Department of Ultrasonic Medicine Zhi Yang
I am much honored to be assigned to the Mount Sinai Beth hospital, New York in November 2016 as a visiting scholar. During this period, I have experienced totally different life and culture, from which I benefited a lot.
Firstthe medical education costs a lot of time, money and energy, that’s why it is regarded as an elite education. Only those few who are smart enough and capable of hardwork can complete their studies, thereby the education quality is ensureed. Would-be doctors need to go through a regular undergraduate study, and then a 4-year of medical study to obtain an MD. After graduation, they must take part in a 5-year residency training in a specific hospital, and then pass some examination to get a license. If you want to become a qualified professional doctor, you need to work in a designated specialized hospital as a fellow for 2-3 more years. Only with qualified results, can they become attending doctors who are allowed to practice independently and conduct medical treatment. Doctors in the USA are well-paid with an average income of about $170,000-370,000 per year.
Second, how can we solve the contradiction of large population and limited doctors? In America, nurses in some ways can do the same work as Chinese doctors do. The large number of technicians, through strict training, can promote the development of radiation medicine. American radiologists are called Doctors’ Doctor, and clinicians’ treatment strategies are based on the diagnosis of radiologists. So how to save radiologists’ time and energy really matters. Ultrasound technicians help to solve this problem and a large number of repetitive operations and patient communications are done by ultrasound technicians. Ultrasound technicians only need to upload clear scan images and videos to the workstation, and the diagnosis will be completed by doctors. Although their related medical knowledge and scan strategies may not be profound, qualified ultrasound technicians can work in several areas including blood vessels, heart, superficial, abdomen, etc. Their salary is $40000-50000 per year, approximately 1/6 of radiology doctors’. This pattern helps tol save medical expenses and radiologists’ time and labor. Strict training of technicians is very important, which ensures any radiologist can understand the images and videos uploaded by ultrasound technicians and provide independent diagnosis. This is alos construcive for hospital consultation and reduction of repeated ultrasound test in different hospitals.
Through three months of study, I have mastered some techniques of strict ultrasonic inspection, and enhanced my understanding of the importance of doctors’ meticulous attitude. I’d love to shanre what I have learned abroad with my colleagues as soon as possible and make a greater contribution to safeguarding the health of the residents.
