2011-2012 Howard Application Thread

[EvryDy]

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Flew in today and stopped by the college..Amazing!! Really excited about tomorrow. Everyone on this forum has been so supportive. Kaji , I'm Smiling 😀.. DC is beautiful. Hope to meet some of the SDN med students.

 

[management]

Enjoy it Evrydy, you will have a great time.

Question to everyone: does anyone know if HUCM has any t-shirts anywhere?

 

[EvryDy]

Thanks management..

 

[OBEAHDOCTOR]

The bookstore on georgia avenue

 

[DoctorDang]

Congratz on the interview EvryDy!!

Wish you the best tomorrow!

 

[EvryDy]

Thnk You Dr.Dang!!
🙂

 

[MWB]

Hey HUCMers, I feel pretty close to you all (even though our interaction is limited to the virtual sphere, for now lol) so I wanted to share this and hear your opinions. So ever since I realized the health care resources available on social media networks (namely Twitter) almost a year ago, I've been thinking about their impact in communities I plan to work with in the long run. A little background, first.

There is no doubt that health care is at a historic crossroad, in terms of policy-making, the impact of internet giants, social media, etc. There are a lot people who call for the utilization of all these new tools to enhance the physician-patient relationship and believe they in fact complement it. Others argue that hcsm (health care social media) can hurt the profession in some ways (increase liability/risk, spread false information, cause fear-mongering, etc). I am optimistic about the former, and increasingly so when it comes to underserved communities.

One of the biggest issues in healthcare is spreading awareness (public health peeps can chime in on this) and increasing patient education and involvement in their own care. What do you all think? Can't tools like twitter/tumblr/facebook be used to connect patients in underserved communities with their health leaders and advocates?

I remember hearing a few schools are embracing these new technologies and implementing them in electives such as patient/community engagement and stuff. As aspiring health leaders, what do you think about social media outlets on a grassroots level? Will our communities embrace it? Can they help minimize disparities and create a more homogeneous health care environment across our country?

 

[Naille]

Flew in today and stopped by the college..Amazing!! Really excited about tomorrow. Everyone on this forum has been so supportive. Kaji , I'm Smiling 😀.. DC is beautiful. Hope to meet some of the SDN med students.

God's speed! You'll do great.

 

[Naille]

Thank you Silentsoldier.

 

[SilentSoldier]

+1 👍 all the way. Same to you. Congrats on the interviews and good luck!

Thanks, I really have been blessed this application season. I had so much doubt that I wouldn't get a single invite, but things have definitely changed for the better. 🙂

Thank you Silentsoldier.

You're welcome although I don't know what for 😛

 

[Chrome19]

Got email saying decision has been reached on my file. I will know in about two weeks. My interviewer was asking me why I wanted to come to Howard. I hope I don't get waitlisted. 👎

 

[OBEAHDOCTOR]

Hey HUCMers, I feel pretty close to you all (even though our interaction is limited to the virtual sphere, for now lol) so I wanted to share this and hear your opinions. So ever since I realized the health care resources available on social media networks (namely Twitter) almost a year ago, I've been thinking about their impact in communities I plan to work with in the long run. A little background, first.

There is no doubt that health care is at a historic crossroad, in terms of policy-making, the impact of internet giants, social media, etc. There are a lot people who call for the utilization of all these new tools to enhance the physician-patient relationship and believe they in fact complement it. Others argue that hcsm (health care social media) can hurt the profession in some ways (increase liability/risk, spread false information, cause fear-mongering, etc). I am optimistic about the former, and increasingly so when it comes to underserved communities.

One of the biggest issues in healthcare is spreading awareness (public health peeps can chime in on this) and increasing patient education and involvement in their own care. What do you all think? Can't tools like twitter/tumblr/facebook be used to connect patients in underserved communities with their health leaders and advocates?

