Careers in Healthcare: Become a Personal Support Worker or a Medical Office Assistant

If you have been thinking about starting a career in healthcare, now is the time to start moving. With the rise of an aging population, the healthcare industry can expect to see an increase in the demand for patient care services. What this means for the healthcare industry as a whole is that it will most definitely need to expand its employee base in order to be able to properly meet the needs of the public.

Of course, working in healthcare does not necessarily mean you have to become a nurse or a doctor. In fact, the healthcare industry survives on the diligent work of many behind-the-scenes employees. Here are just two examples of essential roles and extremely rewarding career options for any aspiring healthcare worker:

Personal support worker

A PSW plays a crucial part in ensuring that a patient receives proper care. Because PSWs are in constant contact with patients, interpersonal skills are among the fundamental qualities that they must master. This goes much beyond being a "people-person" insofar as PSWs need to be able to maintain a friendly and professional manner with even the most agitated patient. People being treated for an illness, be it life threatening or not, are often not their best selves. Needless to say, it is important for PSWs to be able to offer each patient a level of empathy, one that will communicate to the patient that their pain and frustration is recognized and attended to.

Further, while PSWs are not permitted to treat or diagnose patients, they are relied on to recognize patterns of behaviour that may indicate that a patient's condition has changed, however slightly.

Typically, students aspiring for a PSW career will study personal support worker courses that cover the following topics:

• Assisting a Person with Mobility


• Abuse Recognition and Required Action


• Household Management and Meal Preparation


• Personal Hygiene Assistance


• Assisting the Family/Coping Mechanisms


• Cognitive Impairment and Mental Health Issues


• Assisting the Client in Managing their Ongoing Condition


• Medication Assistance/Administering and Educating


• Assisting the Client Who is Dying


• Diagnostic and Treatment Procedures


• Arranged Nursing Home Placement and a Community Placement


• National Certification


• CPR / First Aid (included)

Medical Office Assistant

With no exaggeration, a medical office assistant is like the calm in a storm. What you can imagine such a position to entail comes down to making sure that the team of nurses, doctors, PSWs, housekeeping, and everyone else that you work with is organized and up to date with the daily happenings. This may sound like a piece of cake, but if you've ever spent a day working in a hospital, you will know that it is extremely difficult to ensure that everything is in order.

Which is why medical office assistants are so important. They take of everything, from keeping track of appointment calendars to submitting medical records, a MOA is relied on to keep things in order so that the team can be as efficient and accurate in their work as possible.

Medical office assistant programs will most often include courses that train students on the following topics:

• Study of Basic Human Anatomy and Medical Terminology


• Pharmacology


• Computer Health Applications


• Systems and Data Management


• Advanced Documentation


• Medical Insurance


• Appointment Book Management


• Medical Procedures/Doctors and The Law/Clinical Procedures

Now that you've had a look at two of many promising career paths within the healthcare industry, making the decision to jump start your career may not be so difficult.

My Accident Compensation - Personal Injury Claimants Lose Out in Cost Reforms

Many reforms relating to the funding of personal injury claims come into force in April 2013 and these will affect the amount of accident compensation that Claimants will be able to recover.

One of the most significant reforms will see the end of No Win No Fee representation as we know it. Claimants will face having to pay up to 25% of their accident compensation to their solicitor as part of their costs. Currently, solicitors can recover all costs from the negligent Defendant.

To balance this out, it has been agreed that the injury compensation payable to the Claimant will be increased by 10% from April 2013.

However, less than 1% of personal injury claims actually end up before a Judge at trial and, unless there is a trial, there is no way for a Claimant to actually enforce this 10% uplift. In practice, it is very likely that defendants will simply start the negotiations lower than they normally would and the uplift will simply get lost in negotiations. Furthermore, even if the Claimant's solicitor is confident that the 10% uplift is not being reflected in the Defendant's offer, how many Claimant's will want to go to Court in the hope of achieving an extra 10% accident compensation, especially when there is a risk that a Judge will award an even lower amount of compensation?

The amounts awarded for accident compensation for injuries have not been reviewed properly for many years despite a commissioned report in 1999 confirming that personal injury compensation was too low. That report recommended an upward review of injury compensation over 13 years ago. Therefore, this 'increase' is now a token gesture. By applying the retail price index to compensation awards made in the 1960′s, it has been calculated that today's awards are around 50% lower.

