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.

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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.

 

Healthcare Jobs: The Most Fastest Growing Careers Field

Healthcare Jobs: The Fastest Growing Careers Field

If consideration is given to a large number of people developing an interest to join healthcare jobs, it can be said that for so many years to come, there wouldn’t be a shortage of medical personnel within society. 

 With continued advancement in science and technology coupled with new inventions in medical equipment in association with new innovations in medical diagnosis and treatment, healthcare jobs are growing faster than in any other field.  An aging population needs more health services while healthcare innovations increase the use of medications and the demand for treatment facilities.

 Even though healthcare provides job opportunities both to health services professionals and others such as accountants, personnel officers, buyers, computer programmers, and food service personnel, the emphasis in this article is on health services professionals.

 Health Services Professionals

Health services require both professionals with advanced training and technicians with different kinds of operational skills. There are quite several healthcare jobs that you can venture into. However, the type of medical profession listed below is just an indicative list rather than an exhaustive one.

 It should be noted that each profession requires varying levels of training. The professions involved are:

 Physicians, optometrists, chiropractors, dentists, and veterinarians.

Technologists and technicians work majorly in clinical laboratories. This also includes EEG, EKG, nuclear medicine, radiology, and surgical work.

 Health technicians like dental hygienists, emergency medical technicians, and dispensing opticians

 Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians

 Registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nursing aides, and psychiatric aides

 Medical transcriptionists

 Medical records technicians

Home care nurses, health aides, medical assistants, and social workers

 Occupational, physical, Dieticians and nutritionists, recreational and respiratory therapists, and speech pathologists

 Medical billing specialist, coding specialist, patient account representative, and insurance claims/reimbursement specialists

 As can be seen from the medical fields mentioned, the list is endless. It is quite evident that the field is extensive. The level of a country's advancement in medical technology can only bring about limitations to the types of medical professions available in such a country. However, further advancement could extend with new innovations in diagnosis and treatment.

 Healthcare Jobs Information Resources

 
Due to the multitudinous nature of medical profession career types, it should be noted that each of the healthcare jobs requires specialized training, certification, and licensing. Medical professions are highly attached to statistical error of zero percent in as much as every step and the action of the practitioner while performing their jobs is a matter of life and death, unlicensed practitioners are not allowed to work in healthcare fields. 

 Licenses are being coordinated and granted by different statutory bodies under the Ministry of Health in all countries of the world, and each state also has its own licensing regulations monitoring the conduct and practices of each health institution and hospital. 

 Whoever contravenes the ethics of the medical profession is hereby severely dealt with, while the license awarded to such institution is withdrawn immediately and other punitive measures will also be applied to guide against any defaulters furthermore.

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