There are many leaders in the United States today. These men and women help to form the nation into what it is today and what it will be in the future. One of these important leaders of the United States is the Surgeon General. The Surgeon General has many responsibilities and priorities that form our nation’s Public Health System. These responsibilities and priorities of the Surgeon General will be explained throughout this paper.
According to the Reader’s Digest Encyclopedia the Surgeon General is the chief medical officer for the United States Public Health System. This means that since 1871 the Surgeon General has been the nation’s leading spokesman on matters of public health. The first person to hold the position of Surgeon General was Dr. John Woodworth. Dr. Woodworth put together a group of physicians to assist him with health issues. The Congress recognized these men and women as the Commissioned Corps.
Over the years the position of Surgeon General has changed in many ways. In 1873 the official title of the Surgeon General was changed to Supervising Surgeon General and then back to just Surgeon General in 1902. According to Funk and Wagnall’s New Encyclopedia the Surgeon General was the head of the Public Health System and reported directly to the Secretary of Health. After 1968 the Surgeon General reported to the Assistant Secretary of Health.
The current Surgeon General for the United States is Dr. David Satcher. He was born in Anniston, Alabama on March second 1941. Dr. Satcher, his wife Nola, and his four children live in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Satcher received his M.D. and PhD from Case Western Reserve University in 1970. Dr. Satcher is the sixteenth Surgeon General and also the first African American man to hold this position. Fourteen men and two women have held the position since it originated in 1871. Dr. Satcher was sworn in on February thirteenth 1998 and his term will end in February 2002. He also held the position of Secretary of Health from February 1998 to January 2001. He was also the Surgeon General at this time.
According to the Official Surgeon General website, Dr. Satcher has many jobs and responsibilities. First off his job is to administer the U.S. Public Health System. This is a group of public health professionals who respond to current and long-term health needs of the Nation. Dr. Satcher also provides leadership and management to the Public Health Service in the field of emergency preparedness and response activities.
The concepts discussed within the article regarding medicalization and changes within the field of medicine served to be new knowledge for me as the article addressed multiple different aspects regarding the growth of medicalization from a sociological standpoint. Furthermore, the article “The Shifting Engines of Medicalization” discussed the significant changes regarding medicalization that have evolved and are evidently practiced within the contemporary society today. For instance, changes have occurred within health policies, corporatized medicine, clinical freedom, authority and sovereignty exercised by physicians has reduced as other factors began to grow that gained importance within medical care (Conrad 4). Moreover, the article emphasized
Most qualified surgeons started off as litter bearer and would carry men off the battlefield. If any of them showed interest in the medical field, they could become a Steward. A Steward's job was to take care of patients with minor wounds such as, scratches, and bumps. The other duties of a Steward were to pull teeth and take care of medicines for the surgeons. The Steward would also guard the medicinal stores, because often soldiers would try to break into the medicinal stores where the morphine, opium, and whisky were stored. If a Steward completed these duties, then he might be allowed to assist a surgeon in an operation, which could lead to becoming an assistant surgeon. He could then later on become an experienced and qualified surgeon.
In the early 1900’s the United States’ medical field was stagnant causing many deaths in wartime. The majority of deaths in war times were often caused by diseases that were incurable. The United States medical field had to grow to current needs in war but it grew very slowly. The United States Army Ambulance Service was established on June 23, 1917 and the Sanitary Corps established one week later on the 30th. (David Steinert). The Sanitary Corps quickly expanded to nearly 3,000 officers during World War I but, this field was still much smaller than any other
There has been a shortage of physicians, lack of inpatient beds, problems with ambulatory services, as well as not having proper methods of dealing with patient overflow, all in the past 10 years (Cummings & francescutti, 2006, p.101). The area of concern that have been worse...
...ow about internal medicine with the rise of hospital-based training. Eventually, the Company of Surgeons split from the barbers, abolishing surgery training by apprenticeship, as this form of surgical education flourished and barbers were no longer allowed to carry out complex surgical procedure yet for some time they were allowed to carry out some simple procedures like bloodletting and teeth-pulling. In 1745 the London College of Surgeons was established by King George II and the Royal Academy of Surgery was established by King Louis XV in 1748, with all surgeons now being university educated, and with surgery now under a new modern reputation, considered a sophisticated medical skill that can reduce ailment, save lives, and a window to learn more about the physiology of the body as a whole, which is the same goals as that of the traditional physician of medicine.
