Archive for category Trade School
Lab Technician Career Program
Posted by in Trade School on December 17th, 2009
Are you finishing high school and wondering what career is right for you? Are you bored with your current dead-end work situation? Are you looking for something exciting and different every day? Well, then you might want to look into a career as a medical and clinical lab technician.
What does a medical and clinical laboratory technician do?
Medical lab techs compare blood compatibility for blood transfusions and perform blood counts. They also, analyze blood, urine, and other body fluids, as well as tissues, using a microscope or automatic analyzer to detect abnormalities and disease, and then enter the results into a computer. Analyze and record test data to prepare results to be read and interpreted by other medical personnel. Inoculate fertilized eggs, broths, or other bacteriological media with organisms. Examine cells for abnormalities. Techs will consult with a pathologist to determine a diagnosis when abnormalities are present. In addition, techs will collect blood and tissue samples from patients, set up, maintain, clean, calibrate, test the sterility of medical lab equipment and maintain laboratory records. Med techs will usually work under the supervision of a medical lab technologist, pathologist, or medical lab manager.
What tools are medical and clinical lab techs trained to use?
A med tech uses many different tools to carry out their work. Some of these are coagulation analyzers, hematology analyzers, chemistry analyzers, phlebotomy trays or accessories, vacuum blood collection tubes or containers. Some of the software that techs are trained to be fluent in include accounting and billing software, data base user interface and query software, spreadsheet software, word processing software, and medical software such as, microscopic image capturing software, specimen tracking software, and lab information system software.
What are some of the skills a medical and clinical lab tech needs to develop?
A med and clinical lab tech needs to have good reading comprehension, speaking skills, instruction skills, time management skills, and active listening and learning skills. Techs also need to be able to make good judgment calls and be careful about details, as their actions can potentially change the results to different tests. This job requires techs to be honest and ethical, reliable, responsible, and dependable. A tech may, at times, have to work in high stress situations, so techs have to be able to remain calm and keep their composure. Also, med techs have to be adaptable and flexible.
What are the educational requirements for a medical and clinical lab technician?
Med Techs receive an associate’s degree usually from a junior college or vocational school. Some can receive their training from a teaching hospital or the Armed Forces. Some can even receive their training with on the job experience combined with some education. What is the average technician salary for a lab tech? With proper schooling and job placement the average lab technician salary can range between $30,000 and $70,000 per year.
Career overview of a Respiratory Therapist
Posted by in Trade School on December 3rd, 2009
Are you looking for a career in the medical field? Have you considered a career as a registered respiratory therapist? What is Respiratory Therapy? Simply put, it’s the assessment and treatment of breathing disorders such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and COPD. Not so simply put, it’s the treatment of more acute multi systemic problems common with other pathological conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, shock, asphyxiation, drowning shock or trauma.
Back in the 1940’s a group of “oxygen jockeys” met with doctors to discuss the mechanics of their machines and the treatment of lung disease. They started giving classes, and eventually, it evolved into an accredited field. So yes, you’ll have to go to one of the many respiratory therapy schools and complete at least an Associate’s Degree. There are committees that support the accreditation, including: Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care, or its predecessor, the Joint Review Committee for Respiratory Therapy Education, or the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, or, in Canada, by the Council on Accreditation for Respiratory Therapy Education. Unlike the early days, Respiratory Therapy is no longer just limited to oxygen machines and the use thereof… Education in anatomy, physiology, athophysiology, pharmaceutical agents, chemistry, physics, hemodynamics, and mechanical ventilation make a Respiratory Therapist an indispensable team member, so you’ll want to focus your efforts on a variety of these subjects.
But wait, it gets even better! Because cardiovascular and pulmonary systems are so closely related, Respiratory Therapists must also be skilled with the cardiovascular system, and participate in advanced life support situations, ECG testing and interpretation, cardiac stress testing, and critical care cardiac support. Respiratory Therapists also perform a number of tasks including: mechanical ventilation, intubation, arterial line insertion, cardiac catheter advancement, tracheostomy recannulation, nasotracheal suction, drawing and interpreting arterial blood gases, pulmonary waveform analysis, inhaled medication delivery, oxygen delivery, aerosol therapy device management, and pulmonary function tests.
Job Description
When a patient has no breathing control, they may need the assistance of a mechanical ventilator. That’s where you come in. Respiratory Therapists are usually the only expert operators of this type of machine. Patients undergoing stress affecting their homeostatic balance may need to be administered therapeutic gases such as oxygen, heliox, and nitric oxide. A Respiratory Therapist may be called upon to intubate a patient to provide an open and protected airway. They may consult and administer therapies to improve the cardiovascular-respiratory system function to prevent lactic acidosis. They may also be needed to clear excess mucus or fluids from the bronchial tree, and to control swelling and inflammation in the bronchial passages. Ok, that’s not so glamorous, but hey, it’s necessary.
