Regina Benjamin, a family physician from Alabama, has been selected by the Obama Administration to serve as the nation's Surgeon General, according to multiple reports from USA Today and Modern Physician.

USA Today reports that Dr. Benjamin "was the first black woman to head a state medical society, [and] received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights . . ."

What do you think of Obama's choice for Surgeon General? Do you agree with his pick?

More on this topic:

• What Does the Surgeon General Do?
• USA Today Report

If you are thinking of becoming a doctor, you have many decisions to make, not the least of which is figuring out what type of physician you would like to be. Some medical students seem to know from day one what medical specialty they would like to practice, while other physicians don't decide until they are near graduating with their medical degree.

How do you know what type of medicine is the best fit for you? Many physicians feel that each medical specialty attracts certain personality types. What do you think? How will you, or did you, decide what type of physician career is best for you?

An online poll, conducted by the American Nurses Association, reveals that 72% of all nurses feel that the staffing at their facility is inadequate, Modern Healthcare reports. Perhaps more alarmingly, nearly half of the 15,000 nurses responding to the survey stated that they would not feel comfortable about a friend or family member being treated in their employer's facility.

The survey also measured other factors such as job satisfaction, and quality of care, according to the article. Over half of the nurses surveyed also expressed that they were seeking a new job due to the staffing and quality issues they face.

What is the answer to this critical nursing situation? According to the Modern Healthcare piece, Congress is working on a bill that would require facilities to work with nurses to devise more suitable nurse staffing plans. However, the current bill in process is the fourth one to attempt to do so. And what good is a nurse staffing plan if there are not enough nurses available to make the plan a reality?

More on nursing careers:

• Nurse career profile
• Top 3 Nursing Careers
• Modern Healthcare article (registration required)

Medical device marketing is another great industry job for people who are interested in being involved in the medical field from behind the scenes. After a medical device is developed, tested, and approved, the medical device marketing team rolls the product out to the consumers and the public, handling every aspect of the product's market exposure. As direct-to-consumer (patient) advertising has increasingly gained popularity in the healthcare field, device marketing has become even more critical to a product's success. Device marketers must handle the product's roll-out to both the medical community (physicians, nurses, etc.), and the general patient population.

While some medical device marketers come from a marketing background, most job opportunities require a background and education in engineering, such as mechanical, bio-medical, or electrical engineering, for example. Many senior level device marketers have an MBA in addition to their engineering degree, but it often is not required for entry into the field. For more information, check out the Medical Device Marketing career profile.