The future of medicine can’t be seen in a crystal ball, says Jeffrey Stanley, D.O. (’82). Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean that today’s medical students can’t meaningfully plan their futures.

Today at noon in Irvine 194, the former Ohio Osteopathic Association (OOA) president will talk about the future of medicine. Stanley is the second lecturer in the “Taking Pride in Your Profession… Celebrating Osteopathic Medicine” speaker series, which is sponsored by Student Government and the Office of Alumni Affairs.

Stanley, a CORE clinical professor, is the chief of vascular surgery, chief of staff and director of the vascular residency program at South Pointe Hospital. Stanley also is a fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons.

He says he is looking forward to answering questions about what is going on in medicine and what are the challenges of practicing medicine. Stanley served as the 2004-2005 OOA president.

“I love to hear what students have to say,” says Stanley. “I hope they really open up. I love the students here. They’re great people, and they’re very excited about what they’re doing. I want to know what concerns them, what might be bothering them.

“You hear so much about malpractice and the decreases in payment, for instance. I’m sure students wonder what these things are going to look like when they begin to practice.”

He, too, had questions about his future when he was in medical school.

“Twenty years ago I was wondering where I would be in twenty years,” says Stanley. “What would I be doing? Where would I be living? I remember very well all the questions in my mind at the time.”

“Unfortunately, no one knows exactly what medical practice will look like even 10 years from now.”

The whole model of medicine could be different.

“I think right now medicine is in a kind of transition zone. I can’t know what medical malpractice laws and insurance will be in the future. The difficulties we’re experiencing now could be completely solved. What students should do is to stay educated as to the nature of these issues — and I think the students today are more involved than ever.”

But certain demographic trends in the population are reliable predictors of what will be shaping the health-care needs of the future.

“I know that people are getting older — there are millions of baby boomers out there that are getting older.

“It’s these older people that will develop vascular diseases and coronary artery disease. So, yes, there will be a need for vascular surgeons, cardiologists and internal medicine doctors. And the needs of the aging population will spill over into almost every aspect of medicine. Aging Americans will require quality health care across different specialties, and this country will have to provide it.”

“Can I tell today’s medical students that they will have jobs when they’re ready for them? Absolutely, they will have jobs.”

Knowing that there’s a position waiting for you after medical school, he says, shouldn’t really be what motivates you. He says the specialty you decide upon should be the one that gets you up in the morning.

“I’ve been doing this for 18 years now, and I always wake up before my alarm clock goes off. You find that part of medicine that wakes you up before your alarm clock does — the one that makes you excited to get to work. That’s the one you should focus on. Do what you enjoy.

“Everyone has a chosen field. I believe I was born to do this. There’s no question about that in my mind.

“That’s what students need to find. Some have those answers now, some don’t. Students also need to be open to the possibilities — to be able to see the different cues that tell them what to do and where to go.

“Some will be very focused on becoming vascular surgeons. If they truly want to be vascular surgeons, they will need to be at the hospitals that have vascular surgery programs, to get to know vascular surgeons and to do vascular surgery rotations.

The opportunities are out there, he says. It’s the responsibility of medical students to be educated as to where the best opportunities are. Students need to choose their internships and residencies very wisely.

“And that’s how they, in some way, can direct their futures.”

Lunch will be served at Stanley’s lecture.