Get Epocrates Online On Your Hand-Held PC Tablet iPhone Thing

What Doctors Want...

A Medical assistant must know a wide variety of skills pertaining to medical office administration routines and clinical tasks revolving around patient intake procedures, patient record management, medical history taking, setting up EKGs, spirometry, immunizations, blood draws, charting, measuring orthopedic fittings and such. Some situations may involve biohazard risks where Universal Standard Precautions must be practiced. Also, doctors WANT their medical assistants carry a mobile smart phone to be used under certain circumstances to benefit the medical practice and patients.

And Medical Assistant Schools Don't Know!

Written by a practicing physician!

by M.D. on Jun 24, 2009 - 12:49AM
M.D., a doctor who posted on the medical assistant forum, tells us:

"One overall thing I have a gripe about as a practicing physician, which is that the medical assistant schools are not teaching what I want."

1. Do I want you doing my billing? In all honesty, no/zero. I do not want someone with only a high school education keeping track of my billing, reports & posting deposits, that had 2 months of training in it. On a scale of 1-10, I'd rate this a 2 (nearly non-important). MA schools don't know this.
2. Do I want you to be able to work computer appointments, or know manual appointment methods? Yes, in a pinch, but that is, in my opinion, the job of the front office person.
3. Do I want you to know and understand medical terminology & abbreviations? Yes, absolutely.
4. Would I *love* to have you be knowledgeable enough to know how to get Epocrates Online on your hand-held PC tablet iPhone type thing (that you should be having)? Yes, absolutely. You should know how to use apps like this when looking up & giving meds. By the time a book is published, it is out of date. So forget those hard copy nursing drug manuals - ancient history. (MA schools don't know this either).

Room a patient? Yes, clean up the room from the last pt, get the chart, take VS, hgt, wgt, etc.!
Know what is sterile? And what is not (& how to clean it up)? Yes absolutely, or we both get in trouble (financially or morally).

Give injections? Yes. Know sites for various injections/ age group; IM, SQ, needle sites, gauge, syringe size.

Know math? Absolutely. Don't kill my patients with a wrong dose EVER.
Draw blood? Not super important as most offices send patients out to a lab. On a scale of 1-10 this is a 3. (MA schools don't know this).

Phone triage? Yes. Know what is an emergency & what is not, and let me know right away.
In-house small tests (ie: Accucheck, Urine dip, PT, do an ECG)? Absolutely, & know to alert me STAT if any of these tests are really, in dangerous levels. Assist me with minor office surgeries/ procedures? Yes, if just to be there, be sterile, & hand me things, or put your finger over a bleeder. (Again, MA schools don't know this).

Loyalty? Yes. Don't trick me and I won't treat you badly either. We are a team.
5. Most of all, I would LOVE to have someone who keeps track of labs (ie: whether the pt went & got them. If so, on my desk promptly. AND let me know if 3-7 days has passed & I don't have the labs/ x-rays etc.! Then we need to get after the patient/ lab company/ hospital & find out what is going on).

6. To have someone who gets the discharge summary & orders from the hospital when a patient of mine comes back to the office (before they suddenly show up under my shingle). This they don't teach you in MA school. This test follow-up is one of my biggest gripes about MA schools. And, they don't even mention it, but that is far more important to me than your even doing a blood pressure (which I can do myself, if push comes to shove).

---

I have called these medical assistant schools to find out what they are about education-wise (West Coast). Unfortunately, they do not even have 1 MD/DO on staff for clinical guidance. This is a BIG mistake because people with Masters in Education are the program directors, & really, they can only guess what clinical practice involves - they have never experienced it.

"Formal" talking/ meetings to ascertain what is necessary, with several M.D.s etc isn't going to cut it with what I want. You need to have been there. A nurse can't teach you really, what a physician needs either. So they do not make a good program directors. Lots of nurses *think* they know, but don't (unfortunately, some won't admit it to themselves).

What would I pay? $15 to $20/hr to start. A good MA is nearly priceless & guaranteed a job for life, IMHO. Be my "right Hand Man", so to speak, and I will reward you accordingly.
Thanks for reading.

by M.D. Jun 24, 2009 - 12:49AM

---

More at Medical Assistant NET website.

