French medics to go on-line

Ailing French health care system to go under the knife.

The French public health system — once praised by WHO as the best in the world — is overburdened, wasteful and in urgent need of an overhaul, says a government-commissioned report released in January. The diagnosis lays the groundwork for the second of two “modernization” packages — this one targeting the social security system that reimburses medical expenses, the other aimed at the public hos...

Mixing with Medics

Historians are increasingly required to produce research that makes an impact. This is particularly the case for medical historians, partly because of our funders’ expectations, but also because there is a sense that medical history can inform today’s thorny debates about health. Unfortunately, many historians struggle to make an impact. I suggest that participating in medical conferences (broa...

Transitioning from military medics to registered nurses

The nursing shortage in the USA is expected to reach 260,000 registered nurses (RNs) by 2025. The most profound shortages are expected in California and Florida, translating into 109,779 and 128,364 RN jobs, respectively. Despite a foreseen growth in nursing career opportunities nationwide, the supply of nurses will be insufficient to meet the corresponding demand. Capitalizing on prior educati...

Call for Ebola medics falls on deaf ears: MSF.

Operation Gritrock: first UK army medics fly to Sierra Leone.

This week the first group of 150 British army medical staff fly to Sierra Leone to set up a treatment centre for health workers infected with the Ebola virus. We hope that the provision of high quality medical care will reduce mortality among affected patients. Our facility will be sited next to a larger Ebola treatment centre to be run by the charity Save the Children. We have spent the past t...