Today I Learned: Career Research

TIL: Career Research
11 November, 2015


              Today I learned about forensic pathologists. I chose to research this career because I've always been interested in forensics and wanted to get to know some information about the job to see if I would ever want to become one. Forensic pathologists collect and study samples, ballistics, assorted evidence, and bodies (dead or alive) to determine the cause of a death. A forensic pathologists goes through at least five years of schooling and have to perform over 50 autopsies before they can be certified. I chose Pennsylvania State University to look into, because it has an incredible forensics program. Tuition is about $30,000 per year for a non-PA resident, and around $17,000 for in-state. There are quite a few scholarships for students interested in the forensic field, because there is a lot of job competition and need. The salary is about $80,000 straight out of college, and can get up to around $211,000 per year. A forensic pathologist can hold there job for an extremely long time (one gets even better at their job with age). I think it would be an extremely interesting, yet difficult profession.

Forensic pathologist at work

 

Today I learned: NPSG

Today I learned: NPSG
28 October, 2015

       Today I learned about NPSG. This stands for National Patient Safety Goals. They were first enacted in 2003. The Joint Commissioners are in charge of instituting the NPSG. Data is collected by getting information for the SFAG and SED. These are the Sentinel Event Advisory Group, and the Sentinel Event Database. The purpose of these goals are to reduce preventable errors regarding medical procedures for patients. Patient safety is the main priority. We went over a variety of the goals in class. For example, Goal 01.01.01 is to Identify Patients Correctly.


This picture is of a variety of health professionals, all concerned about Patient Safety!

Today I Learned: HIPAA

Today I learned: HIPPA

23 September, 2015

          Today I learned a lot about the HIPAA legislation, mainly what it stands for, what it’s purpose is, and ways you can protect confidentiality. HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act and was created in 1996. HIPAA makes it easy to change your health insurance in any way that you need. HIPAA also ensures that your health and medical information is safe and private, thanks to all healthcare organizations taking time to ensure confidentiality. I also learned the only people that can see your protected medical information are people that “need to know” the information. People can protect privacy by not talking about patients in public places, make sure computer screens are private and are logged off when not in use. Also make sure to never share access codes, and not leave information on answering machines or emails. Never use a cellular phone to share info, because they can be scanned (Only use a standard phone). Make sure to never leave unattended documents out, as well.  I also learned that when you’re out in public, don’t greet patients or talk to them about their information.
  
          These things are very important in the health field because every single patient that comes into a hospital deals with HIPAA. Doctors, nurses, billing/recording workers, patients, everyone (except the media). They all apply to HIPAA, and must follow the laws associated with it. There have been a great number of instances that medical records have been wrongfully revealed, without patient’s consent. I learned about HIPAA in ninth grade, and watched an old 90’s video about HIPAA violations. It talked a lot about the importance of HIPAA in the health field, and talked a lot about what the health field would be like without HIPAA. Imagine if anyone could know your private medical records… People would be able to know anything about you, including information such as your birthday, SSN, and address. Thankfully, our medical information is protected by HIPAA laws.

 

 

Today I Learned: Professionalism

Post #2: Today I Learned

9 September, 2015

 Bubbl.us:
I immensely enjoyed exploring bubbl.us today. I learned how to operate the entire system, and how to save my Bubbl. I learned how to change text and background color, and how to change the text bubble size. I also discovered how to embed my Bubbl in my blog. I think I will use bubbl.us in English projects, such as a graphic organizer for a paper. It would also be helpful in organizing ideas for anything in life. For example, creating a daily planner/schedule of your week. You could start with the week dates in the middle (the very biggest). Then, each bubble could represent a day, with smaller bubbles of what’s going on that day off of the 2^nd bubble layer. Being organized is essential in the medical field.

Technology:
Today I learned a lot of keyboard shortcuts and tips. My favorite is Ctrl + F (find). You type in any word into a special text box and then it will highlight the word anywhere it shows up in the article. It’ll be very handy for lots of school projects and assignments. I also learned Ctrl + C/V. It is copy and paste. I also discovered how to embed and share links and other things in my blog. That will be beneficial later in my blog. Being technologically sound is essential to success in the modern medical field.

Research:
Today I learned a lot about researching skills. I learned that websites that end in .org, .edu, or .gov are best, compared to .com. I discovered that .edu stands for education. Government is represented by .gov. Organization websites end in .org. Of course, .com is for commercial use. When you find research material you can copy and paste the stuff you want into a word document and then copy and paste the URL with it. This will make it easy to find again for any future references. Always save it in one document. Organized research is essential to success in the medical field.

 Consistency, respect, and confidence are essential aspects of true professionalism.

 

A Little About Myself

Post #1: A Little About Myself

3, August 2015

 Hello!

          My name is Anna Milton, and I am a junior at Papillion La-Vista South High School. I live in Papillion,   Nebraska, and I am involved in various school activities and lots of volunteering. I am a member of HOSA and FCA, and run cross country and track. I also volunteer for Habitat for Humanity on the weekends. I enjoy baking, running, DIY projects, reading, playing the ukulele, the outdoors, and photography.  I am pretty good at baking, mainly piping on cakes, and making some legit chocolate chip cookies. I guess I’m decent at running: our team won state XC last year! My dad is in the Army, so I’ve lived all around the US (seven states), and get restless when I haven’t travelled in a while. I love travelling when I get the chance, and enjoy hanging out with mis amigos.  Also with all of my activities, I hope to start spending time in the medical community as well.

          I have always been curious about the medical field, and decided to take Health Academy to find out if working in the health field would be something I would want to continue for the rest of my life. I have two main interests are forensics and chiropractic care. I have always loved the idea of “solving crimes” when I was little, but I never actually knew that there was a medical career in that area that I could pursue. My friend Hannah Storm and I actually won the Forensics event at State HOSA last year. I have also been going to the chiropractor since I was a baby, and have been interested in that field for a while. Whenever I have had an issue with running, such as a messed up hip, my chiropractor has helped tremendously. With frequent adjustments, and using a method of loosening muscle fibers called grasten, I have never had a long-lasting injury, which is great for an athlete.

 This is one of the coolest moments of my life.