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Published March 20, 2013 | 
When you think about options for a career, medical field jobs are worth considering as most of them are stable and well paying. Even though many people immediately think only of doctors and nurses when they consider the medical field, there are many other available positions, including the pharmacy technician. Further understanding your role as a pharmacy technician will assist you in determining if this would be a viable career path for yourself.
What characteristics should a pharmacy technician possess?
A pharmacy technician must excel in customer service. Typically prior experience in retail is an asset for pharmacy technician positions. Technicians must be detail oriented and organized. If you meet all of these criteria and have an interest in working within the medical field, this may be a great career choice.
What duties does a pharmacy technician typically fulfill?
One of the biggest components of understanding your role as a pharmacy technician is grasping the full spectrum of duties that a technician covers on a weekly basis. Most technician positions include a combination of the following duties:
- Assisting pharmacists with dispensing medication including counting, measuring, mixing, and weighing it.
- Preparing prescription labels and packaging.
- Greeting customers and taking their prescription requests.
- Accepting payments for prescriptions and handling other money transactions.
- Interacting with customers both on the phone and in person.
- Preparing inventory reports and insurance claims.
- Entering information in customer databases.
Where can pharmacy technicians find jobs? What types of hours and shifts are available?
The majority of pharmacy technicians work in pharmacies that are housed in drug stores, grocery stores, and hospitals. Most pharmacies have both full-time and part-time positions available. As many pharmacies are open 24 hours 7 days per week, some technicians do have weekend and/or night shifts.
What schooling is required to become a pharmacy technician?
Pharmacy technicians must possess a high school diploma or a GED. The educational requirements past this point vary in different states. Some states require individuals who are interested in becoming pharmacy technicians to attend a community college or vocational school course. Typically this course lasts approximately one year and awards a student a certificate upon completion. Other states allow their pharmacy technicians to obtain certification through on-the-job training.
Published March 14, 2013 | One career that always needs talented people is the aircraft industry. No matter what the economy’s doing, people are still going to fly and this is where you come in. It’s important that you understand your role as an aviation technician and the starting point for your job is safety. This can’t be stated enough because passengers will rely on you to have a safe an enjoyable trip. This is why you’ll perform both pre-flight and post-flight checks on the aircraft. The pilots will give you input on any maintenance issues they experience in the air.
Let’s start at the beginning; you will need to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to be licensed to work on aircraft. First off you should go to the FAA’s website at http://www.faa.gov/ and look at the “Handbook for Aviation Technicians” which will outline your role as an aviation technician. Basically there are two main fields in your chosen industry and they are the “airframe” and “powerplant.” In the first category you will maintain all of the electronic systems on the aircraft as well as the hydraulic and pneumatic systems. In the second you will maintain the engines which the industry refers to as “powerplants.” Also, as an aviation technician it’s crucial that you have a thorough understanding of math because you will use it daily.
To be certified in either of these fields you need to have 18 months of practical experience in one of them or 30 hours working in both. Your best option is to go to an FAA certified school because there you will learn real-world scenarios from your instructors. Some of the instructors are ex-military and others have chosen to teach people like you after years of working on the flight line.
You have a wide choice of categories to work in as an aviation technician and it’s important you understand your role as one. You may choose to work for the airline industry, on corporate aircraft, doing aircraft restoration or through a military contracts.
But there’s one other thing you’ll enjoy as an aviation technician – excitement! You will be working on state-of-art aircraft and in some cases fly to an out-of-state job. You’ve chosen this career field because you enjoy being around aircraft and flying in them and you’ll get plenty of both as an aviation technician.
Published March 10, 2013 | If you have a great love for animals and a nurturing personality, a career as a veterinary technician might be just right for you. Understanding your role as a veterinary technician, however, will entail a bit more than just a love for animals.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Veterinary techs can be expected to perform a wide range of duties, depending on the size and type of practice, which employs them. They work under the direction of the veterinarian, and perform a variety of duties, both directly with the animals and in other capacities.
They may give medications and/or IV fluids, feed animals, and clean cages.
They may assist in surgeries and be responsible for the sterilization and maintenance of surgical tools and equipment. They may also provide dental care and cleaning for their animal patients.
Laboratory duties may include drawing blood, preparing and running samples such as urines and fecals, and accurately recording the results.
Vet techs may interact with the public by communicating with their patients’ owners and doing front desk duties such as answering phones and making appointments.
In a large animal practice, vet techs may find themselves accompanying the veterinarian to farms and ranches in all kinds of weather and times of the day or night!
WORKING CONDITIONS
Understanding your role as a veterinary technician should also include the knowledge that there are certain aspects of the job that are unpleasant, unsanitary, and even dangerous. They can also be emotionally difficult.
For instance, an injured and frightened animal is very apt to bite or scratch the person restraining or helping it. Large animals especially are very strong and able to inflict serious injuries. Cleaning cages which house sick or diseased animals can be physically strenuous or require precautions against infections. An inevitable part of a veterinary practice is the necessity to euthanize sick, aged, or diseased beloved pets, which can be doubly distressing – both the process itself and dealing with distraught owners.
EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS
If you are exploring a vet tech career, your next consideration might be employment opportunities. The good news is that this field is expected to grow as much as 52% by 2020, so job prospects are excellent, especially if you want to live in a rural area. Pay ranges around $30,000 per year, varying of course by area and experience.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Veterinary technicians must complete a 2-year Associate’s Degree program and fulfill their state’s requirements of credentialing examinations, certification, and/or licensing.
Published March 3, 2013 | There are numerous opportunities in this country for career minded individuals, and one of the most rewarding professions is in the amazing field of veterinary medicine.
If you have a love of animals, then a veterinary technician may be just the career for you. It can be a stepping-stone if you want to further your career towards being a full fledge veterinarian.
Your job as a technician is typically an assistant to the veterinary conducting clinical work in a private practice. Some of your responsibilities will include:
· Physical Examination
· Animal’s history
· Administering Medications
· Performing lab procedures
· X-rays
· Assisting in surgery
· Office management
These procedures are all performed under a licensed veterinarian.
Some of the best technical schools in the country offer veterinary technician courses including:
Miami Dade College: This course is six semesters and the graduate will earn 73 credits, which result in an Associate of Science degree. Within this course there is approximately four hundred hours of clinical exposure.
North Dakota State: This University offers a study that enables you to work with cattle, pigs horses, birds, etc, as well as laboratory animals. The topics that are available will include technical nursing, pathology, microbiology, animal diseases and will well prepare you for the veterinary technician program as well as any other NDSU major.
Mercy College – New York: This four-year baccalaureate degree leads to the title veterinary technologist. This program is fully accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association and qualifies the student to take the Veterinary Technician’s National Exam.
Purdue University – Indiana – Offers an Associate as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in this science-based program.
Of course, credentialing is something that most states require by passing a national or state exam.
So if your desire for the future is to be an everyday hero to an animal in need, then maybe the world of veterinary technician is the career for you. There are few people who are perfect for this type of vocation. It belongs to those who get great satisfaction from working, caring and helping animals when the job sometimes can be demanding, dangerous, but always rewarding.
A two-year course can bring you the fulfillment of a lifetime for you and the animal in need.
Published February 26, 2013 | Are you interested in working in the medical field, but not in direct patient care? The field of medical transcription is an excellent area to consider. Certification in medical transcription is not required- however, it will provide you with an essential edge up in finding that first position. Programs offered in the medical transcription specialist area take from one or two years to complete, depending on the level of education and potential earnings you want to attain. An Associate degree will take two years to earn, whereas, a certificate will take one year.
Understanding your role as a medical transcription specialist is an important step in assessing where in the medical field your skills and help can be an asset. As a transcriptionist your professional duties would include transferring doctors’, or other health care professionals’, audio or digital notes into a medical report. A medical transcriptionist listens to recordings and types the text, usually a foot pedal is used to control the recording speed. The transcriptionist’s skills in editing and revising are essential tools.
When you complete transcriptions, they are then submitted to the physician, or other health professional, for review and correction. Your work becomes the permanent record of operations performed, treatment recommended, and follow up required, for a few examples. Increasingly other physicians access the medical transcriptionist’s notes to further a patient’s care from their end.
Medical transcriptionists work in hospitals, offices, or telecommuting from home. Increasingly healthcare workers use digital dictation, it is then possible for medical transcriptionists to access the information on his or her home computer, transcribe the report and send it back. This could be an income enhancement career for retirees, and work-at-home moms. The hours are flexible and can be conformed to fit your schedule.
From autopsy reports, to medical histories, to academic research studies, the medical transcriptionist is relied upon for accurate record keeping. Your ability to listen carefully, use excellent English, and proficiency with computers and software programs can provide you with an essential role in the medical care field.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment rate for medical transcriptionists is currently growing. As we know the aging population in America is also growing, and due to this fact their medical care needs will be increasing. Understanding your role as a medical transcription specialist prepares you to play a compassionate professional role in their care.
Published February 20, 2013 | Before you embark on a new professional career, it’s important to understand the power and responsibilities involved. As a paramedic or EMT professional, your role is critical to the safety, survival, and long-term health of any injured or wounded person. But what does it really take?
Accidents happen at work and at play, on the road and on the front lawn, and it’s paramount that a trained professional is only phone call away, ready and willing to care for those involved. Understanding your role as a paramedic / emt is to understand how crucial your presence at the scene of an emergency may be to someone who needs attending to. You are their lifeline until they reach the hospital or other fully equipped medical facility.
Your knowledge, compassion, and ability to manage stressful situations is vital to how the injured will respond to your care. From having a good sense of reason to exhibiting a high threshold for stress, paramedics are expected to be exemplary on a number of fronts in the face of tragedy. But how do you learn how to wear so many hats?
EMT professionals are required to undertake a few years of classes that teach hopeful students about physiology, anatomy, pharmacology, and the important policies and procedures that must be adhered to in order to effectively, legally, and prudently care for the sick and injured. You must learn what it takes to contribute to life-saving techniques and skills on the road to understanding your role as a paramedic / emt.
The ability to diagnose and assess the immediate and emergent needs of the victim of an accident, illness, or other emergency is essential to a paramedic’s responsibilities. Being quick to physically, emotionally, and professionally respond to an emergency is required of all paramedics as they execute life-saving care to those who need them.
No matter the school or program you choose, it’s important to realize your commitment early on to such an important and impactful role. To be a paramedic is to contribute to the medical world. Be sure your program, workload, and career goals are aligned. Talk to other people who have taken the same career path and heed their advice as you seek to understand your future role as a paramedic / emt.