Allied Health Work Force Shortages Pose Concern: An Insight

A deficiency of health workers in many countries of the world is a chief barrier for health care systems as they pose serious challenges to the way and manner into which response are given to the prevalence of chronic diseases.

Such diseases as Covid-19 pandemic, avian influenza and other challenges, according to a latest report by the World Health Organization no doubt called for an increase in number of health and medical personnel across the globe.

 The United States is equally hugely affected by this shortage as well. Acute personnel shortages occur in allied health professions such as medical technology and respiratory therapy. Enough numbers of these practitioners are not always available to deal with the regular flow of patient needs that must be met.

 Also disturbing is the risk posed by bio-terrorism and the additional anxiety that such acts would place on a system that is already under strain. In a situation like this, laboratory technicians and respiratory therapists would be in high demand. Laboratory tests would be obligatory to ascertain how victims have been affected and to what extent, and breathing difficulties would have to be attended to by qualified technicians.

 Nursing shortages have also received much public interest recently. Depending on what professions and levels are included, allied health is as large as or larger than nursing. Similar to nursing, many applicants to allied health programs are denied admission because of shortages of faculty, clinical training sites and related funds.

 Many students are attracted to a career in a health profession, but the costs of obtaining an education are becoming more of a barrier. Funding for education by the states is at its lowest in 25 years, and provision per student has decreased significantly due to improved enrollment and inflation in the economy. Total tax revenues have declined as a percentage of state wealth.

Another factor is the increased expenses for Medicaid programs, which continue to require a larger share of the overall budget in each state.

 As a means of addressing the situation, the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions is working with several other organizations to advance S. 473, the Allied Health Professions Reinvestment Act of 2005, and H.R. 215, a companion bill. This proposed legislation is calculated to furnish a remedy for the allied health work-force problems. If something isn't done soon, the organization warns, there will be an alarming growth in adverse effects in patients because of a scarce supply of allied health caregivers.

Thank you

 

Certified Midwife Nurse as a Profession: An Overview

Certified Midwife Nurse As A Profession: An Overview

Healthcare as a whole has contributed immensely due to its multi-faceted nature to the introduction of different career paths to the medical profession. One such inclusion is Nurse Midwife.  

 A midwife is defined as a person who assists women in childbirth. A midwife is highly necessary in order to complete the prescribed course of studies in midwifery and to acquire the necessary training to be registered and or legally licensed to practice midwifery.

  The contribution of Midwife nurses in the medical profession is an enormous part of which is the provision of essential supervision, care, and advice to women during pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period. She is also responsible to conduct a delivery as well as total care for the newly born baby. All nurse-midwifery programs are within institutions of higher education as a result of the complexities of the task associated with the profession. 

 Roughly over 70% of nurse-midwives who graduate college are at the Master's degree level. In America, programs for midwifery are accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) in order to make graduates qualified to take the national certification examination. In order to be allowed to practice midwifery, you must be a qualified and registered nurse with at least two years of experience before you apply for nurse-midwife programs.

 It is essential for a midwife to provide an extensive range of healthcare services to women and their newly born babies. Midwife duties include ordering appropriate laboratory tests, carrying out physical assessments, history taking, and coordinating other procedural activities. Their functions also include counseling patients on health promotion and risk reduction activities. 

 The majority of nurse-midwife practice focuses on childbirth and gynecological care as well as family planning. The services listed above are carried out in total cooperation with the clients/patients. Midwives also perform prescriptive privileges, which is similar to nurse practitioners. It is however noted that the categories of work performed by midwives vary from one state to another. Nurse-midwives work in collaboration with OB/GYN doctors when it comes to situations like high-risk pregnancies or other scenarios that are outside of the midwives' capabilities.

 As peculiar to other professions, certified nurse midwives are regulated at two different levels. These are Licensure and Certification.

 

Licensure is known to be the procedure at the state level in accordance with specific state laws and this varies from one state to another. 

 While Certification on its own is the recognition given by the national organization based on the standards and procedures for the professional practice known to be the same across the country. In many states and locales, a master’s degree is highly needed for national certification. 

 While some States stipulated that you have to be nationally certified before you can get your license. For example, only graduates of nurse-midwifery programs accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) are qualified to take the certification examination.

 

Accelerated Nursing Program: Important Point To Note

Accelerated Nursing Program: Important Point To Note

Determination to enter into a Nursing career has been on the increase in recent times and this has contributed immensely to the introduction of new programs developed to certify nurses in record time. 

 This is done to cater to the needs and aspirations of the people as well as make available healthcare programs that will increase the lifespan of the populace through accelerated Nursing Programmes.

 

There are a number of options available and an accelerated nursing program is usually the most popular option among those who want to enter the field of medicine.

 Some people are somehow skeptical and are not comfortable knowing that nurses can be trained in very little time. However, a good accelerated nursing program will be thorough and effective in helping the future nurse master the skills required for the job.

 One important thing to note is the traits of a good nurse. The skills needed to become an effective nurse are not completely taught in the classroom. Some people have a natural talent and tendency to become a nurse and work assiduously to achieve their aim in this field while others developed an interest at first but later on, lose focus and this will affect them to never master the job as expected of them no matter how many hours they spend in the classroom.

