Physical therapists also assist patients recovering from operations and are often an important part of the rehabilitation, treatment and care of patients suffering from chronic conditions or diseases. Physical therapists also play an important role in helping to keep the elderly healthy and mobile for much longer by developing fitness and wellness-oriented programs which will promote healthier and more active lifestyles.

Physical therapists (PTs) provide services to help patients to develop maintain or restore functionality and mobility by incorporating physical, emotional and psychological methods into their treatments. Techniques employed include the use of assistive and adaptive devices and equipment, applying heat and cold, hands-on stimulation or massage, which means that they require a whole host of different physical therapy skills.

Physical Therapy Duties

PTs have to perform a wide range of tasks within their day to day jobs, and apart from treating patients with various modalities and different types of equipment, they also:

• Oversee the work of physical therapist assistants and aides
• Consult with physicians, surgeons and other specialists
• Use various methods to diagnose a patient’s dysfunctional movements by listening to their concerns, watching them stand, watching them walk, and move about, to see exactly where and to what degree they are dysfunctional
• Devise an exercise plan for patients, outlining the goals and the planned treatments
• Evaluate patient progress, modify treatment plans and try new treatments as required
• Discuss problems and exercise regimens with patients and their families
• Educate patients and their families as to what to expect during the patient’s recovery period and how best to cope with what happens

Education

The necessary education requirements must be achieved in order to become a physical therapist. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that school students learn the skills necessary to become a physical therapist by taking classes in chemistry, biology, human growth, biomechanics, physics, therapeutic procedures and examination techniques.

License

According to the College of Health Professionals, all potential physical therapists need to acquire the necessary skills to pass a rigorous licensing exam. Each state regulates its own practices of physical therapy, which means that eligibility requirements differ from state to state, so it is important that you find out what the requirements are in the state in which you intend to practice. It is important that you pass the licensing exam in order to get licensed and imbue the state, potential employers and patients with a sense of faith and trust in your abilities as a physical therapist.

Job Outlook

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for physical therapists is expected to increase by a whopping 39 percent during the 2010 to 2020 decade, which is much faster than the average for all other occupations. This demand for physical therapy skills will mainly come from the aging baby boomer population, who are staying active later in life than previous generations did due to innovations in modern medicine.

Required Physical Therapy Skills

An individual desiring to enter into the physical therapy profession needs some very specific physical therapy skills, according to the American Physical Therapy Association, so it would be wise to ensure that you have these skills

1. Adaptation Skills

The physical therapy profession is constantly changing as new research into the best forms of patient care is constantly being done. When new treatments are discovered, which happens fairly often, physical therapists need to adapt their physical therapy skills in order to incorporate the new procedures into their treatment regimen.

2. Basic Office Skills

Physical therapists need good language skills such as basic spelling, grammar and punctuation skills. They also need to have skills in typing, data entry and 10-key skills. These may seem like strange physical therapy skills, but they are necessary as physical therapists are in constant e-mail communication with other medical professionals and often need to prepare detailed customized instructions for patients, including exercise regimens. Many physical therapists are also required to write PT articles to be published in sports-related consumer magazines and professional journals.  Physical therapists also need to know how to use common software such as MS Word, Excel and Outlook.

3. Communication

Physical therapists work with patients, their families and many other professionals, so they need to have very strong interpersonal physical therapy skills in order to facilitate their education of patients and their families about disorders, treatment and prevention. Patients generally respond much better to treatment when they fully understand what the recommended treatment is, why it is necessary, and why they are having the problems they are with their bodies. Effective phone skills and effective verbal communication are also required.

4. Cognitive/Behavioral Skills

Cognitive and behavioral skills are a big part of the skill set that are required, as physical therapists are required to do a fair amount of problem solving and diagnosing, which means that the use of computers to search, record, analyze and store data is essential. Skills that fall under this set of physical therapy skills include the ability to:

• Collect and integrate data about patients in order to problem-solve safely and effectively.

• Handle the emotional stress of working with patients in need of compassionate health care.

• Read, comprehend and analyze patient information.

• Comprehend and effectively communicate orally and in writing, in English, using the appropriate vocabulary and grammar.

• Render unprejudiced assistance to individuals from across the cultural spectrum.

• Maintain a personal hygiene regimen that is consistent with up close and personal contact associated with patient care.

• Prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.

• Interact effectively with patients, their families, supervisors, and colleagues, regardless of their sexual orientation, race, ancestry, national origin, gender, culture, religion, age, or disability.

• Abide by the Rehabilitative Health Department and PTA Program policies and procedures.

• Portray professional behavior at all times and under all circumstances, including academic and professional responsibility, ethics, professional presentations, and commitment to learning.

5. Interpersonal Skills

One of the really important physical therapy skills is the ability to demonstrate integrity, empathy, and motivation. The job can get very stressful and it will sometimes take all you have to maintain your emotional health in order to meet all the responsibilities and exercise sound judgment. Teamwork is also very important as you will generally work as part of a team.

6. Motor Skills

A PT must be able to evaluate a patient’s condition through touch, to perform procedures involving grasping, pushing and pulling, fingering, holding, extending and rotation. They need to be able to carry heavy objects, stand in and maintain awkward positions, lift and transfer patients and perform many other unusual tasks that call for good motor skills.

7. Observational Skills

Observational skills are integral to the physical therapist profession, as a PT must be able to acquire a complete medical history from the patient, family or guardian, observe demonstrations and patients, and examine patient’s skin color, odors, skin texture, and other anatomical features for diagnostic purposes. Good hearing, touch sight, and smell are very important physical therapy skills to have.

8. Physical Skills

The job of a physical therapist is very physically demanding, and this means that you need to be able to lift 50 pounds minimum, as you will often be called upon to conduct facilitated stretching exercises, and act as a spotter when patients make use of specialized equipment. Apart from the above skills, the following physical skills are also very important:

• The ability to feel muscle tone, pulse, and bony landmarks
• The ability to listen to, hear and respond to calls for assistance, timers, monitors, and verbal directions.
• The ability to hear heart and lung sounds, which is especially important when dealing with patients with lung problems
• The ability to climb when assisting or instructing a patient on the stairs
• The ability to bend, twist, and lift safely in order to assist a patient moving from one surface to another
• The ability to perform the chest compressions required to perform Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation
• The ability to detect odors such as environmental hazards, smoke, equipment that is burning, spills, and pathophysiological conditions
• The ability to visually observe and assess a patient from 10 feet away
• The agility to move rapidly so as to ensure patient safety
• The ability to identify and diagnose color changes on the skin
• The ability to respond speedily to an auditory or visual timer
• The physical capacity to work a 40 hour week during clinical affiliations
• The ability to apply manual resistance to a patient’s leg, arm or torso during an exercise regimen
• The ability to kneel, reach, crouch, push/pull, and crawl to assist patients to perform exercises or do them for the patient are very important physical therapy skills
• Adequate manual dexterity to safely grip and manipulate small articles and dials
• The balance, coordination and strength to safely assist, guard and protect a patient negotiating a stairway with an assistive device
• The ability to respond quickly to a visual or auditory patient call button
• The visual acuity to read  and set scales, digital displays and dials on equipment, and to read from the medical record