Nevertheless, personal injury Claimants will stand to lose up to 25% of their accident compensation as costs from April 2013 and will find it much harder to get legal representation because solicitors will not be able to recover all costs from the negligent Defendant and will struggle to take on the riskier and lower value cases. And just to rub salt into the wound, the Government is now proposing to increase the Small Claims limit so that Claimants will effectively be unable to get legal representation for a personal injury claim worth less than 瞿5,000. Currently, a claimant cannot recover any legal costs for injury claims worth less than 瞿1,000. However, an increase in this limit from 瞿1,000 to 瞿5,000 will see an estimated 90% of cases fall into the Small Claims limit, meaning that a claimant would have to pay all legal costs privately to their solicitor.

Residential Homes and Care Homes with Nursing

For elderly people at the later stages of life it is a very difficult decision to ask for help and making that step to move into a residential care home or nursing home. To make sure you are making the right decision it is essential to realise what kinds of care and care home facilities are available to you, and what kind of home will be the best for you or your loved one.

Residential Care Homes

A residential care home should provide all the care they would receive if they where still at home being cared for by a family member, covering areas of personal caring such helping with bathing, washing, going to the toilet, getting dressed, preparing food, eating and drinking. Health Care Assistants in this type of care home are required to be at least NVQ level trained. Residential care homes are not always permitted to look after a resident if they have nursing needs, should this arise while someone is in a residential care home then a full a assessment would need to take place by either a GP, Social Services or Health Authority to decide on whether the person requires admission to a care home with nursing. When choosing a residential care home it is important to take in to account your specific needs and also what needs you may have in the future, some residential homes have nursing care within their group of homes so if you needed nursing care in the future you may be able to stay within their care with little disruption and going through the stress of moving to a new home.

Care Homes with Nursing

Care homes with nursing fulfill all of the caring provided in a residential home with the added benefits of being cared for by trained fully qualified registered nurses, who are able to provide the higher level of medical care needed 24 hour a day. Personal caring within a nursing home will include help with getting up and going to bed, eating, drinking, dressing, washing and going to the toilet. Nursing tasks will include dressings, injections and with the administration or supervision of medication. In a Care home for nursing there is always a qualified nurse on duty. Some nursing homes will have a proportion of beds only registered for personal care, and the remainder for nursing care, while in other homes all beds will be registered for nursing.

Medical Job Interviews - 4 Great Tips to Ace the Interview

Tips on Interviewing for Medical Positions穢

The primary goal of any job search campaign, including that within the health care sector is to garner the all-important interview. Whether you are seeking a position within hospital administration, a clinical role such as doctor or nurse, or even a clerical position, the interview is the pivotal point in your entire job search effort. Depending on how well you perform during this meeting, you will either advance or damage your candidacy.

Through adequate preparation, you can advance your candidacy, thereby greatly increasing your chances of being offered the job.

Interview Tip 1: Perform Research on the Employer

An important first step is to perform some research on the facility where you will be interviewing, whether that is a hospital setting, outpatient clinic, or private doctor's office. Review the facility Web site and jot down notes as you read. Critical information includes the facility mission statement, its history, scope of services, and staff bios, if available. Prepare a list of questions that shows you have performed some reading and are familiar with the facility.

A second strategy is to speak with those in the medical community who have some knowledge of the facility with regard to its reputation, financial stability, as well as overall culture. A viable source for this information with regard to a hospital setting is those physicians who have admitting privileges.

If you are seeking a position within an outpatient clinic or group practice, you may still be able to review the facility Web site as well as speak with those in the community who have frequent interaction with the staff, such as physicians in complementary practice areas or community

During the course of your research, pay attention to the culture and values of the facility and ask yourself whether these mesh with you own. A key to a successful long term career is understanding that there is much more to a satisfactory work environment than your just job per se. Being part of any organization means not only performing your work on a day-to-day basis, but also being immersed in the overall culture milieu. The more the culture of the organization matches with your own style, the greater will be your chances for success within that workplace.

Interview Tip 2: Perform Research in the Health Care Field

Another area of research concerns a review of any significant news within the health care sector that may directly impact the facility you will be interviewing with. As you read, create a set of bullet points for discussion that clearly illustrate the research you done. Such a discussion point could be, "I recently read that there is a critical shortage of emergency room nurses resulting in a significant increase in wait time for patients entering the ER. How is this impacting the effectiveness of triage and the overall quality of patient care? This type of questions shows that you are familiar with current issues and how these issues may affect facility services.

Interview Tip 3: Be Flexible

Much work within a hospital setting specifically will involve working non-traditional hours, to include evenings, weekends, and overnights. It will also frequently require that you work double shifts. It is often the case that crisis situations arise that will require that you work past your shit, at times working a double shift to accommodate staff shortages due to sickness, vacation time or recidivism.

Before commencing a job search, take an honest evaluation regarding your willingness to work such a non-traditional schedule. Do you have family or other obligations that will interfere with your availability too work varying or double shifts? If your preference is to work in an environment that offers a more stable schedule, consider seeking a job within a private or group practice. While the salary may be lower in these types of settings, the trade-off may be worth it to you in terms of greater work-life balance.

