Tag: healthcare careers

Healthcare Career Spotlight: the Restorative Nursing Assistant

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First of all, a restorative nursing program is an organized series of measures that promote the nursing home resident’s restoration of maximum potential and fosters the ability to live as safely as possible while maintaining independence through specific nursing interventions.  Restorative nursing programs revolve around the attainment and maintenance of maximal physical and psychosocial functioning.

A restorative nursing program aims to to maximize the independence of nursing facility residents by way of preservation of functional abilities, enhancement of self confidence, improvement in function, promotion of safety and the reduction of physical debility.  All goals, objectives and nursing interventions that are incorporated into any restorative nursing program need to be measurable and achievable.

A restorative nursing assistant, also known as a restorative nurse’s aide, is a multi-skilled allied healthcare worker who is trained in rehabilitative techniques and modalities that promote the capability of nursing facility residents to live as independently as possible while emphasizing the highest level of functional ability. Restorative nursing assistants adhere to the nursing home resident’s specific care plan to deliver restorative care.

The main function of the restorative nursing assistant is the provision of rehabilitative and restorative nursing care tasks to patients under the supervision of a licensed nurse. A restorative nursing assistant renders restorative interventions and a wide variety of therapy tasks to patients as delegated to them by the nurse who supervises the restorative nursing program.

Restorative nursing assistants are entrusted with carefully following each patient’s plan of care to assist them in performing active range of motion (AROM) exercises and passive range of motion (PROM) exercises to prevent contracture. The training and knowledge base of most experienced restorative aides enables them to function in their roles competently in a maintenance capacity if the therapist ever happens to be absent.

All restorative nursing services are delivered by restorative nursing assistants in strict accordance with the patient’s uniquely tailored plan of care. In addition to range of motion exercises, restorative nursing assistants also perform bowel and bladder training to aid in restoring urinary and bowel continence, help residents with ambulation (walking), and assist with self-help skills training.

Since restorative nursing programs also promote optimization of mental well-being, restorative nursing assistants might be delegated the tasks of reality orientation, remotivation and reminiscence therapy. Reality orientation therapy gets confused elderly residents to focus on immediate surroundings, whereas reminiscent therapy helps elders by stimulating past thoughts and memories.

Most restorative nursing assistants can be found working in places of employment such as long term care nursing facilities, acute care hospitals, outpatient rehabilitative clinics and specialty rehabilitation hospitals. Restorative nursing assistants work side by side with nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapy aides, occupational therapy assistants and speech language pathologists.

In general, the ideal restorative nursing assistant needs to have a warm personality and plenty of patience to deal with the elderly nursing facility residents to whom they provide care. Also, a restorative nursing assistant should be well versed in proper body mechanics and possess some physical strength as a result of the bending, heavy lifting, occasional twisting, and long periods of standing they do in a usual shift at work.

Safety is of the essence in the role of a restorative nursing assistant. They must manage and handle patients cautiously to prevent injuries to themselves or the residents under their care. In addition, restorative nursing assistants need to adhere to standard precautions and other basic infection control principles. Furthermore, restorative aides must document the care they provide and any interventions they carry out.

The role of restorative nursing assisting necessitates continual contact with people. Therefore, restorative nursing assistants must be exceedingly comfortable mingling with a wide variety of individuals such as patients, nursing facility residents, nurses, doctors, physical and occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, family members, nurse managers, coworkers, visitors and many others.

To become a restorative nursing assistant, an individual must complete a state-approved nurse aide training program and pass a state examination to obtain professional certification as a certified nursing assistant (CNA). After attaining CNA certification, an individual should amass at least six months of experience in the nursing specialties of acute rehabilitation or long term care.

All restorative nursing assistants are CNAs with specialized training in restorative care. The specialized restorative training can be obtained on the job at a place of employment that is willing to train the right candidate. In addition, CNAs with an interest in becoming restorative aides have the option of completing a formal seminar course to acquire the theoretical knowledge and skills to deliver restorative nursing care to patients.

Demand for restorative aides is projected to remain strong well into the foreseeable near future. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, which places restorative nursing assistants into the Nursing Assistants and Orderlies employment category, the projected job growth rate for this healthcare position is an estimated 11 percent through the year 2026. This projected growth rate exceeds the average for all other jobs.