Microsoft Technology for Mobile Devices to Access Medical Information

Using mobile devices to access medical information is nothing new. Contrary to popular belief, use of mobile devices in a medical office, or health care facility did not make its first debut with the recent invention of the G4 iPhone, Blackberry, or other smartphones, although they certainly have spurred the popularity of mobile devices in the medical office even further. Microsoft elaborated on this concept as early as 2003 when they wrote:

You can use Microsoft Windows Mobile technology and Microsoft Office System programs running on portable devices, such as Tablet PCs, to access and record patient information and perform many other healthcare-related tasks. And when you do have time to access your PC in your office, you can synchronize Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 — running on a mobile device — with your PC.

Microsoft's article introduces physicians and their medical office staff to advances in mobile and wireless technology so they can make the most of their valuable time. It shares information how busy doctors and medical assistants can effectively use a mobile device to deliver fast, high-quality healthcare without it interfering with the patient flow and other daily medical routines. As a matter of fact, Microsoft says that use of a mobile device can help deliver fast, high-quality healthcare.

---

More at Medical Assistant NET website.

Free Medical Assistant Job Training

Where so many are looking for a better job to build a better life, money for education and training can quickly become part of the concerns. While everybody would like to pave the way for a better future, not everybody can afford to go back to school unless they have the necessary funding for vocational training institutions or community college; however money for vocational education IS readily available for those who qualify. US Department of Labor and Workforce Development Career Centers offer services free of charge to help people develop the skills needed to succeed in a meaningful work environment, either at an approved job training site, or in a qualified medical assistant job training program.

Completely FREE Job Training Opportunities

Even better, many can get their medical assistant training COMPLETELY free by getting trained right on the job under the direction of a doctor, or almost free by enrolling into completely free state and government sponsored vocational training programs such as Job Corps, regional programs such as ROP, or vocational rehab programs for the unemployed.

Medical Assistant Work Environment

Most medical assistants work as part of a patient-service team in close contact with doctors, dentists, nurses, and physical therapists, others specialize in providing emergency medical treatment, operating diagnostic tools such as x-ray and ultrasound equipment, laboratory testing of tissue and blood samples, maintaining pharmacy supplies or patients' records, constructing and repairing medical or office equipment and many other clinical and administrative healthcare tasks.

---

More at Medical Assistant NET website.

Medical assistants are sought for full-time, permanent, and per diem, part time positions everywhere. Per diem is just another word for as needed. Medical offices and other facilities offer per diem positions to fill in staffing gaps and  cover for shortfalls when one, or several of their full time personnel are suddenly sick or absent for other reasons. In this case, a per diem position opens for temporary work, where work hours are scheduled as needed.

Medical assistants who work per diem pretty much do the same thing the permanent medical assistant would do, which includes prepare patients for office visits, take their weight and height, vital signs, blood glucose check, medication list and document information in patient's chart.

The per diem medical assistant might be asked to man the front office and reception area where they must process incoming and outgoing patient telephone calls and patient-related correspondence and manage the appointment schedule.

Medical Assistant Job Description

We recently spotted a typical medical assistant job description in a medical assistant job ad on our affiliate partner site Indeed.com. It included a list of expected duites, qualifications and benefits:

POSITION OVERVIEW
The Medical Assistant is a key member of the Physician Practice and provides clinical expertise to ensure all patients receive high quality, efficient care.

DUTIES INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
·         Provide overall support for Physicians and office operations.
·         Prepares patients for examination and treatment.
·         Takes patient histories and vital signs.
·         Prepares exam and treatment rooms with necessary instruments.
·         Gives injections and assists with lab testing and phlebotomy.
·         Prepares and maintains supplies and equipment for treatments, including sterilization.
·         Assists physicians in preparing for minor surgeries and physicals.
·         Assists with scheduling of tests and treatments.
·         Screens telephone calls for referral to physician.

EDUCATION
·         A high school diploma or GED is required.
·         Graduation from a Medical Assisting training program is highly preferred.

This example is typical for most medical assistant job announcements. Most doctors and facilities expect a certain amount of job experience before they are willing to hire someone new. Medical assistant job applicants should add into their application and cover letter that they are able to schedule appointments, accurately take and record vital signs in patient’s chart, explain policies and procedures and any medical office management software skills you have, such as MediTech experience. Also add in that you are highly organized, able to pay attention to detail, and very good at multi-tasking and computer skills.

