Final Post from Your NAMSS Blog Subject Matter Expert (SME) - Thank You for the Opportunity to Serve You

Dear Medical Staff Professionals,

This will be my final post as your NAMSS Blog Subject Matter Expert. The NAMSS board made a decision recently to bring this function back in house for NAMSS social media staff to perform. I have served NAMSS in many capacities over the years but this has been the most interesting to me and I feel it has been beneficial to our members. I could not let it go by without thanking each of our members for the opportunity to serve each of you. Happy New Year!

Respectfully, Bonnie Conley

ECFMG to use World Directory of Medical Schools

Beginning in 2015, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) will replace the International Medical Education Directory (IMED) with the World Directory of Medical Schools to determine an applicant's eligibility for ECFMG certification. Please visit the ECFMG website here for more information.

New Surgeon General Confirmed by the U.S. Senate

According to a report by the American Hospital Association (AHA), the Senate voted 51-43 to confirm the appointment of Vivek Hallegere Murthy, MD, as the new Surgeon General of the United States. Dr. Murthy is "a hospitalist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School." For more information, visit the AHA's news site here.

The Changing Demographics of Medical School Student Enrollment

Students are enrolling in American medical schools in increasing numbers and come from more diverse cultural and academic/volunteer/professional backgrounds than ever before. Greater numbers of African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and Native American students are enrolling according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Additionally, "Three-quarters of this year’s crop of applicants have research experience, and more than three-quarters reported volunteer community service in some kind of health care setting," according to a release by the AMA Wire.

Read more here.

Enrollment at Osteopathic Medical Colleges Continues to Rise

According to data from the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), enrollment for new students at osteopathic medical colleges rose 5.2 percent for the fall of 2014.

"Stephen C. Shannon, DO, MPH, President and CEO of AACOM, believes the expanding number of DO students and graduates underscores the relevance of osteopathic physicians to the needs of a changing healthcare landscape.

'As interest in osteopathic medicine continues to grow and transform the future of healthcare, osteopathic physicians will play an increasingly critical role in ensuring the delivery of quality patient care at a time of significant change in the U.S. health system,' said Dr. Shannon."

Read more here.