Unit 1

1. Unit 1 Health Care Today

2. Chapter 1 Your Career in Health Care

3. Your Future in Health Care • Health care service • One of the largest industries in United States (U.S.) • Growing need for health care professionals • Wide variety of career opportunities • Work can be very fulfilling

4. Question • True or False: • Ten of the 20 fastest growing jobs today are in health care.

5. Answer • True • Ten of 20 fastest growing careers today are in health care • Including home health aide, medical assistant, dental assistant, and surgical technologist

6. Your Future in Health Care • Work contributes to well-being of others • Work can be demanding • All tasks must be done thoughtfully and conscientiously • Consequences of mistakes can be devastating

7. Essential Qualities • Care about others • Have integrity • Be dependable, but flexible • Work well with others • Be willing to learn • Strive to be cost-conscious

8. Question • Which of the following best demonstrates the meaning of integrity? • Earning good grades • Being honest at all times • Using time efficiently

9. Answer • B. Being honest at all times • Honesty • Important aspect of integrity

10. Standards for Health Care Professionals • Certification • General term for meeting predetermined standards • Requires education and professional exam • Examples: • Certified medical assistant • Certified nursing assistant • Certified occupational therapy assistant

11. Standards for Health Care Professionals • Registration • Placement on official list after meeting predetermined standards • Examples: • Registered nurse • Registered respiratory therapist • Registered medical assistant

12. Standards for Health Care Professionals • Licensure • Designation giving formal permission to perform certain tasks • Generally granted by government agencies • Requirements may vary from state to state

13. Standards for Health Care Professionals • Licensure • Examples: • Dentist • Licensed practical/vocational nurse • Dental hygienist

14. Question • To work as a massage therapist, Kelly must obtain approval from her state. This is called _____ . • Licensure • Registration • Certification

15. Answer • A. Licensure • Licensure • Obtaining approval to practice profession or perform certain tasks • Usually from government agency

16. Career Ladders • Levels of occupations within professional field • Require different amounts of education and/or training

17. Example of a Career Ladder • Nursing occupations ranked from most to least education required • Nurse practitioner • Registered nurse • Licensed practical/vocational nurse • Certified nursing assistant

18. Career Categories • Therapeutic and treatment occupations • Assist patients to regain or attain maximum wellness • Diagnostic occupations • Determine causes and extent of illnesses and injuries

19. Career Categories • Information occupations • Gather, analyze, organize, store, and document patient data • Environmental occupations • Develop and maintain therapeutic environments to support patient care

20. Therapeutic and Treatment Occupations • Dental • Emergency medical • Massage therapy • Medical office • Mental health • Nursing • Occupational therapy

21. Therapeutic and Treatment Occupations • Pharmacy • Physical therapy • Respiratory therapy • Surgery • Veterinary • Vision care

22. Question • True or False: • A nephrologist specializes in the treatment of the brain and nervous system.

23. Answer • False • Nephrologist specializes in kidneys • Neurologist specializes in brain and nervous system

24. Diagnostic Occupations • Diagnostic imaging • Medical laboratory

25. Health Information Management Occupations • Registered health information technician • Medical transcriptionist • Coding specialist

26. Environmental Occupations • Dietary service • Biomedical engineering

27. Question • Which of the following occupations might be the best choice for an individual who would enjoy helping patients regain their mobility after surgery? • Surgical technologist • Physical therapist • Occupational therapist

28. Answer • B. Physical therapist • Physical therapists work with patients to improve physical function by increasing muscle strength, range of motion, and movement

29. Question • Which of the following occupational therapy occupations requires the most education? • Certified occupational therapy assistant • Occupational therapy aide • Occupational therapist

30. Answer • C. Occupational therapist • Order from most to least education: • Occupational therapist • Certified occupational therapy assistant • Occupational therapy aide

31. Thinking Like a Health Care Professional • Learning to think like a health care worker • Aim for understanding • Have organized approach to problem-solving • Apply learned material to new situations • Base decisions on facts • Create relationships among facts

32. Thinking Like a Health Care Professional • Learning to think like a health care worker • Locate reliable sources of information • Base decisions on ethical principles • Practice good communication skills • Understand what tasks are allowed to be performed in one’s profession

33. Thinking Like a Health Care Professional • Using questions in thinking • Gather information • Expand view of subject or situation • Prevent simply accepting circumstances or making assumptions

34. Thinking Like a Health Care Professional • Examples of thinking questions: • What do I already know about this? • Why is this important? • Who benefits from this? • What might work best? • When should this be done? • How can I be more efficient?

35. Problem-Solving Process • Identify problem • Gather information • Create alternatives • Choose alternative and take action • Evaluate and revise as needed

36. 1. Identify Problem • “Problem” may only be symptom of real problem • Observe, pay attention, and confront difficult issues • Look beyond the obvious • Use questions effectively

37. Question • What is the third step in the problem-solving process? • Gather information • Create alternatives • Take action

38. Answer • B. Create alternatives • Third step: • Create alternatives • Follows identification of problem (step 1) and gathering of information (step 2)

39. 2. Gather Information • Information must be accurate and reliable • Separate assumptions, opinions, and emotions from facts • Collect objective data • Can be observed or measured • Also known as signs

40. 2. Gather Information • Collect subjective data • Needs, feelings, and desires • When reported by patient, includes pain and physical feelings • Also known as symptoms • Conduct research and ask for help as needed

41. Question • True or False: • A severe headache reported by a patient is an example of a sign.

42. Answer • False • Symptom • Anything reported by patient that cannot be observed or measured by health care professional

43. 3. Create Alternative Solutions • Generate possible solutions and actions • Consider all possibilities • Consider potential positive and negative consequences of each alternative • Discard ideas clearly impractical or unworkable

44. 4. Choose Alternative and Take Action • Without follow-through, opportunities and accomplishments missed • Using problem-solving process fosters confidence in making right decision

45. 5. Evaluate and Revise as Needed • Review results of actions • Even what seems the best plan may prove ineffective or have negative consequences • Circumstances can change • May be necessary to make adjustments • Own needs and those of patients and facility may change

46. Establishing Good Work Habits • Practice using good workplace habits while in school • Care about others • Show respect for classmates • Be courteous • Have integrity • Do own work • Be honest

47. Establishing Good Work Habits • Practice using good workplace habits while in school • Be dependable • Arrive to class on time • Do assignments accurately • Work well with others • Be understanding • Participate in class

48. Establishing Good Work Habits • Practice using good workplace habits while in school • Be flexible • Accept instructional differences and changes in class schedules • Be willing to learn • Take studies seriously

49. Getting the Most from Your Studies • Individuals learn in different ways • Identify own dominant learning style • Develop study techniques that work best for own style

50. Learning Styles • Visual learners • Learn best from seeing printed materials and images • Examples of study techniques: • Read text • Study illustrations • Watch DVD