Tag: certified nursing assistant school

June 19th is World Sickle Cell Awareness Day

Screenshot 2019-06-10 at 8.49.38 AM

Were you aware that June 19th is World Sickle Cell Awareness Day? In fact, June 19th has been set aside as World Sickle Cell Awareness Day for more than a decade. Beginning in 2008, World Sickle Cell Awareness Day has been observed on a yearly basis in order to help boost the general public’s fund of knowledge and increase awareness of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).

In addition, the World Sickle Cell Awareness Day observance brings some much needed attention to the painful, time-consuming battles that the afflicted people and their loved ones go through on a regular basis. SCD affects millions of individuals globally, including both adults and children. In the United States, nearly 100,000 individuals are afflicted with SCD.

SCD, the most prevalent form of a genetically inherited blood disorder that causes the shape of red blood cells to be abnormally crescent-shaped like a sickle, is a potentially lethal disease process. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), SCD is one of the leading causes of early death among children under the age of five in multiple African countries.

Healthy people who are not affected by SCD have normal, round, dome-shaped red blood cells that possess enough flexibility to move swiftly across small blood vessels without causing blockages. The abnormal hemoglobin that characterizes SCD leads to sickle ‘C’-shaped red blood cells. Sickle-shaped cells are inflexible and often become stuck in small blood vessels, resulting in occluded blood flow, blood clots, chronic pain and infections.

The blood clots that form in the bodies of people with SCD can lead to horrendous pain in many areas such as the hands, feet and trunk. The occluded blood flow can also result in damage to the bones, muscles and organs (WHO, 2017). SCD sufferers frequently have fatigue, weakness, tiredness and pallor. They sometimes seem to have a pale or ashen appearance and the whites of their eyes and skin often have a yellowish undertone.

To observe World Sickle Cell Awareness Day, people can use the hashtags #ConquerSCD!, #WorldSCDawarenessDay and #WorldSCDay to spread awareness about the burdens of sickle cell disease on social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. People can also visit local a children’s hospital due to the reality they may encounter one or more chronically ill children who have been hospitalized because of SCD.

REFERENCES

World Health Organization. (2017). Sickle Cell Disease. Retrieved June 10, 2019, from https://www.afro.who.int/health-topics/sickle-cell-disease

The Top Five Abilities Needed For a Career in Healthcare

woman wearing pair of teal rubber gloves standing near white barrel
Photo by ELEVATE on Pexels.com

Many people know that healthcare is an enormous industry in the US as well as around the world. This essentially means that healthcare is home to a large number of job openings that must be filled with qualified candidates on a regular basis. Also, most of these jobs come with advantages such as steady income, benefits, flexible work schedules, great colleagues, and a refreshing sense of fulfillment that most people can only achieve from providing assistance to others in need.

Therefore, the healthcare and medical fields have the potential to offer lucrative job opportunities to masses of people on a tremendously massive scale. In addition, the majority of people will always require healthcare and medical services throughout the length of their lifespans. This is true with or without regard to peoples’ health statuses. Still, several defined abilities exist that persons would be wise to learn if they are seriously thinking about joining the ranks of the healthcare sector.

The following list contains some descriptions of the specific abilities that people need in order to succeed in healthcare and the medical field on a long term basis. Smart readers will soon recognize a very noteworthy pattern: none of these abilities are hands-on procedural skills. This is because a worker can be outstanding in the realm of performing medical procedures and, at the same time, act in an utterly horrid manner toward the same patients who need those procedures.

