Health Beauty & FitnessHealth, Beauty, Fitness Tips

Medical Assisting

Did you know that medical assisting is one of the quickest growing job sectors projected for the next decade? From now until the year 2018, there will be an estimated 34% increase in employment for the field, making it one of the quickest growth areas of any industry or profession today. Clearly, many individuals are already looking into medical assisting for their own careers, but if you’re not quite sure if it’s right for you, then it’s time to take an inside look at what’s involved with the profession of medical assisting and how you’ll be able to get started.

A medical assistant is in many ways a “jack of all trades” in the health care industry. They often take on both clinical and administrative responsibilities, and are responsible for much of the day to day operation of the facilities where they are employed. They can end up working at private or public hospitals, inpatient or outpatient care centers, physicians offices, specialty healthcare providers, and other types of environments as well.

The types of tasks that a medical assistant will end up taking on can depend on several different factors. First to consider is that some states have different levels of standards for who is allowed to do what, and in which kinds of settings, and this can affect your potential work duties. Another important fact to remember is that your level of certification or experience could alter what kinds of responsibilities you have, and of course the kind of setting that you’re in and how many other coworkers are around will also in part determine this.

A 2009 survey conducted by the American Association of Medical Assistants, polling current CMA (AAMA) practitioners, found a wide range of results in terms of daily and routine tasks and responsibilities. Nearly 90% of respondents answered that they obtain patient history and vital signs, 80% said they assist with patient exams and over 70% said they administer injections. About half of respondents said they perform EKGs, laboratory work, venipuncture and other diagnostic testing. A small percentage of individuals noted they also work with X-rays, start IVs and infuse medication into IV lines.

In terms of administrative activities, over 70% of respondents said they schedule patient appointments, and more than half work with their medical records. About 40% handle reception duties, 30% deals with insurance and coding, and 15% handle bookkeeping. Then there are also the management roles, such as purchasing equipment and supplies, which 40% of CMA (AAMA)s say they do, and supervising staff members, which 18% note as part of their jobs.

So if all of this sounds like it could be up your ally, then how do you get started for yourself in the world of medical assisting? For those with no prior experience in the field, it’s best to get started with an accredited program that you can complete in some cases in less than 1 year. From there, you can take a certification exam to become a CMA (AAMA), or pursue certification through a variety of different organizations. You’ll then be ready to enter the workforce, and you’ll find a growing industry with plenty of great job opportunities awaiting you.

Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that all of the respondents here were CMA (AAMA)s, as noted, so this can affect the scope of duties. As also mentioned, your locale and particular environment could affect your daily responsibilities and tasks. But overall, this should help provide you with a great picture of what life in the world of medical assisting is all about. There is a wide range of tasks, and you’ll be immersed in both the clinical and administrative sides of things in your work place, and you’ll certainly be in a number of interpersonal situations. It’s a diverse and rewarding career and there is no shortage of jobs to be had.

Canadian support for the mission in Afghanistan is down. A recent Canadian Press-Decima survey found that 67% of respondents believe the number of Canadian casualties is unacceptable. Only 25% of those interviewed said they believed the casualty figures were acceptable.

More Canadians believe that this is a war that can’t be won. Little wonder, when you consider the tactics that the Taliban have been employing of late. Canadian forces abide by international law and make the effort to conduct themselves accordingly, however the same can’t be said of their adversaries.

The Taliban owe most of their successes against the Canadian military to bombs planted on the nations dusty highways. When a passing armored vehicle is hit, the Taliban notch it up as a victory. This tactic may add to their kill rate, but it certainly doesn’t add to their prestige as a fighting force, or to their image as heroic fighters.

It seems there is no limit to how far they are prepared to go in taking on American and NATO forces.

A recent tactic has been to use children to carry out suicide missions.

Taliban ‘recruiters’ have been showing up in madrassas in Pakistan and educating children in the arts of terrorism. This includes showing the children videos of suicide attacks and teaching them how to drive cars and motorcycles.

Recently they gave a fourteen year old boy named Rafiqullah a mission. He was selected to go to Afghanistan and stage a suicide attack with an Afghan governor as his target.

The boy crossed the border and made it to the Afghan city of Khost, were he linked up with his handler, one Abdul Aziz. When Aziz fitted Rafiqullah with a special vest rigged with explosives, it all became a little too real for the boy and he balked.

He told Aziz that he was afraid and couldn’t carry out the order. Aziz then threatened the boy with death and pointed a gun at him. Fortunately the police got wind of what was going on and took Rafiqullah into custody. Shortly afterwards he was released on the orders of President Hamid Karzai, who described him as an “innocent pawn”.

This isn’t a one-off case. Last month the Taliban used a six year old child in Ghazni province in an attempt to stage a suicide attack on the Americans. The boy asked for help from Afghan soldiers who discovered that he had been rigged with a suicide vest.

In April a video was released that showed Taliban militants instructing a 12 year old boy as he beheaded an alleged traitor. The boy was taped holding aloft the severed head while his Taliban audience looked on with approval.

The Taliban claim to be representatives of sharia law – a law they regard as morally superior to anything the West has to offer, and yet their treatment of children is an offense to the teachings of the Qu’ran and to fundamental human decency. It seems they place no moral limit on what they are prepared to do in order to achieve their objectives.

