- Part 65

Compensation for Nursing Home Injuries

Unfortunately there are many loved ones that are injured or die due to carelessness or improper care while in nursing homes. It is a cold, hard truth, but one that is not easily proven. When a citizen is harmed while in the care of nursing homes, it becomes the responsibility of the family of the resident in that facility to confirm that the elderly care facility is to blame, even when the proof seems obvious.

A situation against nursing homes carelessness or medical carelessness is usually considered a medical malpractice claim. It is not a simple situation to prove; the attorney representing the affected person or patient’s close relatives must be able to confirm that the damage or loss of life was due to carelessness on the part of the elderly care facility. This means the situation must be substantiated by proof that the elderly care facility did not provide what is considered standard care to the point that it caused damage or loss of life. These types of cases are extremely complicated to confirm due to the fact that most patients in assisted living facilities are already in poor health. Family members must be able to confirm, with the help of an experienced elderly care facility damage attorney, that the main cause of the damage was due to negligent care. Though certainly possible, it can be a long, difficult battle that families and the affected person must endure, although worth the effort to stop the elderly care facility from harming others in their care. Some aspects that will need to be proven are:

The elderly care facility deviated from standard care of an individual to the point that there was damage or death
That the carelessness was the primary reason for the damage or death
The individual did not receive treatment that would be normally expected and this lack of care lead to the damage or wrongful death

Prerequisites of Fundamentals of Nursing

Nursing is considered as a very noble career. But being a health professional is not an easy thing. There is lot of training and knowledge involved before anyone can be truly certified as a nurse. Anyone who intends to be a health professional has to meet up with certain specifications. Without satisfying those specifications, an applicant aspiring to be a nurse cannot be a part of any medical center, hospital or any medical relevant organizations.

The beginning to starting the journey of becoming a nurse is to have a school certification. It is important to select a training institution that will provide the essential training, skills and knowledge to become a nurse. Someone who is interested in nursing should show interest in subjects like health and fitness sciences and biology. Any subjects relevant to science can also be very useful in getting knowledge and training to become a nurse. After finishing the starting programs, a student undertakes an advanced program such as Associate’s Program in Nursing. An applicant also has to clear certain national examinations to be certified and authorized as a nurse.

There are different requirements for determining for the best training institutions on nursing. Some of them include having essential details on first aid, interest in topics such as chemistry, human anatomy, psychology, biology, language related to medical care. Requirements or pre-requisites for becoming a wellness professional vary from nation to nation. In the USA, nursing is a safe career as the nursing staff is paid according to the investing program of the area. So what are the fundamentals of nursing which every ambitious nurse needs to know? To study and comprehend the basic principles it is important to know the various factors in different levels.

The first level contains understanding the “Fundamentals of nursing abilities and concepts” which gives an introduction to nursing and gives knowledge on medical care, the procedure of nursing and ethical and legal aspects when it comes to nursing. The second level is to comprehend the fundamentals of nursing ideas procedure and practice. This contains interaction, main signs, and evaluation of health, disease and details on key medicines for various illnesses. The fundamentals of nursing also contains all guidelines, subjects and information on nursing such as assessing the newest styles and skills in nursing such as critical thinking, management, evidence-based practice, consideration of lifestyle and ongoing care. It is also very important for a nurse to talk about and know the factors that impact an individual’s health and how sickness can impact an individual.

An Affordable Way to Become an RN

Determining to become a registered nurse or RN is only 50 percent the fight once you have chosen that this is the profession you want to engage in. The other 50 percent is getting your way through all the choices available to get you there. The first phase, in selecting the direction to get you to the field of being an RN is to choose which kind of academic system you want to engage in. Being a nurse usually just indicates that you have acquired entry-level nursing education which has prepared you and you have passed an evaluation which declares you have the primary knowledge required to be in this profession. Each of the following academic choices has its benefits and drawbacks, but in the end, all must take the same evaluation, (the NCLEX-RN exam), to be able to have the status of being an RN.