I remember hearing a few schools are embracing these new technologies and implementing them in electives such as patient/community engagement and stuff. As aspiring health leaders, what do you think about social media outlets on a grassroots level? Will our communities embrace it? Can they help minimize disparities and create a more homogeneous health care environment across our country?

OK here is my two cents. In terms of the patient/physician relationship I think social media has its uses when it comes to prevention and health promotion. But with all technological breakthroughs we have to ensure that patient privacy is protected at all times. So I am for it but only to a certain extent. Some health care companies like Kaiser have embraced social media in the delivery of health promotion and disease prevention messages and thats great. One thing we have to remember is that 'underserved' is just as it says, underserved. People who fall into this socioeconomic category may have access to these tools but the access may be limited and they may not spend as much time as say you, or myself or any of our fellow HUCMers (i like how that sounds), so access or adequate access could pose a problem. Another is engaging people to use these tools, I work for a department of health and we have ALOT of public health programs that utilize facebook, twitter, tumbler and we still dont get as many hits as we would like. The information and resources are there but the problem lies in our targeting and marketing strategies. And now I am going to put on my Program Evaluator hat, while these types of approaches are innovative and look good on paper alot of the logistics need to be worked out. As a public health program manager there is no way (barring counting the number of users on a certain site) that you can with any degree of certainty assess the public health impact of of these types of programs without talking to or getting some feedback from the end users. The ultimate goal of these programs is to create some positive health indices in whatever population you are trying to reach. So again, good idea but there are ALOT of kinks to be worked out...
Oh yeah, I love being able to email my doc questions. It saves me a copay and makes me feel closer to my doc (strange I know but it does).
Ok let me step off my pulpit.

 

[OBEAHDOCTOR]

Flew in today and stopped by the college..Amazing!! Really excited about tomorrow. Everyone on this forum has been so supportive. Kaji , I'm Smiling 😀.. DC is beautiful. Hope to meet some of the SDN med students.

Its gonna be 62 degrees tomorrow...good day to showem what you got. Good luck!!!!!!

 

[C2C12]

Sent a letter of interest to Dean Walk, last Friday, no response. Do you guys know if she replies promptly? or is receptive to LOI? Haven't interviewed here yet, but would love one!

 

[sweetness34]

Just want to say to everybody keep up the hopes and prayers!!! If being a doctor is your dream, don't give up! We all will make outstanding doctors soon with the grace of God. And the communities we serve will love us!!! 🙂

 

[sweetness34]

Thanks, I really have been blessed this application season. I had so much doubt that I wouldn't get a single invite, but things have definitely changed for the better. 🙂 You're welcome although I don't know what for 😛

I'm happy to hear the interviews and future acceptances you'll be blessed with! 🙂

Flew in today and stopped by the college..Amazing!! Really excited about tomorrow. Everyone on this forum has been so supportive. Kaji , I'm Smiling 😀.. DC is beautiful. Hope to meet some of the SDN med students.

You will do amazing EvryDy! I hope you do well!! 🙂

 

[Kaji215]

Sent a letter of interest to Dean Walk, last Friday, no response. Do you guys know if she replies promptly? or is receptive to LOI? Haven't interviewed here yet, but would love one!

They do not respond to LOI. Mainly because they are very busy during the application cycle and they do not have the time to respond to them as well as the plethora of emails, phone calls, and applications that they must respond to, answer, and review respectively. I would suggest that you give them a call just to make sure that they received it.

 

[Kaji215]

Hey Guys,

I just wanna say good luck everyone and I hope you all hear great news soon!!!

I also would like to say it was nice meeting a lot of you guys over the last few interview days as well as the non-SNDers 🙂. Its always nice to put a face to a screen name lol. I was able to talk to a few of the interviewees today in the class room but I think I missed you EvryDy. I hope you enjoyed your interview day! Especially since it was a bright sunny and unusually warm winter day in DC lol.

 

[OBEAHDOCTOR]

Hey Guys,

I just wanna say good luck everyone and I hope you all hear great news soon!!!

