Special Section:
Professional Pipelines: Finding and Forming Dedicated People
Managing the changes that accompany health reform is like trying to build an airplane while it flies, according to many health care leaders. But at its core, health care remains a matter of good, dedicated people taking care of people in need, observes Brian Yanofchick, CHA's senior director, mission and leadership. In his introduction to this issue of Health Progress, Yanofchick notes that whatever health reform brings, the ministry must take steps now to ensure there are good, dedicated people prepared to meet the need for patient-centered care that is holistic, collaborative, cost-effective and affirming of every person's basic dignity.
Physicians and Catholic Health Care: Educating Doctors for Mission Fit
BY FRED ROTTNEK, MD, and BRIAN YANOFCHICK, M.A., M.B.A.
The U.S. shortage of physicians who provide direct care affects everyone in Catholic health care we cannot carry out our mission if our systems lack physicians. Our challenges include recruiting a diverse workforce that reflects populations we serve, training physicians in areas of societal need and retaining physicians in patient care for the full course of their careers. Achieving those goals starts with re-envisioning medical education. One such example: Saint Louis University, where collaborations among the School of Medicine, community agencies and the medical school's Area Health Education Center program office have created programs that provide community-based, primary-care-focused course work and experience.
Humanities Enrich Physician Training
BY MARK CRAWFORD
Medical schools have broadened their traditionally science-rooted curricula to include "medical humanities," that is, programs with content traditionally associated with the liberal arts. Starting in 2015, the national Medical College Admissions Test will favor better-rounded students who can demonstrate thinking and problem-solving skills and creativity over memorization of facts, says Howard Brody, MD, Ph.D., a noted bioethicist. In Catholic medical schools, programs vary from offering art, literature and music to others that focus on what it means to be a suffering human, the inherent dignity of the human person and the moral requirements of Catholic social teaching.
Building a Pipeline: Connect Young Talent with the Ministry
BY ELLIOTT LOUIS BEDFORD, M.A., and ELIZABETH K. JOHNSON, M.H.A.
The health care ministry should be reaching out to tap as broad and deep a talent pool of vibrant, creative young potential leaders as possible.