Interview Tip 4: Demonstrate a Team Orientation

Patient care is truly a team effort. For any facility to work at its best there needs to be a good measure of synergy between clinical staff who provide direct patient care and administrative personnel who oversee daily operations.

During your interview you will want to exhibit a team orientation and "can-do" attitude. One way to do this is to talk about past situations where you worked as part of a team. This can be directly related to work or it can include experiences you have had as a volunteer or member of a sports team. The overriding goal is to show that you are a team play ready, willing, and able to contribute your efforts to the goals of your department.

Interview Tip 5: Interview Etiquette

Although many health care facilities may have a somewhat casual dress code (for staff not required to wear uniforms) be sure to "dress for success: and wear professional attire to your interview. Err on the side of being conservative with regard to jewelry, makeup, or cologne.

Do not staple or fold your resume but place it in a letter size envelope. If your resume is more than one page, use a paper clip on the upper left hand corner to keep the pages together. Be certain your cell phone is turned off, NOT set to vibrate (which can sound awfully loud should during any pause in the conversation.)

How to Become a Nurse Through Home Study Courses

If you are looking to be a nurse, there are a lot of different programs you can choose to use. One of the most popular out right now is the distance learning nursing programs. Today we are going to talk about why these kinds of distance learning programs are the best way to go. You will see that if you are studying to become a nurse, learning from home could be the best way to go. People usually do not understand or notice all the benefits from taking classes from home, but that is why we are going to talk about it.

First of all, there are only a selected number of courses that are offered for at home students. It just so happens that nursing is one of them. Now, before you go and try to sign up with distance learning nursing programs, you need to keep in mind that there are some prerequisites that you may have to take. These are no different than what you would have to be taking if you went to a traditional school. You just need to keep in mind that you do not get out of taking them for choosing to do distance learning. The second thing to note is the fact that you need to really make sure you have to the will power to make yourself work. You have to want to work and want to earn money. If you can do that, then you will notice that everything will work out a lot better for you.

Enough about what you need to take for distance learning nursing programs, it's time to talk about how they can help you! First of all, you are going to save a lot of money. It will not look like you are going to save a lot at first, because the prices to go to the school are about the same. However, because you will be taking the classes from home, you do not have to pay to live on campus, and you also will not have to pay for gas to drive around and go back and forth to campus. Also, you are going to want to note that you are going to save money on food, because you will be eating from home. These are small little things that you have to pay for at college everyday that add up very quickly. Over time, you will see how much money you are saving, even if it's not right away.

Last, but not least, you are going to save a lot of time and be able to keep your current job. Since you can take classes whenever you want to, when you are doing distance learning, you do not have to worry about your job trying to work around your schooling. Not only that, but you are going to be able to set your own hours, meaning that you can get ahead in your classes a lot quicker. Overall, it is going to be super easy to get the education you need to get the job you have always wanted.

Personal Injury Lawsuits, Statute of Limitations, Type of Damages

Personal injury lawsuit's statute of limitations vary from state to state and dependent on who is the defendant. This article delves into the elements involved in filing a personal injury lawsuit and the types thereof.

The purpose of personal injury law is to protect the victims of negligence, inaction, or recklessness of another individual. Personal injury law extends to a wide variety of cases which can include: dog bites, car/boat accidents, construction accidents, medical malpractice, defective products, wrongful death, worker's compensation, nursing home abuse, and slip and fall injuries. Before you file a personal injury claim it is important to consult with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney who will be familiar with state specific regulations for filing and will help you understand your rights under the law.

STATUE OF LIMITATIONS ON PERSONAL INJURY LAWSUITS

If you are contemplating filing a personal injury claim it is important to file in a timely manner. All claims are subject to statutes of limitations which will vary from state to state. The statute of limitations is the timeframe a plaintiff has to file for damages, and often this time period is from one to three years.

The only exception to the statute of limitations is when the plaintiff is filing for damages against the government. In this case, the statute of limitations is often reduced to thirty days up to one year after the injury. Typically, the statute of limitations begins on the day of the injury. If a dog bit you yesterday, then your statute of limitations began yesterday as well.

However, sometimes as is the case with certain medical malpractice and drug injury lawsuits, the cause of injury is not identified for weeks, months, or years afterwards. For example, a form of birth control has recently been linked to an increase in cancer among some women. The statute of limitations for those women affected by this side affect begins when their symptoms are linked to taking this drug, and not when they initially began taking the medication.

