Blog Evaluation

After doing weeks of research and writing many topics about the medical field, our blog team has cohesively decided on the most important point to be remembered about our blog; When considering the professional medical field as a career make sure to be aware of the large commitment and many sacrifices that are required. To begin, when in medical school, long days and nights are guaranteed along with many years of schooling. Med school will also break your bank, costing vast amounts of money. Lastly, once you are in a medical career, the public eye will look at you through a microscope to make sure you follow a specific code of ethics that medical professionals are supposed to follow. Throughout our blog the main points we have noted are the effort, time, and money necessary to become a medical professional, along with the different types of careers in the medical field, the specific code of ethics that medical professionals must follow, and the many benefits of being in the medical field.

Any type of professional medical school is known for their rigorous curriculum and competitive student body. Students spend numerous hours studying in order to achieve a passing grade along with the many hours spent gaining in field experience. Aside from the countless hours a week spent studying, medical school can take as long as six years to complete. In our posts, “Registered Nurses” (9.10.16) and “Are you ready to be a Doctor” (10.2.16) we go in depth a lot about what requirements it takes from how much schooling is required to certain exams and certification, like the NCLEX-RN, which is a difficult medical school exam. Along with the extensive time and effort, medical school is known to cost its students well over 100,000 dollars. This just reinforces the idea that medical school is a huge commitment and must be treated as a personal investment.

Many students attempt to apply to medical school for the sheer purpose of making money. People believe that becoming a medical professional such as a doctor or nurse guarantees success. However, people have found this to be very difficult. Working for such a rewarding job, such as a medical professional, is not just all about the money. In order to become a successful medical professional, a student must have an internal passion to help others and a drive for the field. Medical schools often weed out the students who are not fully devoted to becoming a medical professional.

After schooling, it’s time to choose a career. Every career has its pros and cons and it is important to pick one that suits you. It is a tough decision because there are so many different professional careers in the medical field such as doctors, nurses, surgeons, dentists, and so on. The post “Things to consider before choosing your career” (9.18.16) highlights the factors that should be considered before you make the commitment to a medical career. These factors include...

• Types of patients
• Responsibility
• Income
• Schedule

As stated in the post “A week in the life” (10.30.16) each medical professional has a rigorous schedule including 40-80 hour work weeks. This does not include the time spent on-call either. Medical professionals spend countless hours working. Someone in this field must be truly committed to their job in order to fulfill the requirements of each career.

Another important topic that people should understand about the medical field is the code of ethics that is virtually universal throughout the whole field. According to the post titled “Defining Ethics”, you can see all of the rules that medical personnel must follow (9.25.16). These rules are set for the sole purpose that doctors are not allowed to do anything that could potentially harm a patient and/or themselves. It also helps the medical professional to make rational and effective decisions during emotional times when family members or the patient them self cannot. Along with the code of ethics that doctors must follow comes with some backlash. Often they have to face criticism about the decisions they make, which is usually coming from family members of the patients, who also usually do not know what they’re talking about. In some cases, not following the code of ethics can cause you to lose your job as stated in the post “Principles of Medical Ethics” (9.24.16).

In opposition to a negative side of being a part of the professional medical field, there are also many benefits. An obvious bonus to these careers is the generous pay that a lot involve, many may even pay well over $200,000. According to the post “Money in the Medicine”, the highest paid job in this field is an anesthesiologist (9.18.16). However, just because it is not the top, does not mean that that it does not pay well. This is also displayed in that same blog post because it shows the average salaries of a variety of different careers, and they are all quite high. Regardless of the ranking of a profession in the medial field, each job is rewarding in its own way, and are all of equal importance of saving lives in countries all over the world.

By Laura Villarreal

The medical field is known for having it’s own language. If you’re not apart of the medical world it is really like hearing a foreign language. There are terms and acronyms that one must learn in order to stay afloat in a medical world scene. Colleges have classes dedicated to medical terminology. It is not an easy subject to learn. And, you can not just pass the class and forget about it. In a medical field, that terminology is brought up constantly. Each term has a word root (central meaning), a prefix (identifies part of central meaning), and a suffix (tells who or what is interacting).

Some basic medical terms are:

• Enter/o: intestine
  
• Derm/o: skin
  
• Gastr/o: stomach
  
• Hem/o, Hemat/o: blood
  
• My/o: muscle
  
  Prefixes and Suffixes are added to words like these to make them mean different things.
  

