Negligence happens in healthcare. In some cases it can also occur with medication. The article below looks at a case of malpractice and looks to determine if it falls under ordinary negligence or professional malpractice.
There are many types of medical errors. This article looks at ordinary negligence and professional malpractice
The article, “Fatal Medication Error: Ordinary Negligence or Professional Malpractice?” by Ann Latner presents a case in which such a decision was needed. She states,
“This month, we look at a recent case out of Nevada where the court was asked to decide if an error involving a fatal dose of morphine was medical malpractice, requiring an affidavit from a medical expert, or whether it was ordinary negligence, which does not have such a requirement.”
Please also review AIHCP’s Legal Nurse Consulting Training Program. The program is online and independent study. Nurses and other qualified professionals can take the program to earn a four year certification. See if the Legal Nurse Consulting Program from AIHCP meets your academic and professional goals.
Making sense of suicide is difficult. Loved ones who lose family to suicide suffer immensely in the days and months and years after. Questions swirl around their minds. What could one have done better, or why did one say this or that, or why was one not paying attention to the signs.
Processing the loss of a loved one to suicide is a very difficult process. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification
Regret, guilt and intense grief can follow. The very fact that suicide is a taboo subject can also intensify the grieving process. Suicide grief hence has all the prerequisites and ingredients for a possible complication emotionally for the family.
The article, “Making sense of suicide grief” by Susan Quenelle looks deeper at suicide grief for family members trying to make sense out of the senselessness. She states,
“September is National Suicide Prevention Month. This designation helps to serve as a reminder to all of us of the many people who struggle with emotional issues on an ongoing basis. But another related area of concern is those who are left behind after someone has committed suicide.”
Those left behind suffer the most and it is important to help them understand their grief. To read the entire article, please click here
To learn more skills to help others through the process of losing a loved one to suicide, then please review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification
Dying is as much part of life as birth, yet many dismiss it, hide it and avoid it. Death is a taboo subject for many. It is forbidden word of bad luck. When such attitudes persist, how one experiences death or experiences death with a loved one can be negative.
It is important to face death as we face birth. We need to live the dying process fully and despite the pain, stand by those who are dying. David Kessler explained it best as how we used to meet our loved ones at the gate of an airport. We met them there, but when their time to leave arrived, we walked them to the gate. While this is no longer possible since 911, the idea and analogy fits perfectly. We welcome many from day 1 and in some cases we also say good bye to them. We cannot cheat the process. We cannot just drop them off at the terminal and allow a shuttle to carry them off. We need to be with them every step of the way.
Death is a sacred and intimate moment that we owe our loved ones. We need to be there and experience it with them. Dying well is critical to living well.
In honoring them, in honoring the death process, loved ones need to be with the loved one, yet many negative ideas on death prevent this important time of bonding. Seeing death as the enemy, as a bad word, and as something to be avoided, leads to regrets later. It not only affects the dying loved one in a negative way, but it also prevents healthy healing later for the surviving person.
How many times, do individuals not speak about the person’s condition, avoid the disease, maybe even avoid the dying person? How many times, do individuals chastise other family members for speaking about death to the dying, or express emotion.
In addition to dismissing death, many hide emotion. They think one must be strong for the loved one who is dying. This prevents true expression of love. It incurs unresolved issues that can later haunt the bereaved. Most importantly, it prevents the dying to express their own emotions with the loved one. So many chances are lost when death is not spoken about with the dying, or emotions are not permitted to be shared in this intimate moment.
So what do we speak about to the dying? David Kessler and Elisabeth Kubler Ross would simply state, “listen”. By listening, we give ourselves to the dying, and we also allow them to open up. No conversation is wrong. It allows the dying to express their frustrations, their fears, their dreams. It allows closure in things that may never find closure.
Somedays, certain conversations about the reality of death may not be beneficial. Other days, simply talking about the game and allowing the dying to live suffices. Other times, discussing death can help the person face the reality and discuss important matters, or share certain feelings. It is critical in these narrowing days of life, that one shares what one feels. To hide and take away this precious time of mutual disclosure will never be there again.
Hence it is important to share things, to discuss death, to discuss anything and most importantly listen. It is also crucial to share emotion, to allow the dying to know it is fine to be cry too! Too many times, individuals masquerade their feelings in these final precious moments.