FILING A PERSONAL INJURY LAWSUIT

Prior to filing a personal injury claim, a plaintiff must always be able to prove that the person charged (the defendant) is legally responsible for the injury and that the injury suffered is truly the result of wrongdoing on the part of the defendant. In other words you cannot file a claim against a doctor who never treated you, nor can you seek damages for a broken leg you received while mountain biking from a doctor that treated you for gum disease.

There are several elements which may be helpful in establishing whether the person you are charging is actually responsible for your injury:

Negligence - the defendant failed to prevent your injury, and is therefore responsible for causing it. An example might be a horseback riding instructor who asks you to take your horse over a series of jumps without first warning you that the ground is muddy. If your horse slips and falls on you, perhaps resulting in a broken arm or debilitating back pain, your instructor may be deemed negligent and therefore responsible for your injury.

Strict Liability - this type of liability applies regardless of negligence, and is also known as product liability. If you use your electric razor as instructed in the owner's manual and you get electrocuted or suffer cuts/bruises then the manufacturer of the razor may be held liable for your injury.

Intentional Wrong - civil claims for an intentional wrong may be filed in addition to criminal charges. Most often victims of sexual assault or other forms of abuse will file their personal injury claims based on intentional wrong.

TYPES OF DAMAGES FROM PERSONAL INJURY LAWSUITS

When seeking damages for a personal injury, your accident lawyer may pursue compensatory or punitive damages. In some cases a judge may award both types of damages depending on the severity and type of crime committed.

1) COMPENSATORY DAMAGES - ACTUAL OR ESTIMATED

Compensatory damages can be actual or estimated and are meant to reimburse the plaintiff a pre-determined monetary value.

(i) Actual values for compensatory damages can be calculated based on medical bills, lost wages, or money paid to repair damaged property from the accident (a boat or car, for example).

(ii) Estimated damages are calculated based on the pain and suffering endured by the plaintiff as a result of the accident. An indirect victim, such as a spouse, may also seek compensatory damages for lost wages to their spouse's household contributions. Punitive damages are meant to punish the person responsible for the accident.

2) PUNITIVE DAMAGES

Punitive damages do not provide any monetary gain to the plaintiff.

If you feel that you are the victim of a personal injury it is important to consult an accident attorney as soon as possible. An accident attorney in Phoenix will offer much different advice than an accident attorney in Boston with regards to statutes of limitations and determining the at-fault party. Failure to file your claim in time and present proper evidence may cost you the case entirely and prevent you from filing for damages altogether.

Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuits

When a case of nursing home abuse is brought to court, the home in question must defend itself and the actions in question of its staff. If irrefutable evidence is presented that the resident has been abused or mistreated in any way, the victim WILL receive compensation if proper actions are taken. In some cases, the home may also be ordered to shut down. Home residents' rights are guaranteed by the federal 1987 Nursing Home Reform Law. The nursing home law requires homes to "promote and protect the rights of each resident".

In spite of the law, home abuse continues to be a serious problem. The National Center on Elder Abuse estimates at least one in 20 nursing home patients has been the victim of abuse. According to the study, 57% of nurses' aides in long-term care facilities admitted to having witnessed, and/or participated in, acts of elder abuse. Unfortunately, the signs of home abuse are not always easy to recognize and ultimately prove.

If you think yourself or someone you know has been abused in the care of a nursing home ( and want to be financially compensated) they're are certain rules of thumb to follow. You should obtain and file all the names of the staff of the home in question along with any documentation that suggests or even proves you were abused. Such as medical bills, pictures of injuries, etc. When you have all of this together you should arrange a meeting with a personal injury attorney ASAP.

Why hire a personal injury lawyer? What a lawyer can do for you in these cases is invaluable. Your lawyer will (assuming he or she has experience dealing with elder abuse in your state) know what it takes to build you a solid case that will ultimately get you financially compensated for your injures, pain and suffering. While you can represent yourself against your nursing home and avoid fees of a nursing home lawyer, you can be assured everything is prepared up to par with a lawyer who has experience on your side. Also, most lawyers dealing with personal injuries and nursing home abuse will only take payment if a settlement is reached for their client.

Sometimes, the abused person and the nursing home in question can come to an agreement regarding compensation with the aid of their personal injury lawyer and the intervention of a judge is not required. This is normally the quicker and more convenient process, not requiring formal presentations of witnesses or evidence exhibits. If an agreement cannot be reached outside the courtroom however, the case may be pursued in front of a judge. Here, evidence and witnesses will be presented to support and disprove each case. The final outcome of the case will be decided upon by a judge, and although appeal processes are available, they are lengthy and hard to succeed with.

Also, you should know most states personal injury statutes of limitations grant a 2 year period in which you can file a lawsuit.