The vast majority of growth in restorative nursing assistant job openings is the direct result of tens of millions of members of the Baby Boomer generation who are becoming elderly. Aging members of the Baby Boomer cohort have been entering the healthcare system at a steady rate and need restorative nursing care to maintain their levels of functional status. In essence, restorative nursing assistants are very much in demand.

Individuals in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area of Texas should feel free to call Legacy Healthcare Careers at (682)626-5266 to jump-start an amazing career in the healthcare field. Legacy Healthcare Careers provides high quality, personable, affordable healthcare job training in addition to an array of job placement assistance services. Call Legacy Healthcare Careers today...

CNA School Open Enrollment Event: February 12, 2019

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The time has come to welcome prospective nurse aide students to Legacy Healthcare Careers CNA School’s Open House /Open Enrollment event located at 7100 Boulevard 26, Suite 205, Richland Hills, Texas 76180. Food will be provided on a first come /first serve basis. This event takes place on Tuesday February 12, 2019 between 2:00pm and 5:00pm.

The staff of Legacy Healthcare Careers will be offering helpful information on healthcare careers, immediate assistance with enrollment in nurse aide training classes on the spot, and tours of the school. Please bring a photo ID, social security card, and a $200 down payment to enroll.

The next CNA classes at this Fort Worth area school will be starting on Monday February 18, 2019 as well as Monday February 25, 2019. Legacy Healthcare Careers offers an affordable 7-day (1-week) CNA program. In addition, the school offers a 2-week CNA program and a 3-week CNA program.

Please RSVP via e-mail to Legacy Healthcare Careers at LegacyHealthcareCareers@ Yahoo.com by Tuesday February 12 to indicate whether you can attend, or feel free to telephone the school’s 24-hour enrollment hotline at (682)313-6404 to confirm your attendance at this open house event.

The staff of Legacy Healthcare Careers hopes to see you at this special open enrollment event. The school owes its success to people like you, so please graciously accept our sincere gratitude for your support. A career in the healthcare industry can be fulfilling and transforming. In addition, a healthcare career can boost your value in the local employment value, so jump-start your legacy today.

Healthcare Career Spotlight: the Patient Transporter

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A patient transporter, also referred to in some hospital systems as an orderly, is a multi-skilled allied healthcare worker whose primary workplace responsibility involves the safe transport of patients and clients from one destination to another within hospitals and other types of healthcare facilities. A competent patient transporter uses his or her skills to make things easier for patients and medical staff at healthcare facilities.

Most nurses and other healthcare workers would readily agree about the extreme usefulness of patient transporters. Furthermore, patient transporters are really important assets to the healthcare team at many hospitals because without their assortment of skills, many medical care settings would have extreme difficulty dealing with the most routine operations.

After all, facilities that do not use patient transporters usually force members of nursing staff to complete all transporting. For instance, a nurse who must transport a patient from the cardiac floor of a hospital to the interventional radiology suite must leave his other patients unattended for up to 30 minutes while he accompanies the lone patient. Imagine how inconvenient this would be for that nurse and his other patients!

Generally, the patient transporter needs to have a kind disposition, a lot of patience and an empathetic outlook toward the ill patients and clients that require transporting from one location to another. In addition, good body mechanics and some physical strength would be immensely useful due to the fact that patient transporters must bend, lift heavy loads, twist, and do a great deal of standing during a typical work shift.

The role of patient transporting has grown in recent years, so patient transporters have had to rise to the occasion to keep up with the demands and complexities of the present day health system in the United States.  Patient transporters transfer patients from beds to wheelchairs or stretchers to transport them to various locations, push occupied and unoccupied wheelchairs, and assist people to get into vehicles such as cars and vans.

Safety is essential when working as a patient transporter. They must transfer patients with extreme care and caution to avoid injuring themselves or the people they have been entrusted to transport. Confidentiality is imperative for patient transporters since they verify clients’ identities prior to transport and are privy to protected health information and other private matters. They must also adhere to infection control principles.

Patient transporters may have additional duties such as wheeling or pushing patients to the correct location within hospitals, taking patients to medical appointments, assisting patients onto examination tables, and transporting patients to the curbside or parking lot of the hospital in order to board ambulances and/or non-emergency medical transportation vans. Patient transporters also document their tasks upon completion.

