Ultrasound technicians are an integral part of the health care team. Also known as ultrasonographers or sonographers, they are able to see the parts of the body’s anatomy and see physiological structures in real time with the aid of an instrument called a transducer. The transducer works by emitting high frequency sound waves throughout a specific part of the body, where it bounces off the targeted organ. The reflected echo or wave is then transformed into an image that can be captured in real time. The images are richly detailed and depending on the type of machine used, can even show a graphical representation of the organ.
The most common ultrasound procedure is done on pregnant women. Here, ultrasound technicians get to see the miracle of life unfold before their eyes as they aide the patient in seeing their baby for the very first time. The practice of a sonogram technician is not limited to pregnant women; diagnostic medical sonography is now a growing trend amongst physicians for a non-invasive approach to finding tumors and blockages in major organs, arteries, and even muscle. An ultrasound technician can greatly assist a lot of people in the medical community without carrying potential risks that could affect his overall health.
As expected, an ultrasound technician needs to be well versed in medical terminologies, anatomy and physiology in order to get the job done. He also needs to be good at providing instructions to patients and handle them professionally. A good background on technology decreases the learning curve for those who are starting out on the field. During the actual clinical exposure, ultrasound technicians need to have a keen eye for exquisite detail as the slightest chance of poor imaging techniques may lead to the wrong treatment or diagnosis. An ultrasound technician is not allowed to divulge private information to anyone. If he sees an anomaly in the images, it is his responsibility to point it out to the physician or nurse practitioner for further study.
The practice of an ultrasonographer is not strictly limited to diagnostic techniques. With proper training and education, the sonographer can learn how to treat chronic types of pain, break kidney stones and even treat cataracts.
When looking to work as an ultrasound technician, you need to get proper education from certified schools. It helps to study at a school accredited by the Commission an Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) as graduates can register to become professional sonographers at the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Graduates who are registered professional sonographers earn the average of $ 57,000 in a year. Those who are already in the medical field like registered nurses need a year’s worth of education in order to become a sonographer. A high school graduate may take as long as 2-4 years in order to complete a course from an accredited school.
A phlebotomist is a person that draws blood from the patient’s veins for sampling and collection. As a part of the medical team, the primary duty the phlebotomists is blood taking, handling of blood and precise evaluation and analysis of blood samples. These are just the basic responsibilities of a phlebotomist. Just like the doctors and nurses, phlebotomists also have to put in mind the best for their patients. They must make sure that the patients are safe while doing the whole process of blood extraction. They must be certain that the blood is taken correctly or everything will be useless. It is important for them to also check the doctor’s orders. Other responsibility of the phlebotomists is to makes re that the blood samples are transported to the right laboratory. They are accountable of the transportation from where they are taken up to the laboratory site. There are medical professionals that would let the phlebotomists perform the blood processes with their direct supervision. In this career it is best to have the right knowledge and skills on the different blood taking processes that can help a person out during different situations.
Since this is the work of the phlebotomists, they are at risk of exposure to any blood borne diseases. They should make sure that they are following the right level of safety measures and precautions for their own safety. Since they are directly exposed to these blood samples, they are at risk of acquiring contaminants that may harm their health. A lot of phlebotomist technical schools teach these aspiring phlebotomists on how to perform different procedures, how to operate machines and how to handle and store specimens. They should put in mind all proper guidelines and protocols needed to be followed. After the students have finished the phlebotomist’s education, the next thing they need to do is to have a certification. Licensing and certification differ from one state to another; some may require it while others may not. Better take a look on the States accrediting agency to make sure if you need a certification or not.
Being a phlebotomist is definitely an interesting job however the salary that one will receive is rewarding. The salary depends on certain factors like location of the facility, education and the experience. To increase your salary, having a degree is a solution. Those with a degree can expect to earn more than $19 per hour. Those phlebotomists working in private clinics earn less than those working in hospitals. Phlebotomists working in private clinics earn $12 an hour and those in hospitals earn $15 an hour. If the person is also working in a top paying state, it will make him or her earn more and enjoy the benefits given by the health facility compared to those working in small cities or states. Phlebotomist can earn an average salary of $11 to $15 an hour. When the hourly wage is added with all the bonuses, benefits and etc the phlebotomist salary is $23,000 to $35,000 yearly.
