Medical Musings

In the second edition of his book of musings on leading issues facing medical doctors today (and ultimately us, as their clients) Professor Sataloff examines new areas for our consideration – from, among many others, aging and medical professionals, through Medicare, to big data.The musings are arranged in sections covering education, research, publication, clinical practice and politics. Within each, issues cover a range of topics, including areas of controversy, such as gender, disruptive staff, healthcare insurance and the increasingly fuzzy line between qualified medical doctors and allied health professionals, while others seek to open the reader’s eyes with views on medical education, learning and research, and how important teaching, mentoring and continuing education can be.Attention is given to politics and how we all stand to learn from and, perhaps, educate and influence our legislators. As an author or co-author of 65 books and numerous papers in learned journals, Sataloff considers publication as an educational necessity for students, its value to physicians and surgeons, while also cautioning the reader on the standpoint, ethics and veracity of some of the materials and research that make it into print. A very interesting chapter reviews cognitive aging among medical professionals using translational data from, among others, the aviation industry and the FBI.   Thought-provoking, illuminating, concise and very readable, this remains, in the Author’s own words, a book which ‘…provides perspectives on education, publication, health care delivery, and other topics relevant to leadership in medicine, and more importantly to inspire thought and provoke debate’.