The earliest official knowledge to becoming a nurse is through a qualification system. These applications are non-degree applications and are usually based within, or associated with, a particular medical center. The academic factors of these applications are just like that of an ASN degree, but have a bigger scientific element. Although this type of system is dropping by the wayside, the medical nurses of these programs usually have the most hands-on scientific ability of all the nursing program graduates.

For those who decide that they prefer a nursing program which also gives them a degree, there are two main routes, one that allows an associate degree or ASN and one which allows a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Both of these degree programs involve the component of primary sessions followed by nursing specific classes. Schools of nursing vary greatly in exactly which and how many of each of these is needed, with bachelor degree programs usually demanding more than college degree course in chemistry and others. But by far, the ASN degree programs are the most affordable way to become an RN.

Nursing Education to Meet Health Care Needs

The changes proposed by health care reform have the potential to significantly alter the surroundings in which the medical staff and other medical professionals will practice. The emerging emphasis on primary care, transition care, and accountable care organizations underscores a fundamental shift in how the US wellness care delivery program is envisioned to function later on. This upcoming wellness care atmosphere is very different from the one that many of us in academia currently prepare our learners to exercise in, i.e., an atmosphere that has been predominately focused on preparing learners for practice in the acute care setting. The IOM’s Future for Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health (2011) clearly identifies changes that need to occur in nursing education and learning if we hope to prepare the nurses with the competencies and skills required to practice in a redesigned wellness care program.

What is the part of nursing education and learning in realizing a transformed wellness care system? The part can be a significant one, but only if we are willing to re-examine our current nursing education and learning designs. To produce the nurses prepared to practice in reformed wellness care environments, we can no longer educate our future nurses using the traditional academic methods that we have long embraced.

There exists no substantive proof to suggest that our traditional means of clinical education and learning in nursing and other wellness professions are particularly effective in creating clinical reasoning, so it is an opportune time to pay attention to our academic methods and create new learning paradigms that are grounded in proof. I believe we need to focus on four priority areas in order to achieve meaningful transformation in our nursing education and learning models: building faculty capacity; designing new structures of clinical education; creating innovative designs of academic/practice collaboration; and advancing the science of nursing education and learning through research.

Patient Care and Technology

Today, suppliers can no longer go to work with a stethoscope and their well-trained mind and hands. In a medical center or a workplace, few of us need a black leather bag. But we do need information, and in methods we never experienced in our training. Technological innovation is fast changing how we approach patient care. Decision support tools are still in their beginnings. Within a very short time, I believe we will be using technology to help us improve the patient care methods we have not yet fully considered. There are two dimensions of technology that I believe will considerably improve patient care and the connection with our sufferers.

First, bedroom diagnostics, ultrasound evaluation has quickly become the standard of proper care for experts to place lines. Now, convenient ultrasound is available for the bedside physical evaluation. Most doctors currently usually spend most of their time on worldwide medical volunteer missions. They have a convenient ultrasound that is only a little bit larger than the normal smartphone. The sensor / probe looks like a tiny flash light. In towns in remote Nepal, they are able to ultrasound sufferers to help identify serious diseases that may require transportation to tertiary care organizations. As internet and mobile cell phone availability enhances throughout the world, there are places where they can deliver the pictures to radiologists in the United States to assist with decoding and making an analysis. I think the normal doctor in western world will soon carry a pocket ultrasound for use throughout the day, whether hospital or office-based.

Second are the incredible opportunities to use mobile phone technology to enhance the care of chronic diseases. The concept of “crowd sourcing” allows sufferers and their providers to share information that can considerably improve chronic illness. Ninety-one percent of people keep their smartphone within 3 feet of them 24 hours a day. An early experiment in patient care with inflammatory bowel illness has produced impressive improvements in the illness by tracking individuals’ activities through their mobile cell phone GPS and accelerometer and responses to scheduled text messages.