Private detectives and investigators help private individuals, celebrities, small and large businesses, lawyers and law enforcement authorities in finding clues and in helping gather information and data. Detectives and investigators are good in connecting clues, which is the key element to uncovering facts. Businesses like insurance companies, also depend on the ability of the detectives in producing confidential documents, and in helping them investigate fraudulent benefit claims.
Private investigators are experts in conducting interviews and well-versed in character profiling. Most of the time, they are also hired to conduct pre-employment and background investigations. Private individuals who are having doubts regarding the loyalty of their partners, husbands, or wives also hire private detectives to tail their partner and gather photos and if possible, videos of infidelity if there are any. Some detectives investigate computer or Web crimes. The “I love you” virus, Nigerian scams and identity thefts, to name a few, are examples of cyber crimes that detectives investigate. Some detectives are very good in recovering data even if files are encrypted. Some very good investigators can locate, in any part of the world, where the cyber crime happened. Some specialized detectives are also great hackers; they can get confidential documents, and know how hackers operate.
Private detectives and investigators are well-trained and educated individuals. It’s not easy to become a private detective. Aside from a high school diploma and business degree for detectives in corporate world, there is detective certificate that can only be acquired by finishing in a detective school. They also have to pass the oral and written exams given by the National Association of Legal Investigators (NALI). After acquiring the certificate from NALI, detectives and investigators can sometimes continue their studies, albeit informally then, to hone or improve their chosen expertise.
Some detectives are expert in surveillance work; they know almost all surveillance gadgets and techniques. Detectives expert in financial transactions know the international laws and protocols in money transactions. Computer and Web expert detectives know a lot of software programs and different computer gadgets and advancements in computing technology. The expertise of the detectives is directly proportional to their salary.
Private investigators and detectives are earning a decent amount of money depending on the jobs they been asked to accomplish. Some are earning from $50 to $600 per hour depending on the expertise and the nature of the job. Detectives on rural areas, where people’s income are low compared to the city, usually earn $30 to $200 per hour. Some detectives are hired by firms and their annual salary is usually between $50,000 to $90,000.
Detectives and investigators, because of their involvement in gathering evidences, are usually summoned in the court during litigation, and serve as witnesses. In cases like divorce and murder, investigators might be called to the witness stand to give statements about the evidences that they have gathered, or in the case of murder, the circumstantial evidences. That’s why detectives are good in making reports, presentations and demonstrations because they need to tell the story vividly on what really happened. Detectives are good in piecing together sequences of events to effectively simulate an actual story or happening. Becoming a private detective and investigator is a big responsibility. The truth lies in your hands. Also, one big mistake might cost lives of other people.
Patience and caring have always been synonymous with the job of someone working in the field of healthcare. With certified nursing assistants, the stress on these two key attributes are even more pronounced. Certified nursing assistants are different from registered nurses in that their scope and limitations are even more limited than that of nurses. More than anything, their job is more focused on caring for the patient’s physical and emotional needs.
The salary for nursing assistants is relatively moderate, considering one does not need a high school diploma or a college degree to become one. There are schools that offer training, but the most popular classes are taught by the Red Cross. The Red Cross offers a training module for one to become a nursing assistant. Usually taught by registered nurses, aspiring assistants get to learn how to interact with a patient who is bedridden, mentally ill, or just physically incapable of cleaning themselves. In class, they learn what usually comprises their daily tasks as a nursing assistant. They learn how to position a patient properly, how to conduct a bedside bath, feed and dress a bedridden patient and employing proper body mechanics and postures so they don’t overstrain themselves at work. Since the class is being conducted by a registered nurse, she will also get to teach the class how to communicate with patients in any setting. Learning how to talk to a patient and gain their rapport will really ease the transition and is part of the daily task of a nursing assistant. Those who will be employed in hospital settings will also be taught on topics on how to spot a condition that is worsening in a patient after surgery, preventing infection and proper care on patients with various apparatuses in the body (catheter, tracheostomy, nasogastric tube, etc.). There are generally two parts to the classes: learning by the books and return demonstrations where the student is expected to perform the topics discussed.
