A Medical Assistant’s Role in Phlebotomy

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Medical testing is often required to diagnose a patient. One of the most common tests performed by a medical assistant is a blood test. Blood tests can check for a wide range of conditions such as thyroid disorders, complete blood count totals, liver function, and kidney function. In some cases, a condition isn’t necessarily seen or felt by the patient until a blood test confirms that it is present. This is where the medical assistant and their phlebotomy skills come in handy. It is their job to draw the blood of patients who require routine blood testing as well as handle a wide range of other medical tests to keep the patient healthy.

What is Phlebotomy?

Phlebotomy is a medical practice where a medical professional draws blood from a patient for testing. Most blood draws are done via venipunctures. This require either a Vacutainer that contains a syringe and holder for the test tube or a butterfly syringe which is ideal for thinner or hard-to-reach veins. Blood cultures are done similarly to all other phlebotomy procedures, but a larger tube or bottle is used to collect a larger portion of blood. Blood cultures are required if a patient is thought to have septicemia or bacteremia.

What is the Process for Working with Patients?

The medical assistant’s duty is to provide care to patients who need phlebotomy testing performed. First, the doctor will order which tests are required for the patient. It is the medical assistant’s job to know which tubes are needed to perform the blood draw. For example, a CBC (complete blood count) requires a purple tube and an SST (red with gold top) is needed for testing of thyroid conditions and other illnesses. Once the order has been placed and the vials chosen, the medical assistant will need to label all of the vials to ensure that the patient’s information is valid and easy to read after the blood draw.

The medical assistant needs to wear proper protective equipment to protect both themselves and the patient. This includes a fresh pair of gloves, lab coat and protective gloves. Next, the medical assistant needs to make the patient comfortable and educate them on the procedure. The medical assistant should give each patient at least five minutes to fully relax and understand what is going to be done. It is also important to ask the patient if they are well-hydrated to ensure that proper blood flow is assured.

By using a tourniquet and the proper syringe with the vial, the medical assistant will locate a vein via palpitation and draw the blood. The medical assistant will need make sure to ask the patient if they are comfortable or if they feel faint. If the patient feels faint, the medical assistant should stop the procedure and have the patient lay down. The medical assistant will provide the patient with a sugary beverage like orange juice, especially if a lot of blood has been drawn. It is important for the medical assistant to remove the tourniquet before they take the needle out of the patient’s arm to prevent blood spurting from the wound. After the blood draw, the medical assistant will then cover the wound with a clean piece of gauze and skin-safe paper or plastic tape.

Medical assistant may need to perform other types of testing. This may include fecal test samples, urine samples, heel sticks for babies or finger sticks. Phlebotomy is often misunderstood as just being about drawing blood, but there are dozens of other tests that the medical assistant will be responsible for performing, especially if their role as phlebotomist is coupled with being a medical assistant.

Skills Needed to Perform Phlebotomy as a Medical Assistant

While there are many professionals who specifically work as phlebotomists, being a medical assistant and a phlebotomist opens up more career opportunities. The medical assistant will need proper training to effectively and safely draw blood from potential patients. In some cases, a medical assistant may learn “on the job” on how to properly draw blood and perform other medical tests.

Most phlebotomist courses take less than a year and they prepare the medical assistant for a career as a phlebotomist and medical assistant. In classes, the student will learn what tests are needed, how to perform them and safety precautions to take to protect themselves and their patients. These skills will come in handy while the medical assistant is on the job. Patients will thank the phlebotomist for being a skilled professional who is able to find their veins, collect the blood samples needed and perform the proper testing to ensure their health and overall wellness.

Final Thoughts

If you are interested in becoming a medical assistant and want to learn how to draw blood, consider that it takes less than a year to graduate from a vocational school. You can gain a career and start earning quickly. With the current pandemic and growth of the Baby Boomer generation, medical assistants and phlebotomist will be needed in the coming decade. Get ready to help your patients stay healthy and stand on the front lines of healthcare.

Did learning about a medical assistant’s role in phlebotomy interest you? Ready to become a medical assistant? Gwinnett Colleges & Institute offers medical assisting courses to gain essential skills and training. The core curriculum focuses on the medical assisting skills and training you will need to seek entry-level employment in physicians’ offices, clinics, hospitals, and other medical settings needing the services of associates trained in both front and back office medical assisting skills. These medical assisting courses will be the first step in starting a rewarding career.

 

Automated Machines Helping Medical Assistants

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Today, automated machines in healthcare are relieving medical assistants from routine tasks, which frequently demand time away from more urgent responsibilities. In addition, these machines make healthcare procedures less costly and safer for the patient. They can even perform surgery in tiny spots and transport hazardous substances.

Automated Machines Helping Medical Assistants

Automated machines perform a variety of tasks designed to help medical assistants rather than replace them. They can monitor patient vital statistics and call for medical assistants when there is a need for them in the room. This allows automated machines to monitor several patients at one time, in a safe manner. These machine assistants can automatically enter data into a patient’s electronic health record, and automated carts can move about hospital corridors to deliver supplies. This gives medical assistants more time to focus on the patient.

Innovative Technology to Improve Personal Care

Intelligent machine technology exists in many areas directly impacting patient care. In many healthcare facilities, these machines are now cleaning and disinfecting operating suites and patient rooms. This reduces the risks of infections for both the patients and healthcare providers.

