Those attending the Science Career Series on Health Careers held Monday, November 6, were treated to a lively and informative discussion.

Panelists included Cathy Ai, DDS, Pediatric Dentistry Resident at the University of Minnesota; Ms. Sandra Kurtin, MS, Hematology/Oncology Nurse Practitioner and Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, UA College of Nursing; Dee Quinn, BSN, MS, CGC, Genetic Counselor in the Department of OBGYN at the University of Arizona; and Anthony Stazzone, MD, Internist, University Physicians and Clinical Faculty, UA College of Medicine.

Each panelist described how s/he decided on the career path s/he took. Ms. Kurtin started out in education but then realized that nursing was more her calling; Dr. Ai found working with children whose teeth are still developing to be both interesting and fun; and Ms. Quinn was a nurse who was drawn to genetic counseling.

Ms. Kurtin spends her day seeing patients and every day is different. She also speaks to different professional and community groups and publishes in the scientific literature. The treatment of cancer is evolving incredibly rapidly. That, coupled with her patient contact, makes her job very stimulating. She explained that a tolerance for (and indeed a love of) chaos is an important trait for health care providers to have.

Dr. Ai explained that dental school takes four years. Following that, some go directly into practice, but others chose the path she has taken, into a residency through which she will become a specialist.

Ms. Quinn talked about the growing need for genetic counselors given what we are learning from the Human Genome Project. The profession of genetic counseling is only about 30 years old and third party payers (insurance companies) don't often reimburse for genetic counseling. Ms. Quinn expressed optimism that this will change and when it does, not only will more people with the need for this service have it available to them but also salaries for genetic counselors are likely to increase. In 1999, Ms. Quinn started the Arizona Teratology Information Program funded by the State Legislature. This is a toll-free information service that provides information on exposures during pregnancy and lactation to health care providers and to patients. Ms. Quinn is a Clinical Lecturer in the UA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and teaches genetics and teratology to medical students, residents and other health care providers.

Dr. Stazzone spends most of his time seeing patients, but he also teaches medical students at the UA Med School. He noted that while getting through medical school was an accomplishment, the first day of internship was terrifying when he realized how little he knew. All of the panelists emphasized the importance of keeping up with new discoveries.

The discussion became really animated when the topic of "direct to consumer" marketing of drugs was raised. All felt that this practice was detrimental and that the advertising money could be better spent on other things (like providing heath care for those without insurance). Moreover, all agreed that dealing with heath insurance companies is becoming increasingly difficult and frustrating.

The panelists expressed a deep sense of satisfaction in what they do and we are grateful that they were able to take time to share their experiences with us.