9. Stress Management Skills

The job of a physical therapist is very stressful and demanding, and one of the physical therapy skills that is of the utmost importance to you personally is the ability to handle stress with panache and maintain your cool in front of patients and colleagues

10. The Desire to Help Others

Becoming a physical therapist is, like many other jobs in the medical profession, more than just a job; it is a calling, which means that you must have a desire to help others and be truly interested in making a change for the better in their lives and helping them to get their lives back on track

11. Technology Skills

Technology is a big part of physical therapy, from entering data into a patient’s e-file or a database to using various forms of modern technology to perform diagnoses, and do exercises. Being technologically inclined will also help you to adapt easily to new medical technologies that are released often

12. Treatment

Physical therapists must know how to examine patients and test them for coordination, strength, balance, and range of motion.Poncethe tests have been compiled you will need to create a treatment plan which will include exercises that will promote endurance, strength and flexibility. Other treatment physical therapy skills include being able to utilize various modalities such as ultrasound and electrical stimulation to forestall pain and swelling, and the use of hot packs and ice. Physical therapy is not all about exercising; it also includes therapeutic massages and deep-tissue massage to help improve circulation and motion in the body.

As a physical therapist you may see patients in a hospital setting or in a medical office such as an orthopedic setting, or in private practice. Patients are generally referred by a physician who prescribes physical therapy treatment as a part of their patient’s recovery, and this may entail massages, the use of weights, treadmills, mats, and various other modalities and technological equipment.

A physical therapist’s job is very strenuous for the most part, and they spend most of the day either on their feet or involved in physical work, so endurance and the ability to relax and recharge after work are two more very important personal physical therapy skills that you need to have in order to be a successful physical therapist.

The post Which Physical Therapy Skills Are Needed? appeared first on Healthcare Careers Guide.

Patient Care

First and foremost an RN has to be skilled in patient care/ this includes the following:

• You will provide health care.
• You will give immunization.
• You will give first aid and assistance in hospitals, schools and industry.
• You will modify a patient’s treatment plan as necessary.
• You will order and evaluate diagnostic tests to further understand or assess a patient’s condition.

Working with patients on a daily basis in an effort to help them recover from the illness or injury that they have endured is the cornerstone of the nursing profession. Consequently you will need to be skilled in all aspects of providing care to patients.  These skills can be taught, although a certain natural affinity for the work will be helpful in helping you learn.

Compassionate Personality

Compassion: “Sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others”.

As an RN you absolutely have to have a compassionate personality. You will be dealing with a number of people on a daily basis, all of whom may require compassion from you at some point:

• The patients themselves will need your compassion as they struggle with the injury or illness that they face.

• The family members of the patient may require your compassion as well, especially in cases where the illness or injury is extremely severe.

• Your colleagues in the health care setting will also be under a lot of pressure and will therefore also require your compassion to a certain degree.

This is an absolutely essential aspect of your job as an RN so a lack of compassion will mean that you will struggle.

Physical Fitness

As an RN you will need to have physical fitness skills. This is because your job is extremely hands-on and you will need to work with patients actively. Things that you may do that require physical fitness include:

• Standing for long hours.
• Lifting patients from a chair to the bed and vice versa.
• Lifting patients when they fall on the floor.
• Assisting patients with limited mobility to shower or bath.
• Turning patients over in an attempt to avoid the onset of bedsores.

As an RN you will usually have help form LPNs in this regard, but you will need to assist as well. It will be your responsibility to ensure that the above actions are properly performed if and when they are necessary.

High Attention To Detail

As an RN you will need the skill of high attention to detail. This is one of the RN skills that are essential and that you cannot afford to miss. This is because the life and health of a patient can depend on your ability to accurately observe and record all aspects of that patient’s condition as well as your ability to accurately report those aspects. If you make a mistake you could endanger the patient’s life. For example if you misread an instruction left by the doctor because you are in a hurry and administer an incorrect dosage of medication to your patient, that could be dangerous. Medication administered in excessive quantities can be the same as poisoning a patient. On the other hand if you give the patient too little medication, he or she may not recover.

Monitoring And Record Keeping

There is a surprising amount of monitoring and record keeping involved in being a nurse. It is not all practical work, so a certain degree of administrative skill will also come in handy in a job such as this one. There are a number of things that you may find yourself responsible for in this arena:

• Monitoring and recording medical information.
• Monitoring and recording vital signs.
• Monitoring and recording symptoms.
• Monitoring and recording changes in condition.
• Monitoring and recording changes diet.
• Monitoring and recording physical activity.

Admin is a necessary part of being a nurse. If you have a strong aversion to doing this kind of admin work you should either get over your aversion or choose an alternative course to follow as you may not be suited for this career.

Preparation

To a large degree you will be responsible for making sure everything is well prepared for doctors and other health care professionals that you work with. This also requires attention to detail as the doctor will assume that everything that is needed is in order and will not check himself or herself as he or she will expect you to have handled all of the required preparation. You will be required to:

• Prepare patients during physician-led exams and treatments.
• Assist the doctor during physician-led exams and treatments.
• Prepare rooms.
• Sterilize instruments.
• Ensure supplies remain stocked.

Once again, mistakes here can be devastating and could significantly delay a procedure or treatment for quite a while. Make sure that you pay very close attention when preparing the above.

Managing Time, Yourself, People And Things

You will have to engage in a high degree of time management as well as self management as an RN. Self Management includes checking up on how well you are learning or doing something, as well as an ability to go back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information without becoming confused. Time management involves managing your own time as well as the time of the other nurses and aides who you will supervise. These skills can be taught to a certain degree in a comprehensive program, but it will help a great deal if you are a person who is naturally inclined towards carefully managing your time as well as your own actions. Leadership skills will also be necessary here because you will have t manage others as well.

Ability To Adapt In Stressful Situations

You will be under a lot of pressure and stress as an RN because this is what the job requires. You may often find yourself in an emergency medical situation that you will have to cope with. In many cases there will be a great deal of pressure on you as the life of a patient may lie in your ability to perform the right actions at the right times, often in a very stressful situation where split second decisions have to be made. Consequently a very important RN skill is an ability to adapt in stressful situations. You need to have the strength of character and the ability to handle a situation that is high in its quotient of stress without losing your head or doing something that is not medically advisable.

Reason And Problem Solving

According to www.illinoisworknet.com you will need the following skills to be an RN:

• “Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong.
• Analyze ideas and use logic to determine their strengths and weaknesses.
• Combine several pieces of information and draw conclusions.
• Use reasoning to discover answers to problems.
• Make sense of information by studying it.
• Concentrate and not be distracted while performing a task.
• Identify problems and review information. Develop, review, and apply solutions.
• Judge the costs and benefits of a possible action.
• Think of new ideas or original and creative ways to solve problems.”

In many cases the various thought processes mentioned here will have to be undertaken in high stress, severe and rushed situations.

Education Required

There is a great deal of knowledge that you will need t have behind you if you are to be a successful RN. This knowledge requires comprehensive training programs and practical experience to gain. The education requirements for being an RN include having a degree of some kind. He bare minimum requirement is an associate’ degree, but there are also more advanced degrees that you could work for., the more advanced your degree the more sought after you will be in the nursing industry. You will have to pass the NCLEX-RN examination and apply for licensure for your state board of nursing before you will be able to practice as a registered nurse.