In addition, automated machines are in laboratories to take samples and then deliver, analyze and record the results. From the patient’s perspective, this is good news. The automated lab assistant can typically find a vein and draw the sample with a minimum of pain, which is especially important to a patient who has had a poor experience in the past.

Automated machines can organize and dispense medications in the pharmacy, and in some healthcare facilities, automated carts deliver meals and bed linens from floor to floor. They are riding in the elevators and navigating the automatic doors. Medical assistants may also have help from machines that performs physical therapy for paraplegics.

Healthcare Automated Machines with Creative Designs

These automated machines are being created to look friendly, and their manufacturers have made this a priority along with efficient operation. Some of these machines will respond to human speech through the use of natural language processing software. Some machines don’t look humanoid at all by design, and some do have a humanoid appearance. The latter are frequently designed to assist with personal care, training, and socialization. Manufacturers have even designed machines that look like an accident victim to train emergency personnel in trauma treatment techniques. The automated machine can scream, bleed, and respond to various treatments. Think crash test dummies with sophisticated software.

Not Replacing Human Medical Assistants

These advancements do not mean that human medical assistants are no longer needed. That is simply not true. Instead, automated machines are freeing medical assistants from tedious work in order to have more time on truly caring for the patients and focusing on their needs.

For some, the technology is still quite expensive. Smaller healthcare facilities may not have the capital to spend on this technology. In fact, many are not single machines but are systems. Automated guided vehicles need floor tracks and hall space devoted to the system, and navigation devices must be installed throughout the healthcare facility. Some carts operate with a laser-drawn map of the facility programmed into their software to help them navigate the elevators, automatic doors, and hallways. This can be expensive as an upfront cost. Ultimately, automated medical assistants will never replace the need for human contact.

While the technology is costly, and some ideas are years from fruition, automated medical machines are transforming the healthcare world in exciting ways and will continue to do so for years to come.

Did learning about automated machines helping medical assistants interest you? Ready to become a medical assistant? Gwinnett Colleges & Institute offers medical assisting courses to gain essential skills and training. The core curriculum focuses on the medical assisting skills and training you will need to seek entry-level employment in physicians’ offices, clinics, hospitals, and other medical settings needing the services of associates trained in both front and back office medical assisting skills. These medical assisting courses will be the first step in starting a rewarding career.

 

The LPNs Role in Improving the Quality of Care for Patients

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Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) are important members of the healthcare team in both acute-care hospitals and long-term facilities. In both areas they may work with RNs and nursing assistants, while in long-term facilities they may also assume leadership roles. No matter where they practice LPNs can have a big impact on the quality of care patients receive.

LPN Practice

Each state governs the practice of nursing and determines the scope of practice for LPNs. In all states, however, the role of the LPN is typically that of a bedside nurse. However, in long-term facilities, many LPNs are shift or team leaders, supervising the practice of the nursing assistants who perform direct caregiving. LPNs are not considered an independent practitioner and must work under the supervision of a physician or RN. Most LPNs work in long-term facilities, followed by hospitals, doctors’ offices and home health. One way an LPN can help ensure and improve the quality in the work setting is to be thoroughly familiar with what the scope of practice is at the medical facility. This helps ensure the LPN will only perform tasks for which they are properly trained.

Individual Practice

Holding oneself to a high standard of practice has a big impact on quality. This begins with getting the most out of one’s education and taking every possible opportunity to learn more. As with any technical skill, nursing takes practice. Long hours in the lab translate into skillful patient care at the bedside. An LPN can ask experienced nurses to teach you, or they can volunteer for the difficult assignments. At the end of the shift, an LPN should spend a few minutes thinking of what they might have done differently to be better at their work.

Supervision

In long-term care, LPNs often have supervisory responsibilities. In addition to overseeing the work of nursing assistants and other LPNs, supervision means building a cohesive team. These are skills not usually taught in nursing school. Attend continuing education courses and spend time observing other supervising nurses to learn the skills you need. As a supervisor, they do less of the work themselves. This means they need to be able to work through others by using influence, teaching, being a good role model and occasionally through disciplinary action.

Team Work

No one in the nursing field works alone, especially in long term care. Building good relationships with other nurses and medical staff such as physical therapists, respiratory therapists and lab techs improves team work. Doctors who berate a night nurse for calling with a valid concern are less likely to get another call even when the patient is deteriorating. However, good teamwork improves communication and quality.

Improving Systems

No matter how high the level of the practice, the LPN works within a system. They need to pay attention to possibilities for improvement. Bring ideas and changes to the attention of the supervisor and ask for more supplies that will help patients. A minor expense can result in quicker recovery, prevent patient complications like blood clots and pneumonia, and help prevent injury to patients and staff alike.

Quality Assurance

All health care organizations have quality goals. These vary from preventing medication errors to outcomes including control of blood sugars in diabetic patients. An LPN should educate themselves on the organization’s goals. In many cases, achieving these goals means the organization saves money, is rewarded by insurance companies or Medicare and Medicaid. Many organizations share bonuses with staff as an incentive to improve care. When the LPN and their fellow staff members participate in quality initiatives, everyone can benefit.

