Number 21 June 1, 2002	A publication of Project Eagle, St. Petersburg College

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Online Support for Medical Education:

A Best Educational E-Practice

"Medical school is the start of a lifelong learning endeavor. Increasingly computer - and web-based resources will facilitate this process... The effect, if well managed, can be revolutionary."
(Dennis Paul Valenzeno et al, "Lifelong Learning with Digital Compendia,"
Medical Education Online 5, 2000. )

For a national model in educational e-support, look no further than the field of medical education. Although the capability of becoming a physician through online coursework only is not yet a reality, Web-based support in the field is arguably the best of that in any subject area. This issue contains a collection of Web sites that reflect both the diversity and depth of materials available for medical e-learners throughout their careers.

Academic Medical Education Programs with Significant E-Components

	Lumen. An extensive effort to network medical education on the Web by Loyola University (IL). Its goals include curricular content integration, access to information worldwide, and encouragement of the development of computer-aided instruction.
	Medical Education Server. The University of Florida's comprehensive online service for those involved in medical education at all levels, from first year to continuing medical education.
	Medical Schools in the U. S. and Canada. Quick links provided by the Association of American Medical Colleges.
	SuccessTypes Medical Education Page. A Web site maintained by the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center to complement medical students' coursework by fostering academic success through a philosophy of personal development.
	"Surgical Training Goes Online." Article by Sara Crowe in The University of Sydney News, June 1, 2000, describing a breakthrough online program for University of Sydney surgical trainees overseen by the Australian Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
	"Telemedicine Effort Gets Prestigious National Award." A report in the Tucson Citizen, May 4, 2002, about an online program - offered by three Arizona universities - that has provided almost 9500 credit hours to rural health care professionals.

Continuing Medical Education E-Sources(CMEs)

	CME Unlimited. A non-profit division of Audio-Digest Foundation that offers physicians tapes recorded at workshops from medical conferences worldwide.
	CME Web: The Global Continuing Medical Education Resource. A commercial Web site that can provide more than 1400 credit hours in 21 specialty areas.
	Continuing Medical Education for Physicians and Other Health Professionals. Harvard University's (MA) collection of more than 200 courses that have been taken by more than 47,000 professionals in 70 countries.
	Electronic CME: Online and Software Resources. A unique listing by specialty of continuing medical education opportunities available either online or via various media.
	Online Continuing Education Courses. Online continuing education courses specifically designed for Florida medical and other health-related professionals by the Florida Medical Educational Services.
	Online CME Sites. An annotated list maintained by Bernard Sklar, MD, with links to more than 200 CME sites offering more than 12,000 courses. Also links to a similar list for Canadians.

Diverse Sources for Medical E-Learners

	American Medical Student Association. Multi-purpose Web site for medical students maintained by the country's largest medical student association.
	HON Code of Conduct for Medical and Health Web Sites. Web site maintained by the Health on the Net Foundation that reviews medical and health Web sites for reliability.
	Web Path: Internet Pathology Laboratory for Medical Education. Exemplary Web site of e-support available in a particular subject area - pathology - that includes images, text, tutorials, and examination items. Maintained by Edward C. Klatt, MD, Florida State University.
	Martindale's Health Science Guide. Remarkable, award-winning, collection of e-sources created by Jim Martindale and maintained at the University of California, Irvine. Includes more than 132,000 medical cases, 61,000 teaching files, 1250 courses/textbooks, 1600 tutorials, 420 journals, 4180 databases, and 1000 movies.
	MedConnect: An Online Resource for Medical Professionals. Excellent source of health news and developments for students and practicing physicians.
	Medslides. An award-winning Web site that offers free medical information of all kinds in slide format to medical professionals.
	"Short Take: Mobile Med." Article by Charles Clauson in Stanford Medicine 18 (2), Fall 2001, on the trend to provide medical students with handheld PDA-type devices as part of their education.
	Student Doctor Network. A volunteer resource with the goal of telling "the real story about medical and dental school" and supporting students in those programs. Includes student diaries, an interactive student lounge, a section for spouses, and much more.
	Telemedicine Information Exchange. Extensive, international source supported by the National Library of Medicine on the use of telecommunications and technology to provide medical services at a distance. Includes links to articles, existing programs, meetings, training and more.
	Virtual Hospital. Vast digital health sciences library created at the University of Iowa, designed for medical professionals and patients. One example of many excellent Web sites of its kind.

Medical Education E-Books and E-Journals

	Amedeo.com: The Medical Literature Guide. Extensive, impressive and searchable collection of links to free online information arranged by topic. Has recently started a similar service for e-books called FreeBooks4Doctors.com, which presently links to more than 500 titles.
	Combined Health Information Database (CHID). A searchable database of material produced by federal health-related agencies, many not indexed anywhere else.
	FreeMedicalJournals.com. Growing collection of links (now more than 900) to journals that offer free full-text access at any given moment.
	MedicalStudent.com. A digital library of authoritative medical information for all students of medicine curated by Michael D'Alessandro, MD. Links to textbooks, journals, exams and more.
	Medical Student JAMA Online. Free online periodical by the American Medical Association. The British Medical Association publishes a similar online student journal, Student BMJ.
	MEDWEB. Sprawling catalog of biomedical/health science links by Emory University (GA).
	PubMed. Database maintained by the National Library of Medicine that provides access to more than 11 million medical citations, some linking directly to Web sites providing full-text articles.
	TimeLit. Links to more than 50,000 items on the subject of medical education collected by R. M. Harden, Centre for Medical Education at Dundee, Scotland and maintained by Neil McManus.

Career Planning E-Sources

	Careers in Medicine. An online career planning program for choosing a medical specialty and selecting/applying to a residency program.
	Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). A Web site dealing with the career planning challenges for foreign medical graduates wanting to practice in the U. S.
	Tomorrowsdoctors.org. Site maintained by the Association of American Medical Colleges that offers extensive advice to medical students and those considering the profession.
	US Medical Licensing Examination and Princeton Review's USMLE Discussion Board. Two sources of information/assistance for medical students preparing for the medical licensing exam.
	Way Cool Surgery. A K-12 Web site that introduces young people to careers in medicine.

The contents of BEEP were developed under a grant from the U. S. Department of Education (DOE). However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the DOE, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.