Here’s the glamour part… Respiratory Therapists play a critical part in the Code Team of an ICU/ER. They are responsible for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation of the patient, as well as establishing an open and protected airway (intubation). You’ll also be called upon to do Cardiac testing, the placement of Arterial Lines, and drawing Arterial Blood Gases for ventilation/oxygenation analysis. Like to wear a beeper? Respiratory Therapists are the only professionals other than nurses and doctors who are available to provide care to ICU/ER patients 24 hrs a day.
Respiratory Therapy Salary
So let’s talk turkey for a moment. What’s the payoff besides the beeper and the reward of knowing how many lives you’ve saved in a day’s work? Median salary for less than one year experience ranges between $16 to $21 per hour. That’s not bad to start. One to four years experience ranges from $18 to $23 per hour. Five to nine years will get you $20 to $25, and stick with it a little longer, say ten to nineteen years, and you get $21 to $29.
So in summary, Respiratory Therapy is a demanding, but equally rewarding field, providing the opportunity for variety, from the assessment and treatment of breathing disorders such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and COPD, to the more acute multi systemic problems common with other pathological conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, shock, asphyxiation, drowning shock or trauma. So what are you waiting for? Respiratory Therapy is waiting for you.
Ultrasound Imaging
Posted by in Trade School on September 24th, 2009
Ultrasound imaging is one of the fastest fields emerging out of the health care industry. Taking courses at trade schools that specialize in the medical field that have specialized degree plans for ultrasound technicians are turning out well-trained students with knowledge of the most current sonography technologies. Ultrasound is most often associated with maternity physicians and pregnancies, but the use of diagnostic medical sonography is used to scan a variety of areas of the body such as, the nervous system, digestive system, blood vessels, tumors, the eyes, and many more.
More and more health care professionals are preferring ultrasound to other invasive diagnostic techniques. Techniques such as radiographic technology or x-rays are not as detailed and have safty issues. Research has shown that Diagnostic Sonography has no harmful effects on the patient or sonographer, the complexity and importance of the procedure required a certified sonographer to do the job. The responsibilities of the sonographer is more than just operating the machinery, the explain procedures to the patients, direct patients to the correct positions that will gain the best results, they find the initial indications of healthy or unhealthy areas, and record images for diagnosis of the physician. This requires the sonographer to be educated and trained in their field of expertise.
With all these responsibilities most times the healthcare institutions display the credentials of their ultrasound technicians in the examining room. Patients expect to see that the training was received at a certified school and that the technician met national certification requirements. After receiving the original certification the ultrasound technician must keep up with current trends through continuous education in the medical field.
Ultrasound technician training programs vary depending on the degree pursued, the specialty, and the technological capabilities of the school. Most ultrasound students finish 24-to 48 month training programs and obtain an associate’s or bachelor’s degree from one of the many diagnostic medical sonography schools in the US. There are also specialized one year programs to achieve a certificate for those already in the medical field wanting to specialize in other areas or as a second occupation. The programs are usually broken up into sections: classroom, labs, and externships. The subjects studied are anatomy, physiology, ultrasound principles, radiology, instrumentation, basic physics, patient care, and medical ethics.
What is the average anual ultrasound technician salary? With the diagnostic skills you obtain through the educational training in ultrasound technology, you can expect to earn an average of up to $29 per hour, or an annual sonography salary of more than $72,230. These expected earnings also can vary from location and experience. Most employments of sonogram technologists were held in hospitals, but some were employed by private physicians’ offices or diagnostic imaging centers.
The need for ultrasound technicians is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations over most of the next decade. This growth is driven by the aging of the population, the increase demand for diagnostic imaging, and the desire of the patients to use alternatives to radiological procedures.
Nursing Assistant
Posted by in Trade School on August 12th, 2009
Nursing is fast becoming one of the most popular fields in the technical medical industry. As a nurse you will be an important asset to the medical field, and become key components in hospitals and doctors offices where ever you may decide to work.
Starting a career as a registered nurse is a great way to change your future and the future of your family. Not only will you enjoy an exciting career, but you will be payed nicely while you are doing it. There are many nursing assistant schools who offer excellent cna training programs located through out the US and are ready to get you started on your path to career success.
When choosing a school to attend, it is important to do research to assure yourself that you are attending an accredited school with a good track record for helping students finding jobs after graduation. It is also important to look at the student teacher ratio. Choosing a school with a high amount of students per class will make it difficult for one on one time with your teacher and the large groups can effect the quality of the teachers ability to teach.
