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Mitch Grunwald

As the National Accounts Manager for VISTA, Mitch is responsible for establishing strategic partnerships with healthcare delivery systems and medical associations to meet their staffing demands. He has been central to developing VISTA’s national accounts team and in partnering with associations to create win-win solutions. Mitch is based in Bristol, CT, and is another component in VISTA’s increased presence on the East Coast.

 

Join in the celebration of our affordable, high quality, cost-effective health care centers!

Mitch Grunwald

August 11th, 2010

National Health Center Week, August 8-14, is devoted to reaching out to the public with the message that health care is accessible to all.

Forty-five years ago the first Community Health Centers were started in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, and Boston, Massachusetts, by two tireless advocates for civil and human rights – Drs. H. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson. Today, over 1,200 health centers serve more than 17 million persons in 8,000 urban and rural medically underserved communities across the nation.

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President Obama declared his support for our nation’s health centers by issuing a Presidential Proclamation last Friday recognizing August 8 – 14, 2010 as National Health Center Week. And health centers across the country have joined in the week-long festivities, celebrating this year’s theme – “America’s Health Centers: Turning the Vision into Reality.”

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Posted in Industry Updates, Social Responsibility

 

Social Media and You

Alison Hartle

August 6th, 2010

Social media.  It’s not a new concept, but it’s certainly one that has gained unprecedented momentum in the past decade.  With the growing popularity of networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as the ease and regularity of “googling,” it’s important to consider how tweeting and photo tagging will affect your career as a physician.  With more than 400 million active Facebook users and Twitter adding an estimated 300,000 new users each day, the chances of remaining untouched by social media are slim.

How can social networking benefit me?

Social networking sites can help to expand your reach and give others the opportunity to stay in touch. They can be very positive when job searching or trying to build a patient base. 

You can learn in real time from peers across geographies and across specialties, share ideas regarding new practices, access collective insights and experience from a broader group, and disseminate information more quickly and with more efficiency.  Social media can help your development as a physician by introducing you to additional resources and ways of thinking by putting you in contact with a large group of medical professionals.

In addition, many physician search firms, including VISTA, are making concerted efforts to reach you, as the healthcare provider, to inform you of new job opportunities and trends within the industry.

How can I protect my privacy?

A good place to start is by checking the privacy settings on any social networking site to which you subscribe.  Should you decide to have personal information listed, be aware of who can access that information and change your privacy settings accordingly.  Be familiar with the privacy policy on any website on which you enter your personal information.  Many times when you click on “I agree” you are subject to having your information shared.  Reading the “fine print” may seem tedious and time-consuming, but it’s the only way to know if your personal information will be shared with third parties.  Always go with the assumption that any information you enter in these sites is transparent to others UNLESS you have changed your privacy settings.

Also, and this is important, if you use an external source to publish information (such as a mobile application), you should check the privacy setting for that post, as it is set by that external source.

Googling yourself is also a good step.  If you’ve never done this before, be prepared to see cached information you may have long forgotten.  Google is a reflection of the content and information publicly available on the Internet.  Search engines do not have the ability to remove content directly from the Internet, so removing content from Google or another search engine would still leave the original content that exists on the Web.  If you want to remove something from the Internet, your best bet is to contact the webmaster of the site and request removal.  Here is the link to Google’s guide to removing information from search results.

Note on Patient Communications

When deciding to utilize these sites as a means to reach out to new/potential patients, keep in mind patient privacy issues and carefully monitor any and all content that is shared.  Your employer/group and any hospital where you hold privileges likely have policies about patient communication and you should learn and adhere to those policies.

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Posted in Stories from VISTA Physicians

 

VISTA loves Maine! And Maine loves VISTA!

Ralph Gabarro

July 27th, 2010

VISTA Staffing Solutions has been the exclusive endorsed provider of physician locum tenens services for members of the Maine Hospital Association since 2004. The agreement was established by Associated Health Resources, an MHA subsidiary established to evaluate and select top quality, high-value products and services for all members.