Health care advancements in America are notably the best in the world. We continually strive for preventions and cures of diseases. America has the best medical scientists and physicians that specialize in their medical fields. According to Joseph A. Califano Jr. (2003), "what makes America health care system great is its ability to attract the finest minds in our society," that can help the sick by preventing and curing medical complications. (p. 18). We are noted worldwide for our medical care and physicians from other countries jump at the opportunity to join the American medical system.
The number of doctors that present in the United States of America directly affects the communities that these doctors serve and plays a large role in how the country and its citizens approach health care. The United States experienced a physician surplus in the 1980s, and was affected in several ways after this. However, many experts today have said that there is currently a shortage of physicians in the United States, or, at the very least, that there will be a shortage in the near future. The nation-wide statuses of a physician surplus or shortage have many implications, some of which are quite detrimental to society. However, there are certain remedies that can be implemented in order to attempt to rectify the problems, or alleviate some of their symptoms.
... identified three major health issues that are global but has the potential to affect the United States health care system and how they influence health leaders.
The concept of PAs arose in the 1960s however throughout the early twentieth century doctors commonly had assistants. For centuries, people without medical school training and who were not fully trained doctors, were essential to the provision of healthcare. During the 1930s a surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, by the name of George Crile, had one of the earliest examples of a Physician Assistant. This associate, an informally trained surgical and urology specialist, came to be nicknamed the “world’s first PA”(hooker 18). Furthermore, this assistant became the prototype for today’s urology PA. Another model for the Physician Assistant today went by the name of Vivian Thomas. For years Vivian worked at the right hand of Hopkins surgeon, Alfred
The health of the American people lags behind those from other developed countries. Federal public health agencies have a wide range of responsibilities and functions which includes public health research, funding, and oversight of direct healthcare providers. It has been a long time since changes have been made to the way the federal government structures its health care roles and programs outside of Medicare and Medicaid (Trust, 2013). With healthcare reform on the horizon now is the time to invest time and money in prevention, not medicine, making it a top priority to improve health and prevent disease. Funding efforts at all levels of the public health continuum need to focus on developing programs aimed at such leading initiatives as tobacco cessation, improving nutrition, supplying safe workplaces, and increasing physical activity in all ages of the population. People should have equal access to quality preventative medicine and education.
Education • High school Diploma • 2-year College of technical training • 4 year college or university To volunteer you must be in high school and have a degree in biology and computer science; there are many types of surgeons like burn surgery, cardio-thoracic, neurosurgery, urology, and plastic surgery. Related jobs • Dentist • Oncologist • Allergist • Naturopath • Coroner • Pediatric • General Practitioner • Diagnostic Radiologist. Employment opportunities • There will be about 859,300 job openings for a surgeon by the year of 2020; the best job will be physician that specializes in cardiology and radiology.
The Doctor is a Time Lord from the planet of Gallifrey. The Doctor is around 1,360 years old (Who Mysteries: The Doctor’s Real Age). In the show the Doctor is known only by the Doctor because his Gallifreyan name has yet to be revealed. When Time Lords are near death, they have the ability to regenerate themselves, taking on a whole new body and personality. This cycle is limited to thirteen regenerations. The first Doctor was played by William Hartnell. He is portrayed as an older man who has been exiled from his home planet. The first Doctor lasted from 1963 until 1966. The cause for his regeneration was simply that the body had been worn down in a battle against the Cybermen. The second Doctor was played by Patrick Troughton. He lasted from 1966 until 1969. The second Doctor was a lot more curious than the first. He was put on trial for interference by The Time Lords of Gallifrey. During this time the second Doctor was forced to regenerate. The thi...
Palmer, K. (2010). A brief history: Universal health care efforts in the U.S. Physicians for a National Health Program. Retrieved from
"Anesthesiologist." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
A physician is defined as a person qualified to practice medicine which I realize is a very broad definition, but it’s history is very rich. The practice of being a physician can be traced back to ancient civilizations. The first recorded physician was Hippocrates of Ancient Greek who lived two thousand and five hundred years ago, but some of his methods still affect modern practices. Later, other great civilizations followed suit in developing medical theories from diagnosis to treatments. Sadly the Middle Ages saw little to none new theories or interest in physician practices, but a renewed interest during the renaissance created many needed discoveries for vaccines, treatment, and diagnosis techniques. Human knowledge is ever increasing in todays modern world bringing major breakthroughs in areas that have plagued humans. ("Physicians.")