I am a physician with a background in the design of instructional systems. As such, I combine my love of each of these areas into teaching both healthcare and science classes. These classes include general healthcare, medical terminology, pharmacology, anatomy and physiology, pathology, and neurophysiology.
My primary goal for students is to introduce them to the critical thinking skills required in both the healthcare and STEM arenas, and on a more practical level, the attention to detail and empathy required if one wishes to work directly with patients. Students also need to become aware that any position in healthcare requires continual education to stay competitive and renew the various required licenses.
Key advice for students interested in a healthcare career is that it is wide open. In other words, one can start at an introductory level and proceed up the hierarchy into either better paying jobs or one they find themselves particularly suited for. And each job has various aspects that can be further molded to suit one’s interest: working with patients, performing research, analyzing data, performing tests, teaching, conducting speaking engagements, selling medical devices, or administration. It is a wonderful field to be in with the potential to go in any direction one wishes as the field continually changes and expands with each new discovery and technical advance.
