Events for Conference!

Hello! Many of you are involved in events for the HOSA competition in Great Falls on March 21-23. Below, I am giving a list of things to study! Most of you will be taking an online component for your test before we even get on the bus to go to convention. There is about a 10-day window to take this test. And our very own Counselor will be proctoring these exams. We'll let you know MORE VERY soon! :) The following is a list of students with their events:

Caitlyn: Veterinary Science
Austin: HOSA Bowl (team of 4)
Kayla: CPR/First Aid (team of 2)
Ellie: CPR/First Aid (team of 2)
Jace: HOSA Bowl (team of 4), Forensics (team of 2), Medical Terminology, Medical
               Law and Ethics
Sienna: Prepared Speech
Allie: HOSA Bowl (team of 4), Medical Terminology
Elizabeth: Pharmacology, Epidemiology
Darby: Medical Math
Shilo: Medical Math, Forensics (team of 2)
Katie: Medical Photography
Kansas: Sports Medicine, HOSA Bowl (team of 4)
Levi : Dental Terminology

A new post will be available very soon with some ideas of things to study this week and next (as we spend time getting prepared for our specialty events!)

Ethics in Medicine

For part 1 and 2 below, please email me your file with the following file name: "2013-02-19-Ethics-yourname". These are due by next Tuesday at midnight.

PART I: Use the recommended links below (and also some other trusted websites) to answer the following questions:

1. Health care institutions are obligated to translate or simplify the patient bill of rights to ensure that their patients are able to understand the document. If you can find another copy of the patient bill of rights, you can use that! As a human relations employee at a hospital located in a low-socioeconomic area, you have been assigned to the task of re-writing #1 - #7 at a sixth grade reading level to accommodate non-native English speaking patients and patients that are poor readers. Adapt each (#1-7) point to a lower reading level but be careful not to lose the overall meaning of the statement.

2. Review further information on OBRA here. What brought about OBRA? How might the components of OBRA improve living conditions for residents of nursing homes?

3. Explain the relationship between confidentiality and HIPAA. Is ALL patient information required to be kept confidential at ALL TIMES? Are there any exceptions?  Explain.

4. You are an oncologist (cancer doctor) dealing with a terminal patient. The patient complains that he is confused and overwhelmed because his family is pressuring him to make end of life decisions. His oldest son has told the patient that he should turn over all decision making to him before he becomes too sick to make his own decisions. Reassure your patient by explaining PSDA and living will options.

 PART II: Read the following scenarios and then answer the questions below: 

A. Mr. Duke v. Dr. Rodriguez and University Hospital

Points of law to consider about informed consent:

· A competent individual has the authority to refuse lifesaving treatment

· A physician who treats a patient despite the patient’s refusal is liable for assault and battery

· A person is considered to be competent unless the evidence shows otherwise

Mrs. Duke died of respiratory failure on July 24, 2007. Her breathing tube became dislodged that day and she and Mr. Duke refused, for more than two hours, to allow the medical personnel to reinsert it. After she finally consented to the re-intubation, an emergency room physician performed the procedure. Several minutes later however, Mrs. Duke coded and she was pronounced dead at 6:30 AM.

The plaintiff argues that Dr. Rodriguez should have gone to the hospital and re-intubated Mrs. Duke despite her wishes. During the trial, Dr. Rodriguez established that he would not have performed the re-intubation without the patient’s consent, even if he had gone to the hospital that morning. Nurse McKay, one of the ICU nurses who cared for Mrs. Duke throughout the morning, testified that patient’s breathing tubes frequently become dislodged. She stated that the emergency room physician would have been called to perform the re-intubation the moment Mrs. Duke signed the consent form.

Dr. Bone was the medical expert for the Dukes. He stated that Dr. Rodriguez’s conduct fell below the standard of care because: 1) Mrs. Duke was not competent to refuse intubation, 2) the situation was an emergency and Mrs. Duke’s consent was therefore implied, 3) Dr. Rodriguez should have gone to Mrs. Duke’s bedside to evaluate her competency, 4) a timely intubation would have saved Mrs. Duke’s life. According to Dr. Bone, “Mrs. Duke was in no position to judge appropriate therapy for herself and make a rational decision.”