Next month, Canada’s famed Royal 22nd Regiment, the Van Doos, will take over the battle group in Kandahar. Many Canadians are dubious though that the nation’s confidence level can be restored.

PM Harper has been feeling the heat and has backed off his “no cut-and-run” rhetoric. Depending upon the will of Parliament, he may consider ending Canada’s combat role when the current mission expires in February 2009.

Once a drug is on the market, we are all supposed to be interested in something else. We should just assume the drug has solved whatever the problem was. There’s no need to follow up by measuring how well the drug is actually performing. Except that’s the kind of thinking that delayed the recall of the Cox-2 Inhibitors when there should have been better safety monitoring to show this class of drugs caused heart problems. Worse, this type of resistance to research runs through most different industries as the delayed recall of Toyotas aptly demonstrates. Which brings us to 2010 Sleep in America, a poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation. This is a regular snapshot of sleeping habits across America. It’s good this research is done, but it’s on the margin with only a thousand or so participants. There should be significantly more participants if the scaling up of the numbers across the general population is to be reliable. As it is, we should not generalize too much from the results. The first finding is that, we seem to be sleeping about two hours less than we did forty years ago. For some reason not properly explained, the study assumes we should all aim for about eight-and-a-half hours of sleep every night. The current crop of respondents reports sleeping between six and seven hours a night. To keep the accuracy of this report in perspective, there’s good medical evidence that lack of sleep undermines the body’s immune system making us more prone to illness, encourages obesity, increases blood pressure, and raises the risk of heart disease. What is less clear is the point at which these adverse health consequences kick in. It could be between six and seven hours a night, but there is no evidence to support this proposition. About a quarter of the respondents admit to missing work or appointments because they felt too tired. The same percentage admitted they were too tired to have regular sex. When asked to explain why sleep was more difficult, many referred to increased financial worries during the recession. Personal stress levels were higher with relationship problems. There were also lifestyle choices like watching TV in bed which disturbed sleep. In racial terms, Asians have the longest sleep patterns and blacks sleep less than whites and Hispanics. Overall, the report makes interesting reading but, until more people are included in the poll, it is difficult to generalize to the population at large. That said, some of the conclusions are intuitively correct. If about 25% of people are finding their lives adversely affected by insomnia, it helps explain why ambien is such a popular drug. As the sleeping pill with the best reputation for safety and effectiveness, it seems to be the drug of choice to get enough sleep. But it does remain something of a mystery why people make it difficult for themselves. About three-quarters of the respondents watched TV immediately before attempting sleep and then expressed surprise they did not immediately fall asleep. The reality is that, unless you resort to ambien, it’s better to relax the mind, say, by listening to gentle music. Moving the TV out of the bedroom and avoiding exciting late-night programs is basic common sense. Going to sleep at the same time every night is a good habit. Living your life around the TV schedule is a bad habit.

When it comes to vehicle wraps and graphics, they are the newest and innovative ways to advertise. The vinyl of these vehicle wraps is always being improved. Wraps can be placed on your vehicle temporarily, or for up to a few years. They are proven to have a higher percentage rate for reaching the public. They can be put on any size vehicle, from the smart car to an eighteen-wheeler, or large RV. When choosing which method of vehicle graphics you are going to use, you might want to check out this creative way to put your business out there.

The new vinyl that is being used for vehicle wraps has air pathways to prevent bubbling. This new material has small beads to prevent adhering before it is in just the right spot, then once smoothed over it makes for a perfect application. The vinyl comes in many pieces so every inch of your vehicle can be wrapped, from the gas tank cover to the bumpers. This is not a permanent placement graphic design such as paint, if your promotion ends or changes in six months, simply remove the wrap and apply a new one. Yes it is just that easy, thus the hottest new way to advertise in the world of vehicle graphics.

These advertisements have proven to be more effective than even the older, regular, and stationary billboards. These “mobile billboards”, when targeting a specific group of respondents had a 94% recall rate, and 80% of them even remembered the company name and the specific thing being advertised. That is some highly effective advertising. Just think, mobile signs could cost thousands of dollars, but these wraps can advertise from one side of the country to the other with virtually no effort.

The wrap is a way to put vehicle graphics on vehicles of all sizes, makes and models. The easier vehicles to wrap are the large trucks and RVs that have larger flat surfaces, and fewer curves. The fact that larger trucks are easier does not mean that smaller vehicles can’t be wrapped. As a matter of fact, even the smart car, as small as it is can be wrapped. These wraps are even great to advertise on an entire fleet of vehicles. Due to the graphics being computer generated they will look exactly identical, thus a great way for larger companies to advertise. What if you are a small company, perhaps just starting your own business from home? The wraps can even go on your personal vehicle.

So when you start looking for more cost effective vehicle graphics for your advertising needs, remember that the vehicle wrap is just what you need. Not only do they use the best and most innovative vinyl, they resemble the most expensive and detailed paint jobs on the road. Mobile billboards is a wonderful way to reach the maximum amount of people in your market and for them to remember your add and information. You can place a vehicle wrap on any vehicle no matter how large or small. Since these wraps are so cost effective and easily removable you can use them for promotions and change them out when needed. This form of advertisement is definitely the latest and best way to put your business out there.