Category: Uncategorized

A Career as Respiratory Therapist

RespiratoryRespiratory Therapists have been in high demand for many years now, and will be in the years to come. There is a great demand for health care professionals, and job stability is exceptional. There is a continued growth in biomedical technology which will ensure that the field will never get boring. And the opportunity to really help people and make a lasting and meaningful difference in the lives of others means you’ll get much more out of your career than just a paycheck.

The respiratory therapist helps people with problems impacting the cardiopulmonary system such as asthma, emphysema, pneumonia, heart problems and other respiratory stress. In the medical center setting, the respiratory therapist provides proper care and life support to patients in the intensive care units, general medical center places, the pulmonary diagnostics lab and other specialized places such as rehabilitation and recovery centers. But with all the medical care careers out there, how can you know which one is right for you? It’s not an easy decision, but if you agree with the following claims, you might discover respiratory therapy is exactly what you’ve been looking.

While on the job, the RT will identify respiratory and breathing problems of the patient and recommend treatments and medications. They will interview patients, execute chest examinations and evaluate tissue samples. Handling ventilators and breathing devices for patients who can’t breathe normally on their own is also a primary liability of these professionals. The respiratory therapist may play a critical role in working alongside the physician during the emergency situation. Being a Respiratory Therapist gives you an opportunity to serve others as well as have a decent source of income and a stable career.

Choosing a Hospice Provider

hospicecareA hospice care program is offered to someone who is in an advanced or terminal illness. This is a specialized support and care program that aims to lighten the burden being carried by the patient and his family.  There are many institutions that offer this kind of services which should be in line with the guidelines set by the Medicare.  Though they follow guidelines and have good programs, it still matters to choose the best hospice agency. They are not exactly similar; there are minor differences that may mean big. It is advisable to research from the start to find where those differences lie. You could ask some friends who know such agencies. They may give you some helpful advice where to go or what institution to avoid.

Hospice care service must be compassionate and knowledgeable in every step of the patient’s journey. They must be composed of physicians and nurses as well as other professional caregivers that will offer personalized choices. The institution must also be up-to-date with the pain and symptom management, and could offer the patient peace of mind to easily deal with the illness. Usually, hospice care is suitable for those who have a limited diagnosis of 12 months or less. It is indeed hard for the person to live a normal life when he knows he or she has few months to live, but it is more difficult to deal with it alone or with worried and stressed family members.  The service will offer physical comfort and well-being for the patient.

Most institutions require large to minimal amount of payment for their services, but there are few who offer their services for free. They wish to aid the patient and their family spend their extended time together at the comfort of a well equipped facility. In this period of time, you and your family should be able to focus on comfort and quality of life rather than on worries and fear.

Home Care Services for Seniors

When one of our loved ones reaches retirement age, concerns start to arise regarding their condition, like whenever they are alone in the house, they are starting to forget a lot of things or they already need assistance in doing basic chores. One option to be assured of their well-being is to have a senior home care service. Through this, you don’t have to fear for their safety whenever you are away from home, while allowing you to have time to see them when you return home. There are a lot of institutions that offer the home care services. But, it would be nice to choose the most committed to the highest quality of service they can provide. In choosing a service, you will need to check the record of the institution. You may ask friends or neighbors who know such senior care services.

The home care service must be able to provide respite care to the senior as well as companionship and someone to talk to. It is very necessary to keep the social activity of the senior; holding a conversation with them will keep their mind active. The service must also be able to assist with the diet and eating of the senior as well as check the expiration of the food they are eating. Keeping track of the daily activities of the senior is also part of their job. They must have a daily plan of their activities which might include the bathing, grocery, entertainment, visits to friends or hospital, as well as set schedule for trips on vacation.

Personal needs of the senior must also be assisted like eating, dressing, medication and mobility. Home maintenance may be included. Since it is the place where the senior will stay most of the time, it must be cleaned and be safe for the senior. Making a decision in choosing a caring service for your loved one is complicated. They must offer a wide variety of home care services; so that it may include activities and support that will be very appropriate your elderly loved one’s needs.

 

Importance of NLNAC to Nursing Programs

Choosing a nursing school is an integral part of your career. There are a lot of considerations to take into account, like the distance of the school from where you live and the cost of the program. One thing to consider is the accreditation of the nursing school. Nursing, like some professions, has more than one accrediting agency. The university is either accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Let’s get to know the background of this accreditation agency. NLNAC was first created in 1893. When the new Higher Education Act made some changes in the accrediting requirements and processes, the NLNAC was not able to comply. This made way to the entrance of the CCNE in 1998. There are people who favor the NLNAC accreditation because it supports a larger mixture of institutional missions and therefore provides greater opportunities for students. Some say that it had an explicit standard addressing a program’s integrity, which the CCNE lacked. Having an accreditation basically controls the profession’s quality and standards. They are referred as gatekeepers to quality. Through accreditation, students will be guided on what program or school to choose, determining the more dominant program and the more competitive. The two accrediting agencies have their own focus and standards.  Both have their pros and cons, but helps improve the quality and effectiveness of a nursing school.

Accreditation is very imperative for the forthcoming nursing student when choosing an entry-level nursing program. In the U.S., all nursing schools must have a license and an approval from the state where it is located. There are certain requirements that must be met by the school to be accredited. Whatever accreditation the school will use, it will enhance the quality of its nursing program which will create more competitive nurses.

 

Hospice Care Availability

Hospice care is accessible to anyone, regardless of what type of insurance or financial resources the patient is using. Home hospice care is cheaper than care in hospitals or nursing homes. This is because affordable technology is used which can easily be monitored and facilitated even by family and friends. For most occasions, the cost of hospice care is fully paid by the Medicare Hospice Benefit. Through the Medicare Hospice Benefit, the patient will be given a daily allowance and pays all medical services, medical equipment, medications, as well as treatments and supplies.

There are other health insurance companies who offer hospice care and services. Medicaid also offers the same services like other private insurance companies. You can check the insurance plan you have regarding the insurance benefits, requirements and deductibles. For those who are not covered by Medicare, Medicaid or other private insurance companies, they can avail of free hospice services through the donations and contributions from a community or a foundation. There are also programs who only charge a minimum hospice cost if the patient has a low income

Hospice benefits are provided on a per day (per diem) basis to the hospice provider. The hospice benefit is very helpful for those under its care since it covers all services, medications and equipment related to the person’s needs. The patient and his family can save a lot.  Medicare offers hospice consultation for those who want to know about the details of their hospice care, it’s a one-time consultation only. Ask someone who knows about hospice care, specifically those who are connected with health insurance companies. You may even discuss your options with their director for clarifications.

Patient Safety and Quality Care

It is the utmost goal of healthcare providers to give their patients the quality care they need to recover from their illnesses or injuries. There are a lot of components to make the services or approaches in healthcare safe for patients. Any healthcare provider must be able to prevent errors in any procedure conducted with the patient, as well as learn from the errors that may occur and make sure that it will not happen again.

Patient care must be focused on reducing risk of adverse events related to contact to medical care starting from diagnoses until medication. There are still many procedures that are not effective and safe for patient. This calls for further studies to determine its effectiveness in preventing or reducing harm.

There are patient safety practices that may be used to avoid possible errors. These are the use of simulators, doing bar coding, programmed physician order entry and proper crew resource management. There are more and more research done to explore areas that could improve healthcare procedures and many more that need attention and further studies.

The safety of the patient is the keystone of the quality of health care. Nurses or other healthcare professionals must be at watch and observant to the most effective approach that will make the patient more secure and safe. They are more connected and in contact with the patient so they have the bird’s eye view on what are the things occurring with the patient during medication. There are still many things to be done to make the patent care perfect. In the mean time, making the patient well served and properly medicated will make them feel better and reach recovery faster.

The Smartchip Technology in Hospitals

The Smartchip Technology is now being used by some hospitals to ensure the safety and quality of healthcare offered. The hospital is now utilizing the smartcard ID technology to make sure that only authorized family members can go inside the surgical and post-operative areas. This will keep intruders away and interfere with the activities of doctors and nurses. The smartchip will be loaded to the patient’s bracelet which contains information about the patient. The family member will be given as well to monitor the visitors and entry in the hospital.

The main reason why smartchips are used in the hospital before is to safeguard babies. It’s not an unfamiliar story that babies sometimes get interchanged. The smartchip/smartcard will help identify the babies to avoid confusion. Now the technology is used to monitor outpatients. The technology is now being integrated to other devices. For example, seniors who often need check-up and consultations are no longer asked to frequently visit the hospital. The gadget attached to the patient will record and monitor the vitals of the patient and will directly send the information to the hospital. The patient will no longer be stressed in going back to the hospital and will allow them to save more money.

According to the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), the smartcard and similar technologies may save U.S. healthcare payers $2.2 billion per year. This is through the savings they have by paying lesser in hospital admissions. The smartcards operate through the use of radio frequency (RF) technology. The  patient’s personal identification number and a low-resolution photo will be embedded in the card like an ID. Some of the medical information of the patient will also be recorded as well as the patient’s health insurance information. The advancement of the technology for healthcare has continued to progress and improve through the years. Technologies like the smartchips will ensure the safety and wellness of the patient.

The Regulations and Licensing on Assisted Living Facilities

The regulation of assisted living facilities in the U.S. differs from state to state. The Assisted Living Federation of America or the ALFA is the biggest national association fully dedicated to professionally manage the senior living communities in every state and the seniors and families they assist. It is the job of the ALFA to educate assisted living communities about the regulations and licensing requirements mandated by the state where they are located. They do some monitoring of each assisted living facilities and make sure that they submit the requirements needed for licensing and that the services they offer are high quality.

As mentioned above, the regulations differ from state to state, so it is highly recommended to review the regulation created by your state for assisted living facilities in your area before choosing. It will guide you in your decision by knowing if the facility is following the regulations or not. The ALFA updates their records about the assisted living facilities they had monitored. They also look at the laws and regulations, significant legislation and the proposed regulations by a specific state. They will also get the basic information such as: elder abuse reporting contacts, important news by the state and information about the local government.

When there is an alteration to the state legislation or the state regulation, it will be posted by ALFA online to inform the seniors and their family. It is necessary because a certain regulation might have a direct or indirect effect on the type and quality of service a certain facility will offer. The regulations on the assisted living facilities will help maintain the quality of the services they offer and will ensure that the elderlies are properly taken care of inside the facility.

 

Patient Care: Engagement

Approaches towards patient care improvisation has been tried and tested over the years. There are strategies that worked well but many failed. One approach that shows good result is the promotion of engagement among the patient to their medication processes and activities. Engagement among the patient towards their own healthcare makes their recovery faster. The Healthcare Advisory Board named it as one of the three pillars for healthcare transformation in its recent Playbook for Accountable Care.

Many studies show that when patients become active participants in their care, they are more inclined and motivated to accept responsibility for managing their own health. When patients are more involved, they become more aware and the results are better for the patient. This program makes the patient spend less money on the hospital and medicines. The healthcare industry has dedicated a lot of time and resources on looking ways to convey more patient-centered care over the last ten years.

There are a lot of approaches that have been tried and tested. Some become successful, but many are not. Many of those efforts were concentrated on strategies around the patient. Approaches must be focused on making the patient feel his or her involvement in managing his or her own health. In this manner, the patient will be more willing to take medications and be able to see the progress of her recovery.

There is an evolving care delivery model known as Interactive Patient Care (IPC). This model is based on the premise that a more engaged patient is a satisfied patient with better outcomes.

The current era of the healthcare system has been focused on improving the quality of the patient care and fast improvement recovery rate. This includes finding solutions that promise performance improvement in both managing patient care delivery and in managing the health of populations – it is significant that we make patient and family engagement a central part of the strategy.

 

Humanities CLEP Examination FAQs

The Humanities evaluation assesses common knowledge of fictional works, art, and songs and the other performing arts. It is wide in its coverage, with concerns on all times from traditional to modern and in many different fields: poems, writing, philosophy, art, architecture, songs, dance, theater and film. The evaluation needs applicants to show their knowledge of the humanities through memory of particular details, understanding and application of ideas and research and presentation of various performing arts.

Because the examination is very wide in its coverage, it is unlikely that any one person will be well advised about all the areas it includes. The examination contains roughly 140 questions to be answered in 90 minutes. Some of these are pretest concerns that will not be obtained. Any time applicants spend on guides or providing personal details is in addition to the real examining time.

For applicants with acceptable ratings on the Humanities evaluation, universities may allow up to six semester hours (or the equivalent) of credit toward fulfillment of a submission requirement. Some may allow credit for a particular course that suits the examination in content. This evaluation uses the date designations b.c.e (before the common era) and c.e. (common era). These brands match to b.c. (before Christ) and a.d. (anno Domini), which are used in some books.

Questions on the Humanities evaluation need applicants to show the capabilities detailed below, in the estimated rates indicated. Some concerns may need more than one of the capabilities.

  • Knowledge of real details (authors, works, etc.) (50 % of the examination)
  • Recognition of methods such as rhyme scheme, method, and matters of style, and the capability to recognize them as features of certain authors, performers, educational institutions, or periods (30 % of the examination)
  • Understanding and presentation of fictional paragraphs and art copies that is likely to be different to most applicants (20 % of the examination).