Abstract
We have written in our editorials about the importance of training in telemedicine to increase the pool of capable personnel as the telemedicine programs expand exponentially. Let us think just briefly about the importance of capturing the interest of tomorrow's telemedicine leaders through engagement in student activities. Many people in the founding generation of telemedicine are aging and leaving the workforce. How could we assure ourselves that the marvelous career and personal opportunities in telemedicine will spark the development of today's students? There has been considerable interest in the incorporation of telemedicine into the curriculum of the health professions. That is without question crucial. However, it is likely that the health profession schools are graduating young people well skilled in information management and digital tools. Such an individual is actually well prepared to enter into telemedicine endeavors whether in engineering, nursing, medicine, allied health, pharmacy, or administration.
Let us focus on something fun and potentially effective. The International Society for Telemedicine and e-Health has had a program for years, whereby students are encouraged to submit their work to the Med-e-Tel conference where experts critique and reward their competitive efforts. Dr. Elizabeth Krupinski has led an effort in the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) annual meeting to encourage student articles and posters with expert evaluation of their substance and presentations with awards each year. This year the award went to Jennifer Fang at Mayo for her work entitled “Saving the Life of a Newborn, One Video Consult at a Time.” It is clear that many of the submissions to your Journal credit students among the authors of the work. The ATA College of Fellows is moving forward with a scholarship fund to bring students to the ATA for one or two scholarships each year. These efforts are just wonderful. However, we would like to challenge our readers to go further.
Certainly, we should continue to make telemedicine an element of curriculum to inform students as to the potential and reality of telemedicine and how it impacts the delivery of healthcare. However, let us go deeper into the matter of curriculum. Let us approach course directors in every curriculum element to include some time to inform students as to the telemedicine applications in that discipline. A sound inclusion of telemedicine in pathology, ophthalmology, medical specialties, surgery, nursing, ICU, public health, health informatics, and bioengineering courses would seem a natural method to make telemedicine as integral to curriculum as it is to the emerging practice of medicine. Each of us should find ways to bring students into research and projects. The same suggestion certainly applies to inclusion of positions for postdoctoral fellows in our research proposals and endeavors. It would seem logical to encourage journal clubs, focus groups, and precareer exploration activities into the health profession schools. There could be lectures and presentations as well as group projects. We are certain that the highly accomplished practitioners of telemedicine would be willing to join a speaker's bureau to amplify what could be done at the local level. Certainly a list of mentors could be generated for students to engage in research through virtual collaboration around the world. Students could get to know one another by networking the organizations and resources. How about a posting of webinars directed at students or general webinars that might be of interest to students?
In our laboratory over the years, inclusion of students always seemed to make things better. Postdoctoral trainees were our focus but we sponsored doctoral research as well as many bioengineering projects at the masters level. There were medical students routinely in the laboratory and we were delighted to include high school students in projects that led to presentations. We also helped with the local robotics competition. It never seemed to be a burden!
These suggestions can acquire momentum. Certainly the Journal would be very happy to consider articles on student curriculum and impact. Reports on collaborative student events with a consideration of impact and outcome would also be a worthy matter for consideration of publication. We wonder now many of our readers came to know about telemedicine through student activities. We know you are out there! That number should increase many fold through constructive and productive efforts to capture the talent and interest of our students. Bring them along and they will make the science and application of telemedicine vibrant for generations to come!