Nurse McKay, three other ICU nurses, and Dr. Franks, the emergency room physician who eventually re-intubated Mrs. Duke, testified that the entire period of time Mrs. Duke was without a breathing tube she was awake, alert, oriented, and asking appropriate questions. In Nurse McKay’s chart notes at 4:00AM it was written that Mrs. Duke “was informed of and understood the risk of death if the tube is not timely reinserted.”

ANALYSIS QUESTIONS: Discuss the points of law for informed consent. Why didn't the medical personnel re-intubate Mrs. Duke? Were their actions appropriate? Explain. Are Dr. Bone's arguments valid? Explain. If you were a jury member in this case how would you rule? Explain.

B. Myrtle Otis v. University Hospital

In this case, consider the following legal standard:

·     In a wrongful death lawsuit, the plaintiff must prove more likely than not that the death was caused by the defendant’s negligence.

On October 10, 2009, at 10:00 AM, Harry Otis suffered lower abdominal pain and fainted at home. His wife called the office of his gasteroenterologist, Dr. Land, to inform Dr. Land of these symptoms. Dr. Land told Mrs. Otis to call an ambulance and have Mr. Otis transported to the University Hospital emergency room. Mr. Otis was transported to the emergency room and arrived at 10:25 AM. The emergency room staff was informed by Mrs. Otis that Dr. Land said he would meet them in the emergency room. The emergency room staff did not take a history or examine Mr. Otis in the belief that Dr. Land was coming to the emergency room and would arrive shortly. Dr. Land did not respond to the emergency room’s page at 10:30AM or 10:40AM because he was performing a procedure on another patient in the hospital’s outpatient clinic.

Mr. Otis complained of increasing abdominal pain and asked to use a bedpan at 10:50AM. Soon after straining on the bedpan, Mr. Otis could not catch his breath. Dr. Land arrived in the emergency room at 10:55AM and had just entered Mr. Otis’ room when Mr. Otis went into cardiac arrest. Mr. Otis died 35 minutes after arriving at the hospital. The autopsy revealed that he died from a ruptured abdominal aneurysm which caused massive internal bleeding.

Mrs. Otis brought a wrongful death action against the hospital alleging negligence by the emergency room staff in not taking a history and failing to physically examine Mr. Otis. Mrs. Otis’ expert witness, Dr. John Baily, a cardiologist, testified that the inaction by the emergency room staff violated acceptable medical standards.

The hospital’s expert witness, Dr. Candel, a thoracic surgeon, testified that someone in Mr. Otis had no better chance to survive if there had been an immediate diagnosis of the aneurysm and emergency surgery.

· ANALYSIS QUESTIONS: Do you think Dr. Land is at fault? Explain

· Do you think the hospital is at fault? Explain

· Is there sufficient evidence to prove the wrongful death of Mr. Otis? Explain.

 

Health Career Choices

Have I told you how much I love having you in this class?!? It is awesome having such a great group of students to start a new adventure with. No matter how organized (or unorganized) I am, you are fantastic and patient...perfect qualities for future health care workers!

Today you will be investigating a few health care careers! Remember...you will get a lot out of assignments like this if you put the effort in to RESEARCH and LEARN! This is about YOUR future!

1. You will choose TWO  health care careers (you can do a third one for a little extra credit Thanksgiving gift!) of interest to you and research using a variety of websites to learn about the job description, education, wages, working environment, and job outlook of each. After reflecting on what you have learned about each career, you will write a reflection paragraph describing whether or not this career is a match for you. Please give this portion of the assignment a great deal of thought and compose a detailed, reflective paragraph of no less than 6 sentences.

2. To complete the assignment, open the template below and save it as a file to your computer. Provide information in complete sentences, double space between topics, and start each of the three careers on a new page. When finished you will save it with the following title (change my name to your name and the date should be correct) and email it to me :)
       2012-11-27-Hammang-CareerResearchTemplate

Click Here For Career Research Template

Suggested websites:
Occupational Outlook Handbook (click on healthcare in the left side bar)
ExploreHealthCareers.org (pretty user friendly; note tabs at top on career pages)
WI Health Careers Information Center (amazing site...looks at 80 of the most common careers)American Medical Association (good info but limited number of careers)

Health Careers: Help Wanted!

                                   IMPORTANT NOTICES!

10 points extra credit if you will help hang up zombie posters after school at local businesses and doctors/dentist offices. Come see me if you want to do this! :)

BRING YOUR PUMPKINS and/or paint to the HOSA meeting tomorrow at 12:15. Thanks for being so awesome! 

