Why Become a Doctor?
Vineet Arora, MD, MPP – Recently, I was having a discussion with a colleague about being a doctor. She confided in me that if someone asked her about becoming a doctor, she would tell him or her to become a nurse practitioner. After reading the emotional open letter to our policymakers in Washington DC, it may sound like a reasonable suggestion. After all, why go into this much debt and spend so much time in training if your prospects are not much better? More recently, the New York Times article points out job prospects for radiology trainees are thinning, meaning the well known “ROAD” (Radiology, Ophthalmology, Anesthesiology, and Dermatology) to success may soon become a road to nowhere if there are no jobs.
Statement Regarding Denial of Petition by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
November 2, 2011
The Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare recognizes that excessive fatigue is a serious safety issue in many industries, including health care. We are committed to working with teaching hospitals and the medical education community to reengineer the way care is delivered when that is necessary in order to provide safe, quality care to our patients and to ensure that resident physician caregivers are safe as well.
More and more residency training programs are embracing training and graduate medical education re-design to improve patient care and resident well-being. The CIR Work Smart Toolkit. offers tips and resources for re-design, as well as case studies of innovative programs that have already made the successful transition.
To read OSHA’s letter explaining the denial of the petition, click here.
See answers to Frequently Asked Questions here.
To see more background information, click here.
Journal of the American College of Surgeons Reveals Surgical Hazards Have Increased
Read this important article and find out what you can do to reduce your risk:
Increase in Sharps Injuries
Needlesticks and OR Safety
Doctors and needlesticks.
The very nature of our work exposes us on a daily basis to occupational injury and the possibility of contracting a blood-borne disease – HIV, HCV and HBV. Too often, however, we respond to that danger with denial.
Learn more about the scope of the needlestick problem and what residents can do to protect themselves.
Sharps Safety in the Operating Room
In May 2009, the CIR Executive Committee passed a resolution supporting the American College of Surgeon position on sharps safety, which recommends double-gloving, adoption of blunt tip suture needles for the closure of muscle and fascia, and the use of other devices for prevention of sharps injuries where appropriate.
Dr. William Schecter Leads Workshop on Preventing Sharps Injuries in the Operating Room
CIR’s OR Safety Task Force put together a workshop February 19, 2009 in New York City with Dr.William Schecter, one of the leading experts in reducing occupational injuries in the operating room. Dr. Schecter is Chief of Surgery at San Francisco General Hospital and chairs the Committee on Perioperative Care of the American College of Surgeons.