I also would like to say it was nice meeting a lot of you guys over the last few interview days as well as the non-SNDers 🙂. Its always nice to put a face to a screen name lol. I was able to talk to a few of the interviewees today in the class room but I think I missed you EvryDy. I hope you enjoyed your interview day! Especially since it was a bright sunny and unusually warm winter day in DC lol.

How are exams going Kaji?

 

[sweetness34]

Hey Guys,

I just wanna say good luck everyone and I hope you all hear great news soon!!!

I also would like to say it was nice meeting a lot of you guys over the last few interview days as well as the non-SNDers 🙂. Its always nice to put a face to a screen name lol. I was able to talk to a few of the interviewees today in the class room but I think I missed you EvryDy. I hope you enjoyed your interview day! Especially since it was a bright sunny and unusually warm winter day in DC lol.

Hope that class is going well for you Kaji! And EvryDy, hope your interview went really good! 🙂

 

[sweetness34]

How are exams going Kaji?

Hey Obeahdoctor... hope you are well! 🙂

 

[md2bknox]

Hey HUCMers, I feel pretty close to you all (even though our interaction is limited to the virtual sphere, for now lol) so I wanted to share this and hear your opinions. So ever since I realized the health care resources available on social media networks (namely Twitter) almost a year ago, I've been thinking about their impact in communities I plan to work with in the long run. A little background, first.

There is no doubt that health care is at a historic crossroad, in terms of policy-making, the impact of internet giants, social media, etc. There are a lot people who call for the utilization of all these new tools to enhance the physician-patient relationship and believe they in fact complement it. Others argue that hcsm (health care social media) can hurt the profession in some ways (increase liability/risk, spread false information, cause fear-mongering, etc). I am optimistic about the former, and increasingly so when it comes to underserved communities.

One of the biggest issues in healthcare is spreading awareness (public health peeps can chime in on this) and increasing patient education and involvement in their own care. What do you all think? Can't tools like twitter/tumblr/facebook be used to connect patients in underserved communities with their health leaders and advocates?

I remember hearing a few schools are embracing these new technologies and implementing them in electives such as patient/community engagement and stuff. As aspiring health leaders, what do you think about social media outlets on a grassroots level? Will our communities embrace it? Can they help minimize disparities and create a more homogeneous health care environment across our country?

Very interesting thought. My main concerns aside from what Ohbeahdoctor has said is that we are creating cookie cutter answers for people. I don't want my patients to look at something and not be concerned about what is going on with them vice versa I don't want them to freak out on a drop of a dime. I don' t want the information they find on the internet be used as the "be all, end all" answer.
I have volunteered at a free health clinic, and Health Department one thing I seem to really come across (I'm not sure if it is just in my area) but illiteracy is rampid. So again, it just wouldn't seem to appeal to the underserved community that I see.

OK here is my two cents. In terms of the patient/physician relationship I think social media has its uses when it comes to prevention and health promotion. But with all technological breakthroughs we have to ensure that patient privacy is protected at all times. So I am for it but only to a certain extent. Some health care companies like Kaiser have embraced social media in the delivery of health promotion and disease prevention messages and thats great. One thing we have to remember is that 'underserved' is just as it says, underserved. People who fall into this socioeconomic category may have access to these tools but the access may be limited and they may not spend as much time as say you, or myself or any of our fellow HUCMers (i like how that sounds), so access or adequate access could pose a problem. Another is engaging people to use these tools, I work for a department of health and we have ALOT of public health programs that utilize facebook, twitter, tumbler and we still dont get as many hits as we would like. The information and resources are there but the problem lies in our targeting and marketing strategies. And now I am going to put on my Program Evaluator hat, while these types of approaches are innovative and look good on paper alot of the logistics need to be worked out. As a public health program manager there is no way (barring counting the number of users on a certain site) that you can with any degree of certainty assess the public health impact of of these types of programs without talking to or getting some feedback from the end users. The ultimate goal of these programs is to create some positive health indices in whatever population you are trying to reach. So again, good idea but there are ALOT of kinks to be worked out...
Oh yeah, I love being able to email my doc questions. It saves me a copay and makes me feel closer to my doc (strange I know but it does).
Ok let me step off my pulpit.