If you are trained in drawing blood, point out your phlebotomy experience. Highlight your knowledge in customer services and care of patients, patient flow and properly taking and routing telephone messages. These are all important medical assistant skills doctors value and expect since these are areas where things can quickly go wrong and become a headache for the rest of the staff. So, again, make sure this is clearly marked in your medical assistant job application and medical assistant cover letter and resume.

Special Prerequisites and Requirements

Don't be surprised if a potential employer asks whether you have certified medical assistant credentials and many many also expect you have current CPR certification. If not, some doctors will stipulate that you obtain it within 3 months of hire. Furthermore, potential employers might ask you to take a pre-employment physical, and sometimes a breath alcohol and DOT drug screening test before or within 6 months of hire. Yes, they do have the right to do that. Most medical assistants who land the job, whether full-time permanent, or part-time per diem, can expect excellent benefits packages, competitive salaries and growth opportunities.

---

More at Medical Assistant NET website.

Medical Assistant Job Description and Application Process

Medical assistants are sought for full-time, permanent, and per diem, part time positions everywhere. Per diem is just another word for as needed. Medical offices and other facilities offer per diem positions to fill in staffing gaps and  cover for shortfalls when one, or several of their full time personnel are suddenly sick or absent for other reasons. In this case, a per diem position opens for temporary work, where work hours are scheduled as needed.

Medical assistants who work per diem pretty much do the same thing the permanent medical assistant would do, which includes prepare patients for office visits, take their weight and height, vital signs, blood glucose check, medication list and document information in patient's chart. The per diem medical assistant might be asked to man the front office and reception area where they must process incoming and outgoing patient telephone calls and patient-related correspondence and manage the appointment schedule.

Medical Assistant Job Description

We recently spotted a typical medical assisant job ad on our affiliate partner site Indeed.com. It included a list of expected duites, qualifications and benefits:

POSITION OVERVIEW
The Medical Assistant is a key member of the Physician Practice and provides clinical expertise to ensure all patients receive high quality, efficient care.

DUTIES INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
·         Provide overall support for Physicians and office operations.
·         Prepares patients for examination and treatment.
·         Takes patient histories and vital signs.
·         Prepares exam and treatment rooms with necessary instruments.
·         Gives injections and assists with lab testing and Phlebotomy.
·         Prepares and maintains supplies and equipment for treatments, including sterilization.
·         Assists physicians in preparing for minor surgeries and physicals.
·         Assists with scheduling of tests and treatments.
·         Screens telephone calls for referral to physician.

EDUCATION
·         A high school diploma or GED is required.
·         Graduation from a Medical Assisting training program is highly preferred.

This example is typical for most medical assistant job announcements. Most doctors and facilities expect a certain amount of job experience before they are willing to hire someone new. Medical assistant job applicants should add into their application and cover letter that they are able to schedule appointments, accurately take and record vital signs in patient’s chart, explain policies and procedures and any medical office management software skills you have, such as MediTech experience. Also add in that you are highly organized, able to pay attention to detail, and very good at multi-tasking and computer skills.

If you are trained in drawing blood, point out your phlebotomy experience. Highlight your knowledge in customer services and care of patients, patient flow and properly taking and routing telephone messages. These are all important medical assistant skills doctors value and expect since these are areas where things can quickly go wrong and become a headache for the rest of the staff. So, again, make sure this is clearly marked in your medical assistant job application and medical assistant cover letter and resume.

Special Prerequisites and Requirements

Don't be surprised if a potential employer asks whether you have certified medical assistant credentials and many many also expect you have current CPR certification. If not, some doctors will stipulate that you obtain it within 3 months of hire. Furthermore, potential employers might ask you to take a pre-employment physical, and sometimes a breath alcohol and DOT drug screening test before or within 6 months of hire. Yes, they do have the right to do that.

Most medical assistants who land the job, whether full-time permanent, or part-time per diem, can expect excellent benefits packages, competitive salaries and growth opportunities.

Your Massive Gold Nugget Can Be As Simple As A Job You Love

I just read an amazing article about someone finding a humongous 10 pound gold nugget with a simple metal detector while hiking in the Sierra Nevada. When I read how this person stumbled upon a hunk of gold in the desert, I immediately thought, oh, wow! What are the chances of that? To find around $130,000.00 in gold under some rocks. While I realize that this is a once in a lifetime discovery, I am keenly aware that golden opportunities exist for each and every one of us if we put our mind to it.

