MedEd Connect Blog: Exploring Medicine Based Careers

     Every day, a patient in a clinic waits for a nurse and oftentimes they find none. Across the globe, nursing is at its breaking point, and yet it remains key to a functioning healthcare system. According to the World Health Organization, there are 29.8 million nurses worldwide yet there is a shortage of 5.8 million, specifically in lower and middle-income countries.       The consequence of understaffing extended far beyond delayed care. It has affected nurses personally. Nurse burnout, fuelled by high workloads, and systemic neglect, is pervasive. In a meta-analysis of 85 studies including nearly 298,000 nurses, burnout was associated significantly with lower patient safety, medical errors, and lower patient satisfaction. This burnout undermines nurse retention, mental health, and their performance in the field. Performance that is necessary for patients' well-being.   How can this be resolved? To begin with, health systems must invest i...

    When Bodies Become Battlegrounds: By: Mahdya Shirzad Many ponder on how to truly live their limited lives, whether looking through a long bucket list, or daydreaming about what they think is the “perfect life”. However, in the midst of their thoughts, most fail to realize the seriousness of chronic disease that is the very cause of their limited time.  Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the epitome of human mortality and morbidity, contributing to 75% of deaths that occur prematurely (before age 70), the majority happening in underdeveloped countries. Chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease, and diabetes are the most dominant NCDs, making every human being susceptible. Many of these diseases stem from aspects like behavioral, environmental, and metabolic inadequacies. Behavioral issues include a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, unhealthy diet, and excessive consumption of alcohol. Environmental issues involve air pollution, lack of...

Orthopedic Surgery Zayd Shariff  Orthopedic surgery focuses on the musculoskeletal system which includes your bones, joints, and ligaments among other things. It is a key part of medicine that helps individuals stay fit, mobile, and active leading people to live a healthy lifestyle. It encompasses conditions such as arthritis, sports injuries, and spinal problems. Despite its importance throughout the world, access to the speciality remains unequal across the globe. In affluent countries such as the United States orthopedic surgery continues to rapidly improve. Innovations include techniques that utilize robotic assistance, procedures that are minimally invasive, and patient personalized medicine. As a result patients recover in shorter times and stay healthier for longer periods of time. While these improvements are obviously beneficial, in less developed countries the most basic forms of orthopedic surgery are out of reach. For example, a fractured femur can be treated within hou...

Neurogenetics Alishba Abbasi Neurogenetic disorders are genetic and chromosomal alterations that affect the nervous system, affecting brain development, nerve function, and overall neurological well-being. Early intervention is crucial for a child's ability to acquire essential skills and independence.  Along with lifelong healthcare management, which can only be achieved via a collaborative approach involving a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, scientists, psychologists, social workers and administrative staff in order to meet the specific needs of the individual and their family. The establishment of an integrated service that includes clinical assessment and diagnosis, molecular genetic testing and follow-up consultations would all need to be in place.  Yet for many, this is unavailable. Either due to the expenses required, the ethical issues related to it, or due to the pace at which this field is advancing, which proves hard to keep up. Despite increased funding, the...

  Throughout the past seventy years, scientists have worked with psychostimulant medications to help patients with ADHD, also known as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. ADHD affects peoples’ lives all around the globe. Its symptoms include hyperactivity, impulsivity, and issues with attention. Through a multitude of scientific research on the causes and effects of ADHD, researchers have found a solution to aiding those who struggle with daily functioning due to ADHD. Psychostimulant medications have been known to alleviate symptoms of ADHD and improve attention by increasing dopamine levels and norepinephrine in the brain. Once these neurotransmitters are boosted, the psychostimulants work to increase a patient’s ability to concentrate. However, neuroimaging has recently allowed scientists to discover how long-term psychostimulant treatment affects the brain structure of adults with ADHD. Specifically, scientists used brain MRI scans from 26 adults, with 13 who had been tre...

  The Heart of Global Healthcare Inequality: Cardiac Surgeries Access Crisis While cardiac surgery has witnessed remarkable technological advances, from robotic-assisted procedures to minimally invasive techniques. A stark reality persists: the world's most vulnerable populations remain largely cut off from these life-saving interventions. Cardiovascular diseases claim 20.5 million lives annually, making them the leading cause of death worldwide (World Heart Federation). Yet the burden falls disproportionately on those least equipped to handle it. A staggering 80% of cardiovascular deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where 93% of the population lacks access to safe, timely, and affordable cardiac surgical care (Vervoort et al.). Source: 2016 peru via Wikimedia Commons  This isn’t just about geography, it’s about justice. Even in developed nations, disparities persist along gender and socioeconomic lines. Recent studies reveal that women and patients from ...

  General Medicine Bellamy A. General Medicine, also known as internal medicine, serves as the backbone of adult healthcare, focusing on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases (American College of Physicians, 2022). Unlike specialists who treat specific organs, general physicians, also known as internists, are trained to diagnose and manage a wide spectrum of conditions ranging from cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses to endocrine, infectious, and rheumatologic diseases. This broad scope makes them crucial for patients with chronic, complex, or overlapping health issues (Cleveland Clinic, 2025). In hospitals, general medicine plays a central role. Internists often serve as primary care providers and oversee inpatient care, using lab results, imaging, and patient history to make evidence-based decisions (American College of Physicians, 2022). Additionally, they offer routines, checkups, long-term conditions management, and coordination with other specialties...