I totally agree!! And I'm all for my patients being able to get in contact with me. 👍

 

[sweetness34]

Speaking of helping the community, I really look forward to that day that I will start serving the community. There is so much that we can do! 🙂

 

[aamir89]

OK here is my two cents. In terms of the patient/physician relationship I think social media has its uses when it comes to prevention and health promotion. But with all technological breakthroughs we have to ensure that patient privacy is protected at all times. So I am for it but only to a certain extent. Some health care companies like Kaiser have embraced social media in the delivery of health promotion and disease prevention messages and thats great. One thing we have to remember is that 'underserved' is just as it says, underserved. People who fall into this socioeconomic category may have access to these tools but the access may be limited and they may not spend as much time as say you, or myself or any of our fellow HUCMers (i like how that sounds), so access or adequate access could pose a problem. Another is engaging people to use these tools, I work for a department of health and we have ALOT of public health programs that utilize facebook, twitter, tumbler and we still dont get as many hits as we would like. The information and resources are there but the problem lies in our targeting and marketing strategies. And now I am going to put on my Program Evaluator hat, while these types of approaches are innovative and look good on paper alot of the logistics need to be worked out. As a public health program manager there is no way (barring counting the number of users on a certain site) that you can with any degree of certainty assess the public health impact of of these types of programs without talking to or getting some feedback from the end users. The ultimate goal of these programs is to create some positive health indices in whatever population you are trying to reach. So again, good idea but there are ALOT of kinks to be worked out...
Oh yeah, I love being able to email my doc questions. It saves me a copay and makes me feel closer to my doc (strange I know but it does).
Ok let me step off my pulpit.

I totally agree with you OBEAHDOCTOR, using social media and email is a great tool to have. Each thing learned or applied is another tool that will ultimately be used to create more positive health outcomes. I also think being able to email or connect with your doctor in other ways without going into the office and paying out of pocket will cause people, especially people who don't have the means to pay for it, to seek health care more readily. It goes along with preventative medicine instead of waiting until there is no more choice.

 

[aamir89]

Speaking of helping the community, I really look forward to that day that I will start serving the community. There is so much that we can do! 🙂

I feel the same way sweetness. I can't wait until that day where instead of being on the administrative or shadowing side, it will be me and fellow physicians (hopefully all trained from HUCM! ) all working together to directly impact each community member's well being in a positive way 👍

 

[OBEAHDOCTOR]

Very interesting thought. My main concerns aside from what Ohbeahdoctor has said is that we are creating cookie cutter answers for people. I don't want my patients to look at something and not be concerned about what is going on with them vice versa I don't want them to freak out on a drop of a dime. I don' t want the information they find on the internet be used as the "be all, end all" answer.
I have volunteered at a free health clinic, and Health Department one thing I seem to really come across (I'm not sure if it is just in my area) but illiteracy is rampid. So again, it just wouldn't seem to appeal to the underserved community that I see.



I totally agree!! And I'm all for my patients being able to get in contact with me. 👍

md2bknox I will say that i am guilty of webmding EVERYTHIING. Last year I had a semi serious medical issue and i was trolling message boards, web md and all those sites and I kinda became a nuisance to my doc but my questions and prior research helped us pinpoint exactly what was wrong with me. So there are positives to patients doing some research ahead of time, but it can cause some people to freak out (like i have done in the past...yup I'm not ashamed to admit it) but i would rather have an aware patient than one who is not engaged in their treatment. I dont know if I will be singing the same tune in residency and practice, but for now, because that has been MY reality, that is how i feel about it.

