Healthcare Careers on the Rise

June 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A British nurse in 2006.

Image via Wikipedia

With the extreme economic difficulties rocking the United States, there are many careers and industries that have lost many job opportunities and a decrease in growth over the years. Industries such as the automotive industry and general manufacturing positions have dropped drastically due to the fact that companies are opting to save money in these tough times by outsourcing overseas.

However, the healthcare industry has remained strong, and has even experienced growth. In annual studies pertaining to projected job growth for specific industries, healthcare ranks at the top along with various specialized information technology careers. There are a number of different reasons as to why healthcare continues to grow. Below are a couple of factors that help set healthcare apart.

People Will Always Need Healthcare

One of the most obvious factors pertaining to why healthcare careers are seemingly unaffected by the turbulent economy is due to the fact that regardless of financial problems, individuals will always need healthcare. People do not neglect going to the emergency room or hospital solely because the economy is bad. As such, hospitals and other facilities are always operational and always filled to the brim with patients, providing a consistently thriving need for staff and a safe job outlook for employees.

A Peak in Interest

In addition to the job security revolving around healthcare positions, there has also been a great deal of emphasis placed towards the demand for healthcare jobs. This has shed positive light on careers such as nursing, and has resulted in a great deal of individuals entering training programs, shedding a positive outlook on job growth over the next few years.

Filed Under: Career & Education Tagged With: , ,

The Demands of a Nurse in the Emergency Room

May 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Lives are saved in hospital emergency rooms. When a student enrolls in a healthcare-related subject at American Intercontinental University, his or her career future is bright and the learning begins. When on a path to become a nurse, understanding the demands of a hospital emergency room helps in preparing for this very important life-saving career.

The Purpose of the Emergency Room

Anyone who has gone to the emergency room of a hospital has witnessed the process first-hand. The role of the healthcare practitioners who receive patients in an emergency room is to quickly gauge the relative urgency of the care needed. A student who attends American Intercontinental University in preparation for a future in healthcare may have a certain image in mind of the career that is to come. Television shows paint a particular picture of the work of emergency room nurses. The reality of the emergency room is typically calmer than presented in these shows.

The Work of an Emergency Room Nurse

Nurses greet patients and ask them important questions to determine how quickly they must be admitted to see the doctor. The nurse may take a patient’s blood pressure or conduct other tests prior to the doctor’s entry. If a patient has been through intense trauma, for example in a car accident, the doctor is immediately called in and the role of the nurse is to document the doctor’s findings. The trauma nurse also administers fluids, blood products and physician-recommended medications.

An emergency room nurse must stay calm throughout the entire process, treating patients quickly and compassionately.

 

Filed Under: Trauma Life Tagged With: , ,

Where to Send Your Patients for Diabetes Outreach

May 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Most people are aware that the complications of Type 2 Diabetes, in which the body cannot successfully regulate its blood sugar levels, are very serious. More and more people know someone who has suffered an amputation or blindness or worse from uncontrolled diabetes. However, as the number of diabetes cases explodes just as many people are struggling with a lack of health insurance, it is important for health care practitioners to know where they can send their patients for low- or no-cost diabetes counseling.

Many communities in the United States now have diabetes outreach and/or clinics that offer diabetes care on a sliding payment scale, based upon the income of their patients. You can find out if your area has one of these services by checking the medical services section of the phone book, doing an internet search, or, if available in your area, by calling 2-1-1 and asking a hotline operator.

These diabetes health centers often offer services that include tips on how to recognize the symptoms of diabetes, risk surveys, nutrition and fitness counseling, diabetes blood testing, symptom management training, and diabetes support groups. Some may provide their services in languages other than English, depending upon the needs of their communities, and may be sensitive to the cultural needs of people who are most susceptible to diabetes. Diabetes health centers are often staffed by Registered Nurses, Registered Dieticians, Certified Diabetes Educators, and others who are specially trained to care for diabetic patients.

Another more general source of assistance is a local safety net clinic. Check with your healthcare provider to find if you have a Federally Qualified community health clinic, meaning that it can accept grants that will allow it to provide free care for those in need. You may also have free diabetes screening available through your county public health department.

In any case, it is critical to manage all diabetes cases.

Filed Under: Ask a Nurse Tagged With: , ,

The Business Side of Healthcare Delivery

April 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When confronted with an illness, the healthcare provider’s revenue is the last thing on someone’s mind. However, revenue has a direct impact on patient care. To create a balance between patient care and revenue generation, a revenue cycle manager may be needed. A major focus of revenue cycle management is to ensure that the facility remains economically viable. The job also entails doing these functions better:

  • Managing day to day operations
  • Handling insurance information
  • Ensuring that medical records are accurate and up to date
  • Managing billing and collections
  • Monitoring the delivery of healthcare services
  • Improving customer service delivery

Simply put, a job in revenue cycle management is vital to the efficient running of any healthcare facility. It also helps to maintain the economic health of a healthcare facility.