Under the agreement, VISTA proactively recruits and licenses physicians and places a priority on filling Maine openings. Once they hit a threshold on locum tenens fees, they pay rebates to the MHA and member hospitals. It has been a positive, lasting relationship, so last year the AHR added divisions from VISTA’s parent company, On Assignment, to the contract to expand the service offering to include travel nurses and allied health professionals.

It is important to the AHR, and to me personally as chairman, to monitor the value members are getting from the vendors we endorse. This spring we commissioned a survey of members to determine if they were using the VISTA/On Assignment services, and why or why not.

Here is a recap of the results:

Twenty seven hospitals completed the survey, 21 of which have used VISTA locum tenens at some time. More than half were using VISTA services when the survey was conducted. In response to an open-ended question about their experience with VISTA, the comments were overwhelmingly positive, and included:

  • “Easy to work with. Physicians were highly trained.”
  • “Great experience, professional staff who are very helpful in getting all information needed for credentialing.”
  • “I have found them to be professional, the quality of the candidates they present to be top notch, and coordination of assignments to be easier with them than other companies. I also appreciate that they have one point of contact (Mary Bowers) checking in with me periodically. My experience with other companies is that you can field calls from 10-20 representatives of the various service lines each and every month. VISTA’s approach shows that they value my time.”  
  • “Very positive—Mary Bowers is very responsive. Rates are competitive. Rebate is a good incentive.”
  • “VISTA is our ‘go to’ agency. Their staff are all exceptional to work with and we know the candidates have been screened well before being presented to us.”

We appreciate the value VISTA places on the relationships the company has built throughout Maine and the effort they have put into bringing value to our endorsement.

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Posted in Industry Updates, VISTA Lore

 

VISTA’s Locum Tenens Doctor of the Year pays a visit

Laurie Peterson

July 8th, 2010

Last week the VISTA family medicine team was honored with a visit from Roving Doc, star of Rovingdoctor.blogspot.com, and his wife and blog author, Connie A.

Roving Doc has worked in both domestic and international locum tenens assignments across the US and in Bermuda for the past 20 months. From Arizona to Alaska and back again, he has delighted patients, communities, and hospital colleagues with his warm yet meticulous manner. For these reasons and more he was our nomination for Locum Tenens of the Year in Locum Life magazine.

During the visit the pair regaled us with stories of life and work on the road (with Connie promising to work on writing up one about the hand in the Cuisinart in the small town ED.) Roving Doc said we all felt like extended family. We couldn’t think of a better compliment!

Roving Doc and the VISTA Team

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Posted in Stories from VISTA Physicians

 

First blog post from Invercargill, New Zealand

Jennifer Rozum, MD, FACEP

June 11th, 2010

Hello from Kiwi land!

I arrived on a Thursday evening after a wonderful flight on New Zealand Air. They have a concierge in business class and put a mattress pad, duvet and real pillows on the full length bed. After delicious lamb and many glasses of NZ wine I slept 9 solid hours so was fresh upon arrival. I definitely recommend NZ Air.

Settling in

Invercargill is very green with lots of trees. Every house has a garden.  My rental house has 3 bedrooms – one of which I made into my office – and one shower but no bath. The house has a wonderful yard and I have been out gardening. Lots of roses, raised beds for herbs, fenced in for the dogs.

 My contract included six weeks use of a car which I declined. They drive on the opposite side of the road as in the US and I cannot tell my left from my right at the best of times so I am waiting for (husband) Greg to arrive before we get a car. I walk 1.4 miles to work one-way and on my days off walk usually five to 10 miles to run errands. The exercise is great for me. People here are normal weight and everyone walks or rides bikes. There are taxis which run 24 hours per day so I can take them when I have loads of things to carry.

The food is incredible. The normal supermarkets have the organic quality food of Whole Paycheck. All chickens, beef and lambs are cage free / free range so the meats are less fatty but more flavorful. The produce and breads are excellent. Kumura are a type of sweet potato that are round with a purple skin that are used like we do regular potatoes. There is a little green fruit called a figueroa  that has a floral scent and slightly acidic flavor. The lamb curries at the Bombay, an Indian restaurant run by a Nepalese man, are terrific. Dairy products are so good – the yogurt and milk taste rich and fresh even the non-fat stuff I prefer. My rental house came furnished with the basics but I had to hit the local kitchen store to get my definition of basics for cooking. Despite being alone, I cook daily since the ingredients are so good.