The Top Five Abilities People Need For a Career in the Healthcare Industry

  1. Problem Sensitivity is the ability of an individual to determine when something is wrong or is highly likely to go wrong. This ability does not have anything to do with actually working toward resolution of the problem. Rather, problem sensitivity only deals with accurate recognition of actual and potential problems. An example of a healthcare worker displaying problem sensitivity is a nursing assistant who recognizes that something might go terribly wrong when he sees a confused patient trying to pull out her IV line.
  2. Deductive Reasoning is the ability to move from generalizations to specifics in order to formulate solutions and solve problems in the workplace. For instance, a nurse might have generalized that people with good cardiovascular health work out routinely. The nurse then meets a 90-year-old lady in good cardiovascular health before using deducting reasoning to come up with the specific conclusion that this elder probably exercises routinely. The nurse uses deductive reasoning to design a fitness initiative in her community hospital.
  3. Inductive Reasoning is the ability to assemble specific bits of data and information to formulate general conclusions about occurrences in the workplace. An example of someone in the medical field using inductive reasoning is a clinic manager who notices that a certain medical assistant always arrives to work at 8:30am. This particular medical assistant is never late to work. The clinic manager comes up with the general conclusion that if the medical assistant continues to arrive at work at 8:30am, she will never be late to the workplace.
  4. Adaptability refers to one’s ability to deal with change, approach different situations as they arise, and work either alone or with other people as part of a team. The ability to adapt is a notably broad trait that most employers prefer workers to possess. In essence, adaptability is the ability to manage workplace changes and respond in a beneficial manner. Since the healthcare field is constantly evolving, healthcare workers must have the ability to adapt to changes.
  5. Prioritization is the ability of a person to properly rearrange workplace activities in order of importance relative to each other. In the context of the medical field, the ability to prioritize is crucial in clinical workplace settings that call upon workers to multitask. In these workplace environments, healthcare workers must juggle various priorities and figure out which tasks are most important during each workday. For instance, one patient’s complaint of chest pain must be prioritized over another patient’s request for pancake syrup.

Join the ranks of the healthcare field in just two weeks at Legacy Healthcare Careers by completing the two-week CNA training program. Call (682)626-5266 to enroll.

CNAs Regularly Get Promoted in the Long Term Care Setting

working woman technology computer
Photo by Startup Stock Photos on Pexels.com

The title of this piece says it all: certified nursing assistants, better known as CNAs, are often promoted to specialized, supervisory or lower management positions in the long term care setting. The varied positions that CNAs are promoted to generally come with alluring perks such as increases in pay, daytime work hours, some authority, chances for career mobility, and more desirable job duties and responsibilities.

So, what types of promotions can CNAs in the long term nursing facility setting receive? CNAs who start their careers in the long term care setting can be promoted into the roles of staffing coordinator, restorative nursing assistant, medical records clerk, shower aide, and central supply manager. These roles all entail some degree of autonomy and require the CNA to be a motivated self-starter with an eagerness to learn new things.

CNAs Can Be Staffing Coordinators

Staffing coordinators are utilized by both hospitals and nursing homes to be responsible for the smooth coordination of schedules and staffing by making sure all shifts at a healthcare facility are covered with adequate numbers of staff members. They closely work alongside nurse managers and supervisors to predict staffing needs and ensure the projected numbers of staff members will be available to cover shifts.

CNAs Can Be Restorative Nursing Assistants

A restorative nursing assistant, often called a restorative nurse aide, is a multi-skilled allied healthcare worker who is trained in the provision of restorative care tasks to patients under the supervision of a licensed nurse. A restorative nursing assistant delivers interventions and implements multiple therapies to patients as delegated to them by the nurse who oversees the nursing facility’s restorative nursing program.

CNAs Can Be Medical Records Clerks

A medical records clerk, sometimes known as a medical records technician, works to ensure patients and residents have accurate medical records. Duties involve assembly, processing, maintenance and proper storage of medical records in accordance with medical, administrative and and regulatory mandates to render them easily accessible between healthcare providers, insurance companies, and the rest of the facility staff.

CNAs Can Be Central Supply Managers

In the long term care setting, central supply managers are tasked with purchasing and obtaining supplies that are needed for patient care such as gloves, personal protective equipment, scales, mechanical lifts, beds, linens, mattresses and other medical supplies. A central supply manager stays in constant contact with vendors and suppliers, adheres to administrative budgets, rents equipment, and checks pricing prior to placing orders.

CNAs Can Be Shower Aides

A shower aide is responsible for the task of providing showers and/or baths, as well as other routine grooming care, to specifically assigned residents in the nursing facility setting. Shower aides typically help residents with personal hygiene and grooming. In addition, they sometimes assist with other daily care tasks for residents. They ensure residents receive showers and/or baths in accordance with predetermined schedules.