Educating Others

Many prospective RNs do not realize that they will be actively engaged in educating a wide variety of people, including patients, the families of patients, and the general public. Depending on your exact role in your job you will, at some point or another, be required to educate an individual or a group on one or more of the following topics:

• Health education
• Disease prevention
• Childbirth
• The development of public health programs

In addition you may also be required to educate patients and families about how to handle the recovery of the patient, especially if he or she is being sent home to complete their recovery in a more familiar and comforting setting. Not everyone is a natural educator, but the tasks will mostly be quite basic in this regard. If you have an affinity for his you will be singled out for more advanced teaching.

Supervision

As an RN you will be required to supervise:

• Nursing aides
• Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
• Orderlies
• Attendants

This means that leadership skills are an important part of the job. You also need to be aware of your boundaries in this regard. For example you cannot ask an LPN to do something that is outside of her scope of practice as this will be in violation of nursing laws and codes. You should not abuse the power that you have and you should be an approachable and reasonable person to work with. You will basically supervise anyone that is less skilled than you are. At the same time you will have to accept supervision and direction from those more skilled than you, such as doctors.

Excellent Communication Skills

Communication skills are very much a necessity in nursing as you will need to communicate with a variety of different people about a variety of different topics on a daily basis. These people include:

• Patients
• Patients’ families
• Colleagues
• Superiors
• Health care team

Good communications skills include the ability to express ideas clearly when speaking or writing, listen to others, understand them, and ask questions if you feel it is necessary to facilitate your understanding, and read and understand written information provided by other people. The most important function of excellent communication skills is to ensure that the correct information is provided and communicated regarding the patient in order to be certain that he or she is receiving the best level of care that is possible for them to receive.

In conclusion you can clearly see that there are a large number of skills that you will need to learn as an RN. Some of these skills cannot be taught in a classroom, and you will be required to have a natural ability for them. Many of the personality-related RN skills fit this description. If you feel that you either do not possess the skills required, or that you will be unable to learn some of these skills, perhaps simply because they do not interest you, you should definitely consider looking into alternative lines of work other than nursing in which to pursue a career. The RN skills mentioned above are intrinsic to the profession and capability in each of them is unavoidable if you are to become a registered nurse at some point in the future.

The post RN Skills Needed For A Nursing Career appeared first on Healthcare Careers Guide.

Social workers are employed in child welfare organizations, community agencies, school boards, employee assistance programs, social service agencies, correctional facilities, and in private practice.

Social Worker Skills

The social worker skills that are required are many and are diverse, as working in the areas, with the individuals, and under the conditions that they work takes a very special kind of person. Someone who becomes a social worker does it not for glory or for the salary but because they have received a calling to help their fellow men and women. It is as much a labor of love as an essential service.

Observation

A social worker needs great powers of observation in order to be effective. It is important that you use your senses to observe and record not only the client’s verbal responses, but also their non-verbal communication. Observing the client’s body-language will often tell you far more than the words that are coming out of their mouth.

This skill is crucial to correctly assess exactly what the clients’ emotional health and mental stability is, especially when making psychosocial assessments.  It also helps to see when there is something really wrong in a family even though the client may be telling you completely the opposite.

Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is one of the social worker skills that is crucial, as it is integral to a social worker’s efficacy. A high degree of self awareness engenders in a social worker the ability to identify any transference or counter-transference issues that there may be and to utilize that information to assess the quality of the treatment interventions that are being used.

As a social worker you will often have to rely on use of self within the context of the therapeutic relationship and will require you to develop and refine a keen awareness of your assumptions, motivations, expectations and biases. You will need to observe, explore and articulate how your feelings and thoughts impact your behavior and how your behavior in turn impacts on others. This is a mandatory for the conscious development and direction of a helping relationship in order to facilitate change in the client.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is also one of the social worker skills that you cannot do without if you are thinking of going into this line of work. As a social worker your day will consist of gathering and interpreting data through various means, including through interviews, reviewing  case-file documentation, clinical supervision, research, consultation, and observation. These all influence the client’s assessment, diagnosis, treatment, evaluation, and termination.

Critical thinking, observation and self-awareness intersect and interact with each other in order to influence your practice and orientation. You may need to interview elderly clients who are suffering from depression to determine what medical treatment, services or social programs is required and would work best for them.

It will often be necessary to interview both clients and their families, about social supports and stressors such as financial difficulties, and to read between the lines and pick up the invisible clues as to what is causing the problem in order to make the right assessment and develop a program that will best help them.

Critical thinking can be further broken down into a few more social worker skills which are necessary and required in order to consider your assumptions, motivations, self-awareness and expectations and how they shape the way in which you analyze and draw your conclusions from the available data:

Problem Solving

• As a Social Worker you may not provide clients who are intoxicated or under the influence of narcotics with any type of service, and will have to explain this to the client whilst keeping them calm. You will have to encourage them to come back when they are sober and may also arrange for transportation to a detoxification center.

• You may often have problems in accessing the required services for your client duet to long waiting lists or a shortage of resources. In these cases you will need to help your client to develop a contingency plan and may need to provide them with interim counseling whilst waiting for the requisite services to become available. Getting the services your client needs may take some thinking outside of the box, like lobbying other agencies to change their admission criteria or develop some much-needed additional client services.

• Sometimes a client will be difficult and hostile, or even suicidal, and it may take all of your social worker skills to address their behavior, clarify what is expected from them, and define acceptable personal boundaries and behaviors. There will be times when the client refuses to adjust their behavior and it may become necessary for you to terminate your relationship with them and refer them to another resource such as an anger management class.

• Sometimes it is not the client that will create problems but one of his or her family members and you will need to use your critical thinking skills in order to figure out a way to make things work. This may entail you having to use methods such as applying for mental health and child protection warrants to force parents to attend scheduled family social worker visits if you feel that your clients are at risk.

Decision Making

• As part of your job as a social worker you will have to make many decisions, not all of them will be easy and not all of them will be popular, but decision-making is another of your social worker skills that you will put into practice virtually every day.

• You will need to assess a client’s language skills from information received from referral sources and your first interaction with them, consider your own language abilities and decide whether it is necessary to request the services of an interpreter, whilst also assessing whether you think the client would be comfortable with an interpreter present.

• Some of the most important decisions that you will need to make will be when assessing the client’s counseling needs, treatment plans and goals, as you will be required to select suitable programs and social services and ensure that they are placed.

• Choosing the correct counseling strategies and therapies according to your assessment of the client’s problems, treatment costs, the appropriateness of the intervention, and the client’s preferences will also need to be done, according to your organization’s precedents and protocols.

• Choosing whether to continue a client’s counseling or terminate it is sometimes a very difficult decision to make, but one which has to be done at times due to various factors which you will have to weigh up.

• Sometimes you will need to make difficult decisions regarding the safety of the client or others. If, for example, a client is exhibiting suicidal or violent behavior, or there is suspected physical or sexual abuse of a minor, it may be necessary to call emergency services.