Invercargill has a wonderful library that is well used. I got my library card the day after I arrived and have been there weekly since. There is a small but very nice museum which has a great natural history section. There is a skeleton of the now extinct Moa bird – the knee joint is even with my waist. The birds here are unique because of the geographical isolation of the islands. I have been learning about new birds and plants. Queens Park has beautiful gardens with more varieties of roses than any gardens I have been to in the US and Canada. It is approaching winter here but many of the bushes are still in bloom. They also have tuatara at the museum – George is over 110 years old and still fathering other little tuatara. Invercargill is the major breeding facility for these unusual reptiles – unchanged for 220 million years.

Relaxed pace of life

People here value their time off. Most stores are closed Sunday and open for only 2-3 hours on Saturday. People start getting ready for the weekend Friday so not a lot gets done on Friday. Just about everything shuts down for a holiday. The hospital owns three holiday houses in the South Island that are available for rent for about $50 US per night.

 Most of the patients are employed. Anyone who has an accident is provided all the health care needed until they return to work – this applies to foreign visitors also and includes the ED, surgery, rehab and covers all lacerations, fractures, soft tissue injuries – even overdoses which makes no sense to me! There is no payment required for NZ citizens who use the ED; they have a small co-pay to go to their GP. District nurse referrals are easily made to follow-up on discharged patients. Prescriptions are either free or require a $3 or $5 co-pay. Specialist visits are free if referred to by the GP or ED.

 New Zealand is not a wealthy country and has determined that they cannot spend more that 4% of their GDP on health care (unlike the US 15%). The policy is to emphasize preventative care. All schools have a dietician, a school nurse and a dental technician. Dental care is free until the age of 18 as are all vaccinations. Preventative care is free. Good nutrition, exercise and balance in life are emphasized. People are universally more relaxed, kinder and more helpful. There is crime but I am perfectly safe walking to work at 11 PM or home after midnight. I tried to tip a taxi cab driver who helped me carry loads of groceries into my house and he told me that they don’t accept tips – that they are paid for what they do and happy to help.

 The entire hospital staff is on first name basis (finally the nurses call me Jennifer!) and the doctors introduce themselves by their first names to the patients. So I am learning to relax! The nurses oriented me and have been super.  It is fun to talk to docs from all over the world and hear differences in how medicine is practiced. There is a wonderful spirit of collegiality.

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Posted in Stories from VISTA Physicians

 

Professional CV – a must for every physician

Tonya Harmon

May 31st, 2010

Whether you are a locum tenens physician or a physician looking for permanent opportunities, it is important that you create a curriculum vitae that highlights your experience and background.  Make sure that you dot your “I’s” and cross your “T’s”.  Here are some of the common details that we tend to overlook but are key to a great CV.

1. Keep your CV up to date.

* Nothing says “I’m interested” better than an up-to-the minute CV. Feature details that demonstrate your fit with this specific job.

2. Break information into sections and list accomplishments in each section chronologically.

*Starting with the most recent activity and include month/day/year for all dates. If you have no experience in a particular area, leave it out.

3. Make sure there are no gaps.

* Any gap in time must be explained. If you backpacked through Europe for three months, spell it out in your CV. Otherwise, it will generate a red flag in the mind of the reviewer and you will have to provide an explanation. It can slow things down or potentially hurt your chances for a position.

4. Use a font that is easy to read and use a minimum of 12-point type size.

* Use an all-purpose font that is easy to read and holds up when faxed. Arial and Times New Roman are good choices. Non-standard fonts may not be loaded on all computers, so a person who has received an electronic copy of your CV may not be able to read it. At the very least, the computer will substitute another font and mess up your formatting. Avoid the use of all capital letters and excessive bold, italic or underlining. Use a minimum size of 12-point type.

