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by: Deborah S. Hildebrand

Despite the economy, career opportunities in health care and nursing are booming. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as recently as 2006, the health care field was the largest in the U.S., offering approximately 14 million jobs as well as seven of the 20 fastest growing occupations.

The following details how to get a career in this in-demand field.

Certification and On-the-Job Training Options

One interesting fact about the health care field is that many positions require less than a four-year degree, in fact some of the fastest growing health care jobs require little or no specialized education. Careers including nursing and home health aides as well as medical and dental assistants get their training on the job or through a certificate program.

Undergraduate Career Options

Undergraduate degrees offer even more nursing and health care career options. Along with traditional careers such as registered nursing, social work and occupational therapy, there are new trends opening in the field of health care. For instance, RNs who might want to follow a different career could consider becoming a certified legal nurse consultant (CLNC). CLNCs assist attorneys with medical issues. Another new job trend is medical illustration. Medical illustrators use their knowledge of human science and medical concepts to create educational materials for publications and journals and can earn as much $75,000 annually.

Higher Education Career Options

Naturally, higher education offers opportunities for surgeons, psychiatrists, cardiologists and other doctors. However, if medical school isn’t your thing, getting a higher education in the health care field offers a variety of other lucrative positions. Genetics, for instance, is a health care field that offers unique and in-demand jobs. Such jobs include behavioral geneticists, who solve health problems by identifying gene-related therapies, and genetics counseling, which involves informing and supporting families who have members with birth defects or genetic disorders.

Why are there so many people who want to become home health care nurses ? By 2020, the world will need almost one million nurses, as more and more population will be getting old or sick for various reasons. This will make it easier and more desirable to land a job in this field someday. Moreover, the nursing profession is perhaps one of the highest-paid professions these days. A registered nurse, for example, can earn an average of $50,000 annually.

The Difference between Regular Nurses and Home Health Care Nurses

In truth, there’s not a stark difference between home health care nurses and regular ones, except that you can find nurses mainly in hospitals while home health care nurses can mainly be found in hospices, nursing homes, and in patient homes. Normally, their patients are elderly, who may need some assistance from professionals. It’s also one of the reasons too why a travel nurse also specializes in home health care. Rather than allowing the patient to suffer or be inconvenienced by commuting, they offer their services at the comfort of their patient’s home.

How to Become a Home Health Care Nurse

A home health care nurse needs to have the following:

1. The proper degree. You can never be a home health care nurse unless you have a proper educational background, which includes a nursing degree. Almost all universities and colleges all over the world offer some type nursing programs, so it shouldn’t be too hard for you to search for schools.

2. Certification. Home health care nurses need to be certified, or licensed, before they can practice their profession. Certifications can vary widely from state to state and country to country. A certified home health care nurse will want to be sure to be licensed properly to avoid legal issues. Anyone who wishes to become a home health care nurse should be aware of the rules and requirements in the area they wish to practice in beforehand.

3. Experience. Novice home health care nurses can still land a job; however, the more experience you have in this field, the higher your chances of getting better opportunities. While you can earn a sizeable income working for a home health care company, you will have more income potential if you are hired for private home health care nursing.

4. Patient bill of rights. A home health care nurse is required to provide a patient bill of rights to the patient or to the family or a representative of the patient just in case he doesn’t have the capacity to read or understand his rights. This means that nurses should be very knowledgeable in his or her duties and the rights of the patients under his or her care. 

5. Close coordination with doctors. Nurses should have excellent communication and analytical skills so that medical situations can be described properly. Home health care nurses may need to coordinate with other health practitioners and doctors at times when  the ailment is severe, requiring immediate help, or unusual, requiring a specialist.

FIRST-CARE OF NEW YORK Inc. is a New York State Home Care service agency licensed by the New York State Department of Health.  We provide services to: Westchester, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island.

We pride ourselves on our ability to provide customized home care services for all of our patients.  Careful attention is given to identify each patient’s needs; thereby providing effective and affordable services to our patients every step of the way.

Our Areas of Service Include:

Nursing Care
Certified Home Health Aides
Certified Personal Care Workers
Homemakers
Live-In Care

First-Care of New York Advantage:

First Care of New York is licensed by the NYS DOH and accredited by the Joint Commission to provide home care services.