The Gold Nugget is Within You!
While you may not own a metal detector, nor hike in the Sierra Nevada, you too can find a hunk of gold, right where you are—within yourself. Just like a piece of gold, which is beautiful, has value and never wears out, so are your talents and skills. Your gold nugget is you, your family, your talents, compassion and skills. Your metal detector is a golden opportunity that comes along, especially for those with a solid education and the strong desire to build a career path where one can grow as a person and professional. Do this, and you will have golden days ahead.

Jobs in the Healthcare Industry

In today's tough economy, many are gravitating toward a career in the medical and healthcare field to find their own gold nuggets. The healthcare and medical industry is booming and holds countless job opportunities, of which many require as "little as" a high school diploma and the will to succeed. Kindness, caring and being well organized with a keen eye for details are your best traits to do well in an allied health career.

Healthcare workers are well educated, highly trained and well compensated for normal work hours and hours outside their normal schedule, which includes for pre- and post shift duties, travel time during scheduled work hours from site to site and work related travel to meetings and training. They are also well protected by labor laws.

Healthcare Worker's Wages, Pay, Bonuses and Exemptions

Non-exempt employees receive time and one-half the regular rate of pay after 40 hours of work in a 7-day workweek. Regular rate includes all compensation, such as non-discretionary bonuses and shift differentials. In nursing homes and residential living facilities, employers may pay overtime after 8 hours in any one day and 80 hours in a 14-day pay period.

Anyone wishing to find out details about healthcare personnel employment rules, regulations and pay, such as, for example whether salaried managerial and professional employees in healthcare facilities are exempt from the minimum wage and overtime regulations in their state, should contact their state's Labor Department. Often it depends on whether they have met specific salary, duty, or educational requirements.

Examples of a healthcare facility constantly in need of healthcare staff and personnel include hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient clinics and group medical practices, comprehensive rehabilitation hospitals, residential health care facilities, residential drug and alcohol treatment facilities, adult day health care facilities, assisted living residences, comprehensive personal care homes, home health care agencies, hospice care agencies, maternal and child health consortia and health care service firms.  They also often seek

• volunteers to work overtime
• on-call employees
• per diem staff to compensate for short-falls
• personnel from a contracted temporary agency

My golden rule is to make the best out of the day, every day. Do something every day that you like. It is your choice! Every morning you are handed 24 golden hours. They are one of the few things in this world that you get free of charge. If you had all the money in the world, you couldn't buy an extra hour. What will you do with this priceless treasure?

I if you want to get some more golden Career Path Development tips, click the link. This website has some really down to earth, common sense tips and expert insights for people who have to make career choices and the tough decisions that go hand in hand with the process. If you just want to read more about the story about the person who found a gold nugget, go here.

"I Just Graduated from a Medical Assistant Program—Am I Certified Now?"

"I Just Graduated from a Medical Assistant Program—Am I Certified Now?"

No, just graduating from a medical assistant school, or medical assistant distance education program doesn't make you a certified professional! Certification is NOT automatic just because you graduated. You may have your medical assisting diploma, but to get certified you must apply to sit for a medical assistant certification exam and pass it. Only then will you receive your designation and can call yourself a certified professional.

Some well respected professional certification sponsors also make their exams available to those who did NOT receive formal vocational training from a medical assistant school, but instead have several years of continuous experience working in the discipline, or have received their medical and healthcare training in the Military.

Tough Decisions: Online Medical Assistant Program or Campus Based?

No one can tell you which type of medical assistant program is right for you. Ultimately, you are the one who must choose which path to take to learn your medical assistant skills. Part of your decision will be based on how FAST you want to be done and finished with your training, the cost and how quickly you hope to land your first real medical assistant job.

Rule of thumb is that self-paced online medical assistant courses can be finished the fastest if you apply yourself, however, on the flip side, doctors may not be easily persuaded or convinced to hire you without having direct experience and hands on practice which you would have gotten in a campus based training program. All too many former medical assistant online students have learned a painful lesson.

Things You MUST Ask Before Signing Up for Anything...