5. Customize your cover letter for each opportunity, highlighting your interest and qualifications specific to each position.  Also, be sure these qualifications are listed in your CV.

* Add a few details that make it obvious you are interested in a specific job. This is critical when you are applying for a permanent position.

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Posted in Industry Updates

 

New Zealand demonstrates commitment to locum doctors

Amy Griffin

May 19th, 2010

We were interested to learn recently that the Medical Council of New Zealand is taking steps to ensure that international medical graduates arriving in New Zealand receive improved on-the-job support to help them settle into the New Zealand health care system.  

The Medical Council will be recognizing services that have quality systems in place to ensure locum tenens and other international medical graduates are well supported and supervised when they begin medical practice in New Zealand.  Services that meet these standards will be dubbed approved practice settings (APS).

In a recent press release from the council, Chairperson Dr. John Adams said, “The bottom line is that the APS is designed to ensure patient health and safety, whilst at the same time offer IMGs structured support and guidance when beginning medical practice in New Zealand.”

 “We believe the APS offers IMGs who are new to New Zealand improved support from their colleagues and senior doctors,” Dr. Adams continued. “It will encourage a team approach to supervision, and will encourage greater collaboration across District Health Boards, with recognition of services that span more than one site and regional models of service delivery.”

We applaud this additional step in making New Zealand a welcoming, rewarding locum tenens destination. Add this to the welcoming colleagues from around the world, the sustainable pace of life, and the warm, appreciative patients, and New Zealand becomes an even more attractive location for your next great locum tenens adventure.

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Posted in Industry Updates, Travel Tips

 

Finishing in 50 states! A note from a locum tenens psychiatrist

Thomas A. Hallee, MD

May 13th, 2010

Dear Friends at VISTA!

Big news! As of May 2, when I finished the Providence, Rhode Island Marathon, I have run, walked, limped, etc. the requisite 26.2 miles in all 50 of our fine states! I’ve been at this pursuit since 2001, when I turned 60 and decided I needed to get in better physical shape. On one of my early marathons I learned of the “50 States Marathon Club,” which I qualified to join after finishing 10 states. I joined and got the T-shirt!  It has been a fun association and continuing motivation to keep running. I have now earned the privilege of wearing the much coveted shirt that says, “50 States Finisher.”

Ironically, I achieved something else in this lovely city, and it closes another gestalt. Providence College is where I received my pre-med degree in 1964!  

 As you can imagine, my wife, Eileen, and I have shared great traveling adventures as we chased these marathons all over this crazy country.  It all started when we ran the Honolulu Marathon in 1978.  After that, we ran five more Honolulu Marathons together over the years.  She had a faster time than me every year, by the way, except for the time she slowed down so we could cross the finish line together. There is good reason why Honolulu is one of the most popular marathons in the world. It is beautiful, friendly, fun, and shows off their great Aloha spirit. It is my most favoritest!

 Here are some highlights of our sojourn:   

  • Boston 2004, 88 degrees at the start!  (I call it the Hotathon); 
  • New York 2003, 2 million fans lining the course; 
  • Chicago 2006, 34 degrees and windy (what else?)
  • Ketchikan, AK 2004: 40 runners total, we ran over two mountains
  • Swan Lake, South Dakota, 2006:  A small event, flat, remote! ( even won a ribbon for first in my age group)
  • Lincoln, Nebraska:  Flat!  Started off in an electrical storm.  Thunder for a starting gun!
  • Avenue of the Giants, California, 2005:  A glorious run through the redwoods, with the pileated woodpeckers drumming in the springtime.
  • Richmond, VA, 2008 on my 67th birthday.
  • Extra-Terrestrial Midnight Full Moon Marathon, Nevada, 2009.  Ran through Area 51!  No aliens sighted, but I wondered about a couple of the runners.
  • Acadia National Park, Maine, 2007…….in the autumn foliage along the carriage paths. 