Comparison between Dantes, CLEP and Excelsior Exams

If you are not sure which CLEP exams to take and how college credit for the following credit-by-examination applications, then here’s the answer. On these three assessments I obtained a high enough score that the college I was participating granted me to be present to learn about their CLEP plan and Dantes exam policies and which examination matches with what class, how many credit they take, or if they take CLEP or Dantes exam credit at all. The second way to play the gap designed by the credit examinations there would actually be a way to move forward quicker.

There are many choices to select from when it comes to substitute routes to get college credit. Credit-by-exams are assessments that allow you to confirm your knowledge in an area to college credit. It’s an excellent way to accomplish identification of college-level studying for senior students. These assessments are similar to each other somewhat, but there are some exciting technicalities as well. Most of the 33 CLEP assessments are for common knowledge sessions. For Dantes exam, there are 38 topics to choose from in higher and lower stage credit. The Upper Level assessments are more specific and can be used towards a major, and therefore can be more difficult. There are a total of 49 Excelsior College Assessments, of which 15 are medical relevant.

Both CLEP and Dantes exams are provided at local schools, which I found out by looking for exam facilities on both the CLEP and Dantes exam websites. Because each university has its own signing up procedure, I was recommended to contact the test center. While on the phone, they assisted me through the signing up procedure for both assessments and planned a test time frame for me. For the Excelsior College Examination, I planned the test on the internet via Pearson VUE. I like the point that I can check the availability on the internet, as well as the organizing versatility. All the assessments are computer-based and include entirely of multiple-choice concerns. The CLEP and Dantes tests each have 100 questions to be completed in 1.5 hours and 2 hours respectively. The Excelsior College Examination has 120 questions to be completed in 2.5 hours. I found all three assessments I took to be at the same problems stage.

Credit by Examination in College

I just cannot explain how thrilled I am about credit by examination. These applications are the only reason that I and many others are college graduates. Do not think for a moment that you will not learn something in the process of getting these examinations. And especially, do not be amazed at how much you already know as you study for them. The key to remember when planning for an examination is that the common system of 70% = pass is no longer is applicable. These assessments are designed to evaluate your knowledge of a topic as opposed to normal college student taking the class. Well, guess what? Average is a big range. Most of these examinations only require you to get about half the solutions right to earn credit. That is why I and so many other applicants find we did much better than we thought after getting our score.

Most schools take credit by examination. Some schools design their own examining programs, but the majority gives credit based on the American Council on Education (ACE) credit recommendation. Each evaluation is given a suggested amount of credit by ACE. Most schools will prize the suggested credit, however they are not required to. So, please check with the college of your choice to validate their credit by examination policy, such as the most of credit they will take by testing.

Each evaluation suppliers have their own style and framework. It is important to understand each company’s guidelines and specifications. Most of the examinations are not that challenging. I never studied for more than three times for a three credit by examination and not more than seven times for a six credit by examination. You will need to take a number of each to get your speed, but once the momentum is going, do not quit. The best measure that I used was to take as many practice assessments that I might find on the topic. Once I reached the 80-90% level, I was prepared. Once you get going, you find it simple to take two or more examinations in one day.

NLN and Nursing Education

Two recent NLN documents address the NLN’s commitment to improving the science of nursing education and nursing education research while maintaining a focus on patient-centered care and safe medical practice. “For three decades, the NLN has devoted programming and resources to develop a powerful community of nurse educator scholars that complement the growth and improvement of programs that prepare clinical nurse researchers,” said NLN president Judith Halstead, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF. “We are proud of that legacy. The new ‘NLN Vision: Transforming Research in Nursing Education’ and ‘Priorities for Research in Nursing Education’ develop on our mission to promote quality in medical knowledge to develop a powerful and diverse workforce to relocate the nation’s health.”

As stated in the NLN Vision: “The new times for medical and wellness care engendered by wellness care change require partnerships, collaboration, and systems integration. The NLN’s ‘Priorities for Research in Nursing Education’ call for building linkages between practice and education; improving the science of nursing education through the growth of more rigorous and robust analysis designs and evaluation protocols; determining and developing effective emerging technologies to transform pedagogical approaches; and creating leadership possibilities for faculty and nursing education research scholars.”