Planning And Organizing

• Your social worker skills should include good planning and organizational skills as you will need to plan your own day. New cases will be assigned to by intake workers, supervisors and managers and you will also have walk-ins and referrals directly from human services agencies and social work departments. Social workers generally have quite a heavy load and if you are not organized you could end up stressing yourself over clients that you could not get to.

• You will need to organize your own counseling appointments, but be flexible with your schedule as there may be emergency situations that need to be taken care of immediately. If you are working in family services you may be required to work very long hours to ensure that your clients, especially if they are children, are safe.

• Social workers in supervisory positions will need to plan and organize tasks for practicum students, other social workers and volunteers. Supervisors also contribute to organizational planning and may also assist with the development of operational policies and practices.

A Good Memory

• A good memory may not sound like one of the most important social worker skills, but it is, as a good recall of protocols for crisis interventions such as suicide assessments is critical. It is also important that you remember names and details of previous counseling sessions with your clients in order to build trust and rapport.

• Remembering the names of commonly used drugs and medications and their effects in order to answer questions that the client may have is really important. It is also important to remember the side effects of antipsychotic medications and to understand their effects on clients.

Accessing Information

• Locating information regarding community resources for clients by researching local resource directories, the Internet, and through personal telephone calls to various agencies is a very good skill to have.

• Accessing information regarding suspected cases of child abuse or neglect, conducting interviews with health professionals, friends and neighbors, police officers, teachers, and the children’s families and examining school and medical records are all part of the job for a social worker.

Verbal Communication

It stands to reason that verbal communication is one of the required social worker skills, as “social” means “relating to human society and its members.”

Verbal communication calls for actively listening to understand and speaking to be understood. This means that you may have to alter your communication style multiple times during a single workday in order to exploit your effectiveness with your clients, community members, colleagues or supervisors.

Verbal communication is central in many diverse settings such as offering testimony as an expert witness in court, advocating for a client in a public benefits office, testifying before legislators, or providing an informative educational presentation in a church hall.

Written Communication

Written communication is definitely in the top of the social worker skills toolkit, as the old adage of “If it isn’t documented, it never happened” rings very true when it comes to social work. This rings especially true if programs are accountable to funders. It is important that you make clear concise notes and keep the records and correspondence up to date. If something is not recorded it could cause big problems down the line, especially if there are legal or criminal activities involved.

You may also be called upon to pen grant proposals when you get to a more senior level, as you will be in a better position to articulate a case for financial support to sustain your program. Grant-writing, proposal-writing, report writing and the ability to write program evaluations and devise treatment plans are all highly valued social worker skills.

Teamwork

Although you will spend most of your day dealing with clients on your own, being able to work in a team is also one of the social worker skills that you will require, as you will have to work in collaboration with other social workers and professionals such as psychologists, therapists, teachers, police officers, medical doctors, psychiatrists and lawyers in order to coordinate treatment strategies.

Computer Skills

In amongst our toolbox of social worker skills you need to have some computer skills too, as you will need to do research on the Internet, send and receive e-mails from clients, organizations, other professionals, and many other sources.

You will be required to prepare assessment reports, enter program statistics into a database, generate reports for funders, and retrieve data from our organization’s management database. You may have to use spreadsheets and tracking software, amongst other programs in order to do your job effectively

Reading Skills

The last of the social worker skills that you will need is good reading skills as you will spend a lot of time reading reports, skimming case-notes from counseling sessions, reading articles from peer-reviewed journals, resource books, medical reports, investigation reports, affidavits, psychosocial and clinical assessments and many more documents in order to remain up to date and relevant with the latest in medications and methods of treating various conditions.

There are, of course, other social worker skills that may also come in handy, including being non-judgmental, empathetic, and having a driver’s license, but the above have basically covered all the most important social worker skills that you must have and why you need them.

The post The Skills Required To Be A Social Worker appeared first on Healthcare Careers Guide.

On a daily basis an EMT must be able to:

Offer Basic Life-saving Care

The basic life-saving procedures are the EMT skills that are needed to save someone’s life when they are in immediate danger. These skills will include checking and clearing the airway of the injured or ill person to make sure that there is nothing obstructing the patient’s ability to breathe, checking the patient’s breathing to make sure they are not in shock and that the chest movements and intake of air is normal, and checking their circulation to see if there is no internal bleeding and that all internal organs and body tissue is receiving an adequate supply of blood and oxygen to prevent the patient from going into shock. This procedure is called the ABC of basic first aid.

Secondary Check

After the basic checks have been performed the EMT has to then check for external bleeding, broken or protruding bones and any other injuries that will indicate the treatment that will follow. During the secondary check and on the way to the hospital other checks are performed such as the blood glucose levels as well as blood pressure. The heart rate is also constantly monitored as a raised heart rate indicates that the patient is in distress and too much blood to an injured area may cause more damage.

Administer Medication To Keep The Patient Alive Until Getting Him To The Hospital

Should the patient go into shock or have a seizure, as an EMT you will need to know what medication to give the person and what to look out for, such as a medical alert bracelet that will show any allergies or medical conditions the patient may have. Should the patient have medication that they need to take but is unable to due to their condition, the EMT can help them to take their medication and monitor them until they are in a stable condition. As an EMT you will need to know what medication you are allowed to administer by looking at the client’s circumstance, and taking any allergies or medical conditions into account. For example, if the client is having a heart attack, you need to know the signs of a heart attack so that you do not misdiagnose a patient that might be having a stroke and not a heart attack. Administering the wrong medication could either impair the patient’s recovery or cause death. You need to know what signs to look for and when you can give medication.

Use Advanced Driving Skills To Get The Ambulance To Tthe Scene On Time

The first hour after a medical emergency is known as the golden hour. This timeframe is very important to the patient because if the patient cannot get help during the first hour, then it may be too late to save their life. If the EMT cannot help in the ambulance or on the scene then the patient will need to get to a hospital as quickly and as safely as possible. As an EMT you will need to know how to drive quickly and defensively to get to the hospital in time to save your patient. With so many cars on the roads these days it takes just a split second to cause an accident and you need to know how to avoid these situations and how not to cause any accidents at the same time. You will also need to take the condition of your patient in consideration. Driving too wildly may cause your patient large amounts of discomfort.

Assess Medical Emergencies That A First Aider Might Not Be Able To Identify

EMT skills are more advanced than those of a first aider. The first aider will be trained to assess the situation based on the scene and will know how to keep the patient alive and immobilized until you get there. Once the first aider has given you a report on what the cause of the trauma was and how they handled the situation, you will need to assess what needs to be done and whether the patient can be moved or not and if they cannot be moved, what procedures can be followed to save the person’s life. There is always a chance that there may not be a qualified first aider on the scene and you will have to perform basic first aid first before moving the patient for transport to hospital.

Treat The Patient In The Field And Keep Him Alive Until Medical Personnel At The Hospital Can Take Over

When getting to the scene of the trauma you may need to help the patient in a way to just get him to the hospital where the hospital staff will then take over. This could include bandaging or stitching, ventilating or CPR. These procedures can be continued in the back of the ambulance to the hospital.

What Else Can An EMT Do?