I especially want to thank my patient wife, Eileen, who has been my “roving aid station” on most of these marathons, showing up along the course to give me love and caring, encouragement, ice water, M&Ms, Red Bull, Gatorade, Wavy Lays, Mentos, Tylenol, and anything else to keep me going for a few more miles!  

 EILEEN!!

What next? The Bay to Breakers is in San Fran in eight days; my first Canadian marathon, on Vancouver Island (Ucluelet) is on June 12th; hopefully I’ll do the Berlin Marathon in September; and the tough Marine Corps Marathon 10-31-10 in DC. If I can get a place, I’ll run the London Marathon next April. Registration opened and closed on May 4th while we were flying back from Boston, all 125,000 places!

Thank you all very much for all your good wishes for good luck in the past. They have helped me tremendously to get where I am today.

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Posted in Stories from VISTA Physicians

 

Beautiful places, wonderful people – from the journal of a locum

Connie A.

April 28th, 2010

Working as a locum has been quite the adventure. We are into our second year and have been to Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Alaska and Bermuda. The longest job has been two months, and the shortest was a week. My husband has enjoyed working with the people in the clinics he’s been to. He says, seeing the patients is the easy part. It’s the different computer systems in each office that is the challenge, but his skills have been rapidly improving. 

We’ve seen some beautiful places and met some wonderful people. We look forward to new adventures on our next few months. I’ll leave you with a couple shots. We were in Bermuda in February, and in Petersburg, Alaska in April, with a stop in Grandview, Washington in between.

Locum photo1

Locum photo 2

Locum Photo 3

 IMG_2961 

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Posted in Stories from VISTA Physicians

 

Locum pets require almost as much planning as locum doctors

Sandy Sandberg

April 21st, 2010

Checklist for international assignment for Dr. Jennifer R., emergency medicine:

Registration—check; visa—check; credential packet—check; travel arrangements—check; husband’s travel arrangements—check; travel arrangements for two 90-pound Akitas—uh, check.

International assignments generally last about a year, so it’s not unusual for a locum doctor to ask about taking a beloved pet along on the adventure. VISTA just placed the emergency medicine physician featured above in a 12-month position in New Zealand, spouse, dogs, and all. I thought this would be a good time to share a little information about taking your furry pals along on an international locum tenens assignment.

 What are the quarantine rules for pets in AU, NZ, BM? 

 AU: Cost- $1500 – $3500 depending on breed

  • Residency: Cats and dogs must have been continuously living in the country of export for a minimum of six months immediately prior to export.
  • Age: Cats and dogs must be at least six months old at the time of export.
  • Pregnancy: Cats and dogs must not be more than three weeks pregnant nor be suckling young at the time of export. Pregnant animals must meet the minimum 30-day quarantine requirement in Australia.
  • Breeds: Certain breeds of dogs and cats are prohibited. The types that are prohibited can be found on the AQIS website.  
  • Microchip: Cats and dogs must be identified by a microchip that can be read by an Avidâ, Trovanâ, Destronâ or other ISO-compatible reader. The microchip must be implanted before any testing takes place.
  • Locate an Official Government Approved Veterinarian: A government approved veterinarian will prepare the animal for export to Australia and complete Veterinary Certificate A of the AQIS import permit.
  • Vaccinations:
    • Every cat and dog must be vaccinated against rabies with an approved inactivated rabies virus vaccine within the 12 months prior to export and when the animal is at least three months old.
    • Dogs must be vaccinated against distemper, infectious hepatitis, canine parvovirus (parvo), para-influenza and Bordetella bronchiseptica (kennel cough). Within one year and 14 days prior to export.
    • Cats must be vaccinated against feline enteritis (also known as feline panleucopenia or feline distemper), rhinotracheitis and calicivirus. Within one year and 14 days prior to export.
    • Within 30 days prior to export, dogs must also be tested for Ehrlichiosis, External Parasites, Brucellosis, Leptospirosis and Leishmaniosis.
    • Within four days prior to export, dogs and cats must be treated for internal and external parasites and also have a complete Veterinary Certificate A Including Pre-Export Inspection.
  • AQIS Quarantine Permit: Apply for one online after receiving a RNATT lab report from a veterinarian and pay fees. Animals must be held in quarantine in one of three sites for a minimum of 30 days when arriving in AU.
  • Book Tentative Quarantine Accommodations: After receiving a quarantine permit, you must book accommodations at one of the accommodation sites listed on the AQIS website.
  • Travel Arrangements: Animals can only arrive at one of three airports listed on the AQIS website and must travel as “Manifested Cargo” (not in the cabin) and in an (IATA) approved container (crate) for cats and dogs.
  • Day of departure: The following must be completed by the approved veterinarian: Microchip scan, completion of Veterinary Certificate B, and sealing the animal in the shipping container (crate).