PART I (DUE TOMORROW!)                                     HELP WANTED!
You are the Human Resource Specialist at the local health care facility. Your job responsibilities include advertising for available positions.
1. Create a help wanted advertisement for one of the occupations listed below. Your occupations should not be the same as your classmates'. Make sure to use internet resources to help you! Cite them at the bottom of your ad.

respiratory therapist
pharmacy technician
plastic surgeon
Occupational therapy assistant
physical therapist
paramedic
medical assistant
dental hygienist
dental assistant
Registered Nurse
Certified Nursing Assistant
Nurse practitioner
Veterinary Technician
Medical Laboratory Technologist
Phlebotomist
Sonographer
Cardiovascular Tech.
Medical transcriptionist
Health Unit Coordinator
Central Processing Technician
Registered Dietician
Optometrist
Anesthesiologist
Physicians Assistant
Athletic Trainer
Speech Therapist (pathologist)
Profusionist
Endocrinologist
Physical Therapy Assistant

Your Ad should include:

1. Job Title
2. Location (if your profession works in multiple locations pick one!)
3. Job description...make sure you research this! And get a very accurate description here.
4. Education required & Certification/licensure/registration (if required) ...be specific here!
5. What other special training or skills are required?
6. Desired personality traits. Describe why these traits are important.
7. Entry level salary
   

2. Then print three copies of your advertisement and bring them to class tomorrow.  (20 points for your AD)

3. Tomorrow in class, each student will respond to 2 "Ads" that describe careers of possible interest. You will take one of the printed copies and respond why you'd be good for the position in five statements. Think about what you'd say at a JOB INTERVIEW! (10 points for each response!)



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PART II: Career Clusters (This portion is due next Tuesday...email it to me with the following name: 2012-10-30-Yourname-CareerClusters)

After reading the Health Science Career Cluster brochure, discuss the following prompts in a minimum of 1/2 page single spaced.

• Discuss the health science career cluster employment outlook.
• Which health science pathway(s) appears to be the best fit for you? Consider factors such as work environment, amount of interaction with people, required skills, values, and personality type. Make sure to discuss and explain how these factors influenced your choice.

20 pts possible

Medicare and the Affordable Health Care Act

PART 1: (24 points)Go to the Timeline of the Affordable Care Act and complete:On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act. The law puts in place comprehensive health insurance reforms that will roll out over four years and beyond, with most changes taking place by 2014.
    
2. Read the timeline, copy and paste the following..answer them with a  True or False

2010
A. Up to 4 million small businesses are eligible for tax credits to help them provide insurance benefits to their workers.
B. States will be able to choose to cover additional low-income individuals and families under Medicaid for whom federal funds were not previously available, and they will be eligible to receive federal matching funds.
C. 4 million seniors reached the gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage known as the “donut hole, and each senior received a tax-free, one-time check for $5,000.
D. A Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) provides new coverage options to individuals who have been uninsured for at least six months because of a pre-existing condition. States have the option of running this new program in their state. According to the Affordable Care Act, all discrimination against pre-existing conditions will be prohibited by 2014.
E. Under the new law, young adults are allowed to stay on their parent’s plan until they turn 26 years old.
F. All new plans must cover certain preventive services such as mammograms and colonoscopies, but there is no maximum out-of-pocket for the patient.
G. In the past, insurance companies could search for an error on a customer’s application and use this error to deny payment for services when he or she got sick. The new law makes this illegal.
H. Insurance companies are prohibited from imposing lifetime dollar limits on essential benefits, like hospital stays.
I. New rules allow denial of coverage to children under the age of 19 due to a pre-existing condition.

2011
J.  States can receive federal grants to set up or expand independent offices that help consumers navigate the private health insurance system, file complaints and appeals, enroll in health coverage, and get educated about their rights and responsibilities in group health plans or individual health insurance policies.
K. A $15 billion Prevention and Public Health Fund helps Americans prevent illnesses by educating on stopping smoking and keeping a healthy weight.
L. Since only 33% of medically underserved communities are in rural areas, that is not a significant enough percentage to provide additional funding for.
M. The law provides certain free preventive services, such as annual wellness visits and personalized prevention plans, for seniors on Medicare.
N. For health insurance plans sold to individuals and small employers, at least 80% of the premium must be spent on benefits and quality improvement. If these goals are not met because administrative costs or profits are too high, rebates must be provided to consumers.
O. The Community Care Transitions Program helps high-risk Medicare beneficiaries who are hospitalized avoid unnecessary readmissions by not allowing patients admittance into the hospital after two times.

