Monday, July 20, 2009

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Minnis: Training Ross students pays off for PHA By INDERIA SAUNDERS ~ Guardian Business Reporter ~ Inderia@nasguard.com: Government has now entered a partnership with Ross University set to save it tens of thousands of dollars while providing medical students clinical training. According to the Minister of Health Dr. Hubert Minnis, the program is one that will do more than elevate the learning experience of Freeport-based medical students: "There is an economic benefit. Our junior staff would be able to log into all (Ross') virtual systems, use their library facilities, plus our physicians would be a part of the lecturing process. So we save money, I think it saves the ministry thousands of dollars and the great benefit is the education component." His statement follows the recent announcement by Ross University that it has partnered with the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) in a clinical training agreement. It began on May 12 and is focused on first- and second-year medical students. They'll receive their on-the-job training at both the Rand Hospital and the Eight Mile Rock Clinic. Tied to this agreement is that PHA health professionals will be allowed access to Ross' Simulation Labs and Medical Library, touted as key to enhancing the PHA's ability to train and strengthen the capacity of its staff. Without the use of Ross' resources, the ministry would likely have incurred the expense of tens of thousands of dollars in purchasing equipment and resources needed to keep those workers up to date. As it is now, many medical professionals have to leave the country for training courses. As an added incentive, the move will also have more of a financial benefit for those closely involved in the program. "Those (teaching) physicians who meet the qualifications, they would be remunerated," Minnis revealed yesterday. "The exact pay back I don't know that off hand, but the school will be paying them back. "But aside from remuneration, one of the great benefits is that our physicians would be a part of the lecturing process, which helps in terms of education and updating medical research." In the U.S., Medicare pays the institutions directly for acting as a teaching institution for medical doctors doing their residency. That doesn't appear to be the case with this fledgling Bahamian program. It does however enrich the Rand in less tangible ways. Hospital reputations are generally elevated with the taking on of teaching duties. Also, use of Ross's facilities would indeed see a better educated health sector, something likely to accrue to the benefit of Bahamian patients. The agreement insists that medical students will be carefully supervised by two doctors for a few hours twice weekly. According to Ross, during a typical half day, the student is introduced to the patient by the doctor and is allowed to interview, examine and obtain history of present illness. It's similar to what goes on in a full-fledged residency or internship program. "They examine the patient (applying only those skills they have been taught)," reads a statement from the school, "present the patient to the attending physician, write up the history and physical, and later obtain feedback on the presentation and the write up from the attending physician. The doctors are then required to provide evaluations of the students to the university." Thursday, July 2, 2009