The skills an EMT needs entails everything they can do to save the life of someone who has a medical emergency. This would include all pre-hospital checks and care of the patient so that they are treated and monitored as much as possible before being admitted to hospital.

Sometimes when there is something minor, an EMT does not even have to take the patient to the hospital, but can administer care that is life-saving at the place of the incident.

A breakdown of these duties an EMT would have to perform includes:

• Monitoring the patient’s vital signs which include their pulse, breathing, circulation and their mental state. If a patient starts to look confused or delirious, it may indicate head trauma or not enough oxygen.

• Responding to any fluctuations in the vital signs of the patient which means that if the patient’s heart rate drops or speeds up or if the patient loses consciousness, the EMT must know how to respond and what to do.

• Giving the medical staff of the hospital a rundown of what happened and what the condition of the patient is at handing over stage so that they know to which ward to transfer him and what medication or procedure to administer.

• Administer efficient care to the critically ill or injured which could include, Clearing and maintaining a clear airway, Ventilating a patient that has a problem with their breathing or cannot breathe at all.

• Administering CPR and knowing the different ways of doing CPR in case the patient is not in a text-book situation. You may need to do CPR on your own, or you may have someone who can help you to administer the CPR. You may need to administer CPR on a child and will need to know what to do and how to handle the situation.

• Controlling any hemorrhage or loss of blood through the use of different types of compresses and bandages. You will need to know how to bandage up severe cuts or deal with patients who may have an object still lodged in the flesh. There may be severed limbs that need to be handled carefully for reattachment and it is up to the EMT to know what to do and how to handle the situation so that the patient can retain consciousness, not lose a massive amount of blood and can get to the hospital as quickly as possible.

• Treating and preventing shock which can be a dangerous situation for a patient who is badly injured.

• Bandaging wounds and immobilizing injured limbs. Wound care is not as easy as it sounds because there is always the possibility of infection in wounds. You will need to know how to dress wounds and how to clean wounds. There are also different kinds of bandages and dressings that are for different uses and different kinds of injury and it is up to the EMT to know how to bandage the patient in such a way that they are as comfortable as possible, doesn’t cause any more damage to the area and in such a way that the bandage will not become another hazard by getting caught on another object.

• Assisting patients in taking their medication. It is easy for a patient to forget to take their medication, especially when it comes to the elderly and when there is a medical emergency, the solution may be as simple as reminding the patient that they have not taken their medication and then helping them to do so. Allergic reactions may also prohibit a patient from taking the medication they need to counteract the allergic reaction and they may need other medication from you to bring them back to a state where they can take their needed dosage.

• Assisting in emergency childbirth. Unfortunately babies being born on the way to hospital or at home does not only happen in the movies. It can happen and in these cases the mother and newborn needs to get to the hospital as quickly as possible after the birth to avoid any complications. The EMT must know how to assist in childbirth under normal and complicated circumstances to be prepared, should the need for this skill arrive.

• Immobilizing and moving of patients that may have head, neck or spinal injuries because they may die or they may lose the use of their limbs permanently if they are not immobilized properly before being moved. This may include knowing how to use neck and head braces as well as spinal boards

You Can Carry These Skills With You Throughout Your Life

The EMT skills that you learn on the basic level are the skills that the entire medical profession is based on. Should you not be able to perform the most basic operations and checks, you will not be able to succeed in any other medical field. As an EMT you need to be aware of things that a passer-by may not pick up on. You need to know what to look out for in a patient’s basic vital signs. You can have the most sophisticated equipment in the world, but if you forget to check the patient’s airway, breathing and circulation, everything else you may attempt may not bear any fruit.

For example, if you do not check the patient’s airway to see if something is obstructing it, you may not get to the cause of the problem. If a patient’s airway is not held clear while performing CPR then the exercise is pointless.

Another skill that an EMT should possess which can bring them far in their career is the basic skill of practicing tact and empathy. You need to show your patient and the family of your patient that you respect them and give them a sense of dignity when they are a very low point. Although this is not a skill that can be taught, it is very important in the medical field.

Knowing how to calm the patient is also another skill that will be very useful to an EMT. This skill is also one of the skills that are acquired while on the job, because no amount of simulation can prepare you for the trauma that a patient goes through when they have been injured, especially when it is a child. You need to keep your patient calm if they are conscious while assessing them and treating them at the same time. Should your patient be unconscious, you need to talk to them as well in soothing tones and ask them questions and tell them what happened and is going on so that should they regain consciousness, you will be aware of the fact and they may be calmer when hearing your voice as they come back to themselves.

In A Nutshell

Some of the skills of an EMT can be learned in school out of a textbook, but some skills can only be learned while you are on the job and in the situation. Having a clear mind and an open heart may help you along your way as well.

The post The Skills That Enables You To Save A Life appeared first on Healthcare Careers Guide.

Becoming a CNA requires a lot of qualities but there is a lot of room to specialize if you prefer one type of work over another. This is a world based on people skills and on getting to know yourself and what you are good at, while you help others. For example, you may decide to work in the geriatric field rather than the pediatric field, but either way, will grow yourself.

So how do you know if you have CNA skills? How can you determine whether this is the right career path for you? Well, consider these scenarios:

• In the geriatric unit, you will be faced not just with those who have aged, but also those who are suffering from problems associated with their age, such as Alzheimer’s, Diabetes and Emphysema. Some of the patients will be friendly and sweet, while others will be grumpy, moody and downright mean. All of these behaviors are associated with their age, but you are the one who has to deal with them.

• For those who think pediatrics are better, consider this: the pediatric unit is home not just to children who are ill, but also to those children and adults who suffer from mental retardation and other forms of brain damage. This means that you will be dealing with children who have severe behavioral problems, and like the elderly, you never know how they will behave.

If in reading this description, you were thinking, “Sounds like I can do a lot of good,” then you have the CNA skills needed for this field. If your reaction was negative, then maybe this is not the career for you.

CNA Skills For Those Entering The Field

To become a CNA, you need a couple of personality and physical traits that are essential to the job, namely:

• Patience: Learning CNA skills is a long and drawn out process, and requires a lot of patience. When you’re dealing with patients who tend to be moody, grumpy and angry, you will need a lot of patience too, and a firm hold on your temper. If you tend to have a short fuse, or you don’t like dealing with people, then following the road to becoming a CNA may not be for you.

• Distance: Although you may feel as though you are saving the world, a good CNA can distance themselves from their patients. It is hard not to get emotionally involved, but a CNA who knows what he or she is doing will be objective and not get involved in the personal lives of patients.

• Physicality: In some cases, you will be called upon to lift patients or materials that are bigger than you are. In these cases, you will need physical strength. This is not a job for the petite.

• Why you’re doing it: Consider why you want to become a CNA. If it is for the money, know that you probably won’t make very much. Only those who see it as a calling should pursue it.

• Determination: Each day that passes will test your patience and your determination. You may have to face some pretty scary sights, from human waste to blood and who-knows-what-else. This is not a job for those with a weak constitution. Also, you will likely be tested in your determination to do the job each day, and will be questioned constantly. Only those with a strong sense of determination will make it.

Becoming a CNA is a calling, and those who wish to do it know that you are doing your bit to contribute to the health of the world. But it is not an easy job. That is why those with CNA skills are to be commended for the contributions they make, and those who are not completely committed to it should not pursue this career.