Teaching Other Staff

Healthcare is a system that changes constantly. New medications, new techniques and new equipment show up all the time. Quality care means that everyone has to be taught about how to use these new things. As an LPN in a supervisory role, teaching new staff and long-term workers is one of their responsibilities. Set up an in-service for new equipment and give people some hands-on experience. Develop a poster or flyer on new medications or techniques. Offer a small incentive like a home-baked cake for the winner of a quiz on new procedures. During the work day, be on the alert for opportunities to teach coworkers better techniques, explain complicated procedures or answer questions.

Mentoring New Graduates

All new graduates benefit from a mentor. Nursing research indicates that the process from novice to expert nurse takes about five years. A new graduate needs teaching, support and help to improve their practice. Explain procedures, allowing plenty of time for questions. Supervise the new graduate in the performance of basic tasks until both of you feel confident of correct performance. Don’t forget emotional support. The new graduate may be fresh out of school who has never worked in the healthcare field. Nursing is an emotionally demanding job and an LPN’s colleague needs to talk through the feelings of losing a patient, having to cause pain with a dressing change and similar experiences.

Becoming an Expert

Because the healthcare system is so complex, no one can know or teach it all. We can all learn from expert practitioners. Perhaps an LPN is particularly skillful at certain psycho-motor tasks like starting an intravenous line. The LPN should share their knowledge with others through volunteering to do an in-service or working with a new nurse to perform tasks in which they have experience and expertise. Perhaps they had a sibling with a chronic disease, their insight on family dynamics can be helpful to their colleagues, especially new graduates. Team up with another nurse to role play handling a difficult patient.

Learn from Mistakes

There is no such thing as a nurse who has never made a mistake. Rather than berating oneself, the LPN should examine what happened and consider what they can do differently to prevent the same or a similar mistake in the future, it’s a teaching moment. One organization looking at medication errors discovered that the most common reason for their occurrence was interruptions. Nurses who made errors were more likely to go on from the point at which they were interrupted instead of starting over and re-checking the basics of the “five rights” – the right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right route and the right time.

Final Thoughts

Quality in the nursing field doesn’t just happen. It takes time, attention, proper teaching, practice, constant learning and team effort. The strategies outlined above can help an LPN improve their own practice and help teach or lead their team mates to do the same.

Did learning about the role of an LPN in improving the quality care for patients? Are you ready to become a licensed practical nurse? Gwinnett Institute in Orlando offers a Practical Nursing diploma program that trains LPN students for positions delivering basic bedside care to patients.  The Practical Nursing diploma program provides the didactic and skills training needed to take the NCLEX-PN examination.*  

*While Gwinnett Institute provides test preparation and review assistance to college students, it cannot guarantee any college student will be able to take or pass any type of licensure exam.  College students must be mindful throughout their entire school training program that licensure is a required pre-requisite for employment as a nurse and to diligently prepare themselves to meet this important requirement.

Contact us today to learn more about becoming a license practical nurse at Gwinnett College.

 

Surprising Career Options for People with an LPN Diploma

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Students who pursue LPN careers carve out dependable career paths for themselves, since there is such a great need for nurses throughout healthcare. People who choose to get their LPN diploma may end up working in a more traditional setting like a hospital or doctor’s office. However, nurses may end up finding interesting careers in other places, and some of them are unexpected or surprising. Anyone with an LPN diploma who wants to pursue a non-traditional career path may end up working as a forensic nurse, insurance industry nurse, nursing writer, theme park nurse or travel nurse.

Career #1: Forensic Nursing

Students who have LPN diplomas but also an interest in a criminal justice career and the law may want to look into a career in forensic nursing. Forensic nurses help people who have been harmed by violent crime, and they also do the critical job of collecting biological or physiological evidence from victims. In addition to working with people who survived crimes, forensic nurses may also work alongside coroners to determine a crime victim’s cause of death. Forensic nursing may be a great career path for anyone who wants to help pursue justice, while also providing healthcare and support.

Career #2: Insurance Industry Nurse

Insurance companies may employ nurses to offer their specialized knowledge of the human body and the healthcare industry. Insurance nurses can work as analysts that offer recommendations for benefits packages for insurance policy holders. LPNs in an insurance agency may also work alongside case managers to determine what healthcare services an insured person should receive. Alternatively, LPNs can provide physicals for policyholders or potential policy holders, so an insurer can determine their health or physical condition.

Career #3: Nursing Writer

People who have expert writing skills and an LPN diploma may be able to make their living as writers, rather than LPNs. Nursing writers can offer their services, freelance, to magazines, publishers, newspapers, and a wide range of publications that need someone with nursing experience to craft content.

An LPN can also work specifically for a doctor’s office or medical company in order to craft well-written and accurate text for marketing or promotional materials.

Nursing writers who are more interested in an entertainment industry career may be able to provide their services to screenwriters who are writing medical television shows or films. Script writers can rely on LPNs to provide information to make scenes more accurate or believable.

Career #4: Theme Park Nurse

Theme park nurses provide traditional nursing services, but they do it in a non-traditional setting: a theme park. Theme park nurses spend their days working at a large theme park (like Universal Studios or Walt Disney World). Then, they provide healthcare assistance to visitors who feel ill or get injured. Nurses can stay in a theme park medical office, or they can venture out to park attractions to help visitors who need medical care onsite.