“The research main concerns were developed in consultation with nursing management in practice and education who came together at the behest of the NLN to develop an experienced strategy for guiding research projects in the years ahead,” added NLN CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN. “With the help of colleagues, the NLN continues to define and improve the research necessary to relocate quality in nursing education.” Dedicated to quality in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nursing faculty and management in nursing education. The NLN offers faculty growth, networking possibilities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy projects to its 37,000 individual and more than 1,200 institutional members who represent nursing teaching programs across the variety of higher education.

Hospital Benefit Plans

Hospitals and health and fitness systems are generally considered as companies that handle the ill and, more progressively, motivate precautionary health and fitness. However, hospitals are also companies and some of the greatest companies at that. In non-urban areas, a hospital is generally the prominent company, and it’s not unusual to find a health and fitness program with thousands of employees. With that comes a large benefit program for employees, which can be very costly and a big part of a hospital’s financial strategies. Consulting company Towers Watson lately finished its “2012 Hospital Industry Benefits Benchmarking Study,” which analyzed the benefits plan conditions of 48 hospitals and health and fitness systems across the country. The average number a survey participant was 5,000 to 10,000 employees, while the average size was 20,000 employees.

Two Towers Watson benefits experts, Joey Dizenhouse, senior health and fitness and group benefits advisor, and Sue DeFelice, senior pension benefits advisor say hospital benefit programs are going through a period of major change right now, just like those in the rest of the industry and in other sectors as well.

Medical centers are interested in guiding their employees to their own suppliers and services. The expenses of health and fitness benefits signify more than one-third of a hospital’s total benefits expenses for employees, higher than most other sectors. As both a company and provider, hospitals have a unique advantage over other types of companies: They can direct their employees to use the system’s “domestic providers” to save on expenses, Mr. Dizenhouse says. This strategy is growing in reputation for two reasons. Medical centers are able to better handle the health and fitness of their employees, and their payments for worker medical care reuse to their own program instead of going to a competitor. “If employees use household suppliers when possible, a medical care facility is able to cure employees as sufferers,” Mr. Dizenhouse says. “That has always been key.”

Group health and fitness programs are being targeted toward hospital employees. Through outreach and education, hospitals have ramped up their initiatives to advertise maintenance in their areas. If people regularly see their doctor, that may lead to less trips in the more costly hospital inpatient setting.

Qualifying Hospice Care

Many people who are critically ill delay coming into hospice care until just a few days or even weeks before they die, in part because they or their loved ones don’t want to admit that there’s no hope for a cure. “It’s a hard decision to say yes to,” says Jeanne Dennis, senior V. P. at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York are able to, which provides hospice care to 900 sufferers daily, among other services. “Everybody knows it means you’re not going to get better.” A latest research released in the publication Health Affairs discovered that there may be another reason that sufferers don’t take advantage of the comprehensive solutions that hospice care provides: limited registration guidelines that may prevent sufferers from signing up.

The study of nearly 600 hospices nationwide discovered that 78 % had registration guidelines that might limit individual access to care, especially for those with high-cost healthcare needs. The guidelines included prohibitions on applying sufferers who are palliative radiation or blood transfusions or who are being fed intravenously. Medicare will pay the majority of hospice bills, and authorities have raised concerns in latest times about possible neglect of federal funds. Eighty-three % of hospice sufferers are 65 or older, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

To be eligible for a hospice care under Medical health insurance coverage, an individual’s doctor and a hospice healthcare home must approve that the affected person has six months or less to live. Patients must also agree not to seek healing care. Once an individual selects to enter hospice, the benefits include therapy for non-curative requirements such as pain and symptom management as well as emotional and religious support for sufferers and their loved ones. Most sufferers get hospice care at home. The Health Affairs research points out that some therapies typically considered healing also may be used to manage the symptoms of a dying individual. For example, someone might get radiation therapies to shrink a tumor to make breathing easier or be given a blood transfusion to reduce exhaustion.