As with any kind of education, there are things to be aware of and different programs have their pros and cons. Making a wise choice and informed decisions puts you into a position where you won't have to regret it later. Should you decide that going with a web based program better fits your schedule, budget and personality than bear in mind that no matter which online school you choose you have to ask certain questions BEFORE signing up for anything. We have put a very detailed list of questions to ask before enrolling in any medical assistant program.

First and foremost check out the fees that the online medical assistant school charges for their courses and find out about their refund policy. It is common practice of all reputable online vocational training schools to be up-front with their fees, since they realize it is important to new students to know how much they will be paying for the course. Putting forth a sincere effort to discuss all fees person-to-person over the phone helps to build trust in the school.

You will need to check out the course requirements before signing up for anything.  Each school has different requirements that must be met before entering their program. Almost all online medical assistant programs require a high school diploma while a few want you to have specific course studies from other schools. Some online medical assistant programs, especially those approved by the Department of Education, require competency in complex clinical and technical skills to earn their degree, which can only taught under the direct supervision of a qualified instructor or professional in the field who is familiar with a wide range of medical assistant duties.

There are countless medical assistant students who have told us that finding  their own clinical internship site was EXTREMELY challenging and frustrating and some of them gave up, never earning their medical assistant diploma or degree. Therefore this is probably the most important part of evaluating a prospective online medical assistant school.

Certain online programs operate on the same premise of standard schools and might require that their students complete a minimum number of hours in class room study to be eligible to graduate; so, make sure to ask whether a program is entirely web based, or partially web based. All that is required should be listed in the course description and should be discussed in person during the review process.

Academic degrees is another area where one should put fourth some effort in research before signing up for anything. If the online program does not offer the degree that you need to get the job you want, then it is useless to you as a school. Don't be discouraged, most of the online medical assistant schools, and nursing schools for that matter, allow you to achieve the type of degree that you want.

Worth Your Consideration When Making Career Choices: Phlebotomist

The phlebotomist, the person who draws blood samples from patients arms or finger tips, is a highly specialized, valuable member of the medical and healthcare team as a whole. Without the phlebotomist's skills and services many diagnoses and health assessments could not be as reliably performed.

Most phlebotomists have a high school education, others have an academic degree in medical technology, some received their training directly on the job under the supervision of a doctor, nurse or experienced phlebotomist, others took a phlebotomy course offered through the American Red Cross, or a community college, others while serving in the military as a combat medic or hospital corpsman role.

A skilled phlebotomist deserves high praise, yet, they are usually paid the least amount of wages on the allied health professional's pay scale, probably because their training is not as extensive as, let's say, an EKG and x-ray technician, or medical assistant. In a way, that is unfair, because there is tremendous value in their services that can never be repaid in money. Phlebotomists draw blood for tests, transfusions, donations, or research and explain the procedure to patients who ask.

They must know the circulatory system anatomy and composition of blood along with the medical terminology that goes with it, be able to access a vein, or artery, or capillary blood bed of all kinds of people from young, to old, to obese, to emaciated, to those with veins that roll, to those who easily faint, or are deadly afraid of needles.

They need to understand different venipuncture techniques and the equipment to be used to draw and preserve the blood sample. Additionally, they must know how to read laboratory requisition slips, follow doctor's orders, work safely with patients, handle blood and other potentially hazardous body fluids and know how to clean up blood spills safely and dispose them in accordance with OSHA regulations. If any of this is not approached with great care and handled properly, it can result in severe injury, if not death.

Worth Your Consideration When Making Career Choices: Medical Coding and Billing

Doctors, Medical Office Managers and Hospital Administration Departments Rely on Their Medical Coders and Billers

Successful medical coders and coding consultants pride themselves on being personally involved and connected with each and every client and exceeding clients expectations. Wherever there are doctors you find medical coders, some work in house as employees of the facility, others are independent consultants, some specialize in areas such as billing and collection, others become medical coding instructors, or speakers at conferences and seminars; some work long hours, others work part-time telecommuting from home, others start their own business. There are so many variations, opportunities and specialty fields.

CODING SPECIALTIES:

Medical coding professionals can specialize in focus areas such as:

• Family Practice & Internal Medicine

• Ambulatory & General Surgery

• Anesthesia & Pain Management

• Emergency Medicine

• Dermatology 

• Gastroenterology

• Neurology & Neurosurgery

• Oncology & Hematology

• Mental Health

• Podiatry

• Ophthalmology

• Dentistry

• Physical rehab

… to name just a few. There are many more.