Depending on what state or region of the US you live in, searching for a school in your area will likely make it easier for you to attend and do well. If you can live at home while attending school, the stress level will drop dramatically. All schools strive to teach their students the same basic course, but in reality nurse LPN training in Houston may differ quite a bit from LPN training in Michigan.
The first step is always research. Whether you are searching for information on courses online or physically visiting a school and talking to a counselor, research is key to ensuring that you will be happy with the choice you make. This first step will motivate you and help you along the way to feeling confident in your choice to pursue a career as a registered nurse or nursing assistant.
Dental Assistant Job Description and Salary
Posted by in Trade School on August 10th, 2009
A dental assistant is a great trade school job that you can land with just a couple years of training in the technical trade school of your choice. If you are considering possibly pursuing a career as a dental assistant, it may be a good idea to learn the basic tasks you would complete on a given day, and how much you can expect to earn per year.
As an assistant, you are in direct submission or supervision of a dentist. You will assist in any task that a dentist will do, such as oral surgery and daily cleaning procedures. You will be required to prep the dental room, gather and arrange tools and instruments that will be needed for a particular surgery or cleaning. From there it will be the dental assistants job to hand the needed tools to the doctor during a patients visit. You will also provide another other assistance a dentist may require, such as recording any findings the dentist may make during a procedure. From there you may be required to do the cleaning and sanitizing of tools and instruments after a patients visit. You will spend good amounts of time visiting with different patients, so being a good people person is always a good thing.
How much money can you expect to make in a given year as a dental assistant? Of course this amount will vary quite a bit, based from experience and schooling. In most cases the more experience you have the higher you base pay will be, and the school you attend can have a say so on where you get hired, as many tech schools offer job placement programs to help students find work immediately after graduation. As of recent you can expect a dental assistant salary to be between 30,000 and 40,000 per year. This is variable not only to experience and schooling, but also your location. The salary will definitely vary depending on where you live.
A dental assistant is a great way to make a respectable living and if you are considering going back to school, why not really consider a career that will earn you great wages, and not take a lifetime to achieve.
Culinary Arts
Posted by in Trade School on July 3rd, 2009
An ever growing field to think about starting a career in, is a that of a chef, in culinary arts. There are countless colleges around the country that offer beginner, intermediate and advanced culinary training programs. With a certificate you can become a head chef, line chef, pastry chef or even a restaurant manager.
Many community colleges and even high schools now offer courses in culinary arts. Starting young while in high school can give you an advantage to jump start your career. Many high school culinary courses offer in depth training that touch on the basics of everything from baking and cooking, to the finance and business end of being a chef, manager or even owner of a restaurant.
After graduating high school jumping into a culinary arts college will further advance your skills and knowledge of cooking along with the management skills to oversee other cooks, and even an entire restaurant. Even if you are not fresh out of high school and may actually be up in age, it is never to late to consider going back to school. There is something for everyone at a culinary arts school, whether you are hoping to attain a job after graduating, or if you are just interested in improving your cooking skills around the house.
Many colleges now offer programs that will help place you with a job when you graduate. These job placement programs are a great bonus and are not offered at all schools. Job placement programs are a big deciding factor when deciding what college to attend. Trade schools are popping up all over the place. It is time for you to take advantage of them and get yourself back in school and onto the career of your dreams.
Going Back To School
Posted by in Trade School on June 16th, 2009
If you have found at UCL archive.info, chances are you’re considering going back to school to pursue a higher education. If you’re deciding to go back to not necessarily a university or college, but are thinking about pursuing a career in a technical field, we highly commend you on taking the first step which is to research the different trade fields available today.
Here at UCL archive.info we are striving to help you locate the best technical trade schools available in your area that will not only did you do education you need to get the job you want quickly, but also find your school to participate in job placement after year the student has graduated.
Going back to school is an extremely hard task in this day and age especially if you’re not coming straight out of high school. Many people pursuing trade school education are in their 20s, 30s, 40s and even their 50s, with this in mind we hope that you understand it is never too late to go back to school to further your education to better your life.
What technical career interests you? One of the great advantages of choosing a technical trade school is the fact that they get right down to business. Whether you want to be an auto mechanic, an MRI technician, an x ray technician or pursue culinary arts, a trade school will focus all of your efforts to learn that one particular skill.
When you leave a technical trade school with either a certificate or a degree, you know you will have all the education and training that you will possibly need to get a job in a field in which you set out to learn.
UCL archive will help point you in the right direction if you’re looking for an auto mechanics or autobody school, x ray technician schools, ultrasound tech schools, dental assistant schools and everything in between. Our goal is to find you a school that is close to you that will meet your specific needs will be able to find you a job after you graduate. Not everyone has the ability to just pick up their daily life and who cross country to attend the school, so our goal is to find a local community colleges and local trade schools that can get you the education you need to get you the job you want as soon as possible.