How To Learn CNA Skills And Get A Job

Becoming a CNA is not difficult, despite all of the statements made above. However, the area in which you live will generally determine not just the amount of time you need to spend studying, but also the type of environment in which you will work. You can get more information on learning CNA skills or becoming a CNA from a government organization or even by doing a search on the internet. If you use your local search engine, type in CNA and your area. This will help you identify the facilities that can help you on your path to becoming a CNA.

A CNA is often known by a variety of names such as a nurse aide, orderly, patient care technician or even home health aide. Usually, you can learn while you earn, which entails taking short courses while you start working. However, these are generally not with accredited institutions, and the certificate you receive will only help you in that specific job.

In exchange for the training, you will also be required to work at that institution for a period of time, and though this means you probably won’t have to pay for the training, it does restrict you to staying with the company. Another option is to seek training with the Red Cross. These classes tend to be pricey, but the Red Cross is an accredited institution, which carries a lot more weight.

Of course, there is no comparison to learning on the job. Though getting formal training is very important, you will gain valuable experience in your first year of actually working. This is why it is valuable for anyone just starting out in the field to shadow someone else, or assist other CNAs. To qualify, you will be asked to take a written test and a practical test, to determine whether you have gained enough knowledge to become a CNA.

When taking the written tests, remember to go over your notes and learn health and safety rules. In the practical test, remember to go slowly and breathe when you feel you are getting too nervous. You may be asked to demonstrate all types of skills, from locking wheelchairs to raising bed rails. These skills are vital since they protect the safety of your potential patients.

Remember the importance of good health too, and wash your hands. It is also important to demonstrate respect, so be sure to knock on the door before entering a room and be polite to patients. These measures will gain your extra points, since part of CNA skills is a good demeanor. Once you have passed your written and practical tests, you can make the decision on where you wish to work, or in what field you will specialize.

Where Should You Work?

So once you have completed your CNA skills training, where will you work? There are a lot of places that need CNAs, but you should in essence follow your heart. A great way to decide on the right place for you is to try a few different locations. That way, you can compare the different types of jobs that you could potentially be doing and decide on what you suits you best. It is also a good idea to ask around. Ask other CNAs, especially those with a lot of experience what they think you will be best suited to. You may decide to go with becoming a home care aide rather than working in pediatrics or even become a teacher’s aide in a special school.

It is absolutely vital that no matter where you go, you gauge the atmosphere of the place. You want to work in a place where CNAs are respected and where you feel your contribution will be valued. CNAs are in demand due to the pressures of the job, so no matter where you finally decide to go, know that your contribution is very necessary.

Your choices generally include:

• Pediatrics – working with children can be very rewarding, but in this case you also may be working with those who have mental deficiencies. This means you need to be very patient and kind.

• Geriatrics – if you choose to work with the elderly, know that you may need to buckle down to some difficult tasks, such as changing adult diapers, bathing your patients and even assisting in administering medication. You will be faced with resistance, bad moods and even physical problems, but the reward is great too.

• Home aide – if you prefer to go into the private sector, you can assist with home care for those who need it, either due to advanced age or because they suffer from an ailment. This means you will be a companion and may have to assist in physical therapy and the like. The job is strenuous and you will only be interacting with one other person, but it can build a strong friendship.

• General hospital work – you can also work in a hospital environment, either in general work or in a specialized department, such as cardiology. This could mean talking to patients, assisting doctors in their work and even performing some of the duties that other nurses should be performing.

CNA skills are not easy to come by and unlike what most people think, they are inherent in certain individuals. If you have the drive and the passion to become a CNA, you can do very well, though it is doubtful that you will earn a huge amount of money. However, if you want to be engaged in a job where you are constantly helping people and making a contribution to a better world, then becoming a CNA may be right for you.

If you are still at a crossroads in deciding which career path to pursue, and CNA skills is one of the options on your list, then do some careful research and exploration before you pursue it. Remember the important traits you will need to become a CNA. You will need a strong stomach and an even stronger sense of determination. You will need a lot of patience and a desire to help people. The most successful CNAs are all about people. They love interacting with people, talking to people and learning from other people.

CNA training takes time, so a commitment to this field should not be half hearted. If you do choose to pursue this field, it will help you to take biology and languages while you are still at school. This will give you a basic idea of how the human body works and what can potentially go wrong, and will allow you to communicate effectively with potential patients, even those who do not speak the same language as you do.

If you are considering becoming a CNA, consider how this will affect your future income. As a CNA, you will be able to survive, but you will not be rich, and in some cases, may even have to supplement your income by getting a second job. However, if none of these things deter you and you are fully committed to a career as a CNA, then start pursuing your studies today.

One thing that is for sure if you have decided to pursue a career as a certified nursing assistant, you will learn a lot about yourself while you help others. You will grow immensely especially in the first year of working and will probably find that you are a lot more patient than you knew. You will also meet a lot of interesting people, do a lot of different types of jobs and become well-versed in issues relating to the human body. If you are a CNA, or planning to improve your CNA skills, you are valuable member of society and should be regarded as an excellent citizen, concerned with the well-being of the world.

The post Looking At Becoming A CNA And Which Skills You Will Need appeared first on Healthcare Careers Guide.

Even though the pharmacy technician is not the head of the pharmacy like the pharmacist is, it still requires great skill and knowledge to be able to fill this role.

Some of the pharmacy technician skills that will be needed are:

• Active Listening
• Reading Comprehension
• Clear communication
• Critical thinking
• Service orientation
• Social perceptiveness
• Mathematical ability
• Excellent co-ordination
• Judgment and decision making
• Monitoring
• Problem sensitivity
• Computer literacy

Although these seem like little things that all of us possess, they are really important apart from the knowledge gained during the training to become a Pharmacy Technician.

Active Listening

When a patient comes to you and explains to you what problems they are experiencing, you need to be able to listen to what they are saying while they are saying it so that they do not have to repeat themselves and so that when you are focused on what they are saying to you, you can form a clear picture in your mind of what it is they need. A part of active listening involves asking questions as well to clarify and to steer the conversation in the right direction and to not interrupt the patient while they are speaking to you.

The reason why you need to know how to listen properly to what the other person is say as well is because wrong diagnosis or a decision made because of the wrong information being carried over can have dire consequences and at the best case will leave you with a very unhappy customer.

Reading Comprehension

This skill requires the pharmacy technician to be able to understand what they are reading on work related documents to avoid misunderstandings and tragic misfortunes. Being able to read a patient’s script is also a necessary skill as well as being able to read the inserts of medication to relate dosages and warnings to the customer before they leave with the product that they know nothing about. You should be able to follow written instructions and if you cannot understand or comprehend what it is that you are reading, you could very well make mistakes.

There are many laws involved with being a pharmacy technician and being able to comprehend what is written in this legislation will help a great deal in abiding by these laws.

