I have been seeing 'end user programming' promised for some
time now. Programming by example, connect the dot's kind of
graphical programming, automatic code generation from
business process analysis tools.
So far, it all fails to work on non-trivial tasks.
Any reasonably logical thinker can pick up programming and
software engineering. The trick is to do a lot of it over
an extended period of time.
We constantly hire new programmers. We have many that are
very bright and have master's degree's in computer
engineering. It takes them years to get as good as some
folks we have had on staff for ten years or more, that have
B.S.'s in botany and taught themselv's programming. I am
sure you can find some exceptions.
So my question's about clinical domain experts doing
programming are these:
1) Do you intend to keep at it long enough to get good
(assuming you are not the exceptional savant)?
2) Are you willing to work in a team and to bring other
programmers up to speed on what you have done? Go through
project planning and code reviews? (Somebody has to do the
maintainence work and I assume it's not you)
3) Once again, assuming you are not a savant nor a
professional medical informatician, don't you really want to
spend your 60-80 working hours a week remaining a practicing
up to date clinical professional?