Sources:

https://www.dmu.edu/medterms/basics/

http://www.mb-guide.org/learn-basic-medical-terminology.html#ixzz4QnF3yIN8

Obesity Passed on to Offspring

Written by: Hyaal Wehab

A big topic of discussion in the medical world today is Obesity. When it comes to maternity, obesity of mothers comes into question as well. Does the obesity of pregnant woman affect the health of their offspring? Doctors looked further into this topic and came to certain conclusions.

Recently, studies claim that maternal obesity increases risks of infant obesity or adulthood obesity. An increase in Body Mass Index (BMI) during pregnancy can also increase risks of obesity in a child’s lifetime, which can increase their risk in developing certain diseases in their lifetime, such as cardiovascular diseases. It is also predicted that offspring of obese mothers will be more insulin resistant and have more unnatural metabolic issues. Though the potential risks are clear, it is not only obesity in mothers that can cause these results to occur. Studies show that obesity can also be passed on through the father's sperm. This can not only affect his children but his grandchildren as well. A study in mice showed that the grandfather mouse can affect his children and grandchildren, because even if the father of the grandchildren ate well and had a proper diet at the time of conception, their children still had risk for their metabolic health. These studies are very important to the health future generations, because with this information, people can start making changes to a healthy lifestyle, and avoid future health risks for their offspring.

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Practicing Your Knowledge

Written by: Madison Elliott

         My sorority’s philanthropy is called Service for Sight, which is an organization that helps people who are blind and visually impaired. Here at Michigan State University, there is a program that assists people who have some type of disability whether it be with getting their schoolwork done or simply just getting around. The offices in that program that work specifically with the visually impaired students on campus generously allows my sorority to get involved with them and help out in some way or another.

         This week I participated in a hands-on activity that was put on by the visually impaired section of the disabilities program at MSU. The lady that is in charge of it brought over some of the equipment that they use to help these students out to our sorority house. There were things as high-tech as special goggles/glasses that can help people who are not completely blind but severely visually impaired see shapes and outlines and things, to things that were as simple as books that were written in braille. The lady, along with a few other people that work in the office, were there to show us how all of those things worked so that when we volunteer with them we can actually make an impact on these students’ lives.

         This experience has taught me that even people with disabilities can do anything that you can do, they are the strongest because they push past their setbacks and overcome these things to be just as successful. It has also made me really excited for the future and to be a part of the medical field whose sole goal is better people’s lives and help those who need it.

Superfoods

Written By: Alex Reddy

Superfood. It’s a fake word that many of us have become familiar with in the past year or two. According to Health news, “there is no legal or medical definition, superfoods are nutrient powerhouses that pack large doses of antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals” (Health). Although the term has not yet become official, superfoods have a very real benefit to our health. Eating superfoods over other average ailments will provide you with the maximum amount of nutrients available in a single food.

Superfoods are often certain types of fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, seeds, and many other natural ailments. In this blog I’d like to share with you a list of my favorite superfoods.

Kale	Sunflower Seeds
Oats	Bananas
Salmon	Sweet Potatoes
Avocados	Tea
Spanish	Blueberries
Collard Greens	Oranges
Brown Rice	Almonds

This is only a giant list of a few of my favorite superfoods. Superfoods  are known to help people fight against disease, attain more energy, and in some cases even lose weight! If you haven't yet, I recommend trying a variety of superfoods and incorporating them into your daily diet. They are easy to find and may already be some of your favorite foods to eat!

Sources:

"Superfoods You Need Now." Health.com. HealthMedMedia, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2016.

Staff, ByWoman's Day, and By Samantha Merritt. "52 of the Healthiest Superfoods You Need In Your Diet." Woman's Day. N.p., 13 Oct. 2016. Web. 19 Nov. 2016.

Observing Community

Written by: Alex Reddy

As a pre-professional student, I believe observing your community is very beneficial and important. It can help you to gain insight on many community concerns and is a great way to stay connected with your patients or colleagues needs and wants. For this blog topic, I chose to interview a fellow pre-professional student who attends many different pre-professional club meetings here at our university. This student is currently unsure which field of study he would like to go into and therefore attends many different club meetings in hopes he will be able to get an idea of each field. This student also wishes to not be named so therefore in todays blog post we will call him “Jake.”

