More medical schools integrate computer proficiency into their curricula.
I f medical students at Loyola University of Chicago have any illusions that they can cut it as physicians without computer skills, the administration has a message for them. We have to treat informatics skills the same way we treat other procedures. Loyola is joining an accelerating trend in medical education by requiring its current crop of students to master computer skills as part of their medical training. Such mandatory residence in cyberspace testifies to the changing landscape of health education. Medical schools across the nation are retooling their curricula to expose students to information technology early and often, figuring that hand-held computers and search engines may be just as important tools for future physicians as stethoscopes and syringes.