In addition to transporting clients, patient transporters often transport and hand-deliver items such as heavy equipment, specimens and lab/diagnostic results to various locations within the hospital. At some facilities, patient transporters routinely transport bodies of deceased patients to the hospital morgue. Depending on the type of facility, some patient transporters serve as van drivers who drive clients to and from appointments.

Since the role of patient transporting requires constant contact with people, patient transporters should feel comfortable interacting with a wide variety of persons including patients, nurses, physicians, family members, coworkers, managers, visitors, vendors and others. Moreover, patient transporters must have a knack for swiftly gaining the trust and cooperation of the many patients who require transport each day.

Patient transporters can be found working in places of employment such as acute care hospitals, large skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, personal care group homes and non-emergency transportation companies. Individuals who have an interest in entering this healthcare career pathway must usually have a high school diploma or G.E.D. before training for this specific position on the job.

Prior work experience in the allied healthcare field and/or professional certification as an emergency medical technician (EMT) or certified nursing assistant (CNA) can be helpful to prepare for the daily functions of a patient transporter. Also, professional certification can provide a potential advantage that might result in an applicant standing out in a sea of other job seekers who apply for patient transporter positions.

The demand for patient transporters in the job market is projected to remain steady well into the near future. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, which classifies patient transporters under the Orderlies employment category, the projected growth rate for this specific position is 11 percent through the year 2024. This projected growth rate exceeds the average for all other jobs.

Much of this growth in patient transporter job openings can be attributed to the large wave of the Baby Boomer generation that is expected to have a profound impact on healthcare facilities. Aging members of the Baby Boomer cohort are already entering the healthcare system and requiring transport from one location to another. Therefore, patient transporters are very much needed in the employment market.

People who live and/or work in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas should call Legacy Healthcare Careers at (682)626-5266 to jump-start a life-transforming career in the healthcare industry. Legacy Healthcare Careers offers affordable career training as well as job placement assistance. Call today...

How Does the Opioid Epidemic Affect the Healthcare Field in the United States?

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The opioid epidemic, also known as the opioid crisis, first gained serious traction in the United States during the 1990s decade due to a number of momentous factors such as a marked increase in the number of pain killer prescriptions along with the fiercely addictive qualities of these medications. Also, big name pharmaceutical companies started to aggressively market and advertise opioid prescription drugs in the 1990s.

Unfortunately, the opioid epidemic has been having an awful impact on numerous individuals, their families, American society, and the healthcare field as a whole over the course of the previous two decades. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018), the number of overdose deaths involving prescription opioid drugs has been on a noticeable rise since 1999 with no slowdown in sight.

So, in what ways does the opioid epidemic affect the healthcare field in the U.S.? Well, people from all walks of life are addicted to opioids, so this epidemic has most certainly impacted many of the patients, coworkers and visitors who are participants in the healthcare system. The following list consists of the various ways in which the current opioid crisis has affected the healthcare field.

