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| October 28, 2011 |
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| SURVEY DATA |
| 1. Data on hospitalist pay, productivity now online |
| If you’re looking for detailed information on hospitalist compensation, work hours, patient volumes and more, you’ll want to visit the Today’s Hospitalist Web site. Detailed data from the Today’s Hospitalist Compensation & Career Survey feature more than 100 charts giving details on hospitalist pay and productivity, as well as hospitalist attitudes about the specialty, their jobs, burnout and more. Access to the data is free, but users must register to receive a user ID and password. View results on the Today's Hospitalist Web site. |
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| THE BUSINESS OF MEDICINE |
| 2. More on what new docs want |
| An analysis of survey results taken from senior residents shows an increase in interest in partnership opportunities—as long as young physicians don't have to wait years for those opportunities to kick in. Results from a 2011 survey from Merritt Hawkins, a national physician search firm, indicated that 32% of senior residents were interested in being employed by hospitals. However, the survey also found that 28% of senior residents reported being interested in group partnership, up from 21% in the Merritt Hawkins 2001 survey. However, residents looking for partnership expected to be shareholders within a year or two of starting practice. According to AM News coverage, the survey also indicated that 19% of senior residents have educational debt of between $200,000 and $250,000, up from 7% in 2003. Read more in AM News. |
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| IMMUNIZATIONS |
| 3. Study: Flu vaccine effective in 59% of adults |
| New research shows that while flu vaccines are effective, they’re not nearly as effective as most people think. A study in the Oct. 26 The Lancet Infectious Diseases found that the most widely used type of vaccine in the U.S.—the trivalent inactivated vaccine—is effective in only 59% of patients between the ages of 18 and 64. Researchers said the data point to the need for a new type of vaccine to more effectively combat the flu. Read more in The Lancet. |
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| PHYSICIAN WORKFORCE |
| 4. Medical school applications hits new high |
| A record-setting number of potential students has applied to U.S. medical schools, including the highest-ever number of first-time applicants. According to the AAMC, almost 44,000 candidates in 2011 applied to medical schools, including 32,600 applying for the first time. (U.S. medical schools have 19,000 available slots.) The 2011 applicant pool also showed a 5.8% increase in the number of Hispanic applicants and a 4.8% increase in the number of applicants who were African American. Male candidates outnumbered females 51% to 49%, while total medical school enrollment rose 3%. The AAMC pointed out, however, that there won't be enough Medicare-funded residency slots to accommodate that growth unless Congress acts to reverse a law freezing training funding. Read more on the Association of American Medical Colleges Web site. |
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| HAND HYGIENE |
| 5. Who is (and isn't) washing hands in the ED? |
| What researchers are calling the largest study to date on hand hygiene practices in the ED finds that handwashing rates vary depending on where patients' beds are located and which personnel are involved in their care. Researchers publishing in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology indicate that the strongest predictor of a lack of hand-hygiene compliance is being treated in a bed in the ED hallway. The use of transport personnel was another strong predictor because, authors noted, those personnel haven't been trained in handwashing techniques. Clinicians also were guilty of using gloves instead of washing their hands, which is not a suitable alternative. The observational study looked at more than 5,800 ED encounters. Read more in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. |
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