Once the classes are over, the students will be expected to take a competency exam that is composed of both written and clinical exams. During the exams, the questions will always involve around a setting where the nursing assistant and patient are expected to interact. Even the practical exam revolves around the patient. For this reason, the aspiring nursing assistant is expected to treat the patient with respect, dignity and compassion at all times. A good tip to remember before performing any procedure is hand washing. As infection control and prevention are part of the nursing assistant’s duties, hand washing before any procedure is critical and will also show that you are conscious of your fundamental skills.
A career as a nursing assistant can be rewarding. There is a growing population of elderly and sick patients who are in need of the services only a nursing assistant can provide. Nursing assistants can work in hospitals, hospices, adult care centers and even at the houses of patients who need home care. Expect a seemingly endless number of opportunities for jobs when you become a certified nursing assistant.
Sonography is profession that created its name over the past years. With the quick development of these new technologies and an increased use of ultrasounds and other imaging procedures, there is a continuous growth in job opportunities for sonographers. Sonography is a branch of radiography and is used in procedures that make use of sound waves to create an image of the organs and tissues that are needed to be examined. This procedure is helpful in locating disorders like stones, tumors and certain diseases.
Professionals doing or performing this procedure is called sonographers. Sonographers work in health institutions like hospitals, clinics and laboratories. Sonographers are highly skilled that makes use of an equipment to direct sound waves into the patient’s body that then creates images that are needed by physicians to diagnose a disease. The procedure of taking images begins when the sonographer explains the procedure to the patient. Then, he or she will position the patient and spreads a gel on the skin and places a transducer near the skin. A transducer is a device that transmits waves in areas that are needed to be checked. These waves then bounce of the organ structures inside and then analyzed by the computer. The physician will then interpret the image presented. Sonographers may also specialize in certain areas. Obstetric and gynecologic sonographer deals with the female reproductive system and also examines the growing fetus inside the mother’s womb for disorders. Neurosonographers centers on the nervous system. Opthalmic sonographers study the eyes. It can keep track on the bloody supply and ailments of the eye. The most common are the abdominal sonographers that focus on the abdominal cavity and treat conditions involving the organs like liver, pancreas and others.
The first step in becoming a sonographer is by having a sonography education. Sonography schools or institutions offer trainings in colleges and hospitals. It is a prerequisite that one must have a high school diploma to prove that they have a background in science. Sonography schools offer trainings that can be completed for either two years or four years. Finishing a one year program will give you a certificate. Sonographers are also required to complete continuing education to keep them updates on issues and new technological advances related to this profession. Though there is no state exam for this profession, having a certificate will show how competent a person for the profession. Having a certificate gives you a professional credential. It will also give you a great potential of earning a lot of money. A certified professional always has many benefits. Certifications will prove how equipped a person is with all the knowledge and skills.
Job opportunities for this profession are increasing since a lot of people are looking for safe alternative procedure for medical treatments. A sonographers salary may range from $60,000 a year including per hour salary, overtimes and even on-call pays. Experienced sonographers can also have a good compensation because they are more skilled. If a person is specialized in a certain field like neuro or ob\gyne then he or she is expected to have more pay than the general sonographer.
Student nurses are required to finish 30 to 60 credit hours in anatomy, microbiology, physiology, chemistry, nutrition and many other subjects at a college or university. This is the oldest way of getting a registered nursing degree and it usually lasts for about three to four years. Most of the registered nurses in the United States are given education through diploma programs. One way of getting basic nursing education is through a two-year Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN). This is also offered in some four-year colleges and universities, the pre-requisites and co-requisites extend the time to three years or more finish the course.
