DocCheck

Just about every major pharmaceutical product website has a section for "Healthcare Professionals." To enter this section, you just have to click on the box that says "Yes, I am a US healthcare professional."

Well, there are now some sites that want to verify that you're really a true healthcare professional. Here comes DocCheck. Based out of Cologne, Germany, this international company provides a service to authenticate and verify that web browsers are truly healthcare professionals. Registration is FREE, but you have to provide some type of proof that you're really a healthcare professional. I've mainly seen this for international websites, i.e., drugs that are currently approved in other countries but not in the USA.

DocCheck also provides a way for you to access certain forums, drug databases, etc. Many of these sites are in other languages, so brush up on your French and German!

There appear to be several levels of DocCheck:

• DocCheck Study
• DocCheck Light
• DocCheck GO!

Want to see this in action? Try visiting: http://www.grazax.com/

I Joined the Physician Renaissance Network (a Ning Social Network)

I recently joined the Physician Renaissance Network (a Ning Social Network). PRN is a FREE online community specifically designed for physicians working in non-clinical settings or for those interested in such opportunities. Several members are looking to make the transition, so this provides a place where some private discussions can occur. If you're thinking about different types of non-clinical careers or opportunities, take a look and join the PRN and start getting connected with other physicians.

AMDIS - Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems

Since its founding in 1997, the Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems is the premier professional organization for physicians interested in and responsible for healthcare information technology. If you have any interest in this industry, I encourage you to join this association and get connected. Attend the AMDIS/HIMSS Physician Program. Network with CMIOs, CMOs, CTOs, and CIOs.

Looking for a career change? Take a look at some of the current positions that are available that are listed here:

http://www.amdis.org/opportunity.htm

Working as a Chief Medical Information Officer

If you love computers, technology, and healthcare, then you may want to consider the opportunity of being a Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO). Healthcare IT is changing rapidly and there are growing opportunities in this area. Every major health system needs to incorporate and improve their IT infrastructure as hardware and software evolve with improved capabilities.

Want to learn more? Take a look at this article titled, "What does a chief medical information officer do?"

Other related opportunities include being a Chief Technology Officer (CTO), or a Chief Information Officer (CIO) - although that may be the same as a CMIO in some settings.