Tag Archives: Career

Becoming an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

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Acute Care Nurse Practitioners are dedicated to work in close proximity to the patients who are seriously injured or those requiring specialized services in trauma-related conditions. They provide critical care of the patients and carry out the treatment that a doctor has prescribed for the same.

Acute Care Nurse Practitioners take responsibilities to provide and coordinate patient care, perform diagnostic tests, assist doctors during surgeries, maintain the health records, educate patients, and most importantly, extend emotional support to patients and their family members so on and so forth.

They possess a wide range of Clinical knowledge and other skills such as a great deal of knowledge in life support skills, ability to make a diagnosis based on observations and data interpretation, communication and interpersonal skills to name a few.

Acute Care Nurses work in a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, physicians’ offices, nursing homes, outpatient care centers, clinics etc. Their working hour is quite flexible. They have to work both in day and night shifts or periods of being on-call.

Education Requirements:

In order to qualify for the position of Acute Care Nurses, the aspiring candidates must have to earn Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) program and then earn a master’s degree in acute care nursing.

The course work of Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing program include Biology, Microbiology, Anatomy , Epidemiology, Advanced Pathophysiology, Physical assessment and Diagnostic reasoning, Advanced pharmacology etc.

The students may also go for higher studies like Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs or PhD in nursing for practicing this profession at higher level.

Licensure:

To practice as Acute Care Nurses, the candidates need to hold a license as it is mandatory in many states of the USA. The qualified nurses can obtain it through the National Council Licensure Examination, administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

Salary and Job Outlook:

The job outlook for Acute Care Nurses remains excellent across the USA. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth rate for job opportunities in this profession may rise thirty four per cent during 2012-2022. The average annual salary of an Acute Care Nurse was $92,670 in 2013.

Becoming a Biomedical Laboratory Practitioner

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Biomedical Laboratory Practitioners use lab technologies to identify the causes and nature of various diseases. These professionals also conduct research work to explore new vaccines and treatment techniques. They certainly contribute towards disease prevention and health promotion of human being.

Biomedical Laboratory Practitioners are involved in a diverse field of studies that apply science to medicine, such as Pharmacology, Microbiology, Physiology, Bacteriology, Anatomy so on and so forth.

Professionals in the field of Biomedical Laboratory Practice certainly require a great deal of skills besides the clinical knowledge.  The aspirant candidates need to have self-motivation, ability to manage multiple projects at a same time, dedication to work in challenging situations,  ability to face failures during research work to name a few.

Biomedical Laboratory Practitioners are employed in various settings such as government, private and non-governmental organizations. They mostly work at hospital labs and clinics, forensic labs, veterinary clinics, industrial research labs and molecular biotechnology labs among others.

Education Requirements:

To become Biomedical Laboratory Practitioner, aspiring candidates need to complete a four-year Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college with a major in Public health. The students can go for a Master’s in Public health with a course of Behavioral sciences/health education, Biostatistics, Environmental health, Epidemiology or Health services administration.

Licensure: Since many states of USA require Biomedical Laboratory Practitioner to be licensed, the aspiring candidates should obtain a License after completing required academic courses.

Salary and Job Outlook: The job outlook for Biomedical Laboratory Practitioner remains excellent across the USA. According to the US Bureau of Labor statistics (BLS), professionals in this field are in high demand. The average annual salary for Biomedical Laboratory Practitioner was $57,580 in 2012.

Becoming a Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialist

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Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialists help the people who have heart and lung problems. They encourage and guide the patients to improve their health and prevent future heart problems. Their responsibilities include overseeing the rehabilitation of the patients, addressing the risk factors, educating on healthy living, counseling to reduce stress and helping them to get back an active life.

Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialists work with patients who suffer from asthma, angina, emphysema, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart attack and other heart and lung related problems.

Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialists possess a wide range of knowledge in medical science, information technology, communication and interpersonal skills and a great ability to convince the patients. These professionals are employed in Hospitals, Physiotherapy clinics, Rehabilitation centers, Home health care services so on and so forth.

Education Requirements:

To become a Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialist, students have to complete a Degree program in Rehabilitative science, such as an Associate of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation Science or Physical Therapy. The aspiring candidates can also study a four-year Bachelor’s Degree program or earn a Post-baccalaureate Degree.

The core courses in the Degree program include an Introduction to rehabilitative sciences, Physical science, Principles of rehabilitation science and Human anatomy.

Internship: After completing the required academic course, the aspirants for Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialists, however, need to get internship training under senior professionals. They can obtain experience and knowledge in working with patients in medical facilities, which will help them to become professionals.

Licensure: Most of the states in the USA require the Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialists to be licensed. Hence, the aspirants need to pass a written licensing examination such as the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam.

Salary & Job Outlook: Job outlook for the Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialist remains excellent across the USA. It is also expected that employment opportunities in this field would increase more in the future. The annual average salary for these professionals was $81,110 in May 2012.

Becoming a Blood Bank Technology Specialist

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Blood Bank Technology Specialists work in a laboratory by conducting routine tests as well as advanced and specialized tests on blood samples. Their responsibilities include collecting blood samples, conducting required test on them and assisting physicians for further treatment. They identify blood types and antibodies, investigate abnormalities, verify blood group antigens and supervise the collection, separation, delivery and storage of blood components so on and so forth.

Besides, these professionals play a key role in blood transfusion, which is considered as one of the most critical jobs in the health care system. They screen the donated blood for factors like HIV positive or hepatitis and select the blood for processing it into blood products such as platelets or plasma.

Blood Bank Technology Specialists work at private and government hospitals, labs, blood banks, transfusion centers, educational institutions, research centers etc. They hold the post of Technical supervisors, Laboratory managers, Transfusion safety officers etc.

Education Requirements:

To qualify for the position of Blood Bank Technology Specialists, the students must have to complete a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major in Biology, Microbiology or Physical science and a certification as a medical technologist or a Master’s degree in Blood bank technology.

Certification as a Blood Bank Technology Specialist can be obtained from the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP). The curriculum includes theoretical concepts of blood bank immunohematology, quality systems and process control laboratory management, and rotations in all technical areas of the modern blood bank and transfusion services etc.

Some states in USA require a license to practice as a Blood Bank Technology Specialist.

Salary & Job Outlook:

The job outlook for Blood Bank Technology Specialists remains outstanding across the USA. The average salary of a Specialist in Blood Bank Technology was $60,00 in 2012. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job opportunity for this profession may grow 27% during 2012-2022.

Becoming a Nursing Informaticist

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Nursing Informaticists play a multitask role to meet the needs of the healthcare industry. Their responsibilities include the practice of nursing, research, communication of healthcare information, management of work flow, project management technologies, putting input for policy making to promote better health services so on an so forth. Their services are entitled to leverage information technology to aid patient care.

The Nursing Informaticists can work at public, private and corporate settings in the field of health. They can be posted as chief nursing officers, chief informatics officers, clinical analysts, policy developers, researchers, consultants etc.

Education Requirements:

To qualify for the position of Nursing Informaticists, the aspirants have to complete the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, a four-year course. Students, who hold a bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing, can also acquire an associate degree in nursing as to qualify for NI. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) offers an informatics certification that signifies industry competency.

However, the job requires depth knowledge in three disciplines – nursing, information science and computer science. In addition, the aspirants need a better communication skill both in writing and speaking as well as interpersonal and organizational skills.

Salary and Job Outlook:

The job outlook for Nursing Informaticist remains excellent across the USA. According to a survey report conducted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), the average salary for a Nursing Informaticist was $100,717 in 2014.