  • Impaired healthcare workers and providers: Many physicians, nurses, technicians and other allied healthcare workers have battled fierce addictions to opioids. Some healthcare professionals have even had their professional licenses and/or certifications revoked due to impaired practice or an inability to conquer their addictions. Other healthcare workers have entered drug rehab or chemical dependency programs.
  • Treatment of overdose: There has been a sharp increase in the number of addicted patients who are entering the healthcare system by way of rolling into hospital emergency departments on stretchers after having suffered opioid overdoses. In some regions, overburdened emergency medical service providers regularly deal with shortages of Narcan, the injectable medication that reverses the effects of opioid overdose.
  • Drug rehabilitative services: Some people enter the healthcare system by opting to receive inpatient drug rehab or participate in chemical dependency programs to battle their addictions to opioids. The number of health insurance plans that cover some or all of the costs associated with drug rehab or chemical dependency treatment has grown larger. Thus, many addicted persons are fighting their addictions by using these avenues.
  • Treatment of chronic disease processes: Still, some patients end up in the healthcare system for treatment of chronic hepatitis C, HIV and other bloodborne illnesses after contracting these viruses by using unclean hypodermic needles to inject opioid drugs. Many people who inject heroin were once users of prescription opioid pain pills. However, an alarming number of these folks switched to heroin since it is cheaper and delivers the same type of high.
  • Pain management clinics: Physicians who work in the specialty of pain medicine can earn very lucrative incomes due in part to the opioid epidemic. A pain doctor is a medical physician (M.D.) or doctor of osteopathy (D.O.) who specializes in pain medicine. Pain management clinics, referred to as ‘pain clinics’ for short, are doing brisk business as a result of the number of drug-seeking patients who visit them to request prescriptions and refills for opioid medications.
  • Impaired family members and visitors: Nurses, nursing assistants, patient care technicians and other healthcare workers who deliver direct patient care at the bedside must occasionally deal with visitors who are obviously impaired. Almost any experienced healthcare worker can describe the so-called ‘opioid nod’ with stunning accuracy because they have seen so many family members nodding off while visiting with hospitalized patients.
  • Infants born to addicted mothers: Newborns who are exposed to opioids during the prenatal period begin to experience severe withdrawal symptoms within 48 to 72 hours after birth. This heartbreaking phenomenon is referred to as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Moreover, the number of infants being born with neonatal abstinence syndrome has been increasing steadily due to the large number of pregnant women who abuse opioid drugs.
  • Lost productivity: The opioid crisis is putting a burdensome strain on employers and corporations, including many healthcare companies. The steepest monetary costs linked with the opioid epidemic arise mainly due to lost productivity and earnings losses for corporations. Untimely overdose deaths and opioid addiction disorders also affect municipal, county, state and federal governments in a detrimental manner by way of losses in tax revenue.
  • Staggeringly high healthcare costs: Healthcare costs connected with the opioid epidemic have exceeded $200 billion since 2001. These expenses are primarily due to pre-hospital emergency medical services (a.k.a. ambulance care), visits to local emergency departments, and the widespread use of Narcan, a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdose. Also, opioid addicts cost their employers approximately twice as much in healthcare expenses when compared to their non-addicted workmates.

CNAs and the Basics of Reciprocity

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So, just what exactly is reciprocity? Those who currently work in the allied healthcare field as CNAs (certified nursing assistants) or have plans to become a CNA will need to become very familiar with the concept of reciprocity. Knowing what reciprocity means is of the essence, especially in this modern day and age where people relocate to different regions more often than in the recent past.

Reciprocity is the multi-step process that permits CNAs who hold out-of-state certification to obtain a new CNA certificate in a receiving state, pending approval from the new state’s CNA registry or board of nursing. In other words, reciprocity agreements let CNAs officially transfer their certification from state to state. This allows CNAs to legally work as nursing assistants in their new home states.

In order to successfully complete the process of reciprocity and receive a CNA certificate from the new state of residence, a CNA will need to fulfill one or more state-specific requirements. The reciprocity process can be complicated at times because each state has different requirements for CNA training, clinical hours, continuing education (CEs), certification renewal, and so forth.

Pre-existing reciprocity agreements allow the different states to sort through variances in CNA certification requirements to more easily facilitate certificate transfers and fill healthcare job openings with qualified, experienced candidates. The vast majority of states in the U.S. have reciprocity policies in place for CNAs and other types of allied healthcare workers to transfer their certificates.

When would a CNA need to be concerned with the process of reciprocity? Well, a CNA who plans to move out of state needs to become familiar with reciprocity if he or she wants to obtain CNA certification in his or her new state of residence. Therefore, a CNA who intends to relocate to another state will need to start making preparations far in advance by looking up the CNA requirements in the new state.

Each state has individual laws and regulations regarding CNA certification. As a consequence, the state in which a nurse aide initially earned his or her CNA certification could quite possibly have some very different requirements for CNA training and continuing education than the state where he or she has plans to relocate.

In addition, the number of training hours required to become a CNA can drastically differ from state to state. As a classic example, the state of Alabama requires nurse aides to obtain 75 hours of occupational training to attain eligibility for certification as a CNA. The training hours are partitioned in the following way: 59 hours of class and return lab demonstration time, and 16 hours of hands-on clinical practicum externship.

Let’s consider the next scenario. A nurse aide who went to school and attained a CNA certification in Alabama ends up moving to the state of California several years down the line. Now an issue may have arisen since California requires more training hours to get a CNA certification than Alabama. California requires 160 hours of occupational training to become a CNA, more than double the 75 hours of training required by Alabama.

CNA training hours in California are partitioned in the following manner: 60 hours of classroom theory schooling along with 100 hours of hands-on clinical practicum externship. In this complicated situation, the CNA from Alabama who wants to move to California would fall short of exactly one hour of classroom theory schooling and a whopping 84 hours of clinical externship training.