Do you want to be promoted into one of these healthcare roles one day in the near future? Become a CNA by enrolling in one of Legacy Healthcare Careers’ two-week nurse aide (CNA) training programs. If you are in the DFW area of Texas, call (682)626-5266 to get started.

Reminder of the CNA School Open House + Open Registration Event Friday 4/5/2019

Generic Open House

This is yet another friendly reminder that Legacy Healthcare Careers, an approved vocational school with a small campus in the Mid Cities area of the Dallas /Fort Worth Metroplex region, will host an Open House and Open Registration Event on Friday April 5, 2019 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The address of Legacy Healthcare Careers’ Mid Cities campus location is 7100 Boulevard 26, Suite 205, Richland Hills, Texas 76180. Please feel free to telephone either (682)313-6404 or (682)626-5266 to RSVP and confirm your attendance. As always, snacks, light refreshments, coffee, bottled water and beverages will be served.

During the Open House, the nurse aide training program instructors plan to make themselves available to answer any questions that potential students may have regarding the school, nurse aide training, nursing careers and job outlook. As a gentle reminder, two nurse aide (CNA) training programs, one for the daytime and one at night, will begin on Monday April 8, 2019.

Both of the aforementioned nurse aide training programs are fast-track two-week CNA classes with planned graduation dates of April 22, 2019. On par with the course, these class schedules are hand-crafted to be as convenient as possible for adult learners who might be managing full time jobs, families and busy lifestyles outside the school setting.

Since this is also an Open Registration event, all new enrollees must present an acceptable form of picture ID. Acceptable forms of picture identification include a drivers license, state ID card, passport, or school picture ID. During registration, a social security card will be needed along with a diploma, GED, high school transcript, college transcript, an old report card or any proof of completion of the 8th (eighth) grade.

To register for any of the two-week CNA programs, new enrollees need to provide a $200 down payment in order to guarantee their seat in the next nurse aide training class that starts on April 8. Acceptable forms of payment include cash, credit card, debit card, money orders, and cashiers checks. Legacy Healthcare Careers helps students set up flexible payment plans with as low as $200 down to begin coursework.

www.LegacyHealthcareCareers.Com is the official school website for Legacy Healthcare Careers CNA School.

Open House & Open Registration Event for 2-Week CNA Program: Friday April 5th 2:00-5:00pm

April 5 Open House

It is that time of the month again! Legacy Healthcare Careers, a small trade school with a cozy campus located between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, is hosting an Open House and Open Registration Event on Friday April 5, 2019 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Legacy Healthcare Careers is located at 7100 Boulevard 26, Suite 205, Richland Hills TX 76180. Call (682)313-6404 or (682)626-5266 to RSVP and confirm your attendance.

Light refreshments and beverages will be served, and the nurse aide training program instructors will be readily available to address questions potential students might have. Two nurse aide (CNA) training programs, one for mornings and one for evenings, start on Monday April 8, 2019. Both of these are two-week CNA training classes. As always, class schedules are created to fit into the lives of adult learners who have full time jobs.

This is an Open House event; in addition, this is an Open Registration event. In order to enroll, new students will need to provide a picture identification such as a drivers license, passport, school ID or state issued identification card. Also, a social security card will need to be presented along with a diploma, GED, high school transcript, college transcript, old report cards or any proof of completing the 8th (eighth) grade.

To register for the two-week CNA program, new students will need to have a $200 down payment to ensure their seat in class for the next nurse aide training class that starts on April 8. Acceptable forms of payment include cash, credit card, debit card, money orders, and cashiers checks. Moreover, Legacy Healthcare Careers will set up flexible payment plans with as low as $200 down to begin the next class.

Legacy Healthcare Careers is a legitimate career training school. All of the healthcare training programs offered at Legacy Healthcare Careers are wholly approved to operate by the Texas Workforce Commission. Programs also have full approval to operate from the state Department of Aging and Disability. Rest assured that new students are in competent, caring hands at Legacy Healthcare Careers CNA School!

Well, here is the million dollar question: why should potential students and adult learners pick Legacy Healthcare Careers over other local career training schools? First of all, we offer smaller class to promote learning. We provide hardcore job placement assistance before students even graduate. We offer after-care support services after students graduate such as resume preparation, skills practice, and career coaching.