Clear Communication

Being able to speak is a skill that all humans possess. Being able to speak clearly and knowing how to bring information across in a way that is understood by others is a skill. When giving a patient instructions on how to take their medication it should leave no doubt as to whether the message could have been misunderstood. When a customer comes to the technician with a request that requires the skill of the pharmacist, the technician should be able to convey the information gathered so far from the customer clearly and correctly to the pharmacist so that the customer does not have to repeat themselves as often, this information could be sensitive and personal and saying it to someone once is embarrassing enough.

Another skill to have when it comes to communication is the tone of voice that is used when speaking to a customer. Although the pharmacy technician knows a number of things about the medication and their composition, the information brought across to the customer should never sound like they are being looked down upon because they do not know what the medical terms and names mean and the pharmacy technician should be able to explain clearly to the customer what the active ingredients in the medication are and what the effects of those ingredients may be on them.

Critical Thinking

When faced with a problem, the mind tends to scramble for answers.

• A critical thinker can focus their minds in order to think along clear paths and the answers they lead to in order to, by process of elimination, find the answer that will solve the problem in the best possible way.

• Being able to take the information given and finding alternatives to the answer that may not be available should be one of the pharmacy technician skills that are the sharpest.

• When faced with a request for something that is not available or no longer available, the pharmacy technician should be able to think quickly and rationally to get a solution that will suit the customer’s needs.

Another side to critical thinking is to be able to approach a problem or a request from different angles to ensure the request or problem is properly understood and that all avenues have been taken into consideration when finding the solution.

Service Orientation

Serving customers is what pharmacy technicians do. Service is something that should not be taken for granted. The service that you give your customers is what makes them come back to your pharmacy instead of going elsewhere. The best way to ensure great service is to treat your customers like they are individuals with individual needs and emotions that have to be respected and taken care of.

Delivery of service is all about actually wanting to help and by having the right attitude towards your customer. You are not doing them a favor by opening your doors to them because they can probably find the products you stock on your shelves at another pharmacy that will treat them with the respect and sensitivity that they deserve even if they have to pay a slightly higher price at the other pharmacy. People tend to go where they feel wanted and not where they are made to feel like they are a burden.

Social Perceptiveness

Being aware of other people’s reactions and being able to understand why they react this way is called social perceptiveness. This skill goes hand in hand with empathy. You should know where the customer is coming from when asking for something or about something. When a customer comes in and they know what they are looking for, it may not be a good idea to try and convince them otherwise, unless what they are asking for can kill them. Instead of telling them to take something else, you should rather ask them if they have taken the medication before and if they experienced any side-effects from it. If they have never taken the medication before or used it before, but are enquiring about it because of something they heard from a friend, it is your duty to explain the product to them and then ask them what the reason is that they think it will work for them. Being aware of the way others think is very important.

Mathematical Ability

Pharmacy Technicians need to know how to apply the mathematical concepts of algebra, arithmetic, geometry, calculus and statistics in their daily work because they are charged with the duty of measuring, counting and mixing medication and they need to be extremely accurate when doing so because the wrong measurement or mixture could lead to an overdose of an ingredient which may cause irreparable damage to the customer. Just being able to count, add and subtract is unfortunately not enough for this line of work and thus mathematics forms an important part of the syllabus.

Mathematics can also be used to solve certain problems as well and forms and integral part of the skills and knowledge base of the technician.

Excellent Co-ordination

Being accurate is another one of the important skills a pharmacy technician needs to possess as the wrong measurement or simply gauging instead of using the exact measurement could have very bad consequences. A Pharmacy Technician needs to be very strict on using the proper instruments and knowing which measurements are right for which formulary.

In some instances a pharmacy technician will be required to fill capsules and if they get add too much to the capsule it can lead to an overdose of the substance and if they do not fill it enough it may affect the efficacy of the capsules for its intended purpose. The same reasoning is behind mixing up the chemical compound for the making of tablets.

Judgement And Decision Making

Should a customer come with a prescription or a request for a specific drug, the pharmacy technician should be able to weigh up the cost consideration between brand names and generics and when to market which one. The decision should be based on the benefits of the brand and the generic and if the brand name works more effectively then the pharmacy technician should make a decision based on whether the customer can afford the brand name product or if the generic would be sufficient and more cost effective if not as effective as the brand name product. Weighing up the options and knowing which options to offer the customer where the necessary skill comes into play.

Monitoring

Even though the pharmacy technician is not in charge of the pharmacy, it is still important for you to monitor your own actions as well as the actions of other and to do an assessment of where the pharmacy as a whole can do better to improve quality and service that is given to customers. If you feel like you are not doing your best, then you should do an assessment of what it is that you feel you are not doing to your full potential and work out a plan to improve on your shortfall.  It is similarly important to raise the point when you feel that your co-workers are not doing something correctly and if they are affecting the quality of the pharmacy negatively so that a plan can be formulated to raise the standard of the entire organisation and what can be done to conform to that standard.

Problem Sensitivity

Usually when someone comes into a pharmacy it is because they or someone they know has an illness, ailment or disease. A lot of the time these customers would feel embarrassed to talk about their problem and getting the medication for the problem means that they have to explain to you what the problem is. Being sensitive to the information that you are receiving from the customer is really important and you have to careful how you handle the situation. If you see that the person is embarrassed to talk about it in front of everyone and talking in a low voice as not to let anyone, including you, hear what they are saying, it is probably a wise idea to take the person to the side where they will be out of earshot so that they can explain to you what is wrong so that you can solve their problem without letting them feel like the whole world knows their problems now. It is also very important that you do not discuss one customer’s problems in front of other customers even when that person has left the store. It gives a bad impression to the other customers who then won’t trust you with their information.

Computer Literacy

Knowing how to use a computer in this day and age is common knowledge, but there are individuals who are just not meant to use technology and they quiver at the thought of having to switch one on. You do not have to know how to program a computer and how to take it apart and put it back together again to be a pharmacy technician, but a sense of how it works and what to do with the computer is essential. Most orders are rung up on a computerized till and the labels that are printed on the bottles and boxes are done by computers. Being able to type on a computer keyboard is also a great benefit because it will not take you so long to capture a customer’s details if you know how to type and if you know where all the keys on the keyboard are. If you don’t know how to type it would benefit you greatly to go on a typing course to learn this skill.

What Makes You Who You Are

Being the person that people turn to when they are in great need is not always an easy task especially when you are not feeling well yourself. With the job comes great responsibility, but ensuring that you have all the right skills will take you a far way in your career

The post The Skills Which Allow A Pharmacy Technician To Practice appeared first on Healthcare Careers Guide.

Front Office Skills

Medical assistants often have to work in the front office. These are the things that they frequently have to do:

• Hiring and firing staff
• Scheduling and greeting patients
• Answering phones
• Pulling and file patient charts
• Bookkeeping
• Billing and payroll
• Ordering office equipment and supplies
• Sending out insurance claims

These are essential medical assistant skills, so you need to be sure that you either already have these skills, or that you are prepared to acquire these skills if you do not already have them. This is one of the main functions of a medical assistant and these are therefore tasks and skills that you cannot avoid if you are to have a career in this field.

