Some Nurses Land Higher Salaries Than Primary Care Doctors

Care to read some lively discussions on the WSJ health blog? This particular story has caught a lot of attention recently:

Some Nurses Land Higher Salaries Than Primary Care Doctors

In the past year, nurse anesthetists recruited through the staffing firm Merritt Hawkins & Associates landed salaries that averaged $185,000.

That beats the pay for family practice docs hired through the firm, who averaged $172,000, and internists, who averaged $176,000.

Revisiting the Online MBA for Physicians

Which online MBA is the best program for physicians interested in transitioning to a non-clinical career? I've been doing some research on this question for a while now. There are some programs specific for hospital administration, medical management, etc. Some popular ones seem to be:

1. George Washington Healthcare MBA online
http://www.mbahc.info/

2. University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA online
http://pemba.utk.edu/

The American College of Physician Executives (http://www.acpe.org/) also lists some other suggested programs for an MBA or MMM (medical management).

It you're not interested in medical management/administration, then you need to think about what aspects of business you're interested in. Why do you want to get an MBA?

Do you see yourself pursuing a career in:

• Marketing?
  
• Finance?
• General management?
• Starting a business?
• International business?
  
• Etc.

Then, ask: do you want to do a program that is 100% online? Don't assume that every online MBA is 100% online. Many require some campus (or residency) time. Are you willing to travel to these programs that require some on-campus face-to-face interaction?

The Financial Times (FT.com) lists which online programs are 100% online vs. 80%, vs. 60% etc.
http://www.ft.com/cms/cdb1eee8-f4e9-11dc-a21b-000077b07658.pdf


Consider flexibility. How much time do you have to devote to an MBA? Some online programs are cohorted while others are much more flexible. The cohorted programs usually run 2 years and require that you follow a structured curriculum. Other schools offer a very flexible format where you can take your time and complete your education over 5, 7, or even 8 years - depending on the school.

Find a school that is accredited by the AACSB.

Finally, consider the tuition. Who's going to pay for the education? Tuition costs vary tremendously from school to school.

Jobs for Physicians with No Residency Experience

For more info, please visit (and bookmark) my other website that is devoted to non-clinical job opportunities: http://www.NonClinicalJobs.com/

I've met many medical students considering the non-clinical path. The infamous question that always seems to come up is: "What types of non-clinical jobs can I get if I don't do a residency?"

The answer is that it really depends on many other factors. The question is not a simple one, since if you're interested in the business/finance side of the world and have an MBA with some real-world work experience, then you may be fine without doing a residency. In fact, many very successful people have gone that direction.

However, if you don't have an MBA and you don't have any real-world work experience, then it may be more difficult (but certainly not impossible) to find some really promising careers that align with your goals and interests. This will largely depend on your geography, your flexibility, and your willingness to learn new things and to explore your talents and capabilities.

Ask yourself a few things:

• Are you absolutely certain that you don't enjoy clinical medicine? It may be much more difficult to go back to a residency later in your life. Have you explored Preventive Medicine/Public Health? Have you considered part-time work? To get to some of the best opportunities, you may need to start in a clinical career, get some experience, and then transition out of clinical medicine.
  

• How important is salary? I realize that it may seem superficial, but it's very practical if you have loans, a family, etc. If you have another source of income or if you're married and your spouse makes plenty, then you're in a totally different category when you're looking for work. This is why some people love part-time or even freelance jobs where they can work from home.

• What do you really enjoy? Some love/hate business. Some love/hate writing. At the end of the day, your work/life balance may be the most important thing to you. After all, if you have the opportunity to pursue a clinical career, the main reason driving you away from that must be because you don't enjoy that type of work.

For more info, please visit (and bookmark) my other website that is devoted to non-clinical jobs, careers, and opportunities: http://www.NonClinicalJobs.com/

Panasonic Handheld Toughbook CF-U1

What do you get if you put the OQO on some anabolic steroids and give it all-weather and shock protection? The Panasonic Handheld Toughbook CF-U1. Unlike the OQO, this device utilizes a touch-screen monitor and has a slightly bulkier build.

Panasonic has been making the Toughbook line for a while now, and these machines see some serious abuse and keep going. Well, for clinicians in serious field conditions, this machine may be a lifesaving device. It's probably the first UMPC that has the capability to undergo some serious abuse, but for $2,500, I'd get a robust service plan.

Drug Discovery & Development of Innovative Therapeutics

Drug Discovery & Development of Innovative Therapeutics is the ONE conference that continues, year after year, to bring together cutting edge scientists, leading academia, and the world's top drug discovery and development experts - all in one place, at one time.

August 4-7, 2008
World Trade Center Boston
& Seaport Hotel
Boston, MA

Highlights for 2008:

• Pre-Event Online Partnering System: A Community to Schedule Meetings Prior to the Conference
• New Expanded Areas of Content in 2008: Orphan Disease, Anti-Infectives, Imaging, Cardiovascular Disease
• FDA Keynote Panel on Biomarker Qualification
• Keynote Panel on Politics and Change in Pharma/Biotech

Register here: http://www.drugdisc.com/

Register Now for the 19th Annual Conference on CME Provider/Industry Collaboration

Register Now for the 19th Annual Conference of the National Task Force on CME Provider/Industry Collaboration

Online registration is now available for the 19th Annual Conference on CME Provider/Industry Collaboration, titled "Certified CME for Better Patient Care: Navigating the Regulatory Environment," to be held October 21-23, 2008 in Baltimore, MD. View the complete program and register online

Congratulations OQO! You Won the 2008 Stevie Award!

Great job OQO! You won the 2008 Stevie Award!

Best new product - Computer Hardware

Nice to gain more visibility and recognition for the excellent quality of the model 02. It's not easy building a fully functional PC that fits in the palm of your hand. I've been very impressed by what OQO has to offer in the model 02.