 

[sweetness34]

I feel the same way sweetness. I can't wait until that day where instead of being on the administrative or shadowing side, it will be me and fellow physicians (hopefully all trained from HUCM! ) all working together to directly impact each community member's well being in a positive way 👍

That's what I'm looking forward to most when becoming a doctor is to treat the people and sincerely serve the community. And we will make a great difference. (Hopefully we get accepted and trained from HUCM as well, I love this school!!!!) 🙂

 

[EvryDy]

Thank you everyone for the support.. I had an amazing time. All the staff and students were warm and welcoming. The tour by Joanne and Bruce was great. Very informative. Kaji We probably meet. I should of had my sdn name on my sticker. Lol. I had a blast and I hope to be walking the halls this coming fall.

 

[sweetness34]

Thank you everyone for the support.. I had an amazing time. All the staff and students were warm and welcoming. The tour by Joanne and Bruce was great. Very informative. Kaji We probably meet. I should of had my sdn name on my sticker. Lol. I had a blast and I hope to be walking the halls this coming fall.

Glad to hear that it went well for you! 🙂

 

[sweetness34]

Hope everyone is doing well! May our dreams of becoming a doctor become a reality! 🙂

 

[management]

Thank you everyone for the support.. I had an amazing time. All the staff and students were warm and welcoming. The tour by Joanne and Bruce was great. Very informative. Kaji We probably meet. I should of had my sdn name on my sticker. Lol. I had a blast and I hope to be walking the halls this coming fall.

That's great EvryDy. Glad you had a great time there, and I hope you get some great news soon....

If you all haven't yet, take a look at the 'dating in med school for AA' section....it's quite interesting

 

[AfriqMD]

Thank you everyone for the support.. I had an amazing time. All the staff and students were warm and welcoming. The tour by Joanne and Bruce was great. Very informative. Kaji We probably meet. I should of had my sdn name on my sticker. Lol. I had a blast and I hope to be walking the halls this coming fall.

Now you just sit and wait for the good news! You better claim your spot in Jesus Name!! 🙂🙂

 

[sweetness34]

Has anyone spoken with Ms. Walk recently? Last time I spoke with her was in December. I was thinking about giving a call, but I don't want to bother the people at the office. I think the people in admissions probably are busy with much work. The hardest part of the application cycle is the wait. 🙁 I hope this wait eventually grants us an acceptance and to pursue our dreams to become doctors. I truly love this school and will be very happy to be in DC. I just hope that the admissions committee feels the same.

 

[Chezza Belle]

Has anyone spoken with Ms. Walk recently? Last time I spoke with her was in December. I was thinking about giving a call, but I don't want to bother the people at the office. I think the people in admissions probably are busy with much work. The hardest part of the application cycle is the wait. 🙁 I hope this wait eventually grants us an acceptance and to pursue our dreams to become doctors. I truly love this school and will be very happy to be in DC. I just hope that the admissions committee feels the same.

I called her early this week regarding a letter of update I had emailed her a week ago; she was super nice on the phone and downloaded the letter as I was speaking to her on the phone....

Does anyone know until when Howard interviews?

 

[sweetness34]

I called her early this week regarding a letter of update I had emailed her a week ago; she was super nice on the phone and downloaded the letter as I was speaking to her on the phone....

Does anyone know until when Howard interviews?

Ms. Walk is very nice and a sweet lady. I just don't want to become one of those applicants who contact the office and bothers them. The applicant is viewed negatively🙁. They interview until March and maybe April. Those whom Howard will not consider may start hearing back beginning March. I hope that we are applicants whom will get interviews and accepted to the medical school.

 

[soccrwon]

I called her early this week regarding a letter of update I had emailed her a week ago; she was super nice on the phone and downloaded the letter as I was speaking to her on the phone....

Does anyone know until when Howard interviews?

*practicing patience quietly in the corner*

 

[powerincarnate]

accepted, great, that's 2 so far.

 

[EvryDy]

Did u find out today?