 An accelerated nursing program recognizes that the technical skills needed to be targeted while the more subtle skills that the job requires are often said to be inherited in some individuals. Many patients have had the opportunity to encounter the perfect nurse who has mastered the better way to attend to their patients. This has however made some people wonder why that person was so good at his/her job.

 There are some qualities that a good nurse must have in order to perform her duties as expected of her. Some of these qualities however cannot be taught in the classroom. An encounter with a nurse can probably put you at ease with just a few words. Or she could simply make you feel relaxed through her demeanor and approach.

 Describing such qualities in your caregiver at times may be difficult. There may be something about the person that helps you through the difficult situation but yet you may not be able to say categorically what exactly it is. Of course, an accelerated nursing program does not go into depth on developing such qualities as some of these qualities are in-built. Neither an extended, traditional program can be used to explain such qualities.

 

Now you may cast your memory back to another worst encounter you had with a nurse. She was probably too unfriendly, abrasive, and indifferent to your situation then. Maybe she was even sarcastic. She might even have made you feel as if you were a burden. Or probably, she could have technically done everything “right” but you just feel awful after seeing her.

 Bedside manner is briefly covered in an accelerated nursing program and is equally being addressed in the traditional school. An important point to note is that the nurse who made you feel uneasy was probably unaware of her effect on you. It may be she was just doing her job.

 Conclusively, the fundamental difference between the good nurse and the bad one emanated from their attitude toward the profession and their patients. The first nurse is caring for a person thereby adding human nature to her job and she recognizes this. The second nurse is just doing her job thinking that is the best way to act in any specific situation.

 

5 Unusual Jobs Available To You With A Nursing Degree

5 Unusual Jobs Available To You With A Nursing Degree

In the year 2014, one statistical report was released which showed that there would be 3.6 million new jobs available in the medical profession, and the majority of the bulk of these jobs which is about 60% will be available to those having one kind of degree or another in nursing. Till today there has been a consistent increase in demand for the nursing profession.

 This high demand for registered nurses is increasing by the day and the report from the Bureau of Labour Statistics has estimated that the number of jobs that would be available for registered nurses that same year will increase by nothing less than 27% by the end of the year 2014. This will also increase opportunities for certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants,, and those known to be in medical technical fields like phlebotomy and pulmonology. 

 And for those who believe that nurses' jobs are mainly for those in hospitals and facilities alone, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has, however, dispelled this rumor because less than 60% of registered nurses work in a hospital.

 A nursing degree creates quite a number of opportunities for practitioners in so many fields. This has made a nursing degree one of the most versatile and useful degrees that you can work tirelessly to acquire because of the great importance attached to this profession. 

 A nursing degree not only provides these opportunities because it appeals to a wide range of people and this is evident with the rate at which so many people aspire to enter into the profession. . According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, but about 20% of those entering the nursing workforce are also older workers starting on a second career. 

 So many people are attracted by rising salaries as well as other opportunities the profession affords its practitioners. To them, a nursing degree is a chance to do something that makes them feel good, and at the same time gives them dignity and respect while doing the job.

 Whether you’ve just started your nursing career or you are returning to work after a hiatus, or even maybe you are switching to a career in nursing as a second career, you have to consider some of the opportunities that are open to you with a nursing degree. If truth be told the opportunities abound are many! I would like to talk about some of them. Let’s begin:

 Pediatric Home Health Care is known to be one of the growing fields for those with nursing degrees. Every state in the Union now has some sort of Early Intervention program that identifies children under the age of three years with special needs. Pediatric home health care allows you to work with children and parents purposely to make a real difference in their lives.

 Working in a Blood Donor Center is another window of opportunities open to you or having a nursing degree and this makes you part of the life-saving network. There’s more to blood donor centers than just starting IVs. Nurses who specialize in paresis can command high salaries, and a nurse working in the blood collection field can be a valuable community organizer as well as a medical practitioner.

 Elder Home Health Care is at the other end of the spectrum. The existence of quite a number of old people popularly tagged ‘aging of America’ means that more and more people require a little bit of help to remain in their homes. Nursing assistants, registered nurses, and licensed nurses can come in to provide that little bit extra that will allow a senior citizen to maintain a higher quality of life and remain at home when all they need is a few hours of medical care a day or week. A nursing degree will open this window of opportunity for you.

 On-Site Nursing is also a wide open field for medical workers with nursing degrees. You can work at an amusement park or zoo, in the medical office at a state or national park, or provide medical backup for the emergency workers at a beach or other recreational setting. If you choose to work on-site at a camp or other facility, this may attract an increased salary as well as other benefits which may include free tuition for your own family.

 A Critical Care Transport Nurse requires multiple nursing degrees. This is one of the most interesting and fascinating nursing jobs available if you have a nursing degree. A CCT nurse accompanies patients being transported from home or a nursing facility to another nursing facility. The nurse is responsible for maintaining continuity of care for every patient for the duration – in the back of an ambulance. It’s a challenging and fun job that commands a salary commensurate with the experience required.