Becoming a Healthcare Documentation Specialist

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Healthcare Documentation Specialists manage the legal and clinical service documents of a healthcare institution. Their responsibilities include recording the diagnostic and procedural codes, physical examination reports, consultation reports, discharging summaries and other documents relating to doctors, patients and other concerned persons of the institution. Besides healthcare institution, they can also work for different government agencies.

Healthcare Documentation Specialists possess wide range of knowledge and skills to analyze and interpret medical coding, medical terminologies, anatomy, physiology etc. They need to have a command in communication skill both in writing and speaking as well as interpersonal and organizational skills. Besides, they need to maintain the privacy of the patients and secure all the reports safely as the documents are confidential in nature. Above all, the job ensures high level of accuracy and integrity to provide better health services.

Education Requirements:

In order to become Healthcare Documentation Specialist, students have to complete a two-year associate’s or a four-year bachelor’s degree program in Health information management with the course work of Nursing, Medical terminology , Health information management and Health information technology.

After getting the certification from credential organization, the aspiring candidates can obtain the job opportunities. Various organizations, like the American Health Information Management Association and the American Academy of Professional Coders offer different designations in this field.

Salary and Job outlook:

The job outlook for Healthcare Documentation Specialist remains outstanding across the USA. The average annual salary of Healthcare Documentation Specialist was $65,500 in May 2012. It is also projected that the job opportunities in this category would increase by 17% between 2012 and 2020.

Becoming a Neurodiagnostic Technologist

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Neurodiagnostic Technologists review and analyze the patients’ nervous system to treat neurological ailments. Their experience and knowledge in neurophysiology help them identify normal and abnormal activities in the nervous systems of the body. They collect the data using electrical patterns and provide those to the physicians who treat ailments such as headaches, brain disorder, heart strokes and dizziness.

Key Responsibilities of Neurodiagnostic Technologists:

* Electroencephalograms (EEGs) being used to assess brain activity
* Intraoperative neuromonitoring, which tracks brain and nerve function
* Monitoring the disorders
* Perform Polysomnograms to diagnose sleep disorders and identify the real issues
* Find the electrical signals in nervous system.

Neurodiagnostic Technologists usually work in hospitals, clinical settings, physician’s office, epilepsy monitoring units, sleep disorder centers and research labs.

Education Requirements: The aspiring Neurodiagnostic Technologists must go for a high school diploma, which includes courses such as mathematics, science, biology, computer and language

courses. After completing high school diploma, they need to undergo a two-year degree program with coursework in physics or biology.

The aspiring Neurodiagnostic Technologists can opt for EEG Credentialing exam from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or American Board of Registration of Electroencephalographic and Evoked Potential Technologists (ABRET).

Salary & Job Outlook: The career outlook for Neurodiagnostic Technologists remains very good. They earn around $44,200 per annum during the initial phase of their career. Experienced professionals may earn around $112,333 per year. The average annual salary for Neurodiagnostic Technologists was $65,226.

Becoming a Forensic Biologist

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Forensic Biologists visit the crime scenes, inspect the spots to garner evidences, which include blood, saliva and hair samples. They examine all evidences collected from the crime scenes to identify victims. That is the most important part of any criminal investigation process. They conduct the examination in a laboratory or any research facility. They are required to testify in courts as part of the investigation process.

The Forensic Biologists mostly work for the government agencies. They are also known as Forensic Science Technicians. They need to be flexible when it comes to working hours.

Education Requirements:

1. Earn a Bachelor’s Degree: A bachelor’s degree in a forensic or natural science is must for aspiring Forensic Biologists. Coursework in mathematics, biology and chemistry helps them understand the techniques used in forensic labs. In addition, they are needed to learn forensic pathology, genetics, molecular biology and DNA analysis.

2. Obtain a Master’s Degree: A Master’s Degree in forensic biology boosts the profiles of aspiring Forensic Biologists. The coursework generally includes biotechnology, molecular biology and ethical issues in criminal investigations.

