Business Insight presented by Arlington Dermatology Education and Medicine. There is nothing that we want to stress more during our patients' visits: knowledge and education about your disease, your body, your treatment options, are the key to success in assisting you to get better. Doctors and other medical professionals, including nurses and medical assistants, must practice continuing education as long as they practice medicine. Not only it is a requirement to maintain your license or certification, but it is also a necessity to provide effective medical care. Clinical research introduces us to new concepts, new discoveries, and new treatments almost every day. In order to keep up with all of the novel ideas, you need to keep your brain active and exercise it with almost everything you read. Education is the key to success in all other fields and it provides much more than professional success. Nicholas Kristof, one of the best American journalists, travelled the world in comparison studies of educational differences, access to schools, poverty, and other global affairs and summarized his findings in a very clear statement: Any nation that out-educates us, will out- compete us! Paraphrasing, if we want to be a global leader in all aspects of today's economy, science, medicine, technology, we must make sure we educate our young ones by providing quality schools, practical education, and critical thinking. Ignoring the issue of education is not only foolish, but also self-wounding. No matter how much the older generation wants to hold on to their power, leadership, and access to control, we will have to replace 'the oldies' with younger generation of citizens. They will come from all corners of American schooling programs, so different state-by-state that it is almost impossible to unify the levels of knowledge. Civic education is almost non- existent. Actually, even some of our leaders have a problem naming the three branches of the government. Math skills place us behind 25 other countries of modern world, far behind all European countries, Japan, South Korea, and Canada. 50% of high school children have a problem distinguishing opinion writing from facts. Level of comprehension reading is also behind. All of those statistics are according to 2022 PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) results. In addition to testing, PISA also identified that poverty directly influenced the level of education and access to knowledge-based resources. 26% of American children live in poverty and go hungry to school. We are the richest country on Earth and a quarter of our children worry about food on the table rather than education. On the other hand, it is the same education that can pull them out of poverty and empower them to seek better lives. How can they get it if they live their lives with no proper access to books, computers, tutoring, and even basic school supplies. It seems like a circle of combined events: no access to education maintains poverty and poverty prevents them from obtaining better education. Mothers of poor children often did not and do not get access to prenatal and pediatric medical care, offering preventive medicine education. How can we change that? I guess, if we want to be a leading country, we will have to find a way of changing this nonsense. If we want to be the richest country, we should not only care about our rich, we should really care about our children, the poor ones as well. Michael Bukhalo, MD Arlington Dermatology 5301 Keystone Court Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 Tel. 847 392 5440 | www.arlingtondermatology.net Business Insight presented by Arlington Dermatology Education and Medicine . There is nothing that we want to stress more during our patients ' visits : knowledge and education about your disease , your body , your treatment options , are the key to success in assisting you to get better . Doctors and other medical professionals , including nurses and medical assistants , must practice continuing education as long as they practice medicine . Not only it is a requirement to maintain your license or certification , but it is also a necessity to provide effective medical care . Clinical research introduces us to new concepts , new discoveries , and new treatments almost every day . In order to keep up with all of the novel ideas , you need to keep your brain active and exercise it with almost everything you read . Education is the key to success in all other fields and it provides much more than professional success . Nicholas Kristof , one of the best American journalists , travelled the world in comparison studies of educational differences , access to schools , poverty , and other global affairs and summarized his findings in a very clear statement : Any nation that out - educates us , will out- compete us ! Paraphrasing , if we want to be a global leader in all aspects of today's economy , science , medicine , technology , we must make sure we educate our young ones by providing quality schools , practical education , and critical thinking . Ignoring the issue of education is not only foolish , but also self - wounding . No matter how much the older generation wants to hold on to their power , leadership , and access to control , we will have to replace ' the oldies ' with younger generation of citizens . They will come from all corners of American schooling programs , so different state - by - state that it is almost impossible to unify the levels of knowledge . Civic education is almost non- existent . Actually , even some of our leaders have a problem naming the three branches of the government . Math skills place us behind 25 other countries of modern world , far behind all European countries , Japan , South Korea , and Canada . 50 % of high school children have a problem distinguishing opinion writing from facts . Level of comprehension reading is also behind . All of those statistics are according to 2022 PISA ( Program for International Student Assessment ) results . In addition to testing , PISA also identified that poverty directly influenced the level of education and access to knowledge - based resources . 26 % of American children live in poverty and go hungry to school . We are the richest country on Earth and a quarter of our children worry about food on the table rather than education . On the other hand , it is the same education that can pull them out of poverty and empower them to seek better lives . How can they get it if they live their lives with no proper access to books , computers , tutoring , and even basic school supplies . It seems like a circle of combined events : no access to education maintains poverty and poverty prevents them from obtaining better education . Mothers of poor children often did not and do not get access to prenatal and pediatric medical care , offering preventive medicine education . How can we change that ? I guess , if we want to be a leading country , we will have to find a way of changing this nonsense . If we want to be the richest country , we should not only care about our rich , we should really care about our children , the poor ones as well . Michael Bukhalo , MD Arlington Dermatology 5301 Keystone Court Rolling Meadows , IL 60008 Tel . 847 392 5440 | www.arlingtondermatology.net