171 Ashley Ave.
Charleston, SC 29425
843-792-1414
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November 2007
This edition:
Letter From Our Chair
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L. Lyndon Key, MD
Professor and Chairman
Department of Pediatrics |
Dear faculty, Children's Hospital staff and other friends,
What Do You Value?
It appears that we value our time, our money, and service to our fellow man. Physicians should feel the need to help their patients and those who do not have the resources to obtain adequate medical care. While there are many free clinics in the United States, many still go without adequate care, without adequate nutrition and shelter, and without hope.
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Feature Story
What do new pediatricians value?
Recent study shows emerging pediatricians want to be of service without engaging in research
A new study, the results of which have just been published in the Journal of Pediatrics, surveyed nearly 3,500 medical school graduates and found that while future pediatricians - particularly females - ranked caring for others at the top, they put research, academic and teaching pursuits at the bottom.
Titled "What do future (female) pediatricians value?," the article polled recent medical school graduates registered with the Careers in Medicine website, an online career planning program operated by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Only participants in residency two years or less were included.
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Message From Our Medical Director
This month's newsletter addresses "professional values", a term that can have many different meanings to various individuals and groups. Dr. Key's letter focus's on "service" as a value for physicians and others, while this note will address a combination of goals and behaviors. Three questions come to mind when I consider the professional values of the medical staff:
- What do you believe is important?
- What do you aspire to?
- How do you plan to act to implement the first two questions?
Certainly, there should be some common answer to these questions for all physicians. We should all believe the health and wellbeing of our patients is important. As pediatric care providers, we should all aspire to effectively manage the psycho-social and physical components of our patients health, and we should all practice in a manner that accomplishes that. Further, we should treat our colleagues and patients/families with respect and good communication. However, the more detailed answers to these questions will almost certainly vary among us as function of numerous factors, including our backgrounds, career stage, personal ambitions and personality. The dictum "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" may be a great starting place for all of us. The critical issue for me then comes down to each member of the medical staff consciously considering these or similar questions and abiding by their answers until they consciously change them. Follow your hearts and keep up the good work.
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J. Philip Saul, MD
Medical Director
Director, Pediatric Cardiology |
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Darby Children's Research Institute News
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Bernard L. Maria, MD, MBA
Executive Director
Darby Children's
Research Inst. |
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Inderjit Singh, PhD
Scientific Director
Darby Children's
Research Inst. |
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MSTP students discover the human side of research
A unique program makes it possible for MUSC MD/PhD students to take what's captivated them during hands-on clinical work, and then apply that knowledge to discoveries in the lab.
"These are our future scientists, the people we're counting on to be the future faculty of medical schools," says Dr. Perry Halushka, director of MUSC's Medical Scientists Training program, or MSTP. "These are young people who want to make a difference. They'll be the ones who will make discoveries and then translate them into therapies and medical improvements."
By combining clinical and research opportunities, the program offers MD/PhD students the chance to become physicians as well as scientists. The NIH-funded program at MUSC is one of about 40 in the country, and is highly competitive. Dr. Halushka says the number of applicants rose 10 percent this year, to 96 for about seven positions.
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Evidence-Based Tip
Report from AAMC: Our Changing Values
I write our EBM Tip this month from Washington, DC, where I am attending the AAMC Annual Meeting. What better place to see modeled the professional values exposed and modeled than from those to whom we entrust the education of our future physician? If you will allow me, I would like to depart from my usual subject area to share with you some of what I am hearing here.
The theme of this year's meeting is "Health in the Balance," and many of our leaders speak of a change in our healthcare landscape, in our cultural values, and in our ability to provide what is needed for our patients. The common thread, the underlying connection, is the need to balance the needs of our individual patient with the health needs of all of our citizens.
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Laura Cousineau, MLS
MUSC Library
Dept. of Pediatrics EBM Faculty |
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A special thanks to the following individuals for their efforts in putting together Kids Connection each month.
Editor-in-Chief: Bernard L. Maria, MD/MBA
Editorial Assistant: Jennifer Cherock
Publishers: Brian Cendrowski and Roxanne Hicks, Trio Solutions, Inc.
Feature Writer: Mary Sue Lawrence
Contributing Writers:
Lyndon Key,
Bernard Maria,
Philip Saul,
Laura Cousineau
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