Tag: Hospital

How to prepare yourself for a Nursing career

Choosing a career requires careful thinking and right decision making. You want to have a career that will enhance your ability, skills and knowledge. A good career path should be interesting, enjoyable, and inspiring. You want to be in a career that makes you happy and enables to you have worthwhile experiences while working.

Among the many available careers, you have chosen to be in the field of healthcare as a nurse. This type of career is lucrative and highly respected. Proper knowledge and high quality of skills are required from healthcare professionals. On top of that, a nursing graduate should undergo the mandatory board exam that regulate and maintain the standards for this particular profession.

Although pursuing this type of career can sometimes be strenuous, it’s better to be ready and prepare for the long career journey ahead.

Choose which type of nursing career you want

Basically there are two nursing career you can take. One as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and the other as a Registered Nurse (RN).  There is actually a noticeable difference between the two closely related careers. RN’s have more subjects and spend more time in school earning their professional nursing degree.  While LPN’s earn a degree in practical nursing. RN’s have better opportunity in terms of high compensation and career growth.

Learn, Study and pass your course

The best preparation for a nursing career is by making a good reputation in your academic performance.  These lessons you got while earning your degree in nursing are vital in your chosen career. It’s preferable to have basic to advance knowledge on the fundamentals of nursing which are very useful in your line of work.

Make sure you pass the licensure exam

Implement strategies that will increase your chances of passing the nursing board exam in your location. You can enroll in tutorial classes or spend a time doing self-review before you take the exam. Through the help of dedication and the right preparation a career in nursing will be within your reach.

Top Two Jobs Nursing Graduates Can Get

Graduation means the end of painstaking formal education and the start of your professional career. Among the many courses offered in the school you choose is a degree in nursing. Now, you’ve probably been wondering what kind of jobs you will get with the Nursing education you got in college.

As a nursing graduate you would want to have a job that is closely related to healthcare. This industry has always been stable and continuously progressing. The demand for healthcare related jobs is also rising.  A career in the field of healthcare requires proper education and professional skills which a lot people don’t have. Fortunately, you got the right education and training that can qualify in this type of industry.

The healthcare industry has a wide scoop of careers that nursing graduates like yourselves can have. If you decided to practice your profession in the field of healthcare here are some of the top jobs you can have:

  1. Hospital Nurses- One of the primary workforce in hospitals are the nurses. They are the ones who assists doctors and physician in doing medical treatments to patients. Nurses are also in-charge of the patient’s recuperation when the doctors is not around. Almost every Hospitals in the world are in need of qualified nursing professionals who can provide medical skills to their institution. A hospital is the best place to build a career if you want to have a top-notch job with your nursing degree.
  2. Part of an Emergency Medical Team (EMT) – Members of an EMT are required to have healthcare related education and training. As a nursing graduate you are qualified to be a Paramedic. If you are an outgoing type of person, this type of career would be very much favorable and enjoyable to your part.

Student’s guide for choosing the right healthcare education

One of the oldest and top industry in the world is the field of Healthcare. Each year hundreds of new graduates are added in the lists of healthcare professionals offering medial service to help the sickly. In order to be part of this highly respected profession, one must undergo proper education and training. Offering healthcare service is not easy as carpentry. In order to practice such profession people need to qualify and pass professional accreditation which can be difficult.

If you are planning to have a career in the healthcare industry, it’s best that you seek the right educational institution. The school you choose can affect the level of skills you will have in the future. You may want to enroll to an institution that offers high quality healthcare education. Your choice of school can help have the right skills and ability to provide satisfying patient care in the future.

To help you find the suitable healthcare education that you need, here’s a short guide:

  • Choose a reputable educational institution. The number of schools offering programs in healthcare has been increasing in the past years. This is due to the increase in demand for healthcare professionals. You should select an institution that has created a highly respected reputation in terms of giving high quality education.
  • Pick the institution that produced a lot of successful healthcare professionals. The number of successful professionals from a school is a good indicator what kind of education you will be getting. You want to be educated in an institution wherein there is a high success rate among graduates.

Choosing the right educational institution is a step closer to attaining your plans to having successful career in the field of healthcare. Given the education and training you have, you will surely pass any professional accreditation exams that is required to practice a triumphant healthcare career.

The Role Of The Hospital In The Community

A hospital is a place where we can go if we get sick. It is a conducive place for people who require treatment for their illness. It also plays a big role in the community. A community will not be complete without the presence of a hospital. In fact, a hospital is the community center for health and wellness. The environment of this place is one of the healthiest and safest space that is good for patients, visitors, and staff.