Career #5: Travel Nurses

Travel nurses work both in the United States and across the world as international nursing staff. Travel nurses can work anywhere from one month to 13 weeks in a hospital or medical clinic and be overseas on a yearly basis. Travel nurses work through nursing agencies to supplement nursing in areas where there are shortages, administering medication, assessing patient conditions, planning treatment, and acting as a liaison between patients and other medical staff.

Hospitals and clinics may have difficulty keeping skilled nurses, need for temporary staff for expected leave of absence for their regular staff, holiday population increases, and simply because there are not enough qualified nurses available.

There are many benefits to travel nursing. You have the flexibility to pick and choose your assignment, pay is good, and you may be eligible for tax free employment.

A travel nurse has flexibility. A travel nurse may be able to choose between multiple offers, the location of the assignment, the specialty they want to work with and the length of time of their travel contract. Most travel nurse assignments last 13 weeks, so your commitment is minimal. If you do like your job and location, many nurses are offered extensions at the end of their assignment. Travel nurses are generally paid well, can get stipends for housing and travel, and can receive full health benefits.

The government will allow nurses to earn tax free money as long as their place of employment is far enough away that they have to stay overnight prior to returning home. In order to obtain tax free stipends, they must maintain a “tax home.”There is a specific form that they will have to fill out prior to signing on with their travel nursing agency stating that they do in fact have a tax home.

Students who study nursing can provide healthcare in a variety of settings. They may choose to hold a traditional position working with patients and assisting doctors. However, they can also end up pursuing a career path that requires knowledge of nursing skills, but that’s more unexpected, which can be fulfilling and fun.

Did learning about the surprising career options for people with an LPN diploma? Are you ready to become a licensed practical nurse? Gwinnett Institute in Orlando offers a Practical Nursing diploma program that trains LPN students for positions delivering basic bedside care to patients.  The Practical Nursing diploma program provides the didactic and skills training needed to take the NCLEX-PN examination.*  

*While Gwinnett Institute provides test preparation and review assistance to college students, it cannot guarantee any college student will be able to take or pass any type of licensure exam.  College students must be mindful throughout their entire school training program that licensure is a required pre-requisite for employment as a nurse and to diligently prepare themselves to meet this important requirement.

Contact us today to learn more about becoming a license practical nurse at Gwinnett College.

 

Clinical Document Improvement (CDI) Trends in Medical Coding

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Interested in becoming a medical billing and coding specialist? An area that a medical billing and coding specialist must work with other medical professionals to improve accuracy is clinical documentation and medical coding. Both of these elements of a medical billing and coding specialist’s job are increasingly important to health care providers as they work hard to remain sustainable and competitive in the world of medicine.

But first, what is clinical documentation improvement? What are the problems plaguing clinical documentation? Finally, what are the advancements and technology that will help improve clinical documentation and medical coding accuracy.

What is Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI)?

A program that helps to incorporate the terminology needed for a medical billing and coding specialist to accurately translate a patient’s condition into precise medical code. Through medical record review, the medical coding professional will capture important clinician documentation while the patient is in the medical facility.  The request is then sent to a clinician for clarification and additional documentation to assign the proper medical code.

Problems Plaguing Clinical Documentation

The first problem that affects clinical documentation accuracy is incomplete or inaccurate documentation. If the incorrect medical code is assigned to a patient’s treatment, diagnosis or procedure, the billing is incorrect. This may cause patients overbilling costs or the medical facility incorrect reimbursement. With the help of clinical documentation improvement, errors and mis-coding can be caught early which leads to higher quality care and accurate reimbursement.

The next problem for accurate clinical documentation is physician query fatigue. Precise medical coding places unnecessary demand on physician’s time. Giving the physician a central platform to input medical coding can improve query fatigue.

The final problem that affects the accuracy of clinical documentation is that medical coders, medical professionals and clinical documentation specialists may be located in different locations so collaboration may be difficult. A single platform reduces the amount of cross-input and errors that will occur with multiple platforms for medical coding and clinical documentation.

Without absolute accuracy in clinical documentation and medical coding, health care providers cannot receive the correct reimbursement, which can cause a negative impact on profitability and ultimately patient care. With this in mind, trends in medical coding queries and CDI will integrate mobile technology and offer solutions that aim to improve accuracy for better outcomes. These solutions will be for both physicians and hospitals. Here are a few trends to watch in 2018 and into 2019. They include advancements in new technology, improvements in value-based purchasing, physician support, and consumer access to data.

Advancements in CDI from New Technology

New developments in technology will continue to create innovations within the healthcare industry. Some of these innovations will be centered around the process of CDI physician queries. These queries are important to keeping accurate documentation of care. The improvements will simplify the query process. At the same time, they will significantly decrease the time medical billing and coding specialists spend on follow ups with physicians to double-check query answers. Hospitals without an adequate number of CDI specialists stand to benefit a lot from this trend. As medical billing and coding specialists spend less time on query follow-ups, their overall productivity will increase.

Value-Based Purchasing Will Become More Efficient

Medicare has instituted the Medicare Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program, which aims to promote greater efficiency in hospitals by basing payments on the quality of care provided to patients. The program adjusts payments to healthcare providers through the CMS Inpatient Prospective Payment System.

