MRSA: What Health Care Providers Should Know

by Alison Hayward, M.D.
SDN Staff Writer

In the battle of humans vs. bacteria, a new enemy has emerged as the most feared “superbug” of 2007. Forget West Nile and bird flu – Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is suddenly all over the media. It is an overdue and well-deserved spot in the limelight.

MRSA rose to prominence last month when a CDC report published in JAMA estimated that nearly 19,000 people had died of MRSA infections in 2005. Compare that with AIDS, which killed about 17,000 in the same year, and it becomes readily apparent that most of the country is unaware of the degree of threat posed by MRSA. In fact, many people still do not know what MRSA is.

Here is a quick primer on MRSA to help answer any questions your patients, friends, and family may have.

Read more »

The Power of Positive Thinking

by Ivan Edwards, D.O., USAFR MC (CAPT)

Whzz . . . pop! The man clutched his chest and fell to the ground. Eerily, time seemed to stand still. The armed rogue Ugandan soldier, eyes glaring, held his AK-47 as the half-dozen people ahead of me stood frozen in their steps. The air smelled of gun powder, and the dying man lay quivering on the ground, a pool of blood enlarging under him. The gunman, six to seven feet away, then turned to us.

We all bolted for cover. I was oblivious to the screams, dust, and chaos around me. I tripped and rolled, but do not know how I got up and propelled myself forward. It seemed like I was in slow motion.

Then, the adrenaline in my body seized my legs, and I ran like I had never run before. I heard another loud pop. But I did not stop or turn to look. After what seemed like an eternity, I stopped running. Read more »

Clinical Clerkship Clues: Emergency Medicine

by Alison Hayward, MD
SDN Staff Writer

Are you suffering from roundsitis? Hypercaffeinemia? Overnight call adjustment disorder? Scutworkophobia? My friend, there is hope. I strongly advise you to look into the specialty of emergency medicine – in which the medicine you practice is practical, your time is spent saving lives rather than writing notes, and you miraculously find yourself at home at the end of every workday, wondering how you got to be so lucky.

In emergency medicine, as in all specialties, there are rough days and difficult patients, and you will still end up cursing our broken healthcare system as you struggle to get paid for what you do. Read more »

SDN Welcomes Business of Medicine as a Partner Organization

PRESS RELEASE
The Student Doctor Network would like to announce a new partnership with The Business of Medicine. Founded in 2006 by medical students at Georgetown University, The Business of Medicine (BOM) is a nonprofit national medical student organization and currently applying for 501(c)3 status. BOM’s mission is to increase medical student awareness of financial challenges and opportunities impacting the practice of medicine. Read more »

Interview Preparation: Part 2 [Interview Advice Column]

by Jeremiah Fleenor, MD, author of “The Medical School Interview: Secrets and a System for Success“

“That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

Part 1 of this series dealt with how to gather and organize the personal information you want to convey during interviews. Now that you have collected that information, you’re ready to practice delivering it in a smooth, professional way. Read more »

20 Questions: Kenneth Kirsh, Ph.D. [Medical Psychology]

by Sarah Markham Lawrence
SDN Staff Writer

Dr. Kirsh, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science at the University of Kentucky, is a licensed clinical psychologist. His particular areas of interest include chronic pain management, pain and its interface with abuse and addiction, and palliative care issues in cancer populations. He was recently kind enough to sit down with SDN and give some perspective into clinical psychology as a career choice.

1.Tell us about your educational background.
I attended a rather unique doctoral program at Indiana University – Purdue University in Indianapolis. The program was entitled ‘Clinical Rehabilitation Psychology’ and I was drawn to it as it was basically one of the few dedicated, medical psychology programs in the country. Read more »

SDN Forges Relationship with AMA Alliance

PRESS RELEASE

The Student Doctor Network would like to welcome its newest partner, the American Medical Association Alliance. The mission of the AMA Alliance is to partner with physicians to promote the good health of America and support the family of medicine. The Alliance network of physicians and physicians’ spouses represents all stages of the medical lifestyle, from the training years to retirement.

The President of the AMA Alliance, Dianne Fenyk, has a message for SDN users. Read more »

SDN Welcomes New Partners

PRESS RELEASE

The Student Doctor Network is pleased to announce partnerships with two premier health care organizations: the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations - United States (IFMSA-USA) and the Student Osteopathic Medical Association, Undergraduate Division (Pre-SOMA).

IFMSA strives to offer future physicians a comprehensive introduction to global health issues. Through programming and opportunities, IFMSA-USA develops culturally sensitive students of medicine, intent on influencing the transnational inequalities that shape the health of our planet.

The goal of Pre-SOMA is to promote and inform the public about osteopathic medical education as well as to increase the number of applicants to osteopathic medical schools.

SDN is excited to partner with two organizations so dedicated to pre-health and health professional students and looks forward to the reciprocal benefits these alliances will provide. Welcome!

Access Denied: IFMSA Addresses Health Care Inequity

International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations
Reprinted with Permission

Almost 1,000 medical students from over 90 different countries gathered in Canterbury this August to tackle inequities in health care across the globe. The 56th August Meeting of the International Federation of Medical Students Associations returned to the UK with the theme, “Access to Essential Medicines.” It proved to be a fascinating, tumultuous, and at times controversial week.

The IFMSA is the largest student body in the world, founded in 1952 to provide a cohesive voice for medical students across the globe. Its biannual general assemblies aim to educate and inspire its members to take action on international health issues, each centered around a chosen theme. The decision by the UK to focus on “Access to Essential Medicines” (AEM) was taken in light of its key relevance to both the developed and developing worlds. More than 10 million deaths each year can be attributed to lack of access to life-giving medications, in direct contravention of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, entitling every citizen the right to “health and well-being of himself and his family, including … medical care and necessary social services”.   Read more »

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