 

[powerincarnate]

Did u find out today?

It was weired, I got an email around Jan 13th stating a decision was reached. I know they usually mail things around the 15th so I figured that was Sun, the next day was MLK day, so i thought I would hear something Tues the 17th but never got an email or anything. I called for two weeks, but could never reach someone.

Then I got a Certiphi background request a week ago, so then I narrowed it down to two schools as the others were too recent with interviews where they would have already reached a decision.

Then about 4-5 days ago, I got a request to fill out THEIR financial aid form, but still no confirmation and calling and getting a response remained ellusive to me.

I was away for an interview (found out via a phone call and an email that I got accepted at another school, so I was already happy), and came back this afternoon and found a folder waiting at my door.

I thought it might have been the package from the other school, but it turned out to be Howard. So great.

 

[EvryDy]

Congratulations!! That's awesome.

 

[sweetness34]

accepted, great, that's 2 so far.

congrats! nice to hear 🙂

 

[management]

Congrats Powerincarnate!!!!!!

 

[kebede]

Does anyone know if I can send in just the $100 to hold my spot in the class, then later send in the $300 enrollment fee? I'm planning on calling Admissions to ask, but wanted to see if anyone here know if that was possible (before I bother admissions).

I'm still interviewing and expecting some more interviews and want to hold on to what little funds I have left for this EXPENSIVE process.

 

[MWB]

OK here is my two cents. In terms of the patient/physician relationship I think social media has its uses when it comes to prevention and health promotion. But with all technological breakthroughs we have to ensure that patient privacy is protected at all times. So I am for it but only to a certain extent. Some health care companies like Kaiser have embraced social media in the delivery of health promotion and disease prevention messages and thats great. One thing we have to remember is that 'underserved' is just as it says, underserved. People who fall into this socioeconomic category may have access to these tools but the access may be limited and they may not spend as much time as say you, or myself or any of our fellow HUCMers (i like how that sounds), so access or adequate access could pose a problem. Another is engaging people to use these tools, I work for a department of health and we have ALOT of public health programs that utilize facebook, twitter, tumbler and we still dont get as many hits as we would like. The information and resources are there but the problem lies in our targeting and marketing strategies. And now I am going to put on my Program Evaluator hat, while these types of approaches are innovative and look good on paper alot of the logistics need to be worked out. As a public health program manager there is no way (barring counting the number of users on a certain site) that you can with any degree of certainty assess the public health impact of of these types of programs without talking to or getting some feedback from the end users. The ultimate goal of these programs is to create some positive health indices in whatever population you are trying to reach. So again, good idea but there are ALOT of kinks to be worked out...
Oh yeah, I love being able to email my doc questions. It saves me a copay and makes me feel closer to my doc (strange I know but it does).
Ok let me step off my pulpit.

Great ideas, Obeahdoctor! So as providers, I hope we can engage patient populations we are passionate about in meaningful ways before others do (especially those with ulterior motive$ such as pharma, insurance, etc). The issue of access you raised in a very important one. I guess this discussion should be limited to those who have insurance/medicare/medicaid. I can't tell you how many times people HAD insurance but refused to go to the doctor/hospital. I remember a few months ago, I was driving home from work, in south queens, and an elderly gentlemen tripped as he lifted his leg to step on the sidewalk, fell and his forehead hit the curb. He just layed in the middle of the street, bleeding. I got out of my car and helped him to the curb and he insisted he was ok. "there's no way i'm going to the doctor!" he kept yelling. It took a few minutes for me to figure out which was his house, called his daughter out, called the ambulance, and after some intense persuading was able to convince him to go to the hospital and he wasn't just gonna heal by himself (injury was severe). I'm not saying this one man was representative of the general population, but according to his daughter he was fortunate enough to have medicare, but refuses to utilize services he is entitled to. Ultimately, these folks end up costing "the system" more in terms of intensive care when a serious illness arises, end of life care, possible organ failures, etc.