Do any other compelling reasons exist to choose Legacy Healthcare Careers over some of the other nurse aide /CNA training programs in the Dallas /Fort Worth metroplex? The school’s convienient Mid Cities area campus is easily accessible for those who live in Dallas, Grand Prairie, Fort Worth, Denton, Arlington, Euless, Irving and surrounding cities. The tuition and fees are very affordable, and scholarships are available.

Every enrolled nurse aide student undergoes a 40 hour hands-on clinical practicum externship at a local skilled nursing facility or licensed healthcare center. During this comprehensive clinical externship, an abundance of chances to obtain practice with basic nursing care and personal care procedural skills on real patients, residents and clients are available.

Call (682)626-5266 or (682)313-6404 to jump-start your legacies at Legacy Healthcare Careers CNA School. We will see you in class soon.

Healthcare Workplace Spotlight: the Importance of Personal Hygiene

man person cute young
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

For starters, personal hygiene is defined as the various ways in which an individual provides care to his or her body. Personal hygiene is of the utmost importance for everyone in society, but this rings especially true for those who work in the medical field and healthcare industry. In fact, personal hygiene is so important in the healthcare field that it can mean the difference between life and death.

Why is personal hygiene so important? The human body can be an ideal place for many disease-causing microbes and germs to flourish and multiply. These microbes can result in illness for a person who does not practice good personal hygiene habits. In addition, the microbes can make the other people in the life of the unclean person extremely sick due to the fact that germs that cause disease are spread by way of direct contact.

What are some examples of poor personal hygiene habits for healthcare workers and others? Examples include wearing unwashed clothing and uniforms, not showering or bathing regularly, not brushing one’s own teeth twice per day, not routinely washing one’s hands, and failing to cover the mouth when coughing or sneezing. Unclean clothes, bodies, mouths and hands are all able to spread germs and make others ill.

For those who provide direct care to clients and patients, personal hygiene is so crucial that adherence to good cleanliness habits can mean the difference between life and death. For instance, unclean clothing contains dead skin cells and germs. A nurse aide who wears unclean scrubs to her workplace can spread germs to an elderly patient with a compromised immune system. The patient may develop an infection and die.

Certain types of patients and clients are more prone to contracting illness than others. These patients include the elderly, the very young, the unvaccinated, and those with reduced immunity due to acquired immunodeficiency virus (AIDS) or taking medications that suppress the body’s immune response. People with autoimmune diseases and those who have had organ transplantation often take drugs that lower the body’s immunity.

So, what are some examples of good personal hygiene habits that healthcare workers and others should practice? Some examples include taking daily showers or baths, brushing the teeth twice a day, washing the hands after using the toilet and before giving care or handling food items, wearing clothing that has been washed, ensuring one’s hair is clean, and covering the mouth when coughing or sneezing.

Good personal hygiene habits reduce microbial counts on a person’s skin and in the oral cavity, thereby minimizing chances of spreading germs that cause disease. Clean clothing does not harbor the germs that are found on unwashed clothes. Also, covering the mouth during a cough or sneeze keeps airborne and droplet germs from getting into the air, thereby preventing others in the immediate area from breathing them in.

Personal hygiene starts with at the individual level. It is up to the individual to do what he possibly can to protect himself, his family, the community, and the public as a whole. Good personal hygiene habits protect individuals, families, communities and the general public by reducing the number of disease-causing germs on peoples’ bodies. Personal hygiene is a health and safety issue. Remember that.

RESOURCES

Australian Government Department of Health. (November 2010). Good Personal Hygiene. Retrieved March 28, 2019, from http://www.health.gov.au/internet/publications/ publishing.nsf/Content/ohp-enhealth-manual-atsi-cnt-l~ohp-enhealth-manual-atsi-cnt-l-ch3~ohp-enhealth-manual-atsi-cnt-l-ch3.7

Scholastic Spotlight: the Importance of Classmates

Screenshot 2019-03-24 at 2.57.36 PM

Classmates, also referred to as schoolmates, are defined as students who attend at least one of the same classes together at a particular school or educational institution. Classmates are important and can serve as amazingly valuable resources to a person’s future career pathway in the healthcare industry, albeit for a number of good reasons that might not be completely apparent at the first glance.