We are contracted with various:

Managed Long Term Care Programs
Long Term Home Health Care Programs
Hospice program
Certified Home Health Agency

Serving :- Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queen, Staten Island and Westchester County.

Advantages :-

Depending on the patient’s needs, if they require assistance with activities of daily living, rehabilitation or skill nursing (pre pour medication, wound care, etc…).  First-Care can facilitate and ensure that proper and immediate care is in place.

Physician: Do not have to fill out M11Q’s and submit them to CASA for approval of home care services and wait months before service begins for the patient.  Instead, submit to First Care a referral form and First Care will arrange for services to begin within a week or 2 and deal with the entire process.

If a member switches from a Medicaid HMO program to a Managed Long Term Care Program.  (Takes approximately 4 weeks)

Clinics:

PCP can bill Medicaid their clinic rate, not a deep discounted rate paid by the Medicaid HMO, which is capped.  (a lot more capital for the clinics)

Members

PCP remains the same
Member can receive long term care (FREE)
Member can receive skilled nursing, if applicable  (FREE)
Transportation to MD Appointments (FREE)
As well as many other benefits (FREE)

The need for experienced technical and medical workers who have the ability to manage both medical and administrative functions is increasing. This need is especially seen with doctors who want to spend more time with their patients. In recent years, medical assistant careers have become more in demand as the health care industry has seen a tremendous increase in job openings in this field. The health care industry is increasingly seeing the value of having trained medical assistants on staff. A Medical Assistant (MA) or Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) provides a number of medical and administrative tasks in the field of medicine. They assist physicians and nurses with delivering patient care.

Duties of a medical assistant can include: explaining treatment, medications, diet schedules, and procedures to the patient, monitoring and recording vital signs, preparing patients for medical exams, assisting physicians during a patient’s medical exam, instructing patients about medications and special diets, preparation and administration of medications, prepare patients for X-rays, take electrocardiograms, perform simple lab tests, disposing of contaminated supplies, sterilization of medical instruments, drawing blood, changing wound dressing, and removing sutures. A medical assistant’s administrative tasks can include: maintaining medical records, billing and clerical duties, scheduling appointments, arranging for admission to the hospital, and maintaining health supplies.

Medical assistants can be found working in hospitals, medical clinics, and in specialized medical areas. Education programs can be either a one year certificate or a two-year associate’s degree from an accredited school. Medical assistant training programs are provided by community colleges and vocational/technical training schools. Study areas include: first aid, medical billing, lab testing, patient care, medical terminology, administration, math, science, and more.

After completing a medical assistance program, one can sign up to take the certification exam to become a Certified Medical Assistance. The course is offered three times per year by the American Association of Medical Assistants. The certification has to be renewed every five years. There are some employers that do not require the certification, but Certified Medical Assistants will normally have more job choices and receive a higher pay than Medical Assistants.

Employment is projected to grow much faster (35 percent) than average which has placed medical assistants as among the fastest growing occupations over the years 2006- 2016. Job opportunities are expected to be extensive, particularly for those with training, experience, and certification.

According to the American Medical Association website, salary ranges for medical assistants range from about ‘$22,000 to just over $30,000 annually.’ Other benefits such as health insurance may also be offered.

As the health care industry expands because of the advancements of technology in medicine as well as the aging of the population, there will be an increased need for health care workers of all areas. The use of medical assistants in the fast growing health care industry will increase.

Medical Assistants have become a highly valued asset in medical clinics and hospitals. Working under the supervision of doctors, nurses, and other health practitioners, medical assistants help make the health care system run much smoother and more efficiently.

Home health care can often be better for seniors that need one on one assistance and care. Skilled and certified nurses operate within most of these businesses to verify high levels of professional service. You and your parents are the absolute decision maker on who you want to use for therapy and nursing services through home health care. While you need to utilize a Medicare certified agency to have Medicare pay for services, you and your parents have the right to use any home health agency that you desire. Home health care services are offered all around the country, which means that there is one close to your loved ones. Elderly home care consists of many services, however, Freedom Home Health offers:

•    Home Health Aides
•    Physical Therapy
•    Occupational Therapy
•    Speech Therapy
•    Nursing

Nursing homes are more about companionship for the elderly. If you are looking to make sure your parents always have a close eye kept on them as well as their health, an assisted living facility is necessary. These services are available in most nursing home facilities:

•    Wellness Program
•    Activities and Entertainment
•    Assisted living
•    Meals   

Take the time to analyze which option will best suit your parents necessities. A free home health assessment can be taken at Freedom Home Health to help you understand the needs of your loved ones.