Very interesting thought. My main concerns aside from what Ohbeahdoctor has said is that we are creating cookie cutter answers for people. I don't want my patients to look at something and not be concerned about what is going on with them vice versa I don't want them to freak out on a drop of a dime. I don' t want the information they find on the internet be used as the "be all, end all" answer.
I have volunteered at a free health clinic, and Health Department one thing I seem to really come across (I'm not sure if it is just in my area) but illiteracy is rampid. So again, it just wouldn't seem to appeal to the underserved community that I see.

I totally agree!! And I'm all for my patients being able to get in contact with me. 👍

exactly, great point. That is why I hope, as providers, we can help mitigate fear-mongering and educate them on how to utilize resources out there.

I totally agree with you OBEAHDOCTOR, using social media and email is a great tool to have. Each thing learned or applied is another tool that will ultimately be used to create more positive health outcomes. I also think being able to email or connect with your doctor in other ways without going into the office and paying out of pocket will cause people, especially people who don't have the means to pay for it, to seek health care more readily. It goes along with preventative medicine instead of waiting until there is no more choice.

This is the goal. excellent point.

md2bknox I will say that i am guilty of webmding EVERYTHIING. Last year I had a semi serious medical issue and i was trolling message boards, web md and all those sites and I kinda became a nuisance to my doc but my questions and prior research helped us pinpoint exactly what was wrong with me. So there are positives to patients doing some research ahead of time, but it can cause some people to freak out (like i have done in the past...yup I'm not ashamed to admit it) but i would rather have an aware patient than one who is not engaged in their treatment. I dont know if I will be singing the same tune in residency and practice, but for now, because that has been MY reality, that is how i feel about it.

LOL at the confession. I'm guilty of the same. In fact, as recent as last night!!! Interesting point about doing research ahead of time helping the diagnosis. THAT is the ideal utilization of these tools in my opinion. Patients are able to be more proactive about their care, which is much better than the "doc, i'm broke fix me attitude" that some can bring to the examination room.

My biggest fear about those message boards is when you're reading the list of symptoms and you're telling yourself you have all of them!!! haha it's so scary. It's like this commercial that comes up on the Science channel (can't help it, How It's Made is SO ADDICTING!) that asks viewers questions like "does your email take longer than three seconds to load?" in order to convince them they need software repair services...doesn't everyone's email take three or more seconds to load? Speaking of annoying commercials, the ones that piss me off most are the AT&T 4G speed ones in which several people are attached to their phones and yelling out update. Obnoxious imho lol.

Sorry for the long post HUCMers!!!!

 

[OBEAHDOCTOR]

Great ideas, Obeahdoctor! So as providers, I hope we can engage patient populations we are passionate about in meaningful ways before others do (especially those with ulterior motive$ such as pharma, insurance, etc). The issue of access you raised in a very important one. I guess this discussion should be limited to those who have insurance/medicare/medicaid. I can't tell you how many times people HAD insurance but refused to go to the doctor/hospital. I remember a few months ago, I was driving home from work, in south queens, and an elderly gentlemen tripped as he lifted his leg to step on the sidewalk, fell and his forehead hit the curb. He just layed in the middle of the street, bleeding. I got out of my car and helped him to the curb and he insisted he was ok. "there's no way i'm going to the doctor!" he kept yelling. It took a few minutes for me to figure out which was his house, called his daughter out, called the ambulance, and after some intense persuading was able to convince him to go to the hospital and he wasn't just gonna heal by himself (injury was severe). I'm not saying this one man was representative of the general population, but according to his daughter he was fortunate enough to have medicare, but refuses to utilize services he is entitled to. Ultimately, these folks end up costing "the system" more in terms of intensive care when a serious illness arises, end of life care, possible organ failures, etc.



exactly, great point. That is why I hope, as providers, we can help mitigate fear-mongering and educate them on how to utilize resources out there.



This is the goal. excellent point.



