Lack of Experience Trap...

Dawn Deschenes has contributed yet another great article!!

Lack of experience can be an obstacle for new medical assistants fresh out of school. However, there are ways to overcome the perpetual "lack of experience trap" during the interview, and still land the job you want.

How to Overcome Lack of Work Experience
More and more employers who hire are looking for workers with one to two years experience. New medical assistant graduates find it hard to land their first job without it. They always seem to fall into the controversial "I can't get work without experience and I can't get experience without work" rut, which is hard to escape. However...

Although this is always a challenge, there are ways to overcome lack of experience when applying for a job. The trick is to highlight other selling points and making a good impression.

Request an appointment with the human resource manager or nurse supervisor to learn what they are looking for. Find out if there is room for exceptions. Tell them what you can offer their facility and how great of an asset you will be.

• Never arrive empty handed. Be prepared to mention how satisfied your former employers, field supervisors, clients and instructors were, supported by as many letters of recommendation that you can get.
  
• Anyone attending a job fair should bring several copies of a well written resume, dress professionally and be prepared for on-the-spot interviews! Those who do not have a dress suit should wear their best professional attire, such as crisp clean scrubs, along with a name tag, professional badge and sparkling white nurse's shoes to impress.
  
• Bring up other valuable skills you've under your belt, such as those acquired through activities in community groups, volunteer work, or even personal interests. Don't forget courses, workshops, or seminars taken outside the medical assisting profession, for example in sales, interpersonal communication, languages, customer services, data entry, computer applications and word-processing.

All this can help to convince a new employer that, although you may not have the desired amount of work experience in your field, you are certainly worth their attention and consideration for the job.

Importance of Professional Liability and Malpractice Insurance!

Dawn Deschenes has added this very informative article to the blog. Well worth reading!!

Contrary to popular belief you don't have to cause severe injury to a patient to face a serious law suit as a consequence of your actions or failure to act. As "little" as not following standards of care, indifference (as "little" as failing to recognize a need for help), or abandonment (as "little" as failing to return a phone call) can be reason enough to be held liable in court should any damages occur as a result.

Even though medical assistants are dependent practitioners who work under the supervision of the physician and the physician is responsible for their actions, it does not exonerate them from risk of individual liability.

It Is Not True That Medical Assistants Are Not Being Sued!

Each health care provider, practitioner, and allied health professional, including the medical assistant is responsible for his or her own negligent acts, since malpractice is defined as "the negligent act of a person with specialized training and education."

Medical malpractice is a very serious offense because of the breach of trust in the patient/doctor relationship and its severe consequences to the victim's life. Doctors, nurses, paramedical, and allied health care professionals are expected to do everything they can to restore health and promote healing, not to cause harm!

Unfortunately, mistakes, oversights, accidents, slips, mix-ups, errors, or irresponsible acts do happen. They usually occur when least expected and some of these unfortunate events may cause harm to the patient! When serious "slip-ups" happen, they have profound effects on people's lives. Malpractice events place unexpected hardship on families who suddenly find themselves overwhelmed with emotional and financial burdens. Some consequences of a mistake my be temporary, but some victims may be permanently affected by their injuries. Some may have long-term medical expenses, some may never be able to return to their jobs; yet others may not survive. Nothing is more difficult and painful than losing a loved one, and when the death resulted from someone else's negligence the family's devastation over the loss is doubled.

As more patients, their friends and malpractice lawyers become aware of the role of the medical assistant, they also see a potential malpractice target if they believe they have received a poor standard of care. Injured patients, either on their own, or encouraged by family members, friends, or their attorneys, wind up taking their cases to the courts.

Situations involving injuries or damages that generations ago would have been ignored by the injured person are now regularly the basis for lawsuits. Liability has become a major risk not only for the physician but also for allied health care professionals working under their direct supervision, such as the medical assistant. As in any legal proceedings, when a medical malpractice law suit is filed as many people as possible will be named.

The Law on Tort or Negligence:

Tort or negligence law imposes a minimum level of due care on all persons in their interactions with others, including people who choose to volunteer. Negligence is generally considered failure to act with the prudence that a reasonable person would exercise under the same circumstances.