Many of us do not appreciate the true value of a hospital unless we get sick. Many lives are being saved by hospitals. It is the perfect place for those who are experiencing major sickness such as cancer, brain diseases and other major injuries. There are some diseases that are incurable. However, hospitals have advance facilities and technologies to sustain the lives of the people. This place is not only treating sickness but it also helps improving the health of the community. Many hospitals are creating programs that offer financial assistance to patients who cannot afford to pay for hospital care. This helps people to get the care they need, without having to worry about financial payment.

It is true that a hospital has a big impact to the community. They are the critical partners in making sure that communities remain strong, vibrant, and healthy. They are not just treating the diseases of patients, but they also educate the community on how to become healthy and away from all sickness. We need to be grateful that hospitals are there for us to make our lives comfortable and convenient.

Hospital Jobs    

A hospital is a place for patients and doctors. But jobs in a hospital are not limited to just health care. According to forbes.com, hospitals employ more than 5 million people and they are all hardly doctors. America’s general medical and surgical hospitals have one-third jobs that are non-medical.

In a hospital, there are clinical and non-clinical jobs in all levels and types. Clinical hospital jobs are those which provide direct patient care, such as nurse, doctors, or allied personnel. Meanwhile, non-clinical hospital jobs are administrative or management types of roles, from the janitors to the executives.

Some of the clinical hospital jobs include physicians (ER doctors, surgeons, hospitalists), nurses (CRNA, RN, LPN/LVN, CNS, techs (Radiology Tech, Ultrasound Tech, Surgical Tech), therapists (Physical Therapist, Radiation Therapist), medical assistants, pharmacists, medical lab technologists, and dietician.

The examples of non-clinical hospital jobs include case managers (social workers), accountants, human resources and recruiting, executives (CEO, CFO, CIO), information technologists, and administrative assistants.

Working in a hospital might be attractive to you if you enjoy working with people and being around a lot of other people. And if you like a bit of a challenge in the work place every day, you are bound to experience that as an average hospital has hundreds of employees and patients coming in on a daily basis. Also, hospital jobs are relatively secure. If you are looking for a work place where there is more hiring than firing, then you might want to consider working in a hospital.

Of course, there are also downsides to working in a hospital. It is probably not the most progressive place to work as hospital environments do not change much over the years. Other than medical technology, not much changes in the hospital environment. Aside from that, hospital politics is also an issue. And more importantly, you need to keep in mind that many sick people, including those with infectious disease s, come through the door.

Financing Hospital Care in the United States

Since the 60’s, Medical costs have risen dramatically in the U.S. The greatest increase comes from hospital care. Most hospitals have been granted large wage increase and installed expensive modern equipments. To meet these large expenditures, hospitals raised charges to their services by about 600 percent.

There are three main methods of financing hospital care in the country: (1) private insurance, (2) government funding, and (3) customer payments.

Private Insurance. Approximately 80% of Americans have health insurance of some kind. The employee, employer, and the government pays a certain amount for medical benefits. Private health insurance are offered either by insurance companies, medical service plans, employers, or organizations.

Medical service plans provide service benefits. This service is a direct payment to the physician or hospital for medical care. On the other hand, Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO’s) provide nearly complete health care services for a monthly or annual fee. Despite the complete services provided, patient’s options are limited or are bonded by the HMO’s restrictions. There are also employers who pay for the health care cost for their employees rather than buying insurance.

Government Funding. About 40 percent of all health care cost is paid by the government. Of course, the Federal government pays for the larger portion. Hospitals that receive such funding are those managed by the Public Health Service and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Medicare is the biggest government funded health care program in the U.S. IT helps senior citizens pay for out patient, nursing and hospital care.

Customer Payments. Most insurance do no pay for cost of medicine, medical appliances, dental , and eyeglasses. Some only cover a portion of the outpatient care. Patients will need to cover part of the cost themselves. Nearly 25% of health care cost is paid by patients.

Hospital Associated Pneumonia Prevention

Hospital associated pneumonia has become a great concern nowadays. According to WHO, pneumonia acquired from hospitals’ morbidity and mortality rates are staggering high. For those who are not aware, pneumonia that starts in the hospital tends to be more serious than other lung infections.

This growing concern is due to several factors. Usually, the infection spreads when patients use respirators – machine for breathing. During hospital stay, patients are more vulnerable to germs or viruses since they are not well enough to fit the off. Patients who are more prone to this disease in the hospital are those who had surgeries, chemo therapy (cancer treatment with low immunity), have chronic lung disease, elderly, and alcoholic.

Germs are also passed from one health care staff to another through hand contact or clothing. This is why they are required to wear gloves and masks when on duty. There are also other ways to avoid the dreadful disease.