2012
P. There are incentives for physicians to join and form “Accountable Care Organizations” where doctors can better coordinate patient care and improve the quality, help prevent disease and illness, and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.
Q. A collection and reporting of racial, ethnic, and language data will help Health and Human Services identify and reduce health disparities.
R. Effective October 1st, the new law starts a series of changes to standardize billing and requires health plans to stop using all electronic sources of data collection.

2013-2015
S. Which three parts of the Affordable Care Act would be most beneficial to our current heath care system?Why??

PART 2: (16 points) Compose and complete a well-labeled table where you compare the Affordable Care Act with Romney's proposed health care plan. 

A. You should compare at least three factors from one plan to the next. 
B. Write one to two paragraphs (at least six sentences) reflection on where you stand after comparing the different health care plans. 
C. Cite YOUR Resources! 
D. Title your document: 2012-10-16-Hammang-AffordableCareAct and email it to me!

TOTAL: 40 points::due next Tuesday

Health Care systems

Hello Everyone! We've been looking at health care systems around the world...and how they are similar (or dissimilar) to the U.S.'s health care system.

1. We spend a lot of time talking about health care costs. One of the major factors that influences health care costs is the overall health of the population. Today you will calculate your longevity (potential lifespan) by using a "lifespan calculator." Since you are young, there are some parts of this calculator that will be difficult for you to determine. For instance, some of you do not know your levels of HDL and LDL (cholesterol), but if you think you are healthy, you can answer as such. If you haven't been tested as far as you know, then answer in that way.
     -Go to http://www.livingto100.com/ and complete the calculator.
     a. What types of things  could you do  in "personal," "lifestyle," "nutrition" and "medical" to increase your lifespan (Describe 4 things here!)
     b. What are 3 ways (given your health history and current health) you can prepare financially for your future? DESCRIBE here!

2. Please complete the COMPARING HEALTH CARE/Student Handout 2 that is given to you in class today. You can use resources online (in addition to the information you learned from viewing the video). Please write down any references you used to complete this portion of the assignment.

Career Interest Surveys

Today we will be spending some time looking at career interest surveys. These are provided free of charge, so they are oftentimes shorter versions of the types of surveys given in a professional office setting. As you go through the choices when answering questions, try to be as truthful as possible about the way you ARE...not necessarily the way you WANT to be.

You will have a chance to take a variety of inventories based on your personalities or interests. Hopefully the surveys will help spark some interest in a variety of occupations, some health care related (others not).

1. Go to this career test; it is based on your preferences for certain tasks or jobs. Complete this and read the career test results. Answer the questions written in RED below on your word document.

a. Without looking at your results, look at the six personality types from Dr. Holland's model. Please rank these personality types from 1-6 (the "1" should describe you best).

b. According to the survey you took, what were your three top personality types? What was your Holland code?

c. Look at the list of suggested occupations. Read descriptions of each one. Make a top 10 list (1 being most likely) occupations you might consider looking into.

2. Now we will see if the Holland Quiz is a valid and reliable measure (or if you were telling the truth in the last survey! :) Go to this quiz, complete it and check out your results!

a. What was your code for this Holland quiz? How different were the results for this quiz (as compared to the quiz from #1 above?

b. Give five examples of occupations in this occupation list that you are interested in.  

c. Go to the bottom of the page and click on your code (first three letters). Which one occupation are you most interested in? 

d. Click on the link for that occupation you are most interested in. Read about that job. Scroll all the way down and list:
      1. one skill you know you need to work on to do well in this job
      2. one of the activities of this job that you would be most excited to do on a daily basis
      3. What type of education you will need for this job. 
      4. What are two related occupations? Are there any of these that have been tagged "bright outlook?" 
      5. What are typical wages for this job? 
      6. Describe the projected job growth/job openings for this occupation

e. Compared to the first quiz, does this survey seem to be a better or worse indicator of your personality traits (and job preferences)? Explain.

3. Check out this short medical career interest survey.

a. What jobs are recommended for you in this survey? List as many as you agree with? 

b. If you already think you know what you want to do (and it is not on your recommended list), why do you think that is? For example, what skills and personality traits must you have present to do well in the job?