The Importance of Managing Revenue

No healthcare provider can serve its clientele without adequate resources. This naturally touches on one of the more sensitive issues in healthcare discussions; the high cost of such services. The human aspect of providing medical care hinges on the availability of adequate funding.

Revenue cycle management ensures that healthcare providers are able to meet the needs of patients. This deals with direct expenditure such as testing equipment, but it also covers areas like staff training and facilities management.

The services provided to clients will be directly overseen by the revenue cycle manager. So a patient’s feedback on service received will be influenced by how the revenue cycle manager operates. The success of any healthcare provider is tied to the performance of the revenue cycle manager. Analysts expect increased demand for such services in the years to come as more focus is placed on improving healthcare delivery.

Filed Under: Career & Education Tagged With: , ,

The Healthcare Systems of the US and Canada Compared

February 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The United States and Canada might be neighbors, but we are very often at odds on certain kinds of issues. One of the most strongly debated and important issues in the world is health care. Regardless of how you look at it or where you stand in this world, at some point every person is going to get sick and or injured, so medical care is definitely a big deal. Granted that Americans and Canadians are very differently biased when it comes to this debate, so let’s take as unbiased a look as possible at how the whole thing pans out. There is undoubtedly good being done in both countries. Canadians actually seem to like their healthcare system, since polls in 2008 and 2009 show that between 80% and 90% of Canadians like the system as it is. Since there is no need to advertise insurance coverage (since everybody has it through the government), the system is actually administratively simple. The patient rarely has to pay anything out of pocket at the time of service, and costs are actually kept down through the simplicity of buying medicines in bulk, not having to advertise and having less employees doing the same job (as is the case when there are multiple insurance companies). Businesses pay about 30% of the costs of health care (which is getting steadily more expensive in both Canada and the US), and in both countries patients can choose their own doctors and dentists. Dental and vision care is sometimes covered under the government plan, and sometimes not, depending on where you are in Canada. An interesting thing about Canada’s single payer system is that it allows Americans to go there and find their prescription medicines at a discount. What is really good nowadays is that services such as Canada 411 allow people to find both health care providers and prescription medicines with ease. For a tight budget, this can be a life saver.

Filed Under: Career & Education Tagged With: ,

Preventing Child Obesity

February 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There is greater attention to the epidemic of obesity in the deveoped world than ever before. We now know that being too heavy can lead to diabetes and a host of other chronic illnesses. Of particular concern is the tremendous increase in child obesity over recent years. People are suffering from the ill effects of obesity at younger and younger ages, and we must change our behavior and encourage our children to have healthy habits to avert a future health crisis among the next generation. This advice is all well and good, but how, exactly, do we prevent child obesity?

The Maine Youth Overweight Collaborative came up with a simple tool for parents to use each day that is intended to make it easier to raise a child to have a healthy weight. Their campaign is called “52-10″ for its simple direction to:

  • Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, the fresher and less processed, the better.
  • Get 2 hours or less of recreational screen time (television, video games, computer use) per day.
  • Spend 1 or more hours doing some kind of exercise or active play.
  • Drink 0 beverages that contain added sugars, such as sodas and punches.

By ensuring that your child meets these goals for as many days as you can, you will be providing him or her with the nutrient-dense foods that are needed for growth and development, plenty of opportunity for physical activity, and avoidance of the “empty” calories that lead to weight gain when consumed on a regular basis. Of course it is fine to enjoy a soda every now and then, but as a society, we have made sweetened beverages a regular part of our diet and a major factor in our increasing obesity. A small amount of fruit juice is a good way to get one serving of fruit, but this should not be the primary source of this food group as it presents a concentrated form of fruit sugar. Try to eat fresh fruit as often as you can, or unsweetened applesauce when fruit is out of season.

Filed Under: Ask a Nurse Tagged With: , , ,

Information on Smoking and Health

December 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Common adverse effects of tobacco smoking (See...
Image via Wikipedia

Cigarette smoking is currently the # 1 preventable cause of death in the U.S and is estimated to be the cause of around 438,000 deaths annually. This has resulted in a $167 billion health care annual cost. Of adult smokers, 70% cite that they would like to quit smoking and around 42% actually attempt to quit smoking
Tobacco cessation and prevention statewide comprehensive programs have been very effective in decreasing the levels of smoking. There are only 3 % of the available $21.7for states that comes from tobacco legal settlements and tobacco excise taxes spent on control and prevention. There has also been a decline in funding by states for these programs that has led to a decline in the rate of smoking. Many states raise the money allotted for tobacco prevention during tough times by committing tobacco settlement funds and raising cigarette taxes.

Materials and Tools Related to Smoking

1. The Surgeons General’s Report of 2004-This report looks at issues relating to casual criteria, active smoking, and evaluates evidence in order to declare if a condition or disease casually relates to smoking
2. 2007 Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs-The Center for Disease Control Best Practices Program is a guide that is evidence based that helps states establish and plan effective means of tobacco control programs to reduce and prevent the use of tobacco.
3. The CDC Prevention Research Center Network-this is a network of community member, public health agencies, and academic researchers that researches disease control and prevention
4. The CDC Healthy Community Program-This program aids in the funding of communities in order to prevent chronic diseases by the building of skills, resources, commitment, and community capacity in order to create systems, implement policy, and strategies that change the environment.