 NZ= Cost – $1500 -$3500 depending on breed

  • All animals have to come through Auckland International Airport and most are subject to quarantine (minimum of 30 days) depending on which country they are from.
  • They must have typically spent at least six months in their departure country, and will require full vaccinations and a subcutaneous identity chip.
  • Animals must be more than nine months old at departure.
  • Pets from most countries will also require a rabies lab test at least three weeks after vaccination.
  • The rabies lab test results, which identifies the animal by its identity chip number, must be at least six months old before the animal will be eligible for importation.
  • Vaccination requirements for dogs: Rabies (Except UK and Australia), Distemper, Hepatitis, Adenovirus 2, Parainfluenza, Bordatella, Leptospirosis, Parvovirus.
  • Vaccination requirements for cats: Rabies (Except UK and Australia), Panleukopnia, Rhinotrachetis, Calicivirus.
  • Animal completes tests and treatments specified in Veterinary Certificate A within 30 days of scheduled departure date, including a second neutralizing antibody titration test for rabies.
  • Pets must be transported in an International Air Transport Association (IATA) approved container.
  • MAF Biosecurity New Zealand must be provided with the flight/ship number and arrival time of any animal at least 72 hours before expected arrival.

 Bermuda= $1000 -$2000 depending on breed

  • All animals arriving in Bermuda must be accompanied by an Import Permit that was issued in advance by the Department of Environmental Protection, together with an original health certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian of the country from which the animal is coming to Bermuda .
  • The health certificate and veterinary statements must be issued within 10 days before the animal’s arrival in Bermuda, must be dated, must show the name, address and phone number of the veterinary facility, and must be signed by a licensed veterinarian.
  • The animal must be implanted with a microchip that may be read by a standard microchip reader, i.e. ISO, FECAVA, European/International or AVID-USA chip.
  • Owner must submit a veterinary health certificate issued within 10 days before your arrival in Bermuda, stating that the animal is not infected with any communicable disease and is free of external parasites.
  • Owner must submit a veterinary statement that the animal has been treated on the day of examination with an acaricidal preparation (named), which is known to have residual activity against ticks, e.g., flea and tick spray, powder, dip.
  • Owner must submit a veterinary statement that, as best as can be ascertained by your knowledge and through questioning, the animal has not been exposed to rabies nor been present in an officially quarantined rabies area within the last six months.
  • Owner must submit rabies vaccination history, showing at least two rabies vaccinations, and that all rabies vaccinations have been given by a licensed veterinarian, and are in accord with all of these requirements. The animal:
    • Upon attaining / after the age of three months, has received a rabies vaccination; AND
    • Received a second rabies vaccine six to12 months following the first rabies vaccination; AND
    • There have been no significant lapses in vaccinations; AND
    • The most recent vaccination was given at least 30 days, and not more than 12 months prior to arrival in Bermuda.
  • Veterinarians may only attest to vaccinations given by him/herself, given under his/her direct supervision, and prior vaccinations that are accompanied with original certificates. Veterinarians cannot attest to vaccines given by non-veterinarians, including owners or breeders.
  • Within 10 days of your arrival into Bermuda, visit your veterinarian to obtain a microchip, health certificate, and the veterinary statements.

 For help in coordinating your pet’s locum tenens adventure, contact a local pet transportation/relocation company such as Pet Transport Link.

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Posted in Stories from VISTA Physicians

 
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