In this case, the receiving state of California would utilize their pre-existing reciprocity agreement policies to determine whether or not to grant CNA certification to the nurse aide from Alabama. California’s reciprocity agreement entails policies to accept out-of-state nurse aides and grant them CNA certification if they can prove they have accrued at least two years of recent work experience as a CNA in the previous home state.

Other state boards of nursing might outright refuse to issue a CNA certificate to the nurse aide from Alabama, and consequently ask the person to complete additional nursing assistant training that fulfills the new state’s schooling requirements. Also, some states may opt to grant CNA certification to the nurse aide from Alabama due to his or her number of years of work experience as a nursing assistant.

Still, a few states may make the choice to grant a conditional or provisional CNA certification to the nurse aide from Alabama pending one or more specific requirements that will need to be met. The Alabama nurse aide may be required to complete additional schooling, submit proof of completion of specific continuing education or in-service coursework, or successfully challenge the CNA state test in the new state of residence.

The theme of this posting is the overall importance of empowering oneself with as much knowledge as possible about the reciprocity process for CNAs, especially if an out-of-state move is planned in the near or distant future. After all, knowledge is power. It would be a crying shame to struggle to secure employment in one’s new state of residence due to a lack of awareness regarding the process of CNA reciprocity.

Train to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA) in approximately two weeks at Legacy Healthcare Careers, a CNA School in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas. The staff at Legacy Healthcare Careers can be reached 24 hours a day at (682)626-5266 so prospective students can jump-start a life-transforming career change in the healthcare field.

Legacy Healthcare Careers delivers affordable, quality career training as well as job placement assistance. Pick up the telephone and call (682)626-5266 to enroll.

Scholarships to Attend CNA School: the Health Occupations Scholarship Award

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The following announcement is intended for any persons in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area of Texas who are seeking financial help in the form of a partial tuition scholarship to attend a certified nursing assistant (CNA) training program. The Health Occupations Scholarship Award is definitely worth exploring further.

Provided by Legacy Healthcare Careers CNA School, this scholarship fund has been made available to prospective students who are pursuing occupational healthcare training at this Dallas/Fort Worth area school. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and should have a desire to pursue a career in the healthcare field. Award winners receive partial-tuition scholarships including books, supplies and fees.

The scholarship awards are specifically for students who plan to enroll in nurse aide or other healthcare occupational training classes at Legacy Healthcare Careers. Prospective students may be enrolled in courses on a full time or part time basis. Students should also display dedication to the healthcare field and have a solid work ethic. Students must be or plan to be attending school at Legacy Healthcare Careers.

Submitting an application for scholarship award money is a fairly straightforward process. To apply, visit the school’s website (www.LegacyHealthcareCareers.com) and scroll down to submit a scholarship application. In addition, the scholarship application can be accessed directly by clicking or copying and pasting the following link into a web browser: http://www.123formbuilder.com/form-4595340/scholarship-application

The award amounts are $250, $100 and $50. Three scholarship awards will be granted every month. During the application process, students will be required to write a short one-paragraph essay that contains a detailed explanation on their reasons for entering the healthcare field. Prospective students who apply for a scholarship must also follow up by meeting with the school’s director for a tour of the school.

Scholarship winners will be selected on the basis and quality of the essay submissions. Winners will be notified via phone. This scholarship is only available to prospective students who enroll in one of Legacy Healthcare Careers’ health occupational training programs. Call (682)313-6404 for questions or any additional information.

Are you considering a career in the healthcare industry? Do you have the follow-through and motivation to do it? A career as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) is an amazing point of entry into the healthcare sector. A healthcare career as a CNA provides the ultimate foundation to almost any individual’s future in the health sciences. 

Legacy Healthcare Careers delivers several high quality CNA programs. In addition, the school intends to offer state-approved medication aide training in the spring of 2019 at our Fort Worth Mid-Cities area campus. Call (682)626-5266 or the 24-hour hotline at (682)313-6404 for additional information. This is a golden opportunity. Do not pass it up.

Healthcare Career Spotlight: the Certified Medication Aide

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Certified medication aides, also known in some states in the U.S. as assistive medication administration personnel or medication technicians, have a clearly defined role in the allied healthcare field that is definitely worth exploring further. The overriding goal of this piece is to discuss the medication aide, including the day to day duties and responsibilities associated with this role.

