How to gain certification as a nursing assistant

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Finding a new career path is never an easy task, especially if you are unsure of where your true interests lie. At the same time, many people are going to be looking for something that can provide them with steady work and give them a number of different options when it comes to career advancement. For those who want to enter the medical field, becoming a CNA is probably one of the most logical steps. CNA stands for certified nursing assistant. As a nursing assistant, you are going to be working in a number of different places. Some CNAs will work in hospitals while others are going to help out when it comes to patients living at home, in assisted care facilities and in hospices. Before you decide to go for a job like this, you are going to have to make sure that you find somewhere that can give you the proper qualification.

Funding

If you are interested in CNA training, then you will need to make sure that you are able to fund your studies. You will need to have a look at courses and find out how much they cost. You also need to determine how long a course like this is going to last so that you will be able to plan things out for the future. Most CNA courses are going to last about a month full-time, although there are a lot of places that will give you a much more flexible option. This is going to mean that you will be studying for longer, but it is often easier to juggle with work.

Teaching Centers

There are different places that you can go in order to receive your CNA. A lot of people are going to go to a community college. Before you do this, you need to take a look at the courses that are actually offered by your community colleges. You may need to look farther afield if you cannot find what you are looking for nearby. Thankfully, there are different options as well. You can also look online in order to find better nursing certifications to suit your particular learning needs.

Time

For many people, time is going to be a huge issue and therefore it is necessary to find a course that suits you. While you are in school, it is important to make sure you have enough time to devote to your classes. You may have to attend class part time to be able to care for your family or to work. You can of course do the course full time and get a part time job, but a lot of people are going to try and get a part-time course that will serve them better with full time work.

Author Bio:

Michelle Patterson has written several career-related articles for various websites for more than seven years. She has worked as an Administrative Assistant for more than 15 years. For more information on CNA training, she recommends visiting cnacertification-training.com

4 Common Errors of Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacists’ jobs are very important to the medical industry. Although it might seem they just fill prescriptions, there are a number of other important duties they handle that pertain to the health of patients. Because of this, they are required to go through some comprehensive training prior to getting started in the field. However, pharmacy errors cannot always be avoided simply because the tech went through this extensive training. Lives are put at risk when a pharmacist makes an error, and there can be some serious consequences suffered. One particular form of medical malpractice is pharmaceutical error and is completely inexcusable and totally hazardous. Below are 4 common errors that these pharmacy technicians have been known to make.

1. Not Enough Pharmacy Regulation Knowledge

When you take a look at various board of pharmacy sites, each one will state that the responsibility of the pharmacy technician is to know and understand all pharmacy board regulations and for good reason, they are responsible for distributing the medication that can have life altering effects if used incorrectly. These regulations involve everything from what their job entails to the requirements they need to meet, all states are different and will have their own regulations.

2. Reading Prescriptions Improperly

It is not new knowledge that the handwriting of doctors is poor. A prescription can easily be misread and filled incorrectly or a wrong dose provided due to poor handwriting. A person's life can also be endangered by the negligence of putting medication in the wrong bottles. Being given the wrong medication can lead to death, particularly if the patient is allergic to the medication provided.

3. Improper Abbreviation Knowledge

Another common reason that pharmacy error happens is due to not knowing the proper abbreviations. Either a doctor or pharmacist will use abbreviations to write out specific drugs and doses, during the prescription writing process. Because of discrepancies in handwriting, often abbreviations are mistaken for others. For instance, the abbreviation "U" used for "units" can often be thought of as a zero, if the handwriting is illegible. This has a severe effect on the amount of medicine a patient receives, which is a huge risk for injury or death.

4. Mixing up Prescription Pills

During a prescription filling, the pharmacist is responsible for filling it correctly. Depending on the medication that is being prescribed, proper prescription filling could mean mixing up the right kind and amount of ingredients in the pill being made or filling the bottle up with the correct type of pills. Unfortunately, prescriptions are not always filled properly by pharmacists. As this occurs, it is the patient who suffers.

Pharmacies are very hectic places. Days like Mondays and Fridays along with the first and last day of each month, and before and after holidays are considered high traffic days and would likely be the days where most errors could possibly happen. You have to remember that even with extensive training, pharmacists are human too and there is still room for error there. Always check your prescriptions before taking them and educate yourself on your prescription and what the pills should look like prior to taking them.

Author Bio:

Tess Young has been a freelance writer for over 3 years and has experience writing about the pharmaceutical industry.  For more information on reputable pharmacy companies and technicians, she recommends visiting Northwest Pharmacy.

A Registered Nurse's Worth

In Alberta, Canada, several Registered Nurse positions and Licensed Practical Nurse positions are being cut and replaced with health care aides. In the past, there was always the RN vs LPN debate as LPNs are cheaper to hire than RNs but RNs had a more broader knowledge and have better critical thinking skills as RNs have a 4 year baccalaureate degree as compared to an LPN who has a 2 year diploma. Again LPNs are very competent professionals and are able to do most of the skills and roles of an RN, but

"RN care is more necessary when a patient’s health care needs are complex, acute and unpredictable. Adding more RNs to the acute-care hospital workforce can help save thousands of lives a year" (expertcaring.ca).