Respondeat superior is a legal term that stands for "let the master answer". It is a long established doctrine that applies when a master acts through the servant to accomplish the master's task. What this is referring to is the fact that, under specific circumstances, an employer (or master) is legally liable for the actions of his or her employees (servants) while in the course of their employment. The actions of the servant are imputed to the master.

Example:

If the servant is the medical assistant, and he/she acts negligently carrying out his/her in the medical office, he/she is directly responsible for the negligence, while the master, who would be the doctor, is vicariously liable for the servant's actions.

Requirements For A Successful Suit In Negligence Include:

• Negligence in a medical office is a failure in a doctor's, nurse's, paramedical, and other allied health care professional's duty to patients and it implies a standard of conduct!
• Duty requiring a person to conform to a standard of conduct that protects others from unreasonable risk of harm
• Breach of that duty (i.e., the person's failure to conform to the standard of conduct)
• Causal connection between the breach of the duty and the resulting injury
• Resulting injury or damage which results in measurable physical, emotional or economic harm

Malpractice Insurance -- Not Such a Bad Idea!

One of the most important employment benefits is good malpractice and professional liability insurance. Every medical assistant should be encouraged to make sure they have adequate insurance coverage when working in a medical office, walk in clinic, or any other treatment facility.

However, it is not enough to accept insurance under the employer’s policy as a rider and assume this is adequate protection in case of a lawsuit. Medical assistants should insist on their own personal policy, either through their employer or on their own!

Having Malpractice and Liability Insurance Means:

The reason for having a working malpractice and professional liability insurance policy is simple: protection and peace of mind! Regardless whether a medical assistant is covered under the employer’s policy, he or she may still be liable for his or her own negligence and may be responsible for all or part of a plaintiff’s award or settlement. In some cases the employee (the medical assistant) may have to compensate the employer (the doctor) who has paid damages to the claimant.

A medical assistant can either assume that liability, that is paying damages awarded to the claimant in case of a lawsuit him or herself, or buy an insurance policy to transfer that risk. Insurance companies accept the transfer of risk in exchange for the payment of premiums.

Therefore, whether as a student on externship, or as a professional working under a physician, medical assistants should get their own malpractice and professional liability insurance policy!

It is really worth the cost and effort; and actually, considering the consequences of a successful lawsuit by an injured patient, malpractice insurance really doesn't cost that much at all!

Analyzing Your Employer’s Policy:

How much you pay for your insurance premium depends on your responsibilities, the location of your practice setting and the limits of liability you choose. If your employer insists that you are to be covered under their policy (rider) and you can't afford to purchase your own personal policy, ask the employer for a copy of the certificate of insurance for your analysis. Here is a checklist of items to use when analyzing your employer’s policy:

1. Are you listed by name on your employer’s policy?

2. Are legal costs included in the limits of liability, or will they be paid in addition to policy limits?

3. If a malpractice claim is filed against you, will this professional liability policy pay legal fees and court costs in addition to your policy limit, even if you are not liable for the charges brought against you?

4. If you decide to change employers and are covered under a claims-made policy, will your former employer be responsible for paying the cost of the tail coverage?

5. Is this policy available in all 50 states?

If you answered NO to any of these questions, investigate purchasing your own individual policy through one of the many malpractice and professional liability programs available.

Last but not Least: Volunteer Work!

Should you ever decide you want to volunteer, or work at a part-time position, or even do private duty, since many medical assistants also function as home health aides or CNAs in additional to their full-time position, an individual policy covers you while on duty in both positions and under the various circumstances.

If you accept a position and then decide you want to take a position somewhere else, your individual coverage follows you to your new position, even if your previous employer paid the premiums for your coverage. However, realize that your previous employer may request reimbursement!

There even is a way to eliminate gaps in coverage by requesting prior acts coverage. This gives the insured retroactive coverage to cover those events that may have already occurred but have not yet been reported, in other words, it provides coverage for all acts that occurred before the policy was issued! Did you know that???

In Closing -- Remember This:

Protect yourself and your future and strive to function within the parameters of your state licensure laws!

Document, Document, Document!

Complete and careful record keeping is critical to protect the patient, the employer, and yourself. Each aspect of the medical encounter -- personal and family histories; allergies to medications, medications administered and prescribed, physical exam findings, imaging and lab test results, discussions with patients, including specific advice given, procedures performed during course of the visit -- should go in the patient record along with the date and initialed by the provider, nurse, or medical assistant.