Jake and I spent quite a bit of time discussing the perks of being apart of so many clubs and also how it helps him in his perspective. Jake claims that the clubs give him an opportunity to talk to fellow students interested in the same major and also is a great way to start to make connections. He told me that every pre-professional club represents itself in a very formal and put-together way. However, Jake said that once you attend a few meetings, the meetings become more relaxed and you are able to freely talk about your pre-professional major and some news in that field. Jake says that, “Most of the club meetings go the same way for all of the different pre-professional clubs. Some I like more then others, but those are just the ones I see myself going into.” He attends multiple clubs but believes he may drop out of the pre-dental club and a few others in the near future. Jake wishes that his name not be mentioned because he is not ready for other members to know he is dropping out of the club.

I always looked at these clubs as unnecessarily time consuming and far too formal for my liking; However, after jake describes some of them, they seem much more casual than I first expected. It is true that joining a pre-professional club will take up a lot of time and dedication, but it also might be worth it for all the great connections you will make in your field. After talking to jake, I believe joining the right pre-professional club is a great way to get introduced to your field and become active in your community.

Recognizing the truth

By Laura Villarreal

The world of doctors is almost always misrepresented.  In TV shows, their lives are glamorous and sexy. People love to watch these shows because they think this is actually what the life of a doctor is. Why don’t they show the medical school process? Or the thousands of dollars of student debt most doctors have? It’s because that’s not what the viewers want to see. Unfortunately, the real life of a doctor is not glamorous or sexy, it’s hard work.

One of the most popular examples is the show Grey’s Anatomy. Since 2005, this show has followed a group of doctors and their drama filled lives. These doctors regularly experience scandals and wild romances. In the first episode, a woman picks up a man in the bar and ends up sleeping with him. She kicks him out early in the morning because she is going to her first day of her residency at a hospital. When she gets there, she finds out that he is one of her bosses, who also happens to be married. Throughout the whole show she, and everyone else at the hospital, goes on a wild ride of deaths, romance, drama, and heartbreak. She also gets to sit in on surgeries and perform dangerous procedures. Although very entertaining, this doesn’t happen in a normal residents career. They are usually stuck with the “grunt work” including lab work, ordering tests, and patient histories. Very rarely they even get let into an operating room. Not to mention, sleeping with their bosses would be considered wildly inappropriate.

Another example is the show House. This crazy doctor performs unsafe procedures and breaks every rule to treat patients. In every episode, there is a patient with many symptoms and no known cause. Dr. House’s job is to diagnose these people and he will not stop until he does. He openly admits he does not care about the patients themselves, just about solving the puzzle of what is wrong with them. He goes through extreme lengths to do so. While doing this he directly ignores all the rules of the hospital and his boss. This seems to be a common theme among many shows. Doctors breaking rules to treat patients no matter what. This cannot happen in real life. As I have mentioned in a previous post, Dr. Bosley informed me that there is a medical hierarchy of authority and the person at the top calls all of the shots. Doctors will lose their jobs if they do not follow the rules.

Medical TV shows are not always accurate. They are meant to be entertaining but many people get the idea that this is the real life of doctors. The don’t get to see the work put into being one or all of the baggage that comes with it. Doctors have to follow rules and act professional at all times. They live regular lives just like everyone else. I know for me, Grey’s Anatomy and House were part of the reason I wanted to be a doctor. Their lives seemed so cool and exciting. I have come to learn that this is not all that true.

Impact of Technology in Healthcare

Written By: Hyaal Wehab

   One of the biggest things impacting many divisions today is the advancement of technology. Technology plays a large role in modern society today, due to the fact that many, if not all, industries have been affected by technology. From improved quality of health to improved organization and management, technology has shown its many positive impacts. Unlike anything though, technology also has its dark side.

   To begin with, technology has impacted the medical field in many positive ways. Technology has saved many medical institutions a lot of money, and also improved the health and quality of a patient's life. Due to technology, diagnostics are much easier and are also much more accurate. Improved imaging allows technicians or doctors to examine a patient's x-rays, or anatomy without having to do any invasive surgeries on the patient. Technology also helps keep these patients files documented online, and they can be accessed from any computer in the entire building. This helps improve the organization and management of the institution as a whole. Although technology comes with its many positive aspects, it also has its negative aspects. A lot of the time, medical related technology in homes is just normal individuals using the internet to research medical information, which may not always be accurate. People tend to rely more on what they read online and self diagnose themselves because, it is easy and for the most part free. Self diagnosis is very dangerous due to possibly reading inaccurate information, because something that may seem so simple, such as a simple ache, may be a much bigger issue than it seems, and somebody could potentially put their own life at risk because this simple ache could lead to much bigger issues. People should never replace an actual doctor or physician with the internet. Doctors and physicians go through years of schooling and training for a reason, therefore they will give accurate information. Technology impacts the medical field in a positive way in general, as long as it is used correctly.