Why are classmates so valuable? Firstly, classmates can enlarge a person’s professional and personal network. Second, classmates are a great source of knowledge and wisdom. Third, classmates can make the time at school pleasurable. Fourth, classmates can be the ones to provide character references for jobs or college applications. Finally, classmates can help each other to learn the mountains of material being taught in school.

The majority of adult learners opt to go back to school or enroll in career training classes so they can acquire job skills that will make themselves more marketable and salable in the employment marketplace. In other words, people go back to school to increase the odds of getting better jobs for higher pay. Classmates can be a helpful part of a personal network since they may know of potential workplaces that have job openings.

Furthermore, classmates can bestow a lot of free knowledge and pearls of wisdom upon each other by way of sharing their life’s experiences, backgrounds, personal stories and work histories. For instance, the 48-year-old student with 25 years of home health care-giving experience can provide useful info to her classmates on the benefits and pitfalls of giving direct care to clients in a homelike residential workplace setting.

Also, friendly relationships with classmates can enhance the social experience at school. Aristotle said that human beings are social animals and therefore naturally seek the company of others as part of their well being (Cohen, 2010). Students often take pleasure in joining one another for coffee breaks, lunch time and class sessions. These friendly bonds may extend outside school and can last for many years after graduation day.

Do not forget about professional and personal references that a job seeker needs when applying to places of employment, educational programs and so on. Hiring managers and school program directors often request character references from people who can vouch for the applicant’s habits and goodness. When a former student keeps in touch with his classmates, they will be more likely to offer character references for him.

Finally, classmates can help each other learn the material that is being covered in school. Groups of students who attend the same class may form study groups to learn and retain the information. Also, classmates can share the techniques they use to study for quizzes, exams, hands-on skills and reading assignments. Some classmates exchange phone numbers and may call or text each other when they need help or clarification.

Classmates function in all sorts of useful ways. They boost the size of a student’s personal network and can help in the job hunt. They are full of free knowledge and pearls of wisdom, and can enhance the schooling experience. They may serve as much-needed character references and can help each other learn the material. Since classmates are so very useful, they are of the utmost importance during a student’s time in school.

REFERENCES

Cohen, E. (2010, September 21). You Are a Social Animal. Psychology Today. Retrieved March 24, 2019, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-would-aristotle-do/201009/you-are-social-animal

Scholastic Spotlight: the Art of Taking Notes

close up of hands
Photo by Louis Bauer on Pexels.com

We know. It is a widely known fact that not all pupils enjoy the tasks of writing or taking notes. To some students, writing and note-taking are tedious activities they would simply prefer to not do at all. On the other hand, note-taking is one of the most crucial actions students can take to promote their own active learning. This rings especially true for those enrolled in healthcare training programs and health science coursework.

Alas, a multitude of convincing reasons exist for the sheer importance of taking notes in school. Thus, for the sake of time, only the most significant rationale will be pointed out here: taking good quality notes tends to help students remember and recall important material that they would have otherwise forgotten. Recall and remembrance of crucial material is very essential when studying for quizzes, tests and the state exam.

To reiterate that point, taking notes is a really important task. This fact has already been established. However, taking notes correctly and efficiently is not always as simple a task as it appears to be on the surface. Good, effective note-taking does not just call upon students to write down every word the instructor or professor says in a haphazard way. In fact, effectual note-taking entails capturing main ideas in the student’s own words.

One recurrent theme most good students share is the fact that they adhere to a specific way of taking notes in class. A specific note-taking style assists students to focus and organize prior to class; in addition, it helps them effectively review and recall crucial concepts long after class has ended. Adhering to one note-taking style and sticking with it will help students pay attention during class while capturing important information.

Sticking to one specific style of taking notes has an array of other study-related benefits, too. For some students, it bestows more than enough motivation upon them to stay attuned to class discussions, pay close attention and participate in an active manner. It helps students reword their notes effectively so they do not lose focus of the main concepts and ideas once they start studying for final exams.

The following list provides an overview of the different styles of taking notes in school settings. It is advised to pick one method and try to stick with it unless another style of note-taking seems more suitable for the topic of study. Of course, now that this information is out here, students may take it and utilize it as they wish. Students are also totally free to avoid using any of this information at their own peril).