Anatomy And Medical Terminology Skills

If you want to be a successful medical assistant you will need to know what words and phrases to use in what contexts. The terminology of the medical setting can be complex. If you do not have a working knowledge of medical terminology you will find this a very difficult job indeed to do. There are several areas that you will need to be proficient in before you can be expected to do a job like this one. These areas are:

• Anatomy
• Physiology
• Medical ethics
• Medical terminology

Luckily you will not be able to make it successfully through medical assistant training without picking up these skills. Just make sure that you pay attention and that you have a working understanding of all of these phrases and so on.

Communication Skills

Communications skills are clearly a very important part of being a medical assistant. There are a number of situations that could arise in which you will need to be able to communicate well. Once of these situations is when a patient asks you questions. You need to be able to communicate with the patient in such a way that he or she clearly understands what you are saying. You will also need to make a number of phone calls throughout your job as a medical assistant and, consequently, you will need to be able to communicate clearly in that way as well. If you do not have good communication skills this is probably not the right job for you.

Lab Medical Assistant Skills

There are a number of lab skills that you will be taught during training, but often a good understanding of what to do can only be learned on the job. Lab medical assistant skills that you will need include the following:

• Take the patient’s blood pressure
• Take the patient’s temperature
• Measure the patient’s height and weight
• Draw blood from the patient
• Give the patient injections
• Prepare and clean medical equipment used in the examinations

Make sure you are comfortable with all of the above. For example some people are scared of needles in which case they should definitely avoid a job that involves drawing blood and giving injections.

Reading Skills

As a medical assistant it is essential that you have the right level of reading skills. You need to be able to read any medical text that comes your way once you are working as a medical assistant. In addition reading is a very important part of the initial medical assistant training. If you have difficulties reading you may want to look into improving your skills in that area before you commit to pursuing his career path. The things that you will have to read are many and varied, including:

• Textbooks and first-semester texts (must be read at college level)
• Operating manuals for equipment
• Directions for using laboratory test kits
• Medicare newsletters
• Insurance company literature
• Physicians’ correspondence
• Patient charts
• Information on medications

If you do not have strong reading skills, or if you feel you will struggle with the above, please reconsider your options.

Patience

It is essential that, as a medical assistant, you have the invaluable skill of patience. You will be dealing with people on a daily basis who are scared. Your employer may frequently be too busy to speak to you in a civil tone. In any situation that arises during the course of your day you simply cannot afford to lose your patience. You need to maintain a professional attitude at all times and make sure that you keep your emotions under control. This is very difficult and a lot of people do not have the skill of patience. If you feel that you will not be able to keep your cool, consider an alternative line of work where patience is not as essential.

Taking Blood Pressure

One of the skills that you will need to have a medical assistant is that of being able to take the blood pressure of your patients. There are three primary reasons why a patient’s blood pressure requires monitoring.

• It is a medical necessity
• It helps to gauge the patient’s health
• It can also be a billing issue

Because a doctor or other health care practitioner may not have the time to monitor blood pressure among all of the other things that they have to do, it is essential that you as the medical assistant are able to take on this task. Fortunately advanced technology has made the monitoring of patients’ blood pressure a lot easier than in the past.

Giving Injections

To be a medical assistant you will need to be comfortable with the idea of giving injections. This is such an important part of your role that it will simply not be possible for you to do your job well if this is the kind of thing that scares you or makes you feel a little squeamish. In addition it is an important skill to know exactly how to give injections without leaving a bruise or hurting the patient too much. The types of injections you will give include:

• Flu shots
• Vaccinations
• Immunizations
• Pain medicine
• Steroids

This is a skill that can be taught in a formal program, but it is also one that you can learn on the job.

Math Skills

Although you will need to have a basic understanding of math, no additional math courses are required in order to become a medical assistant. There are certain mathematical calculations that you may have to use in your job on a daily basis, but these will be included in the general training. For example you may need to measure the head circumference of a baby. This will require an understanding on measuring circumferences, but this will all be covered in your actual training. However if you do not have a natural math brain you may find it a little more challenging than other students to pick these skills up.

Prescriptions

When it comes to prescriptions you will probably not have to actually fill any prescriptions yourself as a medical assistant. However it will be part of your job of making the pharmacist or doctor’s life easier by dealing with prescription requests. You will need to have a bit of intuition here as it will make life easier for everyone if you are able to sort through the prescription requests and only send those through that are needed immediately. You will also have to advise your patients on the best times to fill a prescription or get a repeat. You will have endless enquiries regarding this aspect of your job, so patience plays an important role here.

Creating New Patient Histories

It is your job as the medical assistant to ensure that patient information is kept up to date. You will have to gather the following information from the patients in your care:

• Information about their chief complaint

• Information about their previous medical history

• Information about their allergies

• Information about their education

• Information about their alcohol consumption

• Information about their tobacco usage

• Information about their medical problems

• Information about their surgeries

• Information about their prior injuries/accidents

• Information about their family medical history

• Information about their review of systems

Obviously this kind of interaction will require some people skills on your part as well as record keeping skills.

Answering Patients’ Questions

There are some basic things that you will need to know as a medical assistant. Some very simple questions that patients may ask you need to be answered without first referring to their doctor. You need to be able to be independent to a certain degree in small matters such as this. The following are some things that you will need to be able to identify for yourself as a medical assistant because the doctor doesn’t always have the time:

• Does the patient needs to be worked into the clinic

• Does the patient need to see a different doctor

• Does the patient needs to go the ER

• Does the patient needs to schedule an appointment

Learning Skills

There are a number of learning skills that you should possess if you plan to pursue a career as a medical assistant. They are as follows:

• High motivation
• The ability to handle stress
• Excellent time management skills

These skills are incredibly important not only for your studies but also in your everyday job. These are skills that will directly translate to your daily tasks. Your tasks will include:

• Using sequencing skills to follow directions for completing lab work and to determine the most efficient order for completing multiple tasks

• Observing patient symptoms accurately

• Making logical inferences about the level of attention needed at the time

• Making judgments about which results are consistent with the clinical picture and which should be rechecked

• Using cause-effect reasoning to troubleshoot errors in the results

Phone Etiquette

As a medical assistant you will be required to frequently deal with patients as well as other health care facilities on the phone on a daily basis. This means that in order to show yourself as well as your employer in a good light you will need t have excellent phone etiquette skills. If you do not know how to speak properly and politely on the hone you will need to learn as quickly as possible. Never lose your temper on the phone and try to keep a smile in your voice at all times. It is very important that you read tips on how to answer the phone correctly as well as how to conduct a phone conversation.

Computer Skills

Needless to say, in this day and age computer skills are needed for any job, and this includes the area of being a medical assistant. You will, for example, need to record patient information in a computerized format. This means that you will need to know how to use the keyboard efficiently as well as how to use all of the basic programs on the computer. You will also need to learn how to use the specific programs used by your facility or institution. These are all essential skills, some of which will be taught during training, and others which you will pick up on the job. However there are many which you will need to know before you begin training.

As you can see there are a lot of things that a medical assistant has to do, and most of these things are not what you would describe as intuitive or easy. So if you think that you will not be able to learn or develop these skills then perhaps an alternative career is what you should look into. However, if you feel that this is exactly what you want to do, and if you feel that you already have many of these medical assistant skills, then this may just be the perfect line of work for you to get into.

The post Important Medical Assistant Skills Needed appeared first on Healthcare Careers Guide.