The best way to stop the spread of germs is through frequent hand washing, stay at home when sick, and boost immunity. People who need to visit their loved ones in the hospital must make sure that they have taken steps in preventing the spread of germs: bring hand sanitizer, wear masks and gloves, and never bring an infant or child. If you have contact with a person in the hospital, never place your hand from your face. When someone coughs or sneezes, cover your nose and mouth with clean tissue or hanky. Do the same when you sneeze or cough as well.

In-patients who are very young and old or very ill at greater risk of such infections. To prevent the spread of germs, get up-to-date vaccination. Ask your doctor about flu and anti-viral vaccinations available. With good preventive measures, you can ensure to have a disease-free life.

Improving Healthcare Services

From healthcare discoveries to the most recent treatment options, America’s healthcare educational institutions and teaching hospitals, as well as their doctors and experts, possess a legacy of developing treatments and establishing the standard for the best patient health care. By way of a multi-year initiative to enhance the standard and security of health care, it is vital to work together to generate guidelines for better quality health care.

Through guidelines for much better Healthcare, it is necessary to integrate verified methods to guarantee more secure surgeries, decrease infections, and reduce hospital re-admissions. We must built an even tougher tradition of quality and protection in medicine by passing these guidelines to each new doctor educated and make sure high quality and safety is part of medical training from day one. Through good research and evaluation, best practices will be improved, learn new ones, and discuss our knowledge with others to enhance health care.

It is, of course, the responsibility of a hospital to secure their patients by giving quality standards, updating procedures, regular maintenance and developing technology. The health care education facilities must be able to educate the next era of doctors with quality and patient security. Through continued research and study, patients must be more secure with safer surgeries. Hospitals must as well develop or enhance a program that will reduce the hospital re-admissions especially for high-risk patients. This will reduce the hospital cost and the stress of staying long in hospital wards away from home.

Lastly, there must be a continued investigation, research and examination of new and efficient health care practices as well as the use of efficient technologies to establish a better future of the health care industry.

Importance and Duties of Housekeepers in a Hospital

Hospitals all over the world require constant maintenance and restoration to maintain order and to avoid accidents or spread of diseases. The assigned housekeepers have a less noticed job, but their presence is important and without them, other services will not be performed or given.

There are various duties that housekeepers do within the hospital. The most common job is to prepare the bed for the arrival of the new patient. They must ensure that the sheets are clean as well as the blankets. They must sanitize the tables and other equipments surrounding the patient. The floor must be cleaned as well and be sanitized.

You will be disgusted when the comfort room is not properly cleaned. It is the job of the housekeeper to maintain the restrooms. They must sanitize it and replace tissues and trash bins daily. This is to ensure that the patients are comfortable with their stay and to avoid the spread of diseases. Their main job is to maintain cleanliness in every area of the hospital. They must clean the spills, like blood or feces, at the floor from the entrance to the rooms. They must also take the soiled laundry to the designated area where the laundry service will pick it up.

They must also ensure that the equipments are returned to their proper spots when not in use, like wheelchairs, IV stand, nebulizers etc. Services will be delayed when these equipments are not in place when needed. They will also ensure that sufficient equipment such as gowns etc., are back in the same wards and make sure that there is enough amount of clean laundry. The housekeeper job is not as noticeable as compared to other jobs in a hospital like nurses and doctors, but their job is necessary in order to provide the complete services to the patient.

 

Medicare Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has new financial incentives and penalties. This is done in order to improve the health care system, mainly hospitals, performance in the country. The new mandate has been proven to be hard to manage and has encountered several problems. However, it provides new opportunities for leaders to have a good collaboration with different health care providers.

Medicare’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program or the (HRRP) penalizes hospitals that allow patients to have excess 30-day readmissions specifically for health conditions like myocardial, pneumonia, and heart failure.  The program was intended to punish hospitals with surplus 30-day readmissions not considering whether the patient was readmitted to the same hospital or to another hospital.

Actually, the penalty itself is not that substantial or damaging to the hospital’s income. What makes it more significant is its effect on the image of the hospital. The penalty data of each hospital is open for public viewing every year, so they know what hospital has been paying a lot of penalties recently. This could affect the number of patients that will choose that hospital. If the hospital is located in a very competitive location, having a high penalty rating could greatly affect them.

The program has forced hospital leaders to develop, filter, assess, and implement care management programs in different areas. It is essential to use the information technology for data incorporation. Evidence-based decision-making is also important to make the services more effective and fast as soon as the patient was admitted. It is also crucial to the development and rapid-cycle learning. Hospital leaders as well as their management must be aware of the changes in the rules. They now need better collaboration with other health care institutions to be more effective in terms of the services they offer to patients. Keeping the patients from readmission to the hospital due to their total wellness and recovery is a very good sign for the hospital’s development.