Healthcare Industry Job Market Outlook

The allied healthcare industry employs expertly educated professionals that often require many years of training beyond high and graduate school. One estimate by the U.S. Labor Department reported allied health professionals make up 60 percent of the total health workforce and healthcare experts anticipate that health services employment will continue to grow. Jobs in the healthcare industry virtually open and close daily...

Are you ready to enter into one of the largest industries where new job offers virtually open and close daily?

 So far, United States Department of Labor reports show an economy that is growing, but slowly, and hiring increased with higher wages. Temporary help services and health care continued to add jobs.

Employment in professional and business services continued to trend up in October (+32,000) and has grown by 562,000 over the past 12 months. Health care employment continued to expand in October 2011 (+12,000), following a gain of 45,000 in September. Offices of physicians added 8,000 jobs in October. Over the past 12 months, health care has added 313,000 jobs.

Private employers added 110,000 new jobs and according to the government's unemployment claims report weekly applications for unemployment benefits finally dropped this fall. The outlook is for about 120,000 new jobs a month for the next year, said Joel Prakken, chairman of Macroeconomic Advisers, the consulting firm that runs ADP's survey.

In addition various healthcare reforms are presently under consideration which may also affect the number of people being treated by healthcare providers. If you ever considered, or were ever interested in starting an allied health career, then now is the time.

Where will the jobs be? 

In healthcare!!!! See the full list of The 50 Best Careers of 2011.

Looking for Medical Assistant Training?

Are you looking for vocational training providers or on the job training to become a medical assistant, or get a job, a better job, or improve your position in your current workplace? 

Finding the right medical assistant program remains difficult if you do not have a clear goal and don't know where to look. The vocational and post-secondary education system for high school graduates and working adults consists of countless campuses across the United States and Canada. Additionally there is a plethora of vocational self-study online programs to choose from online. Without a certain amount of help, finding the right school, or program can quickly become a daunting task.

The quickest and easiest way to find medical assistant schools and explore medical assistant programs near you is via our medical assistant schools by ZIP code search on Medical Assistant Net... our recommended vocational education and training programs provide qualified training and teach you the skills you need to land medical office and healthcare jobs. The Medical Assistant NET website is ready for all mobile devices. Visit us on your iPhone, BlackBerry, Android tablet, or PDA.

For tips on how to become a medical assistant and how to find a program that's right for you visit the  Medical Assistant NET website at medicalassistant.net

Taking the Medical Assistant Certification Exam?

If you are a medical assistant preparing for the medical assistant certification exam here are some insights and tips:

Most medical assistants with formal training and recognized medical assistant credentials behind their name wind up doing quite well upon graduation. Many land jobs that they would probably not have gotten otherwise. The competition on today's job market is high... everybody wants to land a better job. There are many affordable certification exams offered, which cover a broad range of medical assisting areas of knowledge to assure proficiency and competency in different areas of medical assisting.

These medical assistant certification exams usually test knowledge on many areas of clinical and administrative skills, which also includes medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, clinical lab procedures, pharmacology, document processing and management, healthcare law and ethics, and medical coding and billing questions, to name just a few. Here are some REAL live medical assistant certification exam study tips, strategies, and example questions for those preparing for the medical assistant certification exam.

---

Nurse Practitioner (NP) and Physician Assistant (PA) Programs for Military Vets

On August 8th 2011, Bob Blumm of the American College of Clinicians (ACC) sent out a public statement regarding medical personnel returning home from combat duty wishing to further their education to join the allied health professional work force. Many of these war veterans are facing a rough economy and tough job market when they return and are seeking employment as civilians.

"Very few realize that many of the allied health professionals they encounter in medical offices and healthcare institutions, from medical assistants to phlebotomy technicians and physician assistants to nurse practitioners, have learned their skill while serving in the Armed Forces and have a strong military background."

It served as a reminder that the ACC did in fact publish a white paper to honor and make a special pathway for those who served in the miltary and upon returning to the USA desire to further their education and become either nurse practitioners (NP) or physician assistants (PA).  ACC feels strongly that those who have given a part of their lives to serving in a time of war deserve special consideration when applying to programs of advanced practice clinicians. The college asks all PA and NP programs to look favorably on these veterans if they apply to their training programs.