This reimbursement program makes it absolutely critical for hospitals to continually improve coding accuracy. This will help ensure that physician documentation results in proper payments from Medicare.

Physician Support Will Improve with CDI

It is no secret that physicians report a high level of burnout. The most recent surveys show that more than half of doctors report having recurring or continuing feelings of burnout.

Because of this alarming trend, the healthcare industry is working hard to address physician burnout. In fact, the Stanford University School of Medicine joined with the Rochester, Minnesota based Mayo Clinic and the American Medical Association to present the American Conference on Physician Health. The innovative conference focused on methods that industry organizations can adopt to help lessen physician burnout and increase physician well-being.

What does medical coding and CDI have to do with this? Advancements in technology will help healthcare providers complete coding queries with greater speed and efficiency. Physicians are demanding better solutions. Technology will answer those demands with programs that make that aspect of their jobs easier rather than harder.

Greater Consumer Access to Data on Quality of Care with CDI

Big data is creating an industry in which healthcare consumers can research provider quality scores with ease from a variety of reporting sources, such as Leapfrog and Healthgrades.

Because these scoring services utilize a provider’s coded data, any inaccuracies in medical coding can result in lower rankings. Providers will become more concerned of this relationship between medical coding and consumer awareness. Physicians and hospitals will work to ensure their public reputation is protected and their quality of service is properly reflected.

Accurate medical coding and CDI are foundational to improvements in many areas of healthcare. The overall industry, physicians, and patients all rely on data for better decision-making and outcomes. These trends will drive progress and enhancements in medical coding.

Did learning clinical document improvement trends interest you in becoming a medical billing and coding specialist? Gwinnett Colleges & Institute’s Medical Billing and Coding programs will provide you with the opportunity to learn insurance coding and processing, medical administrative procedures, and the regulatory requirements in the healthcare delivery system.  School externships provide the opportunity to apply the medical billing and coding skills learned in the classroom in actual medical settings. Gwinnett Colleges & Institute offers medical billing & coding courses to gain essential skills and training to achieve entry-level positions in this career field. These medical billing & coding courses will be the first step in starting a rewarding career.

Contact us to learn more about how you can become a medical billing and coding assistant today.

 

How to Make a Difference as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

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Licensed practical nurses provide primary nursing care to their patients. They work under the guidance and authority of nurses and doctors. The LPN wants to make a difference in the lives of the patients. They promote the patient’s well-being and optimum health by preventing diseases, easing pain and promoting health.

To give their best when it comes to work, the LPN collaborates with other members of the healthcare team to ensure safety and good outcomes of their patient’s health. They also teach their patients how to promote their good health and how to take care of themselves. They guide the patients on the road to good health. The licensed practical nurse understands that communication and engagement with the patients is vital in giving the right diagnosis and having a good relationship with them. This enables the LPN to connect and communicate effectively by working to achieve the patient’s optimum health.

There is a lack of well-trained LPNs in the healthcare industry. There is a lot to opportunity to make the health care system run efficient and smoothly. An LPN spends the most time with the patient than any other health practitioner. As a result, maximum responsibility and care must be observed when a nurse is handling multiple patients.

How to Make a Difference

The best ways to make a difference for the LPN to have the right mindset, be committed to the patient, properly communicate, be empathetic, treat patients with dignity and respect, treat patients as individuals, show compassion, regularly check on the patients, and keep supplies close.

Having the right mindset

Taking care of patients requires the right mindset. There are many patients going through difficult times with their health and can at times be rude and negative. A licensed practical nurse must have a positive attitude and the right mindset to ensure that their work is done effectively. They should encourage and help their patients to regain their optimum health. The LPN must make it a priority to have the correct mindset to make sure patients are treated properly.

Commitment

Being committed to one’s job will ensure that the quality of health thrives. Focusing attention on issues of overuse, misuse, and underuse will help the LPN stay alert. With commitment, the licensed practical nurse will ensure that the patient is satisfied and always healthy and safe. Committing to one’s job is the only way to improve the quality of health for patients. When an LPN is not paying close attention to detail, poor health care is given.

Communication is Crucial

When taking care of your patients, the LPN must create an open line of communication between themselves and the patient. The patient must be able to express how they feel so the LPN can give them the proper care. The LPN must enable the patient to be heard and give them time to speak their mind, responding to questions. It is crucial to communicate properly with the patient to provide the optimum care.

Being Empathetic

The LPN must put themselves in the patient’s situations in order to understand how they feel. Being empathic will allow the LPN to handle patients with care and support them as they try to make steps to improve their health.

Treating Patient with Dignity and Respect

An LPN should not make the patient feel like they are a burden. They should feel comfortable and respected in any situation. The licensed practical nurse should not discriminate based on culture, color or religion. They should be comfortable with any human diversity and focus only on wellness.

Treating the Patient as an Individual

Patients are human beings first and sickness doesn’t define them. The LPN shouldn’t refer to them as sick or unwell. An LPN should call them by their name and not refer to them as a diagnosis or a number. This will help their patients feel cared for and important.

Showing Compassion

Compassion helps an LPN reach out and help people however they are struggling. Showing compassion to their patients will help the them relax and forget their anxiety and fear. The patient will maintain a calm presence when the LPN offers compassion and love. As an LPN, when you show that you genuinely care, it helps alleviate the patient’s stress levels and helps them focus on improving their health.

Regularly Check on Patients

Patients feel better when a nurse checks on them consistently. This enhances the patient’s trust levels with the LPN. When an LPN is doing rounds, they must check on all patients, listen to their concerns and show compassion.

Keep Supplies Close

Keep supplies close to the patients and restock the supplies regularly. It is usually frustrating when a nurse must stop what they are doing and go get supplies. It is advisable that all supplies are in the room to make things easier and less stressful for everyone.

Becoming a licensed practical nurse requires a person with compassion and kindness. If the LPN does not have these qualities, the quality of improving health care doesn’t reach its potential. An LPN must be open-minded and positive. It is the only way to ensure that their patients are comfortable in sharing confidential information freely and giving the LPN their full trust. To ensure that the patient’s health is optimum, the LPN needs to monitor the patient’s health and keep them updated on diagnosis and treatments.

Nurses must also teach their patients what their health conditions mean and how to regulate and stabilize their health. They should always be available to cater to the needs of their patients. It is vital that whenever the patient requires the LPN, they are available to solve any issue and help the patient on the road to recovery. The LPN should also administer medication, schedule and confirm medical appointments, provide basic bed care, record the details of the patient diagnosis, treatment and medical history, dress wounds, and collect samples as needed. Improving the quality of health care should be a priority for all nurses.

Did learning about how a licensed practical nurse can make a difference? Are you ready to become a licensed practical nurse? Gwinnett Institute in Orlando offers a Practical Nursing diploma program that trains LPN students for positions delivering basic bedside care to patients.  The Practical Nursing diploma program provides the didactic and skills training needed to take the NCLEX-PN examination.*  

*While Gwinnett Institute provides test preparation and review assistance to college students, it cannot guarantee any college student will be able to take or pass any type of licensure exam.  College students must be mindful throughout their entire school training program that licensure is a required pre-requisite for employment as a nurse and to diligently prepare themselves to meet this important requirement.

Contact us today to learn more about becoming a license practical nurse at Gwinnett College.

 

Using Structured Reflection to Learn from Experience: An LPN Guide

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Nursing and the clinical world are full of learning experiences. Although licensed practical nurses (LPN)s undertake formal training and keep skills updated through courses, there is so much more to learning and development. With a wealth of experience to learn from one of the best ways for LPNs to be able to develop in the workplace is to use structured reflection and this article explores how it works.

What is Structured Reflection?

Reflection is a conscious action where someone considers something that either had a positive or challenging action, and if appropriate, how it might be improved or done differently in future. There are several structured models to work through which guide an LPN through a series of actions to consider how they have learned from an incident in clinical practice. Some LPNs can do this alone, whereas others wok in a facilitated group where they challenge and support each other.

What Does Reflection Do?

Reflection enables an LPN to delve deeper into a scenario to think about what they have learned about in a structured manner, so they can move on and develop. Some of the things that structured reflection allow to happen include:

  • Constructive criticism of how someone works with colleagues
  • Study their own decision-making processes
  • Identify learning needs
  • Face problematic episodes
  • Analyze difficulties and identify gaps in learning

Models of Reflection

There are several theoretical models of reflection which enable an LPN to work systematically through a scenario using a structured framework. These models help the LPN to explore the emotions and feelings, and to consider their learning points. The model developed by Christopher Johns uses a framework set around the esthetics, personal feelings, and reflexivity using Carper’s Knowledge pattern. By asking a series of cues or questions to explore how a nurse feels about a situation, the issue can be explored and produce some constructive learning outcomes.

Gibbs also developed a reflective model used in nursing. With a cycle of questions, Gibbs was able to demonstrate how to reflect from issues in practice. This model is commonly used in nursing but does not have the depth of questioning used in the Johns model.

Types of Reflection

There are several scenarios when an LPN can find themselves reflecting on practice. Johns developed a framework identifying the types of reflection with associated behaviors. Reflection on experience is the situation where an LPN reflects on something after the event with the intention of drawing on insights to move forward. The reflection in action scenario is when someone pauses in a specific situation, so they can reframe the issue and move forward. Another scenario is an internal supervisor, describing how an LPN thinks to themselves when in conversation with others in order to make sense of a situation.

Reflection within the moment is the sense of being aware of what the person is thinking as they reflect. It enables some space to think about what to do next. Finally, mindful practice is the sense of being aware of self and what desirable practice is about. All of these types of reflection are forms used by an LPN but the one used most in the structured reflection situation is reflecting on experience.

How to Reflect on a Scenario

If an LPN is planning to reflect on a scenario, this can be done alone or with a colleague. It is best to find some quiet space where the session is unlikely to be disturbed or overheard as this enables the issue to be explored in depth and in a timely way without feeling rushed. The first stage is telling the story of what happened. This is an outline of the issue, so it can be explored further. Working on this in a structured way the next question to ask is what the person was thinking or feeling at the time. Using open ended questions is very important so that thoughts on an event can be more readily explored.

Asking how the person can make sense of the scenario is the next stage in a reflective cycle. This explores their understanding of the context. Analyzing it requires some thoughtful questioning. Exploring what would have happened if someone had not been there or what would have occurred if something had gone unnoticed are just two types of questions that could be asked at this point. Finding out what could be done differently if this situation arose again is vital. This indicates how a person has learned and moved on from the original scenario.

It is important to journal reflective incidents and keep them in a professional development folder. Scenarios such as dealing with something difficult are common interview questions and having an example in hand is good preparation. It also demonstrates continuous learning from clinical practice.

Reflection done in a structured way is an excellent way for an LPN to learn from experience. By exploring the issue, they are able to find ways of learning and moving forward with a particular scenario, so it is done more effectively the next time.

Did learning about structured reflection to learn from experience interest you? Are you ready to become a licensed practical nurse? Gwinnett Institute in Orlando offers a Practical Nursing diploma program that trains LPN students for positions delivering basic bedside care to patients.  The Practical Nursing diploma program provides the didactic and skills training needed to take the NCLEX-PN examination.*  

*While Gwinnett Institute provides test preparation and review assistance to college students, it cannot guarantee any college student will be able to take or pass any type of licensure exam.  College students must be mindful throughout their entire school training program that licensure is a required pre-requisite for employment as a nurse and to diligently prepare themselves to meet this important requirement.

Contact us today to learn more about becoming a license practical nurse at Gwinnett College.

 

How Licensed Practical Nurses Can Implement Change in Their Department

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Healthcare is an ever-changing industry. Many procedures that were once commonplace are now obsolete. Some changes require organizations to work collaboratively and are very complex. There are, however, lots of other changes in practice that make a big difference to patients that licensed practical nurses can do within a clinical team. Here’s how to make a change in a department.

Review the Idea

One of the first things to do when planning a change is to check out the evidence for it. This includes reviewing any research studies and whether any other clinical teams have done it previously. If another hospital has changed the same thing such as the type of dressing used on a surgical ward, the licensed practical nurse should check out how they did it and review their results. It also builds networks and connections in other areas to share good practice with other medical professionals.

Get Permission

If a licensed practical nurse is planning a change in a department they need to get permission. There are many policies and guidelines for medical professionals, and the licensed practical nurse will want to abide by them. It is vital to approach the departmental head to get permission but to also check whether any other approval is needed.

Communicate

When making a change in a clinical department it is very important the medical team is informed and engaged. If they are expected to do something different, the sooner they are aware of the project the better. The licensed practical nurse can inform the team at a department meeting and also provide regular updates. This also gives the opportunity for other medical staff to offer feedback on the project and processes which can be helpful. When medical staff are well informed about a change and have the opportunity to get involved, they are more likely to be supportive and help implement the idea.

Plan, Do, Study, Act

One of the fundamental aspects of quality improvement changes is the change cycle itself. The Plan-Do-Study-Act Model, proposed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, is commonly used in healthcare. This model is designed to give structure to the process. Planning is the first stage. During the planning stage the project is set up, key metrics are agreed upon to measure a difference, and the actual change itself is defined. The licensed practical nurse needs to be focused on a goal. For example, a licensed practical nurse is interested in discharging some people one day earlier from the hospital than current practice. The planning stage will include identifying criteria to select patients, communicating the change, and deciding how a change will be measured. The goal can be the number of patients discharged from the hospital successfully a day earlier than usual.

The next stage is “Do” where the change is tested. An agreed time-period is defined when the change will be piloted. This could see all adults under 65 having a specific type of surgery sent home a day earlier.

“Study” involves reviewing the data and results of the pilot study. This will look at whether the change was successful and whether anything needs to change and be retested. In the example, adult patients under 65 being sent home a day earlier following surgery. Studying the results would include seeing whether any of the patients had problems or were readmitted to the hospital. It may be that everything was fine and there were no issues. In this case the change can continue to be implemented and monitored. But what if there was a problem, such as those living alone who found going home a day earlier problematic? This would require a further change of the plan to address this issue.

The project then moves to the “Act”stage. If a new change like excluding people who live alone from the early discharge criteria needs to be trialed then the cycle starts again, adjusting the project to accommodate for a new test. If it looks as though it is successful with no problems, then it can continue to be implemented. New projects need to continue to be monitored for issues. The longer the project continues the more data will be collected, enabling the licensed practical nurse to see the difference the change has made. A final decision will be made to close the project, embedding the change into mainstream work.

Share Practice

If the change is a success, then it should be shared with others medical professionals that are considering similar changes. This can be done within a hospital or clinic as the change may be transferable to other clinical specialties. Another way of sharing practice is to submit a poster or oral presentation to a relevant conference where the innovation can be presented to a wider audience. Licensed practical nurses should also consider publishing their project in a peer reviewed journal. This shares good practice and is also an example of good professional development for the licensed practical nurse.

Sharing practice goes further than the actual change and subject. It is also important for the licensed practical nurse to reflect on what went well and what could be done in a different way on another project. This will help implement innovation more successfully in the future.

In healthcare, change is a continuous process. By using a structured change method, licensed practical nurses can implement innovative changes into their departments which have beneficial outcomes for patients and their families.

Did learning about change interest you? Are you ready to become a licensed practical nurse? Gwinnett Institute in Orlando offers a Practical Nursing diploma program that trains LPN students for positions delivering basic bedside care to patients.  The Practical Nursing diploma program provides the didactic and skills training needed to take the NCLEX-PN examination.*  

*While Gwinnett Institute provides test preparation and review assistance to college students, it cannot guarantee any college student will be able to take or pass any type of licensure exam.  College students must be mindful throughout their entire school training program that licensure is a required pre-requisite for employment as a nurse and to diligently prepare themselves to meet this important requirement.

Contact us today to learn more about becoming a license practical nurse at Gwinnett College.

How Predictive Analytics is Transforming the Legal Industry

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Are you interested in the law and working with big data? The demand for paralegals is growing, even with the introduction of predictive analytics into the legal industry. A paralegal’s job is demanding, and predictive analytics only helps the paralegal do and manage more. This makes them even more valuable in the legal industry.

One crucial challenge facing the legal industry is the vast amount of data generated on a daily basis. This is true for many areas of the legal industry including legal research, answering initial questions about litigation, assisting with discovery, outlining a strategy, or performing a multitude of other tasks that paralegals and legal assistants perform every day. How can the average paralegal or legal assistant extract useful insight from all this data? Can predictive analytics help the legal team decide whether to litigate a case or settle? Not only will legal predictive analytics tell a legal team what the win-rate of outside attorneys is, but it will shed light on what forms and motions they used to win the case. Is this attorney unbeatable or do they just have a good work ethic?

Predictive analytics is a discipline that has grown alongside the exponential growth of data in the digital world. Now the legal industry is making use of this type of analysis to improve overall efficiency and accuracy. Software comes with language-based technologies that easily scan, read, and synthesize written documents. With these documents, predictive analytics can use statistical techniques to glean future events from data mining, predictive modeling and machine learning. With this capability, predictive analytics is making an impact in the legal industry and answering many questions that legal teams need answers to.

What are the Different Legal Predictive Analytics Techniques?

Data Mining – the discovery of patterns, abnormalities and correlations in large amounts of data to generate new legal strategies and predict case outcomes.

Predictive Modeling – the use of statistics to predict outcomes. Predictors are identified that are to influence future case law or legal judgements.

Machine Learning – uses statistical techniques to teach computer systems with data. Information is gleaned from these statistics rather than programmed.

Easier Access to Accurate Research and Data

Millions of legal documents are being added to digital repositories every day, and the platforms are designed to process this digital data at very high speeds. In addition, the data must be enriched in order to extract additional relevant insights. Document meta-data enrichment and advanced data parsing technology takes raw data and transforms it into insights relevant to legal questions. By understanding this process, paralegals and legal assistants can perform even more accurate, efficient research in support of legal strategies.

The Power of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

While still new to the legal industry, machine learning, and AI are making a considerable impact on the legal industry. AI is technology that enables a machine to carry out tasks associated with human decision making. Machine learning is a subset of this technology. It enables the machine to process large quantities of data and learn from that data, essentially becoming smarter over time.

Empowering Paralegals and Legal Assistants

Rather than replacing paralegals and legal assistants, this technology will empower them to be even greater support to attorneys. Robot lawyers will not exist, nor will robot paralegals. However, the predictive analytic technology will perform the repetitive, tedious tasks necessary for thoroughly preparing for legal matters. It will also answer many lingering questions that a legal team may have at the beginning of a case. For example, how much in fees should the legal team charge the client? It will not replace the subtle, sophisticated judgment necessary for the administration of justice.

What types of statistical techniques are used in predictive analysis? The legal industry is using a variety of models including regression analytics, time series modeling, and graph analysis modeling.

Regression Analytics – which is a statistical technique to estimate the relationships between and among variables. These may include dependent and independent variables. This is especially important in establishing a causal relationship between such things as a defendant’s alleged offense and determining the plaintiff’s damages.

Time Series Modeling – which indexes a series of data points in chronological order. Typically, the data points will be spaced equally to predict cycles or patterns. One application area is financial lending law.

Graph Analytics – which is also known as network analysis, is being adopted to help identify financial crimes, detecting fraud, and conducting research.

Legal Predictive Analytics

Data analytics is providing real value and utility to the legal industry by enabling users to make better decisions in a variety of legal areas such as copyright, trademark law, antitrust, securities, and other types of litigation.

Data analytics empowers innovative legal insights through mining data sets built out of case opinions, legislation, docket data, and other areas. The insights promise to improve conclusions drawn by legal counsel, judges, and other stakeholders in the legal industry.

This is an exciting time for paralegals and legal assistants. Predictive analytics will empower them to be highly indispensable members of any legal team.

Did learning about predictive analytics and the legal industry interest you? Ready to become part of a legal team as a paralegal or legal assistant? The Gwinnett College diploma and degree programs in paralegal studies provides students with the theoretical and practical knowledge and the legal skills necessary to perform many paralegal functions including research, writing, investigation, and interviewing.  Paralegal studies students gain knowledge of the paralegal and legal assistant’s role in areas such as tort law, litigation, criminal law, civil law, real estate, bankruptcy, wills/trusts & estates, and domestic relations. Theoretical and practical knowledge of how a traditional legal office operates on a day-to-day basis is also included as part of the training. 

Contact us today to learn more about becoming a paralegal or legal assistant.