5 Ways to Optimize Your Next Checkup

Make the most out of your seven minutes with the doc.

How would you rate your last doctor’s appointment? Was it helpful and informative or did you end up lost and confused?

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Photo Credit: Google Images 

Say Goodbye to Stigma: More Men Becoming Nurses

And they'll get paid more to do it

If you've ever seen "Meet the Parents," you're aware of the stigma that surrounds male nurses. But according to a new study, more men are pursuing careers in the field. The rate of male registered nurses has more than tripled from 2.7 percent in 1970 to 9.6 percent in 2011. Liana Christin Landivar, the report's author, points to the nation's aging population as the reason for the demand of long-term care and end-of-life services. "A predicted shortage has led to recruiting and retraining efforts to increase the pool of nurses," said Landivar. In fact, men will even make a greater salary. While women made up 91% of the nursing workforce, men had higher earnings. In 2011, men, on average, earned $60,700 a year, compared with $51,100 a year for women. (USA Today)

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We Can Do Better: Fewer Black Men Applying & Attending Medical School

Applications hit 2.5 percent low in 2011

The number of African American males applying to medical school is on the decline. According to the most recent Assn. of American Medical Colleges report on medical education diversity, 2.5 percent of applicants were black men in 2011, a drop from 2.6 percent in 2002. Comparatively, Asian and Hispanic male applicants saw increases during the same period, of 9 percent and 11 percent, respectively. Furthermore, in 2011, only 6 percent of those accepted were black, and just 4 percent are practicing doctors. The AAMC report said the “persistent” problem speaks to a need for medical schools “to institute plans and initiatives aimed at strengthening the pipeline.” In recent years, many have begun stepping up minority recruitment efforts by urging more black male youth to take interest in medicine and hiring more faculty members “from racially and ethnically underrepresented groups.” (American Medical News)

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Primary Docs Urged to Start Screening Female Patients for Domestic Abuse

Task force wants them to begin protecting "all populations"

A panel of medical experts that advise the federal government have recommended that primary care doctors begin screening women for domestic violence during their visits. The task force said that screening for intimate partner violence showed a "moderate net benefit" and that the risks associated with disclosing the abuse were small. Intimate partner violence includes physical violence, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, stalking and reproductive coercion (intimidation that increases the risk of unplanned pregnancy). If abuse is confirmed, physicians should refer them to intervention services, including counseling, home visits, and mentor programs. The guidelines apply to women aged 14 to 46. "The bottom line is that more research is needed on how primary-care clinicians can effectively screen and protect all populations, including older and vulnerable adults, middle-aged women, men and children from abuse and violence," said Dr. David Grossman. (LA Times)

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Recently-Graduated Registered Nurses Unwanted by Employers

Job vacancies may not come for a few years

Registered nurses who have recently graduated are facing a major obstacle when trying to get hired, namely that thousands of job postings ask: "no new grads." About 43 percent of newly licensed RNs still do not have jobs within 18 months after graduation. The recession is to blame, said Peter Buerhaus, a registered nurse and economist. Prior to it, about 73,000 nurses left the profession each year due to childbearing, retirement, burning out or death. But when the recession hit, spouses lost jobs and 401(k)s lost money, so fewer nurses chose to leave work. Additionally, enrollment in nursing colleges has dramatically increased; 169,000 people were enrolled in the 2010-2011 school year -- that's more than double the students from a decade earlier. Still, economists predict a massive nursing shortage will reemerge in the United States as older nurses start retiring and the demand for health care services is expected to climb. (CNN)

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Shortage of Primary Care Doctors Being Experienced

Could worsen with Affordable Care Act

A primary care doctor shortage is being experienced, and could worsen under the Affordable Care Act, experts say. Nearly 30 million Americans are expected to expected to obtain health insurance by 2014 through the federal health law, and that could place a greater strain on the physician workforce. "Now with the Affordable Care Act, we're going to have an even greater need," said state Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina (Los Angeles County), chairman of the Senate Health Committee. California has a higher physician-to-resident ratio than most states. In an attempt at a more immediate fix, Hernandez said he plans to push for legislation to give pharmacists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants more authority in patient care. (SF Gate)

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Why Aren't Docs Giving Obese Pregnant Women Accurate Advice?

Talks aren't tailored to their needs

It's no secret that women gain weight during their pregnancies—some obviously more than others, but still usually under the careful counsel of their physicians. However, according to a recent study by the Penn State College of Medicine, when the mother-to-be was already overweight or obese prior to being blessed with a bundle of joy, many doctors fail to provide the right advice for their specific needs—or any advice regarding their weight at all. 

After interviewing two dozen overweight and obese new moms after the births of their first children, researchers found that the majority—87.5 percent—gained an amount of weight during their pregnancies that exceeded recommendations. In fact, half were incorrectly told to gain an amount that was more than they should have, with health care providers likely using guidelines for normal-weight women and not adjusting their advice accordingly. (According to Penn State medical experts, normal-weight women are advised to gain 25 to 35 pounds during a pregnancy, overweight women should gain 15 to 25 pounds, while obese women should gain less than 20 pounds.)