Much of the above information on material and tools can be located at www.cdc.gov for a comprehensive look at programs and applications.

Filed Under: Medical Questions Tagged With: , , , , , ,

In a New Land: How to Handle Moving and Setting Up Your New Health Care Plan

December 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Moving can be a stressful experience, especially if you are relocating to a new city, state, or side of the country. You have boxes to move and unpack, new friends to make, and a new job or responsibilities to which to adjust. One aspect of moving that can often be delayed for longer than it should be is establishing your new health care plan. While the process can seem perhaps unessential compared to the stack of boxes you have yet to unpack, it is important to have these

“Set up new insurance”  This can be an intimidating process to begin, but don’t let the paperwork discourage you. If your work does not supply you with insurance, do a little research online. Many states have programs for people with low-income or who have been uninsured for a given period of time. Some states also have organizations or individuals to help walk you through the insurance application process. They can not only save you a lot of time with their expertise, but also a lot of paperwork, time on the phone, and general aggravation.

“Find a new doctor”  Once you’re signed up for insurance, check with your insurance to see what doctors in the area they recommend. You can also ask your new coworkers and/or friends what doctors they can vouch for.

Don’t forget the dentist.  Now that you’ve found a doctor, look up a dentist as well. Oral health is an integral part of overall health, so don’t put off finding a dentist. Look for an eye doctor while you’re at it as well.

Refill those prescriptions.  Find a local pharmacy to refill your prescriptions. You can often find pharmacies in your grocery store or go-to department store like Wal-Mart or Target. Be sure to check that whatever pharmacy you pick accepts your insurance.

Your health is important, so don’t put off establishing your health care plan in your new home. Those boxes can wait.

Filed Under: Career & Education Tagged With:

Planning for Your Future: Consider Residential Care

December 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment
DENVER - NOVEMBER 09: Carlos Granillo, 31, is...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

As we begin to age, we think more about the future. The probability of needing help as a senior citizen is high. It is possible that you will require help with cooking, cleaning or even taking medications at proper times. While you probably have family that you could count on in a time of need, it would be nice to remain as independent as possible. Long term care insurance policies are something to look into if you don’t want to burden your family. These policies often pay for assistance to come in and help you with your needs. There may come a point in time where you would be comfortable with even more assistance than what is provided with an in-home caregiver. You do have some options in these circumstances.

Nursing homes will make sure your needs are met. They assist with everything from medical care to personal care. But, what if you don’t necessarily have medical needs? Residential care is an option that many people are leaning toward. This is a much more intimate setting than a large nursing facility. As its name states, the care takes place in a residence. Residential care offers seniors an opportunity to retain independence while still having the assistance that they need to carry on with their life in the way that they want.

A home-like setting provides help with bathing, fresh hot home-cooked meals – as opposed to institutional food – and a level of comfort that is not found in a large facility. Medications are given at the appropriate times and in the appropriate dosages with no risk of confusion. Energy doesn’t need to be expended on mundane chores, and instead your time can be spent visiting or enjoying your favorite hobbies. You’ve worked your entire life to get where you are. Enjoy the rest of it without worry.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Ask a Nurse Tagged With: , ,

Caring for Self and for Others with Travel Nursing

October 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Nurse uniform in the 1900's.
Image via Wikipedia

The patient who walks in the trauma unit next may be suffering from inexpressible pain and suffering. Perhaps they are suffering from kidney stones. Perhaps they took drugs and overdosed. Perhaps they fell down and hurt themselves. Or perhaps they cut themselves while doing something carelessly. Whatever the patient is suffering from, their pain is something that you as a nurse have to deal with.

It’s not easy being a trauma nurse. Even though physicians are in charge of emergency rooms, the nurses are the ones who have to deal with much of the immediate care of the patient. Such a job can be extremely stressful and take a toll on you, no matter how hard you try to separate yourself from your work. A lot of nurses and medical professionals are turning to relaxation techniques such as yoga, breathing exercises, and mindfulness meditation to deal with the high-pressure, high-stress work they have to do on a regular basis each day.

If you’re in psychiatry and female, then beware because that has one of the highest suicide rates. For some reason, distancing oneself from the patient with mental illness is extremely difficult, even more than distancing oneself from a patient suffering physically. What these statistics reveal is that it is extremely important for caregivers to take care of themselves. When people in the care-giving professions think they have no problem and yet have no regular plan to care for themselves, it may be a red flag. Travel nursing is becoming an increasingly popular trend in the profession now, because many nurses feel stuck in their profession and unable to cope with the increased demands on their time and attention. Don’t imagine that being a nurse in a trauma unit is easy. Remember, when you care for yourself, you can care for others better.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Ask a Nurse Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts