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Myths About Nursing Homes

Contrary to misconception, a nursing home is different from a hospital. It is more of an out-patient facility where continuous nursing care is given. There are a lot of myths about nursing homes and why it has seen an increase not just in the US, but in other countries as well. But let us take a closer look at how these myths help establish these nursing homes even further despite its unfounded misconceptions.

If Nobody Will, Maybe a Nursing Home Can
There are so many ways to help your old folks for them to get by with old age. You might want to go with them shopping or walking the dog. But if you want an extensive monitoring of your folks more than you can actually give, a nursing home is a viable and humane option.

Distant Families
Perhaps one of the lingering questions why people would criticize families for sending their old folks to nursing homes is that the family no longer care about them. That is not true. When their children are already having families of their own, these folks should not be left alone. Sending them to a home is a far better option than leaving them behind.

They Don’t Fit In
Other people don’t go for nursing homes because they are not properly managed. This is an old notion already. More and more nursing homes boast of having modern facilities in it, and that most of their staff are trained and skillful. They are affordable, too, and you can be assured that your folks are in good shape.

They Can Check Out Anytime, But They Can’t Leave
Your folks can still go home after spending some time inside that nursing home. This is another myth that should be buried a long time ago. Going home still should be the final resting place for a cured patient.

Bypassing College through CLEP

Ever dream of becoming a nurse without actually going into semester coursework? Well, you don’t need to dream further. The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is there for you. This is a standardized test where a college-level assessment is given to those students who have not taken college courses.

Administered by the College Board, the College Level Examination Program has thirty-six subject areas on its test as a mechanism for those students to get by with the conventional college program. CLEP has more than 1,700 sites at its disposal across the US, including community colleges, universities and even technical schools.

Almost 3,000 colleges are granting credits through CLEP. These institutions usually grant credit to students who have at least qualified for a college degree, which are about 60 students out of a possible 80. These qualifying offer depends on the site and the exam given. If you have obtained a nursing education outside a traditional classroom, perhaps an online associate degree, CLEP is perfect for you. And even those through home study, job experience or cultural involvement, this test will give them a kind of leverage for them to get that desired degree. This particular program is also available for those students outside of the US, and has their sights of studying further in the country.

CLEP is not just an exam per se, it also provides students to show their skills on a subject of their choosing, and to somehow get through an undergraduate study. More and more students are availing of this said program because it is convenient, not to mention it saves a lot of time. And also because the costs involved are much cheaper than going into that customary coursework. So if you are planning on pursuing a nursing degree with less hassle, CLEP is the way to do it.

Advantages of Distance Learning

Distance learning has had its increase every year. Many students are going into it for convenience and attainability. It is so convenient that working students can have their education during breaks, or anything in-between. They don’t have to report to a conventional classroom anymore.

Education has come a long way. No longer is the idea of a classroom the only place to learn everything. In fact, you can have your education without even seeing a classroom in your life. That’s the uniqueness of distance learning.

And there are a lot of advantages to it. Let us take a closer look.

Easy Access
This is the reason why many students are availing of it. It is accessible, easy to handle. Because contemporary life is so busy, and at times you have to do two things at the same time, people are striving for that easy access on things, including of course, education.

No Time Wasted
The concept of working at the same time as studying is unusual, but it saves a lot of time. You feel a sense of accomplishment when doing so many things aside from work concerns. You also have the opportunity to finish a degree while doing your day job.

Smooth Schedule
You can study anywhere you want. As long as you have a good internet connection, then you can study, research and even discuss subjects online without actually being there with your instructor.

At Your Own Pace
Education has never been this easy. Studying at your own rhythm can only bring about a more concentrated education in the process. It is quite pressure-free, and deadlines are almost always non-existent.

Time Away From Academics
You can spend more time doing other things, like nurturing a hobby or time away with your family. Who knows, your family might help you with your assignments.

 

 

 

 

Online RN Classes

There are many nursing classes online. Nursing schools in the US flourish in the same way as with the specialized courses they offer. They differ from a conventional medical school, of course, since a student could become a registered nurse (RN) after a series of tests provided within the program. Getting a nursing degree is getting easier by the minute. You could have your RN classes without attending a class in a physical classroom setting.

Online activities such as assessing test scores, interactive discussions, and even examinations through email are some of the things a nursing student has to do.

You can even avail of the usual nursing courses offered in any nursing school like bio-statistics, nutrition management, microbiology and physiology. RN classes online is fast becoming an alternative route for would-be nursing students. They save enough time and money.

Other nursing schools showcase specific programs for their students. Pre-licensure, Doctoral and even Post-Degree Certificates could be had with a variety of options attached to its contract. This is giving RN classes some form of flexibility unlike in the old days when students need to attend to their classes doing just a single work.

Now, a nursing course is just a click away online. And not just that, RN classes tend to economize time, space and resources. A way of going about it with less energy. A working (nursing) student, for example, is now able to manage his or her study time with great ease since classes are conducted everywhere through the internet. A 2-year associate’s degree in nursing could have its completion in less than a year with your online classes.

However, students who already acquired associate’s degrees in nursing can pursue additional courses online for them to qualify for any graduate study or other related courses, and avail of these unique online RN classes.

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Hospices Cares

You could say that a hospice is a special place for the sick. This is the place where they receive proper medical attention. They get their much-needed emotional and spiritual care while they are in a hospice.

A hospice care aims to take care of the ill at the twilight of their lives. It is a place where old patients receive a more humane treatment of their illnesses.  Sick people who are under hospice care are either in a nursing home or in a sanatorium.

Hospices started their roots in Europe and since then, it has evolved into a distinct shelter for the sick. The concept of providing hospices somehow developed into a kind of institution. Other patients prefer hospices than hospitals. They choose to spend the rest of their lives inside a nursing home.

Most patients inside a hospice have less than six months to live. They go to hospices so they could somehow extend their time in there. Old patients suffering from cancer, tuberculosis, and other debilitating diseases are its regular inhabitants. There they receive constant care, rest, recreation and even free time to do things at their own pace. Hospice care enables sick patients to maximize their remaining days before they die.

It focuses on caring any more than it aims to cure other diseases. It has its attention of giving these patients something worthwhile while they are recuperating.  Hospices make their lives even better during their last days. These places treat patients regardless of race, religion or even diseases. Hospices are under Medicare, Medicaid, and has its own private insurance plans from other medical organizations.

They also have a variety of staffers under their care. Physicians, nurses, social workers, volunteers and even clergymen work for a certain nursing home. They take extra care on their patients, assisting them of their needs.  They provide food, medicine, and even a coach on how to take care of the sick.

The 4 Virtues of a Patient-Centered Care System

Respecting the needs and preferences of a patient is the idea behind every patient-centered care system. Unlike in a normal patient-hospital relationship, patient care aims to treat their patients pro-actively. It was born out of championing health care issues, as well as in having safer medical means for the sick.

Since much of what goes on during diagnosis is still suspect even to the practitioners themselves, and that need of having a full engagement with their patients, patient care was then established.

It is basically going beyond the conventions of assisting their patients with proper diagnosis and treatment. These medical outlets are out to guide patients and provide them with a more personal treatment with their illnesses. Patient care has four inherent virtues, “whole-person” care, communication, support and sustenance and ready access. With these four virtues,a patient could be assured of a medical care for life.

Taking Care of the Person as a Whole
Oftentimes, a minor ailment could have its direct effect towards the entire body. Treating these patients from head to foot, so to speak, could lead to a more complete healing, not just treating a part of it.

Only Connect
Having a sort of bond towards a patient has its own advantages. If you can extend not just your expertise as a medical practitioner but also your time with them, you are somehow improving the quality of their lives also.

Support System
Inculcating a system of camaraderie like supporting each patient with his or her needs could go a long way as far as healing goes. This will make things easy for them while they recuperate.

Always Ready
Practitioners are always there, on the go, ready to perform their duties with care. Being available to their patients always is of utmost interest in the field of patient care.

Assist the Living

It aims to improve the quality of their patients’ lives. This is a place where people with disabilities get the best possible care as they recuperate. This is where they continue living as normal people until they are completely healed.

They call this place, Assisted Living Centers (ALCs). There are so many assisted living centers in the country. These facilities provide patients with health care services, while monitoring their daily activities.  These centers are out to ensure safety and well-being to their patients.

ALCs understand that the best way to deal with sickness is to provide a home atmosphere. Their patients, who have disabilities in themselves, would recover fast with them. They provide personal care with a feel of home, assisting them even as they mend their illnesses. Assisted living centers started its boom in the 90s. It’s an offshoot of the eldercare institutions that provide medical attention to the old. But with a difference. ALCs do not function like that of a retirement home.

Other assisted living centers do look like homes in themselves, not just the atmosphere. At times these living centers tend to feel like an apartment to these patients. It was born out of the idea that personal care and providing home-like services are perfect medical amenities in themselves.

Patients can also choose his or her own doctor in an ALC. Unlike in other facilities where patients have limited access, but with assisted living centers, they have the freedom to choose.

ALCs generally cater to those patients with disabilities. This is the reason why others have built larger bathrooms, kitchens with wheelchairs in it, rooms are wider, and hallways even have support railing.

Most assisted living centers conduct their businesses with providing constant medical upkeep as their main goal. And they align their services with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).

In the League of Nurses

Like the League of Nations, nurses have their own league as well. The National League for Nursing (NLN) is foremost in the development of nurses worldwide. It offers a range of opportunities to nurses, from testing services to research grants. NLN has more than a thousand institutional members under their wing.

It started its operation in 1893 as a subgroup of the American Society of Superintendents of Training Schools for Nurses, and it is the first nursing facility in the United States. Their core values are indicative of their desire to improve the quality of nurses in the country.

NLN takes good care of their nurses so they can take good care of their patients. Promoting health and wellness has come to be a priority with NLN over the years. They see to it that the citizens of America and are healthy and free of any debilitating diseases. Integrity is also an indispensable element in the execution of their duties. They understand that they are not just treating the sick, but they are also setting themselves as moral guides to their patients.

They aim to treat their patients as individuals, too, not just a statistic. For NLN, every patient is unique. NLN strives to achieve excellence in the delivery of their work. They create strategies that enables these nurses to connect with their patients in a more personal way. These are the values that NLN have since its birth more than a century ago. Caring for the sick, establishing integrity with their patients, promoting excellence at work, with the understanding that every patient has its own peculiar need, makes NLN instrumental in the development of nursing education. NLN plays a key role of building diversity in the nursing field. They help educate our nurses with the goal of making them as an integral piece for a healthy nation.

Nursing Fundamentals

Nurses have many roles. A nurse may be an assistant to a medical specialist or part of the surgical team of doctors on their way to an operation. But nurses have specific duties to perform, not just mere assistants. You could at least point out five of those roles a nurse has to perform on a daily basis. The fundamentals of nursing could be as complicated as its demanding work at times, but the results are always rewarding.

Assessing a Patient
As soon as the patient is housed inside the hospital, a nurse almost immediately has to perform an assessment to the patient. This initial assessment might prove valuable later on, particularly with performing a diagnosis.

Diagnosis
Nurses, after conducting an initial assessment, could perform a simple diagnosis to their patients. A nurse might want to interview the patient further and diagnose the patient properly.

Nursing Care
Immediately after giving a simple diagnosis, a nurse has to devise a plan on how to take care of the patient. That plan though is in keeping with the assessment and its corresponding diagnosis.

Medical Intervention
If a patient is in need of further diagnosis, a nurse might be able use the services of a doctor. This will assure the patient that the initial medical attention has its confirmation with another medical staffer.

To Recap
After doing the necessary assessment and diagnosis, and providing initial medication to the patient, a nurse has the responsibility to evaluate the said patient. This evaluation would either give further medical attention or would recommend a release for the patient.

These are basically the fundamentals of nursing, the basic things that a nurse has to do in the course of his/her duty. Indeed, they have many roles, and it’s more than just assisting.

Why Sociology Is Important to Nurses

In the old days, the study of sociology can only be conducted inside a classroom. A student simply can’t discuss the topic online like a subject in a class. Today, even those online nursing schools are offering sociology as one of their subjects.

Sociology is a field in science that concerns itself with social behavior. The origins and the development of a particular society takes its cue from the study of sociology. Sociology, at the outset, is not so much related to the study of nursing, but nurses who are knowledgeable in the study of sociology have at least an advantage over those who don’t. The study of sociology is so loaded with research, particularly on topics such as social processes or social change. In fact, many of those who are into sociology are into social policies as well.

If a nurse has at least an understanding of these social processes, that nurse might be able to conduct a patient assessment in a more circumspect way. Nurses interact with a lot of people. And the demographics of this crowd is quite diversified. This is where knowledge in sociology comes in. If a nurse has a comprehensive know-how on certain sociological issues, that would make his or her work a notch higher than a mere auxiliary to a doctor.

Not that nurses need to consider sociology as an entry pass to a more fruitful nursing career, but that every nurse should understand the relation of their duties with the social structure of their patients. Nurses provide care to their patients. And at times, providing care is not so much about giving them what they need, it is about knowing what to do with what kind of patient they have. They can only do that by having a clear grasp of their sociological backgrounds.