There has been studies to prove that care provided by an RN shortens hospital stays, improve health outcomes, and actually helps the province save money. Although it is perfectly acceptable to have a good staffing mix with RNs and LPNs because let's face it, we don't have enough money to staff hospital units with all RNs. But to totally replace RNs and LPNs with health care aides with only a 6-month certificate is plain reckless. I do not know what made our health care officials even think of doing such a thing. Sure there is a budget deficit of $2 billion, but sacrificing the health and safety of Albertans is unacceptable. It has been reported that Alberta has $100-plus million in surplus, but they still decided to cut-back on essential front line staff and services.

I only hope that this decision doesn't have a long-term and permanent negative outcome for Albertans. I feel powerless as things unfold, but all I can do is grit my teeth and hope for the best.


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Resources:

• http://www.una.ab.ca/190/elimination-of-frontline-nurses-in-edmonton-adds-to-provincial-total
• http://www.expertcaring.ca
• http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Alberta+Health+Services+surplus+cause+concern+minister/8618432/story.html
• http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/Alberta+Health+Services+executive+bonuses/8614878/story.html

Promoting English as a Second Language and its Importance

English is a language that is widely used in many areas of the world primarily because of the influence the United States has. Whether it is economical or practical, many will practice English in other countries in order to conduct business with Americans. In the states, promoting English as a Second Language will have the same effect on those who have migrated to North America. Although we may have translators available in order to help other nationalities communicate with others inside the U.S., there are times where a translator is not available. For a person to be completely independent and successful in any country, he or she needs to learn the native language.

1. Employment - Although many immigrants are able to find employment as the employer has a translator or can speak the language themselves, it is still vital to learn the native language to eliminate confusion. One should never aspire to be the bottom rung on the ladder and failure to communicate with potential employers or supervisors could keep a foot solidly adhered to that rung.

2. Social Relationships - Enjoying the company of others doesn't have to be restricted to those who speak the same language. There is a great deal of potential relationships that could alter one's life for the better if they only knew how to communicate with them. Instead of being isolated from interacting with the majority of the people in any given location, learning to speak the language could put a person in the middle of the festivities.

3. Economical Communication - Instead of limiting choices of shopping to those places that speak your language, wouldn't it be nice to have the ability to visit other retail sites? Better deals that could save you money, better selections, and more could be a strong point in learning the native language.

Ordering food at restaurants could be a chore that results in ordering the wrong food. If communication isn't possible, one could spend his or her days isolated at home without experiencing fine foods. It's all about understanding information about a specific product and knowing if it's what you want.

4. Entertainment - Although you could rely on subtext and translations in movies, you could lose something in the context. Music, arts, and more rely heavily on the ability to communicate to a spectator and being without the knowledge of the native language could leave you without the inspiration that could come from the entertainment.

Regardless of what method is used to promote English as a Second Language, it is a necessity in order to fully communicate the needs and wants of a person. Foreign individuals need to understand how vital learning the native tongue of a country is. Without communication, an experience by a foreign individual could be less than ideal.

Author Bio:

Paul Taylor started www.babysittingjobs.com which offers an aggregated look at those sites to help families find sitters and to help sitters find families easier than ever. He loves writing, with the help of her wife he has contributed quality articles for different blogs & websites.

Communicating with Those Diagnosed Having BPD

Those who suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder can be difficult to deal with at times. They can tend to take the extreme meanings of simple conversation whether it be good or bad. To those with BPD, the middle "gray" area doesn't exist. It's either one way, or the other. Mood swings are also more severe to these individuals. With very little to set them off, the mood can transition from complete elation to suicidal thoughts and depression almost instantly. With someone so out of balance, how can communication be possible without triggering an episode?

1. Verbiage - As those suffering from BPD will take the extreme meaning of your conversation, try to keep it low-key. Try not to dwell on conversations that have potential to be saddening or upsetting.

2. Sarcasm - Sarcasm will nearly always be a method to set off the person suffering from BPD. Even if the sarcasm is of a jovial nature, it is best not to involve those kinds of discussions with someone with a personality disorder.

3. Violence - Be wary of the state of mind the person is who has BPD. A conversation could have potential to be explosive if he or she is already in a bad frame of mind. Even the most innocent of conversations could have potential for disaster.

4. Realism - Try to keep the conversation within reality. People afflicted with BPD have a tenancy to have delusions and unsubstantiated paranoia. You must keep the conversation within reality and focus on what is evidential.

5. Instant Gratification - Many of those suffering from BPD will have difficulty staying focused on a task or communication if there is no evidence of gratification. Try to steer communications to a point where gratification is possible and rewarded. It could even be a small reward for an easy to accomplish task.

It's hard to look upon those we love and realize that there is nothing we can do to help them. The best we can do is try not to make matters worse and being mindful of what we say. It can prove to be difficult at times, but keep in mind that they are suffering internally far worse than you're pride if the conversation takes a turn for the worse.

Author Bio:

Ken Myers is the founder & contributor for http://www.longhornleads.com/. He frequently researches and writes about a variety of topics like education, Technology, Health and many more.