LOL at the confession. I'm guilty of the same. In fact, as recent as last night!!! Interesting point about doing research ahead of time helping the diagnosis. THAT is the ideal utilization of these tools in my opinion. Patients are able to be more proactive about their care, which is much better than the "doc, i'm broke fix me attitude" that some can bring to the examination room.

My biggest fear about those message boards is when you're reading the list of symptoms and you're telling yourself you have all of them!!! haha it's so scary. It's like this commercial that comes up on the Science channel (can't help it, How It's Made is SO ADDICTING!) that asks viewers questions like "does your email take longer than three seconds to load?" in order to convince them they need software repair services...doesn't everyone's email take three or more seconds to load? Speaking of annoying commercials, the ones that piss me off most are the AT&T 4G speed ones in which several people are attached to their phones and yelling out update. Obnoxious imho lol.

Sorry for the long post HUCMers!!!!

Confession time again, I had swine flu (yup I did it was confirmed at my MDs office...I was forced by my job to work in a swine flu clinic and wasnt offered the vaccine...four days later I was laid out in my apartment in the throws of a 106 degree fever) it didnt help that I had done extensive research on swine flu prior to working in the clinic. So I dont know if that made the symptoms worse but they sure were sucky. Now that I think about it that didnt really have anything much to do with this convo I just needed to get that rant off my chest...😉
Now if I may, I will pose a question to you all. How do you plan to limit the effect that big pharma has on how you practice medicine? I have friends who are new docs who went in with stars in their eyes and visions of changing the landscape of medicine and now they are so over it and beaten down by the whole business of medicine. So my question is how are we as the new generation, going to combat that? It seems like all of these special interest groups and pharma companies have more say so in how health care is delivered. So I just wanted to get some thoughts on this.

 

[sweetness34]

Sorry for the long post HUCMers!!!!

It's a great discussion, no need to apologize! 🙂

 

[EK601]

It's a great discussion, no need to apologize! 🙂

+1 I am learning so much!

 

[OBEAHDOCTOR]

Oh and one more thing. Its not safe to assume that people with what we term 'good insurance' are more likely to go to the doctor, cus trust me they are NOT going. I work for the gubmint and we have awesome insurance and some of my coworkers refuuuuuuuse to go to the doctor. There is one woman whose blood pressure seesaws out of control and the only time she sees a doctor is when she falls out at work and the paramedics come to get her (this occurs like every two months). So we need to figure out (aside from the mistrust of physicians and the medical establishment) how to get everyone (overinsured, underinsured and uninsured) to see the doctor. Especially men!!!! Lawd guys please go to the doctor!
DC is a funny city to work in public health because health outcomes cross all racial, socioeconomic, cultural and educational backgrounds. The health outcomes here are bad for EVERYONE. When you look at infant mortality, yes more African American babies and infants die per year BUT when you cross match that to parent education and income their are no differences. Now you read the data released by certain politicians and it tells you a different story BUT I personally work on that data annually and know what it says. When you look at breast cancer rates, its the same story and we have millions of federal dollars (suck on that Komen) to provide free screenings, treatments and therapies and people just are not taking advantage of it. So the task is to figure out what the collective barriers are and work on them. One for sure I know of is lack of adequate PR, but on the local public health level they are trying to figure out if they should target the message to one racial group or be all inclusive. I say if we got the money target everyone, but what do I know im just an epidemiologist. #kanyashrug
I want to talk about the effects of gentrification on health service delivery. But my fingers hurt sooo...ummm yeah. lol

 

[sweetness34]

That was one great Superbowl game!!!!! 🙂

 

[sweetness34]

DC is a funny city to work in public health because health outcomes cross all racial, socioeconomic, cultural and educational backgrounds. The health outcomes here are bad for EVERYONE.

Looking forward to learning and practicing in the DC area. And I'm hoping that once we become students and future doctors, we will be able to work on those health outcomes to make better for everyone! 🙂