Do not hesitate to ask questions when searching for local home health care or nursing home services. This is a decision that requires a lot of research to ensure you are making the proper decision for your family member.

Different people choose a nursing career for different reasons. Some choose to become a nurse because they have a caring and compassionate nature, others feel that nursing is a very lucrative profession and pays rather handsomely, others consider the fact that nurses are in high demand, while most have their own personal stories that have led them to choose nursing as a profession. Nursing also affords a lot of opportunities such as health benefits, travel opportunities, landau scrubs free shipping, and diverse career options.

High demand

Statistics show that the need for nurses will increase in years to come and that the demand for nurses has become greater than ever before. In the US and the UK, there is a significant shortage of nurses. Some of the reasons for this high demand include the fact that the US is an aging population and the advances in health care have allowed people to live longer. Because of this, there are more elderly people who need nurse assistance and care. The number of sick people is also increasing and the need for skilled nurses is growing proportionally. Besides the hospital, nurses are also needed in retirement communities and homes. In addition, the existing nursing workforce is aging and a lot of these nurses are expected to retire in 10 to 15 years. More nurses are needed to replenish the workforce. A lot of people take up a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing because it almost guarantees a job right out of college.

Economic immunity

A lot of people also consider a career in nursing because of the job security it promises. No matter what type of economic climate, a certified nurse can be assured of a career well into the future because health care is a necessity. Even in times of crisis when people are more stringent with their money, health care is one area where people are less likely to scrimp on, especially if they have health insurance landau scrubs free shipping anyway.

Lucrative income

The average entry-level salary for registered nurses is around $44,600. Compared to the entry-level salaries of other fields such as Accounting ($43,269), Marketing ($33,873), Economics ($24,667), and Teaching ($31,704); Compensation for nurses is very competitive indeed. As registered nurses gain adequate experience throughout the years, their salary also increases. In addition to that, nurses also receive extra pay for overtime work and graveyard shifts, significantly augmenting their base salaries. Later on in their career, after having gained experience, nurses can pursue further studies, go into advanced clinical practice, or get promoted to nursing management or administrative work and earn even more. As an example, nurse administrators receive an average of $45,071, while nurse practitioners average about $71,000 per year. Specializing is even more lucrative such as nurse anesthetists, which earn an average of $113,000. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the highest 10% of registered nurses earned more than $74,760 per year. For many people, this is a very attractive proposition and can guarantee a bright financial future and a promising career.

Selecting the proper medical care facilities may now be a simpler task, courtesy of a wide variety of services that are available now for the elderly. Some of the assisted living facilities available for retired folk may look like a state or a tiny community of their own. You may also have an in-house care should you want to remain in your own house. Below are some axioms on how it’s possible for you to choose the right one.
First, you will need to help your elderly member of the family into going thru an assessment process. This is an important step to help work out what level of healthcare your loved one may need from the home. If your beloved one is still independent and doesn’t have any repeated or pressing mental or physical problems that may require a more close-knitted care service, then you’ll go together with home care. This permits the one you love to stay in their homes while still getting correct assistance. You are also much safer when you choose to sign up with accredited assisted living facilities. Many people focus on location alone for their selection criteria, but the facility should be visited and investigated to make sure they have all the amenities needed. Today in this world of passionate work style, the elderly, who are medically unfit, also have an opportunity to live a high quality life at their home.
Certain care facilities provide community-based activities such as congregate meal programs, financial support programs and home maker services. This can help boost the output of the aged, and encourage them to contribute to society even at their late age. This service plan is based upon the resident’s individual needs and desires. These individual plans are implemented by a staff of qualified and caring nurses, certified nursing assistants, and aides. .

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Many individuals who are certified as a Nursing Assistant become frustrated with the medical facility environment. The often have to work as scheduled including holidays, deal with internal issues among staff, want more pay for the work they are doing, and don’t feel appreciated.

Home health care offers a great alternative to Nursing Assistants who want more freedom as well as the opportunity to get to know those they are caring for on a more personal level. Home health care is exactly that, offering basic assistance to those who need it in the privacy and comfort of their own home. Nursing Assistants will be performing many of the same tasks including feeding, bathing, and dressing the patients.