3. Certification: The American Board of Criminalistics (ABC) offers certification in molecular biology at two levels, Diplomate (D-ABC) and Fellow (F-ABC). Details are available on the website. Certification is necessary, as many states in the United States require that while hiring Forensic Biologists.

4. Work Experience: On-the-job training in forensic science may serve as an added advantage for aspiring Forensic Biologists. They are also advised to attend workshops on professional development, biochemistry and lab analysis methods. They can also opt for 6-12 months of DNA analysis training.

Salary & Career Outlook: The job outlook for a Forensic Biologist is not very good, as it remains below average. The projected job growth is 6% during the period of 2012-22. The average annual salary of a Forensic Biologist is $52,840 per year.

Becoming an Audiology Doctor (Audiologist)

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The Audiology Doctors are specialized in treating and balancing hearing related disorders. They focus on identifying and assessing hearing and balancing problems. They also help in rehabilitating persons with hearing and balance disorders. In addition, the Audiology Doctors work towards preventing hearing loss. They are trained to make use of technology in a better way.

The Audiology Doctors, commonly referred as Audiologists provide the following services at various clinical settings:

* Evaluate the hearing process
* Counsel patients and their family members
* Evaluate and treat balance disorders
* Help individuals with devices
* Assist the patients in bridging the communication gap and speech reading

Education Requirements:

1. High School Diploma: It’s better to opt for subjects such as Biology, Anatomy or Chemistry at the High School to gain first-hand knowledge about use of technology and human behavior.

2. Earn a Bachelor’s Degree: A four-year bachelor’s degree program with coursework in Biology, Biochemistry, Communication Sciences or any related field, will be an added advantage.

3. Doctoral Degree: The Audiology Doctors or Audiologists must earn a doctoral degree (an AuD) accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA). The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) provides a listing of accredited schools offering an AuD program.

4. Licensure: Some states in the United States require a license while hiring the Audiologists. A current license in audiology or speech-language pathology will be very helpful for aspiring Audiology Doctors.

Working Conditions: Audiology Doctors or Audiologists work in health care settings, educational facilities, government agencies etc. They generally work for 40 to 50 hours in a week. They work with medical specialists, speech language pathologists, educators, engineers, scientists and other professionals.

Salary & Job Outlook: Job outlook for Audiology Doctors or Audiologists remains excellent at 34% for the period of 2012-22, which is much faster than average. The average annual salary for Audiologists was $69,720 per annum in 2012.

Becoming a Palliative Care Physician

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Palliative Care Physicians work hard to improve the functioning of body parts and improve the living conditions. They mainly focus on relieving the pain and other symptoms of serious and chronic illness. The Palliative Care Physicians work with patients and their family members to identify and alleviate physical and emotional pain and trauma associated with serious health conditions.

These professionals also spend time on family meetings and counseling process. They play as a strong link between the patients and family members and coordinate with the support groups and other service providers to ensure best services for them. The team where Palliative Care Physicians work, included nurses and social workers, pharmacists, massage therapists and nutritionists.

Key Challenges:

* Controlling pain, removing stress, addressing spiritual needs.
* Help the family members understand the patients’ conditions and treatment process.
* Improve communication between patients and care providers.

Education Requirements:

1. Earn a Medical Degree: The aspiring Palliative Care Physicians must earn a medical degree in any of the specialties: family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, anesthesiology, psychiatry and neurology, radiology or surgery.

2. Residency Program: After completing the medical degree, they may opt for residency programs to gain hands-on experience. They can also go for a one-year palliative medicine fellowship program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Working Conditions: The Palliative Care Physicians mostly work in hospitals, clinics, private nursing homes, government agencies, shelter homes etc. In some cases, they also offer services at patient’s home.

Salary & Job Outlook: Job outlook for the Palliative Care Physicians remain excellent. They earn in the range of $150,000 – $170,000 per year depending on experience and expertise.