Another way to be a registered nurse is to get a degree in Bachelor of Science in Nursing that lasts for four years and prepares the students for graduate-level education. The first two years are rendered in obtaining general education requirements and spend the next half in nursing courses. BSN is deemed to have a more hands-on approach in nursing education. Nursing schools are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Once a student completes the education needed and graduates as a nurse, he or she can now take NCLEX-RN examination. One has to pass the exam to become a licensed as a registered nurse. However, the inevitable controversy also exists for the appropriate entry-level preparation for registered nurses. Some professional organizations believe that the BSN should be the sole method of RN preparation. According to them, ADN graduates should only be “technical nurses” who will work under the supervision of BSN graduates. But because of the shortage in nurses and the lack of faculty staff to teach BSN, it is impossible for BSN to be the standard preparation in getting a nursing education.
Further studies in nursing can be attained through master’s and doctoral levels. It takes three years of full time study to finish a degree in Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Master of Nursing (MN). This prepares the nurse graduate for specialization as an advanced practice nurse (APRN). Some of the areas of APRN are nurse practitioner, a certified nurse midwife, a clinical nurse leader, clinical nurse specialist, etc. Nurse Practitioners are the ones who assess, diagnose and treat patients in fields like family practice, women’s health care, emergency nursing, psychiatry, geriatrics or pediatrics and a lot more. Clinical Nurse Specialists are focused on patient care, research or they also work as staff educator.
Doctoral programs make the graduates ready for nurse education, health care administration and clinical research. Most of the programs offer the Ph.D in nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice. Some offers the Doctor of Nursing Science, Doctor of Science in Nursing or the Doctor in Education. These programs take three to five years of full time study to finish. To ensure a nurse’s clinical competency in one’s chosen field of specialty, professional nursing organizations have certification exams. A nurse graduate would have to complete the desired pre-requisite work experience after getting their registered nursing degree to be able to take the exam. And if the taker passes the exam, then he or she can use a professional designation after his or her name. The American Nurses Credentialing Center is considered to be the largest credentialing organization and they offer more than 30 specialty examinations.
Ever wanted to just get away? I don’t mean just driving a few hours for a week-end retreat all by yourself, I mean literally just picking up all your belongings, including of course your wife and children and just moving out of the country and just starting over! Well I wanted just that, but wasn’t sure where to go or even where to start. But after a lot of research, I finally made my decision. Jamaica – that’s right – Jamaica.
Of course I wanted to learn all about the typical Jamaican family and one of the first things I learned about their heritage was the special bond that exists between families, and that is what I really wanted, our family seemed to be missing any and all bonds and so I wanted to learn before it was to late to try and get that back. Don’t get me wrong, Jamaican parents are very strict by nature and learned from an early childhood to urge their children to excel academically and athletically. They are also usually very fun loving and tend to be very involved in all phases of their children’s lives.
Jamaican parents remain a constant guiding force in their children’s lives well beyond adulthood and believe that you are never too old to be scolded or be given advice. Also the siblings are taught togetherness and looking out for each other even though sometimes the children might be taken care of by nannies or “helpers”.
If there is help in the home, a Jamaican child is still expected to do chores just like our children like making their bed, setting the dinner table or even washing he dishes. No television is allowed during the week when school is in session. I think that is an excellant idea! So much more gets accompolished when there is no inteference from the television. They are also not allowed to cavort around town or idly “hanging out”. Another good idea! The Jamaican children are huge fans of skateboarding, and almost seems to be national past time. Many adults also use skateboards as a means of primary Island travel. I saw many crates full of blank skateboard decks that were distributed among some of the Island natives.
I learned that in Jamaica, not only do parents keep an eye on their children, but the neighbors and friends always seem to take great interest in each other’s children. Thus helping to keep them safe and sound. I like this idea very much. Jamaican families are a tightly woven family. So if you are unkind to one member of the family, the rest of the family empathizes. Even when the children grow up and decide to embark on a new life as a husband or wife, the families still preside over their interest and well-being – kinda reminds me of the old saying of the Musketeers, “One for all and all for one.”
