Joseph Pazona’s Post

🎙️ Have you ever wondered why so many medical students struggle with the leap from UME to GME? Join us on this week's episode of #MedEdgePodcast with Gretchen (Norling) Holmes, PhD as we uncover the tough realities of transitioning in medical education. 🩺 Gretchen isn't just any expert; she's an experienced ACGME Designated Institutional Official and a three-time cancer survivor. She brings a deeply personal and professional perspective to medical education and patient care. You'll learn about: - The critical role of communication in improving patient care and education. - Challenges medical students and residents face, especially during the COVID-19 era. - Strategies to improve medical training, focusing on self-advocacy, empathy, and thorough preparation. 🔗 Tune in to learn why bridging the UME to GME gap is crucial for developing skilled, versatile healthcare providers. Gretchen's insights are key in creating a more effective, empathetic, and human-centered healthcare environment. creating a more effective, empathetic, and human-centered healthcare environment. #medicaleducation #healthcare #ACGME #UME #GME

Medical training is undeniably rigorous, and it often feels like the challenges are never-ending. Long study sessions, demanding clinical rotations, and constant problem-solving can push you to your limits. But as Dr. James A. Bowden shared, despite all the hardships, the opportunity to practice medicine is something most physicians would choose again without hesitation. For aspiring physicians, it's important to keep this in mind. Every hurdle in your path—whether it’s an exam, a late-night shift, or a difficult patient—is preparing you for the incredible privilege of being a healer. At the end of this long road, the ability to make a difference in patients' lives will far outweigh the struggles you face now. Keep pushing forward—it’s worth it! 🌟 The MedSmarter Foundation #MedSmarter #MedicalProfession #MDJourney #HealthcareLeaders #FutureDoctors #MedicalCareer

An oldie but goodie here: A Standardized Approach to Assessing Physician Expectations and Perceptions of Continuing Medical Education (Shewchuk et al, 2007) (the full list of authors for this article is an impressive line up) offers a methodological approach to evaluating how well CME programs meet the expectations of healthcare professional learners. I recently revisited this article and was reminded of the relevance of the methods and the enduring practicality of the approach. Simply, the approach the authors tested enables a comparison of physicians' perceptions of a CME program, relative to their expectations for the education. Apparently, ~17 years ago, physicians wanted more of the following in their CME: translation of trial data to the patients they see in practice and coverage of how to address barriers to optimal patient management. (Side note: How are we doing, CME community, on advancing on these persistent learning needs?) The article has been cited ~2 dozen times. Check it out: you may find the methods refreshingly helpful as an evaluation framework. Image: One of the data points in the article, in which the authors outline the implications of the expectations vs perception findings, such as where CME providers should focus on improvements in future CME planning. https://lnkd.in/dSQAAJUV #CME #CE #LearningDesign

Graduate Medical Education (GME) — clinical training at teaching hospitals for our future physicians after medical school — is crucial in addressing America’s #DocShortage. Increasing federal investment in GME is a critical step in producing more physicians to care for our nation’s patients. To provide quality care for patients everywhere, we must #ExpandGME. Learn more: https://ow.ly/jVMC50Ta6aq.

I’m very committed to continuing medical education. Each quarter, I present a workshop for our entire staff and provider community. We shut down our office for half a day and learn together through mock drills, review of standardized processes, and discussions around optimizing the patient experience and improving patient outcomes. This August, our team will come together to share patient histories and learn best practices. These workshops support our mission: to deliver accessible, equitable, comprehensive, and safe preventive care and chronic disease management for our Northwest Indiana community. Last weekend, I also took time to invest in my own continuing medical education by attending the Cleveland Clinic’s 36th Annual Intensive Review of Internal Medicine. During the conference,my determination was to find ways for our provider community to consistently adopt guideline-directed medical therapies for multiple chronic disease management that would control the cost of care by eliminating redundancies and waste, reducing harm to patients and enhancing clinical outcomes. We also are committed to the Choosing Wisely campaign, an initiative of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) to promote conversations between clinicians and patients to facilitate the above models of care: https://lnkd.in/gZPpbAwM “Choosing Wisely calls upon leading medical specialty societies and other organizations to identify tests or procedures commonly used in their field whose necessity should be questioned and discussed with patients,” according to the ABIM. How is your #primarycare practice leveraging continuing medical education to support dynamic change? #ptexp #healthcare #cme #valuebasedcare #chronicdisease #populationhealth Dr. Mary Tilak & Associates