   All in all, this article has not only helped me understand how technology has positively impacted the medical field, but it can negatively impact society as a whole. Others should look more into this, to understand the importance especially about the dangers of self diagnosis, and how important it is to visit your doctor.

The Impact of Technology on Healthcare

Obesity in America

Written By: Hyaal Wehab

One of the largest rising issues in our nation today is the issue of Obesity. Obesity has always been an issue, but as time goes on, it continues to become worse and worse. For my post this week, I read an article regarding the rising issue of obesity in America, and how our nation hopes to cope with it, and the solutions they have created.

  

Out of the approximate 318.9 million people living in America, about two-thirds of the population faces obesity. Obesity did not only form from the poor eating habits formed by americans as the years have gone on, but it is also from the genetic aspect of our lives. Humans have evolved to store fats, due to our ancestors that were once hunters and gatherers. Since they were always on their feet and raised to be so physical, they ate an abundance of food for energy, but it never affected their weight much do to their constant physical activity. Now many americans are classified as “lazy”, or they do not participate in a lot of physical activity, so that abundance of food that we still consume just stores itself and turns into fat. Much of the reason that this is, is that, we tend to eat much bigger portions than normal, and we don’t balance our portions out with activity, hence the fact that we are not as active as we should be.

On average, the average american (whom does not eat properly nor work out) gains about a pound to a pound and a half per week. The reason for this is not only because of the lack of exercise we get, but also because, eating is not just to contain and relieve hunger, but it has become a form of emotional, social and cultural relief as well. As the issue of obesity in America continues to grow, the American Diabetes Association (AMA), and the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO) have sat down together to find ways to cope with the increase of obese populations in America and hopefully find a way to decrease obesity as a whole. They have come up with many ways to help patients lose weight, and they have come to the conclusion that it is a variety of many things that come into play for proper weight loss. The most recommended strategy is a blend of proper diets (since different diets work for different people, portion control, watching calories, self monitoring, gradual increase in physical activity, and most importantly, proper motivation. If an individual facing obesity takes these steps in changing their health, they will achieve positive results in a matter of time.

All in all, personally, this article has helped bring to my attention how serious the issue of obesity is, and how important it is to take care of our bodies. Taking care of ourselves can not only improve our current health, but it can also improve our future health for years ahead, when we are much older. I hope that this post will help my audience understand the importance of clean eating and physical activity just like it helped me.

Obesity in America: It's Getting Worse

Stereotypical Doctors

Written by: Madison Elliott

Everybody has their presumed thoughts about how all doctors speak, act, and think of themselves. As many people assume, all doctors think that they are better than everyone else and they think that they know everything, all doctors are rich and care about the money that they are making rather than the patient that they are treating. But do these actually hold true for real doctors? Well, of course, there are some people that are the epitome of their stereotype, and the same goes for doctors as well, but a stereotype is just that and not all, usually most people of the group are not that at all. And the same goes for doctors. They are there to help their patients and care for them, and be knowledgeable about the case because the patients are not. I don’t know about anyone else, but all of my doctors are pretty much the opposite of what people assume doctors to be like.

To get more specific, a lot of people see surgeons as the people who just want to come in, cut (because that is best part about being a surgeon), and then get out of there to go play golf with their other surgeon friends, having zero communication with the patient and leaving that part up to their nurses and/or interns. However, in most cases, this does not actually happen. A relatable example of this, because I know a lot of people have seen it, is in “Grey’s Anatomy”. Dr. Grey, McDreamy, and all of the other surgeons in the show always take the time for each patient they have to talk to them and they often get emotional about them when something goes wrong or when something really good happens. Although this may just be a TV show, it is an accurate representation of doctors and/or surgeons in real life.

There are many different kinds of stereotypes that doctors face in the workplace. Some examples of these include media stereotypes and gender stereotypes. In the media, doctors can be seen “as [striding] down hospital corridors with a team of frightened trainees behind” them (Do the Classic Specialty Stereotypes Still Hold True for Today’s Doctors?). As for gender stereotypes, it is common that women are undermined in the workplace, and the same goes for women doctors. People often just assume that they are nurses even when they are the main doctor or even a surgeon.

In the article that I read, there were a few common stereotypes listed. I found them pretty humorous, especially the one about anesthesiologists because that is what I am going to be. “Seems to have inhaled too much gas and spends a lot of time doing crosswords and sudokus” (Do the Classic Specialty Stereotypes Still Hold True for Today’s Doctors?).

Source:

http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/view-article.html?id=20015762