Online Master of Science in Biomedical Writing

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia offers a master of science (MS) in biomedical writing degree and also graduate certificates in regulatory and marketing writing.

Now more than ever, professionals with expertise in both science and writing are in demand. Pharmaceutical companies, regulatory agencies, healthcare organizations, nonprofit organizations, consulting firms, and professional journals all seek qualifies medical writers. The biomedical writing programs at Mayes College can help you take advantage of these opportunities.

If you already have clinical or pharmaceutical experience and wish to change career directions, or certificate programs allow you to focus on the essential skills required for regulatory or marketing writing.

Job Post: Health Information Technology Analyst

Looking for a job as a Health Information Technology Analyst? How about a "Meaningful Use Analyst?" Could you imagine describing that job to folks who don't know anything about the HITECH Act or Meaningful Use?

Here's a job description from a job post from an Health Information Management Analyst job at Allscripts:

Job Purpose and Scope:

Under direction of the HIM lead analyst and management of the HIM Operations Manager, performs various complex duties utilizing knowledge of HIM procedures and systems to maintain regulatory compliance for an accurate and complete legal medical record.

Career transitions and paradigm shifts

I spent the weekend "in class" attending business school. I was taking a course on organizational development and we had some great discussions around traditional vs. transformational paradigms in the workplace. Our discussions also made me reflect on my own paradigm shift that occurred when I shifted out of clinical medicine and entered the non-clinical world of business. I use the term "business" very broadly because the non-clinical setting may involve work related to research, medical affairs, health technology, etc. Given that the health care industry is a business, it's important to find the right opportunities that you'll find enjoyable.

If you're thinking about a career transition, you're facing a significant paradigm shift. Are you ready for that? Do you know what kind of world you're about to enter?  Before you "jump" out of a career in clinical medicine, make sure you're learning as much as you can about all the different non-clinical options that may be available to you.

Non-clinical jobs in cardiovascular medicine #ACC11

I'm currently in New Orleans attending the ACC.11 & i2 Summit 2011 and my registation bag contained a "CardioCareer & CME Guide." Is fee for service dead? What is the future of private practice cardiology? Is it time to transition into industry?

The CardioCareer Guide has a job listing near the front where a major pharmaceutical company is advertising for a "medical affairs director" in the cardiovascular therapeutic area. The requirement states:

This position will oversee the strategic and tactical implementation of the commercial Medial Research team in the Cardiovascular area. Qualified candidates must have an MD; advanced training in internal medicine/cardiology is highly desired. 

There's no doubt that we will continue to see job openings in the cardiovascular drug industry. After all, heart disease continues to be a leading cause of death in this country and there is tremendous morbidity associated with a host of cardiovascular conditions.

It's important to remember that you don't need to be a cardiologist to work in the cardiovascular area. You'll have a competitive advantage if you area a cardiologist, but many of these positions are not exclusively for cardiologists. After all, we have to recognize that certain industry positions won't compensate at the same level that a cardiologist may make, so they may fill these positions with non-cardiologists.

I'm now in New Orleans attending the ACC.11 & i2 Summit 2011

I'm now in New Orleans! Interested to see what's happening in the field of cardiology? Make sure to follow my updates on Medicine and Technology.com as I blog about ACC and the i2 Summit this year.

US News Best Graduate Business Schools for an MBA

US News recently released their "Best Graduate Business Schools" list and here are the top 10 schools if you want to get an MBA:

1 Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Full-time Students Employed at Graduation: 76%
Average Starting Salary and Bonus: $131,949
SCORE: 100

2 Harvard University
Boston, MA
Full-time Students Employed at Graduation: 79%
Average Starting Salary and Bonus: $131,759
SCORE: 98

3 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
Full-time Students Employed at Graduation: 76%
Average Starting Salary and Bonus: $125,905
SCORE: 93

3 University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Full-time Students Employed at Graduation: 73%
Average Starting Salary and Bonus: $132,579
SCORE: 93

Featured Physician Executive: Elisabeth Hagen, M.D.

This week's featured physician executive is Elisabeth Hagen, M.D.

Sworn in as Under Secretary for Food Safety in August 2010, Hagen oversees the policies and programs of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the USDA’s public health regulatory agency that ensures the nation’s supply of meat, poultry and egg products is safe, wholesome and correctly labeled and packaged. Since joining federal government in 2006, Hagen has served in a number of leadership roles and has advanced a science-based, public health agenda at USDA. Prior to her appointment as Under Secretary, she served as the USDA’s Chief Medical Officer, advising FSIS and other USDA mission areas on a range of human health issues, such as food safety, nutrition and zoonotic diseases.

Hagen holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Saint Joseph’s, an M.D. from Harvard Medical School, and is board certified in infectious diseases.