Most Nursing Assistants interested in working for home health seek employment with a home health agency. These agencies contract with the patient or their family to offer them services to be able to remain in their home rather than an assisted living facility. However, Nursing Assistants need to be aware home health care agencies generally offer additional services that they will be required to perform including paying bills, running errands, picking up medications, and taking the patient to scheduled appointments. In addition, there may be cooking and light housekeeping involved.

Many Nursing Assistants love home health care because it allows them to develop a schedule that works for them and they get to know their patients. Home health care generally allows you to make your own schedule. It will be reviewed by your supervisor as well as checked with the patients. Every effort is made to accommodate all involved. It is very likely you can customize the schedule around holidays and other events, giving you those days off.

Getting to know your patients while doing home health care is a perk you don’t often get in a medical facility. You sometimes can if you work in a long term care facility, but even then time is often limited and Nursing Assistants have to run to complete the workload they are given. Getting to know the patients in home health care can make the job more enjoyable.

Since home health care takes place in a person’s home with very little supervision, the background check is more intense than what is done to work in a medical facility. This is for the complete protection of the patients. You will have complete access to their home as well as be interacting with them one on one. Therefore any time of issue on your background check can keep you from being employed in home health care.

Be prepared for a references and past employers to be contacted. Home health care agencies will be looking for more than the length of employment and your skills. They will want to find out if you are organized, motivated, and able to work on your own without constant supervision. They will be investigating your promptness as well as how often you call off work, as well as the reasons why.

This is because home health care agencies don’t have the volume of staff to cover your patients if you show up late or don’t show up at all. This can result in patients needs going unmet and them becoming upset. That could result in patients choosing to end their contract with that home health care agency.

Nursing Assistants are more likely to earn more at a home health agency than in a medical facility. On average $2.25 more per hour. They are also more likely to be treated respectfully by their employer and co-workers. They want employees to be happy as this will help keep them as quality employees. Patients do not like for their assistant to continually change. They don’t like having that many new people in and out of their home. The home health care agency has to properly balance keeping the employees and the patients happy.

Before accepting any employment with a home health care agency, take the time to research them with the Better Business Bureau and state Medical Board. You do not want to involve yourself with any agency that does not participate in proper procedures for care of their patients. It is important to report any such issues immediately.

Over the past few years, health care nursing has been emerging as one of the most popular professions in the health care industry. It’s a well accepted and rewarding occupation which primarily requires high level of training. Today with a large number of patients and their families opting for home-based health care, the demand of health care nursing professionals is also increasing. In addition to this, with a booming health care industry, the pressure on potential employees to earn a health care nursing degree is increasing more instead of going for a liberal arts affiliated health nursing course. No doubt, getting or gaining a degree in health care nursing can open up a whole galaxy of job opportunities.

Better future prospects

Accomplishing a degree in health care nursing can help you find surprising doors opening to boost your career. Today, many hospitals and nursing homes are looking and recruiting nurses who have at least completed a health care nursing degree. The major benefit of earning a health care degree is it provides the platform to earn future degrees in nursing or even become a doctor. This degree is an outstanding way to move into health service management while still working within the healthcare field. It even helps in broadening your knowledge base beyond patient care and anatomy. You can also learn about the legal and accounting aspects of successful healthcare facilities, human resources skills, staff management and medical ethics. Moreover, attaining this nursing degree even helps you command higher salaries. This is because, on an average health care professional earns close to double the average wage per capita in the United States.

Health care nursing schools

These days as the career opportunities are limitless after getting a health care nursing degree, choosing a health care nursing degree from reputed nursing school is getting more vital. As a result, you must have clear information about the kind of practical lessons that nursing school plans to provide you. Besides this, you must ensure to choose program from those school that meets the values of education set by a national accrediting organization. Today there are many online universities that offer this degree online. So make sure the online classes that are taught and the accredited curriculums are devised by certified and experienced individuals who have worked comprehensively in the healthcare field.

Conclusion

Today choosing a career as a Certified Nursing Assistant is definitely one of the best career options in health care industry. It provides enormous career opportunity and rewards. Some rewards include the relationship with a patient and their family, independence, and engaging in critical thinking. Certainly as long as there is a demand for nurses and others in the health care field, this profession is going to boom further in next coming years.