Perspectives
A Word From the President
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Improving the Transition to Residency
By Darrell G. Kirch, MD, AAMC President and CEO
I, like so many physicians, vividly remember my first day as a resident. Once again this year, on July 1, first-year medical residents across the country will report to their residency programs to begin the next phase of their careers. While still learners, these residents are graduating to a level of increased responsibility and independence. While still learners, these residents are graduating to a level of increased responsibility and independence. They are transitioning from performing clinical rotations under the watchful eye of a mentor to seeing patients independently, entering and discussing orders and prescriptions, and working as part of an interprofessional team. The first day of residency is the culmination of a transition from student to resident that starts early in a medical student’s journey.
Viewpoints
Friday, June 23, 2017
Effective Advocacy: Applying What I Learned on the Hill
by Karen Fisher, JD, AAMC Chief Public Policy Officer
Successful advocacy depends on continuous engagement and ongoing relationships, AAMC Chief Public Policy Officer Karen Fisher, JD, writes in a Viewpoint.
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Free Movement of People and Ideas Contributes to the Progress of American Medicine
by Edward C. Halperin, MD, MA, chancellor and CEO of New York Medical College/Touro College and University System
Immigrants have been vital in the fight against disease. And immigrant physicians today continue to contribute to medical advances, Edward Halperin, MD, MA, writes in a Viewpoint.
In March, two internal medicine residents from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) died in an avalanche while hiking in Canada. The sad news hit Emmett Kistler, MD, a fellow internal medicine resident, harder than he expected.
Kistler turned to Kerri Palamara, MD, who founded and developed the MGH Internal Medicine Professional Development Coaching Program. The program, which was rolled out in 2012, is designed to provide emotional and professional support to residents. The program has grown from an initial 26 coaches—all volunteer faculty members—to more than 100 coaches, who are trained to help residents identify the personal strengths that will help them accomplish their goals.
“We’re a very large residency program, and it started to feel like we just didn’t have a good sense of how people were doing,” said Palamara, also director of the MGH primary care residency program. “We knew people were struggling, but we often found out too late. We were losing the ability to know how residents were doing with their personal, professional, and emotional development.”
Academic Medicine in the News
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Study Shows What Patients Need to Feel Comfortable During Hospital Stay
According to a study from the Ohio State University College of Medicine, patients feel more comfortable when they have a privacy curtain they control, a bathroom that that cannot be seen or heard by visitors, and a sense of security by knowing who is entering the room and their role, a safe for valuables, and independent access to their belongings.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Drawing for Success in Medical School
Everyone has their own specific way of studying. Some use flashcards, others write out charts or create mnemonic devices. Rushi Patel, a first-year student at the Medical College of Wisconsin -Milwaukee sketches in a notepad.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Researcher’s Mobile Application Enhances Training for Emergency Dispatchers
"We Train 911," a mobile training application developed by a University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences researcher aims to reduce mortality rates during emergency situations by helping dispatchers provide improved, more in-depth information to paramedics.