As the use of telemedicine continues to increase in the health care workplace, it’s important for medical schools to educate students on telehealth technologies before they are placed in the working world. Adding telemedicine to basic curriculum will give potential doctors, nurses and other health care professionals the skills and knowledge they need to make it in the every-changing industry.
Here are a few examples of universities that are staying ahead of the game, educating their students on telemedicine technologies and best practices:
NYIT College of Medicine
According to Becker’s Hospital Review, the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathetic Medicine on the campus of Arkansas State University is adding telemedicine education to the first-year curriculum. Darren Sommer, DO, telemedicine assistant professor told Region 8 News that teaching students telehealth practices early on will prepare them properly for their future in the health care industry.
“If we continue to introduce medical students into the practice of medicine but don’t include telemedicine, when they finally get into practice and they’re acting as attending physicians they will not be prepared to deliver telemedicine services and they will be foreign to that,” he said, according to Becker’s Hospital Review.
College of Medicine at Chicago
Students who attend the College of Medicine at Chicago at the University of Illinois participate in the Telemedicine in Practice Curriculum, a five-module program that was designed to help students become more familiar with telehealth technologies. In this program, students will learn from multimedia lessons, interactive learning activities, simulated patient encounters and real-time patient care via telemedicine.
Texas Women’s University and Old Dominion University
Both universities have introduced telemedicine programs into their curriculum to initiate delivering care in rural settings and underserved populations. By using AMD Global Telemedicine‘s clinical telemedicine programs, Texas Women’s University and Old Dominion University are helping students prepare for the future of health care by teaching them how telemedicine provides efficient, coordinated care. Students are being trained on how to use the equipment, but they’re also learning how the technology can leverage patient care and quality.
“AMD’s clinical telemedicine system is the perfect complement to the curriculum we offer in the area of telehealth,” said Dr. Mari Tietze, associate professor at Texas Woman’s University. “Our telehealth electives are open to nursing, occupational health, physical therapy, nutrition, and health system management/business students. It is a great platform for them to understand how teams can collaborate and manage patients remotely.”
Telehealth technology is the future of health care, so it’s vital for universities to follow telemedicine curriculum practices. Learn more about some of the telemedicine systems AMD Global Telemedicine has to offer.