Medication aides are helpful members of the allied healthcare team who assist licensed nurses in the realm of medication therapy. The primary function of the medication aide is safe administration of non-injectable over-the-counter and prescription drugs to clients, patients and residents. Medication aides work at the bedside to distribute medications to a large number of clients in a timely manner.

Medication aides are utilized extensively in certain settings, but never found in other types of workplaces. Post-acute healthcare settings such as long term care facilities, personal care group homes, correctional facilities, schools and assisted living facilities utilize medication aides regularly depending on the state. Meanwhile, medication aides are not utilized in the acute care hospital setting.

Most, but not all, states in the U.S. allow medication aides to work. In the states that do allow the use of medication aides, they are permitted to administer oral, topical, transdermal, eye and ear medicines to clients under the supervision of a licensed nurse. In addition, medication aides communicate with clients, report changes in patients’ conditions, obtain vital signs, and document their findings.

Because of pre-existing regulations in most states, the vast majority of medication aides have prior patient care work experience as certified nursing assistants (CNAs) or unlicensed assistive direct care workers. To be admitted into most medication aide training programs, students must be 18 years of age or older with a high school diploma or G.E.D. and submit evidence of work experience as a CNA or direct care worker.

The educational requirements to become a medication aide differ in each state. For instance, the requirements to become a medication aide in Texas entail 140 hours of training. The 140-hour medication aide training programs in Texas are comprised of 100 hours of classroom (didactic) teaching, 30 hours of hands-on return skill demonstrations and 10 hours of clinical externship practicum.

The medication aide training classes consist of a targeted review of a number of relevant topics such as medical terminology, human body systems, effects of medication on each body system, infection control, and drug medication classifications. The goal of the medication aide program curriculum is to bestow pertinent knowledge upon students so they will be able to administer medications safely and prudently.

Individuals who graduate from medication aide programs must also pass a written medication aide examination in the state where they plan to secure employment. The medication aide state test usually contains 100 multiple choice questions on medication therapies. Students who pass the written medication aide state test receive a practice permit or state certification as a certified medication aide.

The state medication aide certification and/or practice permit allows the certified individual to work in a wide variety of healthcare settings for fairly competitive pay. In addition, the working conditions of medication aides are generally not as demanding on the body as those experienced by nursing assistants and direct care workers. For many people, a career as a medication aide is a step up.

How does a career in the healthcare industry sound? A career as a medication aide is an awesome entry point into the healthcare field. Working in the allied healthcare field as a medication aide can serve as a wondrously great foundation to any person’s occupational future. 

Legacy Healthcare Careers will soon be offering a medication aide program in the spring of 2019 at our Fort Worth area campus. Place that phone call to (682)626-5266 or the 24-hour hotline at (682)313-6404 to get more information. This is an opportunity that should not be passed up.

Spotlight on an Obscure Healthcare Career: the Dental Nurse

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The special role of the dental nurse remains obscure in many intriguing ways. The overarching goal of this piece is to shed some light on the role and professional responsibilities of dental nurses, as well as the training and registration requirements that they must adhere to.

Dental nurses are uniquely vital team members of the healthcare career ladder who assist in all types of dentistry treatments and work in all sorts of dental specialties. The primary function of the dental nurse is to provide ancillary support to dentists as they deliver care to patients. Dental nurses work collaboratively at the chairside with dentists during the completion of oral surgeries and other procedures and treatments.

Very few licensed dental nurses are employed in the United States; thus, their role remains very shrouded in mystery to most folks who dwell in the US. In fact, many people in the US have never even heard of a dental nurse. In addition, the majority of dentists in the US prefer to use dental assistants and dental hygienists as a way to contain labor costs. After all, a dental assistant is usually less costly to hire than a nurse.

Nonetheless, dental nurses are heavily utilized in a number of other countries, especially the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Malaysia. Dental nurses are also utilized on a much smaller scale in several provinces of Canada, especially Ontario.

A dental nurse works at the chairside next to dentists as they provide ongoing care during patients’ visits. Some of the tasks that dental nurses may do include the following: obtaining health histories, taking and recording vital signs, performing assessments, applying numbing agents to patients’ gums prior to invasive treatments, administering topical fluoride, and providing postoperative education after oral surgical procedures.

