforce "Brain
Drain" exacerbates HIV/AIDS crisis
10. Variety of allied health workforce
reports available online
11. Rad tech registry shows continued
growth in exam volume
12. Physicians working to end disparities
in health care
REMINDER: Order your copy of the Health
Professions Career and Education Directory online at:
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.2.344263
1. 2005 survey of health professional
programs now available
The 2005 version of the Annual Survey of Health Professions
Education Programs is now available online. This survey will
collect data for the 2004-2005 academic year.
Watch your e-mail inbox for login ID, password, and completion
instructions.
If you already have your login info, you can complete the
survey at: http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.3.344263
2. Anesthesiologist assistants
help increase access to care
In some areas of the country, surgeries have been delayed
and cancelled because of a lack of anesthesia providers, caused
in part by a nationwide shortage of certified registered nurse
anesthetists (CRNAs).
In the nearly 20 states in which anesthesiologist assistants
(AAs) can practice, however, the health care system has much
more flexibility, and shortages of anesthesia providers are
not nearly as widespread. See: http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.4.344263
3. "Pyramid scheme"
to change Americans' eating habits
It's all about you: The USDA's newly unveiled MyPyramid,
which replaces 1992's Food Guide Pyramid, is part of an overall
food guidance system emphasizing a more individualized approach
to improving diet and lifestyle.
MyPyramid's central message, "Steps to a Healthier You,"
emphasizes exercise, with the image depicting a figure climbing
steps to the top. See: http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.5.344263
The American Dietetic Association and other leading dietetics/nutrition
associations have given their stamp of approval to the program:
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.6.344263
Speaking of eating, a study published in the Journal of the
American Medical Association finds that "underweight
and obesity, particularly higher levels of obesity, were associated
with increased mortality relative to the normal weight category.
The impact of obesity on mortality may have decreased over
time . . . . "
Abstract at: http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.7.344263
4. Registered Dietitian is "Allied
Health Profession of the Month"
Now featured on the Health Professions Network's Web site
is the profession of registered dietitian (RD):
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.8.344263
To request that HealthProNet.org feature your health profession
in the future, send an e-mail to: webmaster@healthpronet.org
5. Your neighborhood can be hazardous
to your health
Even after controlling for poverty, residents of communities
with a high percentage of boarded-up stores and homes, litter,
and graffiti have higher rates of gonorrhea, premature death
in general, and death from cardiovascular disease and homicide,
according to a research brief by the Rand Corporation. See:
Does Neighborhood Deterioration Lead To Poor Health?
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.9.344263
(Adobe Reader required)
6. Doctors' employment of physical
therapists at risk
"Organized medicine leaders are alarmed over recent
legal decisions that prevent physicians from employing physical
therapists and threaten to undermine their ability to employ
other health care-related professions," according to
an article in the May 2 American Medical News.
Currently, physicians in Delaware, Missouri, and South Carolina
may not employ PTs.
See: http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.10.344263
7. "Ctrl-Alt-Delete"
can't kill these computer bugs
Computer keyboards and keyboard covers can harbor bacteria
for up to 24 hours, according to a new study covered in American
Medical News ("Keyboards latest culprit in hospital infections,"
May 2).
These bacteria present a threat to hospital patients "as
more institutions implement electronic systems and bring technology
to patients' bedsides."
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.11.344263
8. Consumer's Guide to Occupational
Therapists now online
The Consumer's Guide to Occupational Therapists in California
helps consumers seeking information about OTs -- what they
do, how they are educated, how to find one, and how to file
a complaint if something goes wrong:
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.12.344263
(Adobe Reader required)
9. Quotable: Health workforce
"Brain Drain" exacerbates HIV/AIDS crisis
"The health care workforce in low-income countries has
suffered from years of national and international neglect.
The dearth of qualified health care professionals in most
low-income countries represents the single greatest obstacle
to meeting health care needs. . . . The problem of insufficient
human resources for health is most acute in sub-Saharan Africa
which has 25 percent of the world's burden of disease but
only 1.3 percent of the world's health workforce."
"Healers Abroad: Americans Responding to the Human Resource
Crisis in HIV/AIDS"
National Academies Press
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.13.344263
10. Variety of allied
health workforce reports available online
To date, the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
in North Carolina has produced six allied health reports:
- Physical Therapy (2000)
- Speech-Language Pathology (2001)
- Health Information Management (2002)
- Radiologic Sciences (2003)
- Respiratory Care (2004)
- Clinical Lab Sciences (2004)
Links to these reports are available at: http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.14.344263
11. Rad tech registry
shows continued growth in exam volume
An upward trend in primary exam volume for first-time candidates
has continued into a fourth year, according to data from the
American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, with an overall
increase of 22.4% over 2003.
Growth in 2004 was most notable in radiography (at 23.2%
over 2003) and nuclear medicine technology (22.2%); radiation
therapy increased by 13.4%. See: http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.15.344263
12. Physicians working to
end disparities in health care
Many of the nation's physicians are now involved in the effort
to eliminate racial and ethnic health care disparities, according
to a recent survey by the Commission to End Health Care Disparities.
The survey, which was conducted by the AMA, shows physicians
recognize health disparities and address them in their practices.
See: http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.16.344263
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://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.1.344263
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
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
http://enews.ama-assn.org/UM/T.asp?A40.576.2279.1.344263
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