🔮 “Whore-o-Scope Creep” Brought to you by ABC News “fake news” and The Bachelorette 🥀 On Tuesday, American Academy of Physician Associates sent a letter to the American Medical Association confronting its unjust and harmful attacks on PAs and other healthcare providers. Our letter called on the AMA to cease its divisive "scope creep" campaign and join us in a meaningful dialogue to strengthen and unify the healthcare system. This letter is more than just a response; it is a call to action. It is a demonstration of our value and our dedication to a healthcare system that prioritizes high-quality patient care over outdated hierarchies. Key Excerpts from the Letter: On the Role of PAs: "PAs play an indispensable role in addressing healthcare disparities and ensuring equitable access to care. Our rigorous training 👀 (do doctors think students that take time off PA school to film on abc Bachelorette 🥀fake news media should be trusted?) commitment to lifelong learning enable us to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care across every medical specialty." Welp, we can start by making PA students complete their clinical rotations instead of letting them go “Down Under” to film lame dates🎥 😆🥀🤷🏻♀️🧿 See thru crystal balls! Some docs might think these kids aren’t taking their career or patients seriously. As they say “Mental Health Matters”

Instead of focusing efforts and resources on denigrating PAs and NPs, the AMA should look internally and spearhead reforms to medical education. PAs and NPs are a market-driven solution to the physician shortages we are facing today—an issue the AMA has helped create. By improving access to and modernizing medical education, we could expand the physician pipeline, better support medical students, and ultimately address the growing demand for healthcare providers. The solution isn’t in undermining the valuable contributions of PAs and NPs but in creating a sustainable path forward for all healthcare professionals. It's time for a collective effort to enhance the future of medicine. #HealthcareReform #PAs #NPs #MedicalEducation #PhysicianShortage

The three items highlighted in this summary are further confirming that we are moving toward a proactive approach in health, one of the five pillars of precision health (Personalized, Predictive, Preventative, Proactive, and Patient-centric): 👉 Patients want answers more than ever and want everything investigated and worked up. Reassurance is way less effective than it used to be. 👉 Doctors themselves are ordering more tests than ever; we used to be okay with "watchful waiting" or "return if worse" but that seems to rarely to considered. 👉 Parents used to be okay with "it's a virus, it'll pass in 5-7 days" but now everyone wants or *needs* to know which virus exactly, even if it has no effect on outcome. Wonderful highlights, thanks for summarizing and sharing Graham Walker, MD. #precisionhealth #patienteducation

58% of medical students will not be directly treating patients. As we face a physician shortage crisis in the U.S., this is terrifying. What can we do? Let's start with why. Why would med students say "forget this", I'm out 🎤 👐 before even starting? 🚫 Clinical medicine doesn't make financial sense. $500K in debt to make $200-300K a year isn't logical. Sorry, it just doesn't. 🚫 Many of their mentors are miserable. Let's face it physicians, we're not a happy bunch right now. If I met most of you during med school, I'd leave as well. 🚫Intolerance of uncertainty as Graham Walker, MD points out. Patients are more demanding and complex. Practicing medicine isn't what it used to be. As a result, medical students are like 👋 buh bye. I find the timing of this post interesting on the same week a pre-med student is interning with our team at Pazona MD Urology. So back to the original question, what can we do to reverse this trend? ✅ Physicians MUST TAKE ACTION: If you're sitting idle, complaining about the system, then you are part of the problem. Do something, like starting your own practice. ✅Non-clinical professionals: we need the best and the brightest partners in marketing, operations, IT, etc. Link up with an empathetic physician and build a team. ✅Patients: say NO to insurance companies and hospitals that prioritize profits over your health. There are plenty of independent physician practices that are doing better. Go support them! ✅Parents: guide your children with a knack for critical thinking and a high EQ into clinical medicine. There still isn't a more rewarding profession when done right. This isn't just another LinkedIn post. This is a cry for help. A plea for action. The math is not looking good people. Physician supply is declining faster than we want to admit. There will be very few hard working new physicians to take their place. The baby boomers are aging and need medical care. Heck, I'd like medical care one day and I'm in my 40's. How bad will it be then? Please share this post to your network and bring awareness to the world. We don't need another video of a cute animal falling asleep to go viral. We need posts about our broken healthcare system spread to millions of people. Because if not, one day we're going to look at each other and ask, "where did all the doctors go?" #healthcare #physicianshortage #physicianburnout #medicalstudents #patientsoverprofits #privatepractice #physicians #doctors

🧠 Curious about the Endocannabinoid System (ECS)? Here's my ECS story! As a Ph.D. scientist, I spent years researching G protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs). My fascination with the ECS began when I learned that the CB1 receptor - a key component of the ECS - was the most prevalent GPCR in the brain. What captivated me about the CB1 receptor? • Its unique mechanism of action • Its role in modulating neurotransmitter release • Its importance in our body-wide physiology This fascination led me to create ECS.education, aiming to promote comprehensive ECS education among healthcare professionals. Why? Because understanding the ECS is crucial for: 🔬 Advancing medical knowledge 🏥 Improving patient care I'm passionate about fostering discussions and sharing knowledge about the ECS. That's why I've launched a forum at ECS.education. What's your ECS story? Join the conversation at [ECS.education/forums] and let's advance ECS education together! #EndocannabinoidSystem #MedicalEducation #ECS #ECSAdvocacy #ChangeIsComing