"ACC serves nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA) as an advocate for the professions scope of practice. The following is a joint effort of the executive committee 2-3 years ago demonstrating what we feel would best serve both professions as a thank you for a job well done.”

In another white paper published just one day later, Lisa P. Shock, MHS, PA-C President/CEO of Utilization Solutions in Healthcare, Inc. emphazises the value physician assistants (PAs) add to the medical office as a business. In the paper she explains:

"As healthcare reform is implemented, the expansion of healthcare industries will require an emphasis on cost containment. Here are five ways a PA can make your business more profitable."

Physicians and healthcare institutions are expected to employ more PAs to provide primary care and to assist with medical and surgical procedures because PAs are cost-effective and productive members of the healthcare team.

Roll Up Your Sleeves and Draw Blood (No, Not just because It's Halloween!)

Although the current unemployment rate in the United States remains high, the demand for phlebotomists continues to rise.

The job market in medicine and healthcare seems to be relatively immune to economic downturns primarily due to significant changes of rules and regulations, new discoveries and advances and the demographics of a growing and aging population.

Best Time to Become a Phlebotomist

A strong desire on the part of health insurers to focus more on preventive care and regular early medical screening has also significantly contributed to the increased need for drawing blood, which places phlebotomists in very high demand. Phlebotomists collect most of the ordered blood samples and also often perform simple blood screening tests as requested by physicians or other healthcare practitioners.

What is a Phlebotomist?

The phlebotomist is a specialized healthcare professional in the area of handling certain laboratory specimens, specifically blood and urine samples for diagnostic purposes.

• Assembles equipment, such as tourniquet, needles, blood collection devices, gauze, cotton, and alcohol on work tray, according to requirements for specified tests or procedures.
• Verifies or records identity of patient or donor and converses with patient or donor to allay fear of procedure.
• Applies tourniquet to arm, locates accessible vein, swabs puncture area with disinfectant, and inserts needle into vein to draw blood into collection tube or bag.
• Withdraws needle, applies treatment to puncture site, and labels and stores blood container for subsequent processing.
• May prick finger to draw blood. May conduct interview, take vital signs, and draw and test blood samples to screen donors at blood bank.

For more tips and insights on the phlebotomist career please visit PhlebotomyPages.com on the Internet.

Temp Work to Bridge Time in School or Times of Unemployment

During tough economic times the job market is down and many are out of work. Not only that, for most who enroll in a vocational training or vocational rehab program to learn a skill that will get them back into the workforce it often means making a choice between work, or school. It is hard to do both. Although most vocational training institutions offer their programs in morning, afternoon and evening sessions, they demand time and focus to achieve good grades.

It is almost impossible to maintain a full time job and earn excellent grades, especially in an accelerated program, such as the typical 9 -11 month long medical assistant training courses. These medical assistant vocational training programs often require an externship to earn the desired diploma or degree, so where full time work is nearly impossible there is an answer to this dilemma:  temp or part time work.

Temp positions are available in many fields, including healthcare, especially in medical offices for medical assistants, business and computers. Taking into consideration the pros and cons, temping can be the difference between getting by and not.

Typical Requirements for a Medical Assistant Part Time Job: Strong aptitude for detail, and ability to work independently Strong organizational and problem solving skills Excellent communication and interpersonal skills Computer skills (Word Perfect, Microsoft Windows, etc.) Graduation from an accredited Medical Assistant training program Knowledge of third party payer requirements Certification through the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), or American Medical Technologists (AMT) is preferred

Pros & Cons of Temp Work Assignments

PROS

1. Making a major difference to needy offices
2. Learning and seeing new things
3. Gaining varied experiences from different places
4. Earning more, getting better hourly pay
5. Meeting new people and making connections
6. Flexibility and freedom to say no
7. Work as much or as little as needed to get by
8. A foot in the door for a future position

CONS

1. Working in an unfamiliar work environment
2. Not knowing what is expected
3. Not being part of the established group
4. Adjusting to a new setting and people
5. Stressing out to do things right
6. Having to perform tasks right off the bat
7. Not receiving additional training
8. Possibility to be taken off of the assignment any moment

According to the American Staffing Association, temp workers can earn at least  $12 or more per hour, in most instances even considerably more than their permanent counterparts; however, they do not always qualify for benefit packages full time employees might enjoy.