Dental nurses might also be responsible for routine duties such as preparing materials, sterilizing equipment with autoclaves, reordering supplies, taking x-rays, obtaining impressions, and making sure the appropriate instruments are available to the dentist during treatments. Also, dental nurses might be responsible for clerical tasks such as answering telephone calls, scheduling appointments, and processing payments.

The minuscule number of dental offices that utilize licensed dental nurses in the US are ones that perform a large number of oral surgeries. These surgical procedures require specialized assessment and observation of sedated patients after administration of local or general anesthesia, so these dental practices may hire and use licensed practical nurses (LPNs) or registered nurses (RNs) with post anesthesia care unit experience.

In other countries, most dental nurses secure employment in a variety of workplaces that include general dentistry clinics, oral & maxillofacial surgery practices or orthodontic offices. Additionally, other dental nurses can be found working for the military, dental hospitals, office management, nonprofit agencies or other public organizations.

In the UK, dental nurses must be registered. Since 2008, it has been mandatory that all dental nurses be registered with the General Dental Council (GDC). In addition, it is unlawful to use the title of ‘dental nurse’ without the appropriate registration. To become a dental nurse in the UK, a prospective student can enroll in a post-secondary program at a dental hospital or school of dental nursing to obtain practical training.

Would you like to climb aboard the nursing career ladder? Well, a career as a nursing assistant is a wonderful foundation to any person’s potential future in the nursing profession. Do you have the motivation to follow through and make a career change? Do you have what it takes to rise to the challenge?

The 7-day CNA program at Legacy Healthcare Careers delivers fast-track, state-approved vocational training to become a nursing assistant in a matter of days. Place a telephone call to (682)626-5266 or the 24-hour enrollment hotline at (682)313-6404 to enroll at Legacy Healthcare Careers CNA School today! Classes are starting soon. Do not miss out on this opportunity.

Completely Online CNA Programs: A Word to the Wise

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Let’s address this complicated issue head-on: modern day life is ridiculously busy! Most busy adults are juggling employment, family time, a social life and other aspects of their lives to strike some sort of balance. These time-consuming facets of life do not leave all that much time to attend school full-time, especially in a classroom setting.

After all, who has time to sit in a classroom for several hours per day? After working hard for eight to twelve hours all day long, does any sane person really want to spend the rest of the evening or all weekend long in a classroom setting? Most people would rather be at home where they can wind down, chill out, relax, eat a home-cooked meal or spend a few precious hours with the ones they love the most.

However, many people are unsatisfied with their current jobs. Some people may even hate their jobs with a passion! Therefore, the thought of returning to school to prepare for a career change has often crossed their minds. While these folks may mentally dance with the idea of going back to school, the reality of it often involves giving up multiple evenings or weekends to spend time in a classroom. Again, who really has time for that?

Ah, but there appears to be a solution that can be integrated into peoples’ busy lifestyles: online classes! In addition, many people want to enter the nursing profession due to the potential of steady pay and abundant job opportunities, so they search the internet for online healthcare career programs that can be completed in the comfort of one’s home.

Here is a word to the wise. Regardless of any fancy advertisements you may have seen, you cannot become a nurse completely online. You cannot become a CNA completely online. In fact, no state board of nursing in existence will allow students to become nurses totally online for one very simple reason: no one can truly learn to provide hands-on nursing care to patients without actually touching any patients.

The large number of online nursing degree programs that are advertised on the internet have been designed for people who are already licensed nurses (LPN or RN). These online nursing programs allow licensed nurses to pursue higher education and earn additional nursing degrees from a college or university while keeping their full time jobs.

For instance, an RN with an associates degree can complete an online bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN). However, she first had to complete her associates of science degree in nursing (ASN) face to face in a class setting before qualifying for admission to the online BSN program. All state boards of nursing require nursing students to amass a certain number of classroom and clinical practicum hours in order to graduate.

Think about it. Would you want a nurse with no patient care experience whatsoever to take care of you or your loved ones? A nurse whose only schooling was online classes never received hands-on training in patient care. All nurses must complete a clinical practicum externship that entails spending many hours in hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare settings where they learn to provide hands-on care to real patients.