Quit Smoking - Tips

Julia Selormey writes:
I am a student and I found this article which will benefit my fellow students. As we are all learning to go and serve the community I think we have to set a good example to the public since we will be in the health field. We all know smoking is not good for our health so why do we still smoke? We cannot stop smoking because we are addicted to it. My fellow friends here are some tips for you.

I want to quit smoking. What is the best way to quit?
It will be good for making this important decision.
Stopping smoking or chewing tobacco helps prevent disease, including cancers of the lung, bladder, head and neck esophagus and kidney as well as cardiovascular disease, ulcers or low bone density.

It is important to realize that smoking is not just a bad habit –It is extremely addictive. You don’t have to tough it out. There are helpful treatments. Smoking is an addiction and should be treated. You should enlist the help of your doctor who can help develop a quit plan and prescribe cessation medication. While medications can reduce cravings and the desire to smoke, there is no magic pill to turn smokers to nonsmokers. Studies have shown that medication combined with behavioral therapy and social support show the response. Smokers who call the National Tobacco Quitline are significantly more likely to quit than those who try to quit without support. Quitline coaches help smokers through each step of the process, including an individual quit plan for each person
Other behavioral tips include throwing away all cigarettes, ash trays and lighters. Make a list of reason why you want to quit and keep it handy as a reminder when the urge hits. Change your routine; for example, many smokers exercise in place of times they smoked in the past. Deep breathing and drinking a glass of water can also help work through an urge. Reminding others about your commitment to quit smoking and asking for support also helps. Avoid alcohol and other smokers.

The hardest part to quitting is the first few days or weeks. Stay focused on your list of reasons why you want to quit. Remember most people who quit for good try several times before succeeding so don’t get discouraged if it takes more than one attempt.
I hope you find this article useful especially those of us who are trying to work in the health field. Let us set a good example.

Is there a Gender Gap???

Dawn M. Deschenes came across this article also and wanted to share it.

Nobody knows for sure what the actual number of men working in medical assisting roles is, but it goes without a doubt, it remains remarkably low. There are definitely more women than men working in the various disciplines the medical assisting career provides. Male medical assistants working probably represent less than ten percent of all medical assistants employed! There is little theoretical research on why there are so many more women than men working in medical assisting positions.

Perhaps it goes back to old traditions where women are more apt to be led into in caregiving and nursing professions. This gender bias probably begins as early as middle, and high school.

Student Experiment
Students in grades 7 and 11 were asked, as part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), how often they had tried to fix something electrical, fix something mechanical, or figure out what was wrong with an unhealthy plant or animal. Female students in grade 7 were three times more likely than males to report that they had never fixed something electrical or mechanical; in grade 11, the differences were even greater.

Ninety-three percent of 11th grade males but only 66 percent of 11th grade females reported having tried to "fix something electrical" at least once.
Gender differences were reversed for the unhealthy plant or animal question, with female students significantly more likely than males to have tried to determine what was wrong with an unhealthy plant (Weiss, 1989: Attitude Graph 11). Experiences students have had are closely linked to their interests. Studies of junior high school students have shown that both sexes are unaware of career options and the educational requirements involved.

To make the medical assisting career more attractive to men careers in medicine and health care a supportive learning environment helps build the bridge. The boundless opportunities medical assisting provides to everybody regardless of gender should be discussed to increase interest as well as to change attitudes. You can read more about male medical assistants at Medical Assistant Net.

Why Become a Medical Assistant?

Dawn M. Deschenes felt this was an incentive for her classmates and anyone who is thinking about entering the Medical Assisting field.

With vocational training so readily available everywhere, salaries climbing, working conditions improving, and the demand for medical assistants in all disciplines (clinical and administrative areas) on the rise, it’s a good time to enter into this exciting career.
The medical assistant is an important link between the patient and the health care delivery system and provides essential support in the areas of patient care, medical and lab procedures, records management and office administration. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, medical assistants held about 387,000 jobs in 2004. Job training and career development programs prepare medical assistant students to work in a wide variety of health care environments including medical offices, clinics, laboratories, blood banks, state health facilities, and many more places where licensed health care practitioners need a helping hand.

