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In This Issue Real Estate
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In today’s healthcare market, ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGERS and NURSING EXPERTS play a crucial role. From providing care to acquiring resources, these professionals make up the network on which hospitals, patients, and doctors depend. Healthcare is thriving: through the year 2012, fifteen out of the 30 fastest growing occupations nationwide will be in the field of Healthcare and Nursing, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But nurses, healthcare managers, and medical assistants do not just support the higher-level care provided by physicians—they also think critically to anticipate needs of individuals and patients hospital-wide. They work to ensure that every patient is treated with the greatest care and respect. Today’s hospitals, clinics and healthcare providers increasingly need administrators and managers with trained skills to perform in a variety of roles, such as Admissions Coordinator, Health Information Manager, Patient Accounts Supervisors, Health Services Manager, Case Management Director, among many others. Currently, the average salaries for these positions range from $52,469 to $116,832. The field is abundant with professional opportunities, and those with the expertise and the educational credentials are in for rewarding, upwardly mobile career.
These days more and more people are choosing nurse practitioners (NPs) as their primary, acute and/or specialty healthcare provider. Research conducted for more than 40 years has established that NPs provide high-quality, cost-effective and personalized healthcare. Patients with NPs as their healthcare provider have fewer instances of emergency room visits, shorter hospital stays and often have lower medication costs. NPs are different than other healthcare providers--they focus on the whole person when treating specific health problems and they educate their patients on the effects those problems will have on them and their loved ones. Outcomes from studies of NP practice support that the quality of care is at least equivalent to that of physician care. What do nurse practitioners do? Nurse practitioners are responsible for a variety of health care issues and their jobs can be very similar to that of a doctor. They perform physical examinations, obtain medical histories, and diagnose and treat acute health problems like infections and injuries. Medications and other treatments can be prescribed by a nurse practitioner. The nurse may also order and interpret diagnostic studies such as lab work and x-rays. Other duties may include promoting positive health behaviors through education and working with physicians and other health professionals. Skills Nurse practitioners need to be very skilled, but the most important skill is being able to communicate with patients to determine the best health care plan for them. Questions need to be answered and procedures explained to patients in a way they can understand. A nurse practitioner will have to give advice and counsel patients in order to get them to participate in a healthy lifestyle. Analyzing and problem solving skills are important in order to diagnose a problem. Attention to detail is imperative in order to avoid misdiagnosis. These nurses need to have all these skills and be able to use them rapidly and efficiently. A nurse practitioner should have good judgment, maturity, adaptability, concern for people, the ability to inspire confidence and act calmly in emergencies. Conditions A nurse practitioner will work in a clean, well-ventilated medical office or health care facility. Many times home visits are required. There is a less than average amount of leisure time because work weeks are 40 - 50 hours long due to on-call hours and emergencies. There is a great deal of independence and variety in this field. Education A nurse practitioner must first become a registered nurse (RN). The transition to a nurse practitioner can be made a number of ways. A registered nurse may complete a graduate program leading to a master’s degree in nursing. This program usually takes 10 months to 2 years to complete. The second avenue is a certificate program that will also require a bachelor’s degree in nursing and involves 9 - 12 months of continuing education. There are also several 5-year programs that combine RN training and nurse practitioner studies. The RN program usually consists of courses like anatomy, physiology, chemistry, nutrition, nursing ethics, and medical terminology. Postgraduate studies will include courses like life span development, family theory, health assessment, clinical decision making, and principles of counseling. Students gain clinical experience by working with experienced nurse practitioners or by working with physicians and other health professionals. Salary Most nurse practitioners start at $40,000 - $50,000 a year. After 5 - 10 years of experience, the salary range is $50,000 - $70,000 a year and varies with location and practice. Large corporations, HMOs, and government agencies tend to pay more than the private sector. Profit sharing may be available in private practice settings. Job Outlook This field has an excellent employment outlook due to a recent expansion of managed care. Best opportunities are in HMOs and in medically underserved inner city and rural areas. Jobs can be found in nursing homes, clinics, employee/student health facilities, and physician offices. A small number of nurses are in independent practice. HOME HEALTH AIDE Whether you plan to go to college, or go straight into the work force, consider your options. By pursuing a career in the health care field, you’ll have the opportunity to develop a rewarding career you can truly enjoy. Equally important, you’ll have the chance to make an important difference in people’s lives. Home care offers a wide range of health services delivered at home to those recovering from an illness or injury, or for those who are disabled and/or chronically ill. Home health aides are projected to be one of the top fastest growing positions in the U.S. over the next decade due to the rapid growth in home health care and high replacement needs. Nature of the Work Personal and home care aides help elderly, disabled, and mentally disabled persons live in their own homes or in residential care facilities instead of in health facilities. Most personal and home care aides work with elderly or physically or mentally disabled clients who need more extensive personal and home care than family can provide. Others help discharged hospital patients who have relatively short-term needs. Intermittent Care This care is most often provided in an intermittent visit time frame of about 30-60 minutes. The HHA typically makes 1-3 visits per week as prescribed by the physician and according to the home health agency’s plan of care for the patient. A home health care RN or therapist (PT, OT or ST) supervises the HHA’s care and adjusts the plan of care to meet the needs of the patient in accordance with the MD’s orders. In most cases, HHA visits are for a short term basis only and only for as long there’s a need for a skilled nurses or therapist to provide care as well, and the patient remains homebound. Private Duty Care Home health aide care can also be provided on an hourly basis for private pay patients. However, private duty cases usually use CNAs without the additional HHA training as a more cost effective alternative for the private pay patient. Education A high school diploma or GED is usually required for CAN training. Vocational schools, adult education programs and some community colleges offer CAN training. HHA/CHHA training is an additional seventy five hours (minimum set by the Federal Government for Medical reimbursement) of training and requires separate certification testing and periodic recertification with continuing education requirements. The CNA training varies by program and state regulations, but is usually about 300 hours of classroom and clinical training. Job Outlook Excellent job opportunities are expected for this occupation. Employment of personal and home health care aides is projected to grow much faster than average for all occupations through the year 2014. The number of elderly people, an age group characterized by mounting health problems and requiring some assistance with daily activities, is projected to rise substantially. In addition to the elderly, other patients, such as the mentally disabled, will increasingly rely on home care. This trend reflects several developments, including efforts to contain costs by moving patients out of hospitals and nursing care facilities as quickly as possible; and the realization that treatment can be more effective in familiar rather than clinical surroundings; and the development and improvement of medical technologies for in-home treatment. Therefore, persons who are interested in and suited for this work – particularly those with experience or training as personal care, home health, or nursing aides – should have excellent job prospects.
Source:BLS, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners,
NAPSI
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