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.