  • Flow-Based Note Taking Style: a way of taking notes in which the pupil writes down the main concepts instead of verbatim paragraphs and sentences. The student connects the written notes and concepts by drawing arrows, boxes and diagrams to link them together as interrelated ideas.
  • The Cornell Note Taking Style: a method of taking notes that organizes class topics of discussion into easily memorable summaries. This style works since the main concepts and summaries are all written in one place. In the Cornell Method, the note paper is divided into 3 sections: a 2.5” margin to the left, a 2” summary section on the bottom, and a main 6” in-class note section.
  • The Bullet Point Style: this is a method of taking notes that involves simply jotting down each noteworthy detail as a bullet point sentence. This style of note-taking works particularly wonderful for capturing important points in class discussions that are moving along quickly, as wells as fast-paced lectures that are filled with a great deal of information.
  • The Outline Style: this method is, in all likelihood, the most popular way to take notes in schools. This style of note-taking involves an outline to organize the noted material in a structured, logical manner that forms somewhat of a skeleton of the textbook chapter or lecture subject and serves as a wondrous study guide when preparing for tests (Missouri State University, n.d.).

REFERENCES

Missouri State University. (n.d.). Outlining Method for Note Taking. Retrieved March 16, 2019, from https://www.missouristate.edu/assets/busadv/p.24.pdf

Open House + Open Enrollment Event for English & Spanish CNA Training Programs: Wednesday March 13, 2019 2:00 to 5:00 pm

March Open House

Legacy Healthcare Careers, a small vocational career training school with a campus near Fort Worth, Texas is conducting an Open House Meet & Greet and CNA School Open Enrollment Event to take place on Wednesday March 13, 2019 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The address is 7100 Boulevard 26, Suite 205, Richland Hills TX 76180. Place a telephone call to either (682)313-6404 or (682)626-5266 to RSVP and confirm your attendance.

Light refreshments and beverages will be served. In addition, the nurse aide training program instructors will be there to answer any and all questions prospective students may have. Two CNA training classes, one in English and one in Spanish, are scheduled to begin on Monday March 18, 2019. Both of these are two-week nurse aide training classes. Class schedules are designed to accommodate adult learners who work full time.

In addition to an Open House, this is an Open Enrollment event. The minimum age to enroll is 18, or 16 years of age with parental consent. To enroll, potential students need to bring a picture identification such as a drivers license, passport, school ID or state issued identification card, as well as a social security card along with a diploma, GED, high school transcript, college transcript or proof of completing the 8th (eighth) grade.

To enroll, prospective students will also need to bring a $200 down payment to reserve their seat in the next two-week nurse aide training class that is scheduled to start on March 18. Accepted forms of payment include cash, credit cards, debit cards, money orders, and cashiers checks. In addition, Legacy Healthcare Careers offers the most flexible payment plans possible with as little as a $200 down payment to start.

All of the healthcare training programs offered at Legacy Healthcare Careers are fully approved to operate by the Texas Workforce Commission as well as the state Department of Aging and Disability. The school’s graduates are sent into the local employment market with solid vocational preparation and a multitude of hands-on skills that allow them to function in their new healthcare career pathways as trained nursing assistants.

So, why should adult learners choose Legacy Healthcare Careers over the other career training schools in the area? Well, we offer small class sizes in an intimate setting to facilitate learning. We offer real job placement assistance before you even graduate. We offer ongoing support after you graduate by way of resume preparation services, skills practice, career coaching and general advice. Also, our instructors care about you.

Are there any other compelling reasons to select Legacy Healthcare Careers over the other local CNA training schools in the Dallas /Fort Worth metro area? The school’s location in the Mid Cities area is convenient to those who live in Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Irving and surrounding suburbs. Tuition is affordable. Three different partial tuition scholarships are issued every month. Students learn in a judgment-free zone.

In addition, all students enrolled in the nurse aide training program receive 40 hours of a hands-on clinical externship practicum at a local healthcare center where they get the opportunity to continually practice basic nursing care and perform procedural skills on real patients, residents and clients. Place that call to (682)626-5266 to jump-start your legacy at Legacy Healthcare Careers CNA School. We hope to see you in class soon.