It is a similar situation with nursing assistant training. For instance, the state of Texas requires prospective nurse aides to complete a 100-hour CNA program that is comprised of 60 class and return demonstration lab hours as well as 40 clinical externship hours. This clinical externship occurs in a healthcare facility where students deliver hands-on care to patients. This is how nurse aide students learn to become CNAs.

In a nutshell, completely online CNA programs do not exist, at least in the state of Texas where 100 hours of face to face instruction are required. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. The goal of this piece is to help readers and prevent them from being scammed by unscrupulous online businesses that claim to offer online CNA school. If this posting helps just one student out there, it will have been worth it to us.

Do you have the motivation to change your career? The 7-day CNA program at Legacy Healthcare Careers offers state-approved career training to become a nursing assistant in approximately one week. Call (682)626-5266 to enroll at Legacy Healthcare Careers CNA School now! Classes start soon.

Healthcare Career Spotlight: the Medical Office Assistant

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A medical office assistant, also known as an administrative medical assistant or front office medical assistant, is a multifaceted allied healthcare professional whose primary function is to ensure that the front office area of physicians’ offices, clinics, medical groups and hospital units runs smoothly. A competent medical office assistant puts an array of soft interpersonal skills and hard procedural skills to use every single workday to get the job done.

Medical office assistants are vital members of the healthcare team because without their varied skill set, many healthcare settings would have difficulty managing day to day operations. In general, the medical office assistant tends to be the very first individual with whom patients, clients vendors and visitors come into contact at most physicians’ offices and clinic settings. Thus, these multi-skilled healthcare workers serve as the front line backbones of many workplace settings.

The allied health occupation of front office medical assisting has expanded greatly over the past few decades. Therefore, the role of the typical medical office assistant has also expanded to keep up with modern times.  Medical office assistants complete tasks such as scheduling patients’ appointments, greeting and checking patients and visitors in, coordinating visits with guests such as pharmaceutical representatives, and contacting vendors to reorder supplies.

Medical office assistants may also be responsible for clerical duties such as computer data entry, conducting phone interviews, verifying clients’ personal health information, obtaining signatures on new patient forms, sending faxes, compiling charts, filing paperwork, scanning documents, maintaining the orderly appearance of the reception area, and ensuring that diagnostic results reach the appropriate healthcare providers.

Depending on the policies of the specific workplace, many medical office assistants also carry out tasks that are either directly or indirectly related to monetary collection. Some of these duties may include gathering information on health insurance payer sources, processing payments in exchange for healthcare services, generating receipts, making patients aware of co-payment and/or coinsurance amounts, scanning documents such as insurance cards, and setting up payment plans.

Since the field of medical assisting entails intensive contact with people, medical office assistants need to be extremely comfortable interacting with a variety of individuals including patients, physicians, coworkers, visitors, families, vendors and others. The role of a medical office assistant necessitates effective communication skills. In addition, medical office assistants must have the ability to quickly establish trust and cooperation with the multitude of people who visit the healthcare setting on a daily basis.

Medical office assistants are employed primarily in workplaces such as clinics, multi-specialty medical group practices, acute care hospital wards, physicians’ offices, and ambulatory surgical centers. After amassing several years of experience, some medical assistants secure employment as medical office assistant instructors at trade schools, community colleges, technical colleges, and private for-profit academies.

Persons with an interest in entering this career pathway must usually have a high school diploma or G.E.D. before completing a training program in medical assisting that results in a postsecondary certificate, diploma or associate of applied science degree. Medical office assistant diploma and certificate programs are typically less than one year long. On the other hand, programs that lead to an associate of applied science degree generally take two years to complete from start to finish.

Medical office assistant career training programs are offered at several different types of postsecondary schools such as technical colleges, community colleges, trade schools, state universities, vocational schools, adult education centers, regional occupational programs and private for-profit academies.

Most employers prefer to hire medical office assistants who possess a professional certification. As a result, a number of entities will certify the medical assistant’s vast fund of knowledge. The National Healthcareer Association, the National Center for Competency Testing and the American Medical Certification Association are three different entities that offer professional certification to medical office assistants.

Furthermore, medical office assistants remain in high demand in many employment markets for the near future. Employment of medical assistants is projected to increase by approximately 29 percent through the year 2026, which happens to be much faster than the average for all occupations. Much of this job growth is driven by grand openings and expansions of doctors’ offices, hospitals, clinics and multi-specialty group practices.