Most states permit government officials to donate unclaimed bodies to medical schools, with no legal requirement for prior approval from the deceased or their next of kin.
Tyra Fainstad, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Adrienne Mann, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Physician burnout is a severe problem in the medical field, made much worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. But an online coaching program that could be scaled up had dramatic results for participants.
We should challenge government defunding of universities, and greater reliance on private donations that can affect the transparency, equity and democracy of public institutions, including hospitals.
Almost 10% of physicians in the US are doctors of osteopathic medicine, and that proportion is rising. Their medical knowledge matches that of other doctors; the difference is the philosophy behind it.
A ‘learn local’ strategy, along with increased residency positions and the return of a rotating internship could go a long way towards improving Canada’s system of medical training.
Health care relies on increasingly sophisticated devices for implanting into the body or monitoring it. Yet most med school graduates are not versed in engineering. That needs to change.
Matt Beane, University of California, Santa Barbara
There are more robots than ever in the operating room – but that’s led to fewer opportunities for surgical trainees. Now, some new doctors are teaching themselves in secret.
A radical new model of “competency based” medical education emphasizes trainee skill over time invested. Queen’s University is the first in Canada to fully embrace this shift.
We’ve come a long way since the dark days of grave robbing to provide bodies for dissection. Now, there are ceremonies and memorials to honour people who have donated their body to science.
Competition for spaces is driving Canadian undergraduates to medical school in the tropics. And there are risks - for student career prospects and Caribbean health systems.
Australia has more doctors per population than most comparable countries, yet many living in rural and remote areas don’t receive the care they need. Changing the way we train doctors will fix this.
Medical entries on Wikipedia are widely consulted across the world. Doctors and medical researchers need to make efforts to ensure the content on the online collaborative encyclopedia is accurate.
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne