Post about "Health Care"

RN Nurses Make Up the Largest Group of Health Care Professionals

The largest group of health care professionals…and growingRN Nurses belong to the largest group of health care professionals in the US today. In 2008 there existed 2.6 million nursing jobs in the US. 60 % of this number was employed in hospitals while various smaller health care and health education facilities accounted for the rest. The nursing profession is divided into many specializations, each classified according to the branch of medicine to which they belong and the type of service that is required of the nurse.Types of Nursing CareYou may for instance have RN nurses trained especially to care for the elderly. Within this capacity, a nurse may give primary health care, nursing care, drug administration care and specialty care.Primary health care refers to the advice and services given for initial check-ups and health problems. While this form of health care is usually associated with doctors, RN nurses may also dispose of these functions within their scope of competence.Nursing care refers to overseeing the implementation of the physician’s directives. In this capacity, RN nurses may provide psychiatric care for mentally disturbed people. This category also includes caring for women in their pre-natal stage and after they give birth.RN nurses may also take care of administering drugs to patients in accordance with the prescription of the attending physician.Specialty care denotes the services rendered by nurses within their field of specialization. As such we have nurses who provide geriatric care for old people, cardiac care for people affected with heart ailments, and so on.What are the prospects for RN nurses?Because of the many areas of medical concern that nurses serve and the above-mentioned types of nursing services, the number of possible jobs for a nurse will be the number of fields of Medical Science multiplied by the number of service types. Obviously, the opportunities are ideally inexhaustible, considering that world population is growing in numbers, if not in terms of birth rate.Facts about US populationToday, the batch of people in the US between age of 46 to 65 belong to that special group called “boom babies” who were born between 1947 and 1964, immediately after World War II. This period is characterized by a high birth rate percentage, peaking at 2 % in 1950 and fluctuating down to 1.4 in 1964. Since then the birth rate has dropped to below 1 %.The “boom babies” represent a dramatic rise in the population. It is anticipated that as the people belonging to this batch age, the need for geriatric nursing care will constantly rise. If we were to consider the youngest individuals in the group (aged 45), we would expect the need for geriatric nursing care to up for the next 35 or 40 years. And considering that elderly patients may have other problems besides their old age to contend with, we should anticipate the over-all need for nurses to rise within that period.What about the Recession?The nursing profession has not remained unaffected by the economic crisis in the sense that a great number of lay-offs have been witnessed since 2007. But as a result, the number of RN nurses who are employed in hospitals is far below the population of patients that have to be attended to. Because of this current shortage, hospitals are hiring once more.Besides openings in health care institutions, RN nurses should not have difficulty finding jobs with the private sector. There are millions of people needing health care of one kind or another who would prefer to stay at home. An RN with initiative should never find himself/herself without practice.

Home Health Care Keeps Seniors Home

There are many things that seniors enjoy. They often enjoy the benefits of their life long work. They also enjoy their independence. As they age, many of their loved ones worry about their ability to stay in their home alone. Rather than give up their independence, they will investigate the options of home health care to satisfy their concerns.As seniors advance in age, they can sometimes experience age related issues. Sometimes they aren’t able to do things they used to because they don’t have the energy to do them. Families don’t like seeing their loved ones lose the ability to do things and it makes them wonder if they are able to care for themselves in a sufficient manner. Instead of seniors bowing to pressure and moving into a nursing home, they find an agency that specializes in home health care and continue to live in their home.When seniors look to find a home health care agency, they find there are many agencies that can help them. These agencies have many different services available to for them to choose from. When seniors are ready to decide, they normally will make an appointment to speak with a representative that can guide them through the process.As the agency representative meets with their prospective client, they listen to the things that are being said. It is important for them to get a clear understanding of what the client needs. When seniors are looking for a home health care professional, not only are they answering questions, they are asking many questions so they can get an understanding of the programs and benefits.Seniors are normally very honest in the things they need help with. They want to continue to live independently and to have a home health care professional work with them will ensure they are able to do so for as long as possible. These seniors have to consider many different things before they start the service.Some seniors are in very good health. They are able to live independently and care for themselves very well. They sometimes have trouble doing certain things around their home because of their age but they can still manage their household. For seniors in this situation, having a home health care professional visit once a week may be ideal. They can help with errands that need to be run, correspondence or just to check their health. Seniors enjoy the help and they don’t feel they are being intruded upon.There are other seniors that need more help from their home health care professional. Some seniors unfortunately have different medical or age related problems that interfere in their ability to care for themselves. Families worry and try to help them as much as possible but sometimes it’s not enough. For seniors in this position, they need a home health care professional to visit daily, helping with basic household chores and ensuring they are in good health. Many home care professionals also assist their clients with basic life skill activities such as bathing, brushing their teeth or even cooking.Once seniors have decided the amount of help they need, the make arrangements with the home health care agency of their choice. These agencies are familiar with the struggles many seniors face and strive to ensure they are able to continue enjoying life and good health. Their families are relieved that their loved ones are able to continue their independence but allowing a medical professional to help.