Golda Poretsky, holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, believes the doctors' poor guidance is due to their own biases.

[Anti-Obesity Ads Can Cause More Shame]

"Larger women often have a very difficult time dealing with health professionals," said Poretsky. "They often have issues that go untreated because doctors see them and prescribe weight loss before even looking for other causes. I've worked with women who were told to lose weight while pregnant even though restricting food is dangerous for them. And a recent study showed that health professionals have a strong bias against larger people, stereotyping them as lazy and noncompliant, so it's not surprising that they're getting bad advice."

Additionally, nutritionist and holistic health expert Julie E. says physicians often fail to relate to their patients—ironically, even when they themselves are out of shape, too. ("How many fit doctors do you know?," she asked.)

"The main reason doctors do not counsel these women correctly is that many of them are men and really cannot truly relate to being female and all that comes along with that, like emotional eating, body image, etc.," said Julie. "And medical doctors simply are not trained in nutrition or fitness. They aren't really qualified to have that conversation."

Poll: Americans Don't Trust Congress, Car Dealers

A new survey shows where our loyalty lies

A new Gallup poll finds that Americans trust members of Congress almost as little as they do car dealers. About 54 percent of the surveyed ranked Congress' honesty and ethical standards as low or very low; only 10 percent voted it as high. Similarly, only 8 percent of those polled gave car salespeople high marks for the same. Both industries, however, could learn from the medical profession as pharmacists and doctors were praised for their honesty and ethical standards. In fact, nurses' ethics were applauded by 85 percent of participants. Additionally, 24 percent voted journalists as having high standards, too. (Today)

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Why Are Young Women Seeking Vaginal Rejuvenation & Labiaplasty?

Surgery for form or function?

Vaginal surgery has been available to women for decades. There are procedures to correct involuntary urination, restore hymens, de-hood the clitoris, tighten the canal—the last, a popular request from women who have suffered loosening after giving birth—but ABC recently reported that experts are now encountering thousands of women in search of a cosmetic procedure to reconstruct their labia minora, the inner "lips" surrounding the vulva, and enhance the appearance of their genitalia. According to one doctor, interest in labiaplasty has even peaked in girls, some as young as 11 years old.

Dr. Cheryl B. Iglesia, a reconstructive pelvic surgeon said, "It's really concerning, because [the trend] is really reaching younger ages, in their teens. It's just not right."

In the June issue of the Obstetrics & Gynecology journal, Iglesia wrote, "None of these procedures have proven effectiveness, and there is potential for harm. Women are being misled or are confused about what is normal. There are great variations of 'normal.' Labia can be anywhere from 5 millimeters to 5 centimeters." In her studied opinion, women have been "duped."

[When Did Vagina Become a Bad Word?]

But who's to blame? After all, mainstream media, the usual delinquent assumed to be the catalyst behind all societal ills, doesn't make a habit of exposing "spread eagles" or full-frontal female genitalia, yet the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons has reported that over 5,000 women in the United States have vaginoplasty, a "tightening" of the birth canal, annually.

"Doctors should take some responsibility for feeding this," said author Edie Raether, a psychotherapist who specializes in body image issues, specifically anorexia. "The abnormality here is much more an internal issue of self image. Women say, 'Oh, I can pay a couple thousand bucks [for the surgery]' and then a greedy doctor takes a knife to it, and takes money from these people who have a mental issue. But it's really a Band-Aid approach to some serious psychological issues of self esteem."

Tired, Overworked Nurses Linked to More Patient Infections

Burnout tied to increase in two kinds of contamination

The nation's nurses are suffering from "chronic burnout" and for every patient added to his or her workload, there's roughly one additional hospital-acquired infection per 1,000 patients. According to researchers from the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, heavy patient loads are a top complaint from nurses. More than a third of them reported high levels of job-related burnout, which was measured by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and whether the nurses feel a sense of personal accomplishment. And for each 10 percent jump in the proportion of nurses who claimed high levels of burnout, there was roughly one additional catheter-associated urinary tract infection and almost extra two surgical site infections, per 1,000 patients. The nurses cared for an average of 5.7 patients apiece, and when even one extra patient was added to that load, the result was an additional 1,351 infections within the hospital population studied. (NBC News)

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Doctors Fear: We Could Go Out of Business

News comes as the nation awaits the Supreme Court's ruling on health care reform

America's doctors are fearing the possibility of going out of business, according to CNN.

A recent survey of 673 physicians across 29 specialties said their financial hardship is increasing, making it "harder for them to earn a decent living."

Among the reasons doctors cited: significant school debt, rising business expenses and administrative hassles, shrinking insurance reimbursements and costly malpractice insurance.

In fact, 17% of all doctors with a private practice said they could foresee closing it within a year if their financial situation doesn't improve, the survey said.

The Supreme Court, which is reviewing the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, is expected to issue a ruling Thursday. The court could uphold the law, overturn it partially or completely strike it down.

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