What Are the Reasons For this High Demand For Medical Assistants?
Medical care, therapeutic, and pharmaceutical services play an important role in our nation's economy and welfare. Driven by the ever increasing need for health care services opportunities in health care related disciplines abound wherever there are people. There is plenty of room for men and women in health and medical service related careers from major cities to rural areas, as long as they have at least a high school diploma and the drive to achieve their dreams -and medical office managers and recruiters are ready to hire them. Employment is not limited by location, gender, race, religion, or even disability. Recruiters and employers everywhere are in constant need for more, and better qualified staff to serve patients and clients; this includes medical assistants, whose job it is to make sure that health care providers can fully focus their time on their work directly with patients.
Statistics
Medical assisting is an interesting and rewarding occupation. About 6 out of 10 worked in offices of physicians; about 14 percent worked in public and private hospitals, including inpatient and outpatient facilities; and 11 percent worked in offices of other health practitioners, such as chiropractors, optometrists, and podiatrists. The rest worked mostly in outpatient care centers, public and private educational services, other ambulatory health care services, State and local government agencies, employment services, medical and diagnostic laboratories, and nursing care facilities.
Medical assisting is projected to be one of the fastest growing occupations over the 2004-14 period.

Tips To Better Sleep

Julia Selormey found this information necessary to all human beings wanted to share it with every body.

Studies have shown that cognitive and behavioral therapy has a much better track record of success than drug therapy since it treats the underlying causes. Some cognitive and behavioral tips to improving sleep hygiene are as follows
1. Stick to a specific schedule of when you go to sleep and wake up, even on holidays and weekends.
2. Only use the bed for sleep and sex, not to watch television, read or snack.
3. I f you are not able to sleep after 20 minutes, do something relaxing until you are sleepy again to avoid anxiety and clock-watching behavior.
4. Avoid caffeine in the afternoon.
5. Avoid alcohol.. It will disrupt sleep.
6. To make the bedroom a restful place, remove the television, dim lights and turn off any background noise.
7. If you are unable to sleep at night, do not take naps during the day, this perpetuates an irregular circadian rhythm cycle.
8. Keep a worry book to write down anxieties or worries that may be keeping you up at night and vow to do something about them the next day.
I hope these rules would help us to have better sleep if we follow them.

Sleep Apnea - Increases Risk of Stroke

Julia Selormey found this information and felt it would be helpful to her classmates.

Sleep Apnea - Increases Risk of Stroke

Are you a heavy snorer, or have you ever woken up at night gasping for air? Has your partner ever shaken you awake because you stopped breathing in sleep? You may have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea refers to shallow or disrupted breathing during sleep. This thief in the night robs you of oxygen, upsetting your heart rhythm and causing surges in your blood pressure. Ultimately, these changes might increase your risk of stroke. Knowledge is power, however, and apnea can be treated.

National Society for Histotechnology

James Veralli, a student in Paula Dowds class, found this article and felt that it would be of great interest to all his classmates.

National Society for Histotechnology - Teleconference Participation

This article discusses receiving contact hours through teleconference participation and then goes on to discuss HistoQuip. The primary emphasis of the program is to improve the quality of histologic preparations routinely performed in the histology laboratory through education.
Source: www.nsh.org

Exploding lava lamp kills Washington man

Jacob Hemmingsen wanted to share this peculiar news article with his fellow students.

Exploding lava lamp kills Washington man - Shard of glass pierces victim’s heart after lamp heated on stove

KENT, Wash. - A man who placed a lava lamp on a hot stovetop was killed when it exploded and sent a shard of glass into his heart, police said.
Philip Quinn, 24, was found dead in his trailer home Sunday night by his parents.
Source: MSNBC News

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6621680/?GT1=5855

More reasons to Cut Back on Saturated Fats

Jacob Hemmingsen found this article and wanted to share it with everyone. He hopes that you like it.

More reasons to cut back on saturated fats - They affect not only cholesterol, but can also raise risk of cancer, diabetes

Recent studies remind us that the goal of eating less fat should focus on saturated fat. In the past, experts warned against saturated fat because of its direct relationship to LDL (“bad”) blood cholesterol and heart disease risk.
Now research suggests that too much saturated fat may be problematic, even if your cholesterol isn’t high, because of its possible effects on insulin functions, potentially raising the risk of diabetes, cancer, ovarian disorders and other health problems.
Source: MSNBC Health

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12867692/