Dying well involves communication, sharing, emotion and togetherness. Please also review our Pastoral Thanatology Certification
Death is part of life and not something that should be done wrongly. Dying wrongly or experiencing death with a loved one is not about how one dies but how one experiences that death or process. One who experiences death with communication and no false faces is not denied the dignity of it. One who sojourns the dying to the final gate, experiences its entirety. It is far from pleasant but when dying and loved ones experience death fully together, then it far more healthy in the short term for the dying and the long term for the mourner. It is a moment in time that is intimate and precious and one we owe our loved ones to experience fully with them.
That is the pain of life but it is part of life. We must live life to the fullest and live it correctly. Death is no different.
Please also review AIHCP’s Pastoral Thanatology Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals. Care of the dying is an important field and the Pastoral Thanatology Certification can help one in helping others die well and in peace.
Death of a loved one is difficult by itself. It takes time to recover from the loss and re-adjust to the life without them. While we re-adjust, some say we never truly recover completely and that is fine. However, when we lose someone and the death is complicated because of the nature of the death or how we ended it with a particular person, then complications can emerge in our recovery process.
Looking back the death of a loved one can be painful. Sometimes it can bring back certain things about the death or how we reacted to it. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification
Sometimes one may regret how they handled the death of a loved one. Maybe the last words were not pleasant, or the one felt conflicted during the person’s illness. Other times, one may regret not discussing or doing this or that with the person. In other cases, the nature of the death itself can cause extreme distress. Many deaths via suicide or through a particular disease can become disenfranchised. Individuals suffer far greater in these types of sudden and unnatural deaths. They raise questions and cause embarrassment in some cases.
These types of complications can lead to an array of issues for the recovery process and turn simple grieving into a complicated form of grief that may not reside on its own.
The article, “Struggling with How a Loved One Died” from “Whats Your Grief” looks at how one can overcome these conditions of a death of a loved one. The article states,
“It’s very important to note, revisiting events like these can bring up many distressing thoughts and emotions. When thinking about the death, some people may actually re-experience intense emotions like panic, terror, and fear. In an effort to not feel this way, the person may actively avoid anything that could bring up these memories which, in the long run, may cause them to cut themselves off from important people and places and to possibly live in a state of hyperarousal.”
To look back at a loved one’s death is natural. There is nothing wrong with it, but when the death is more complicated or we regret how the process played out, then we may feel stronger emotions that can haunt us. It is important to face those emotions and deal with them.
If you would like to become a certified Grief Counselor then please review the American Academy of Grief’s Grief Counseling Certification and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.
Improper ideas on grief can cause delayed and prolonged mourning. It can also lead to complications in the grief support process. It is important to understand false concepts regarding grief and loss to be able to grieve in a healthy way. Grief is a painful experience but it also a life experience and needs to be understood properly to proceed through it’s process.
Grief myths can prolong the grieving process and complicate it. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Training Program and see if it meets your needs
The article, “These Myths About Grief Could Be Interrupting Your Healing Process” by Catherine Adams looks at grief myths that may be causing issues with one’s grieving process. She states,
“Unfortunately, I’ve had a lot of experience with grief in my short 25 years. When I look at this year and speak with my loved ones, I see grief all around me. Grief can be such a shocking experience, and I’ve found there are many harmful expectations surrounding how grief and healing should look. These expectations pigeon-hole us into pain and stagnancy, and can bar us from actually getting to the healing.”
Grief myths can cause damage to the grieving process and also create erroneous views on life itself. If you are interested in learning more about grief, then please review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Training Program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.
ADHD can be disruptive to one’s life. It can cause not only issues at work but home. It is important to know how to cope with it and reducing stress from it is key. This is especially true during the pandemic. Reducing stress in the home life is possible during these troubled times.
Keeping peace and less stress in the home during the pandemic and dealing with ADHD can be difficult.
The article, “5 Daily Rituals to Reduce Stress In Your ADHD Household Right Now” by Suzanne Allen looks at how to reduce stress during the pandemic in an ADHD household. She states,
“These days, many parents with whom I work with are noticing diminishing space in between situations and responses — from their children and themselves. Stress has made these “spaces” smaller, bringing about more yelling, more door slamming, and more intense emotions in quarantine. And with another major stressor upon us – the back-to-school season – it’s even more difficult to stay measured in our reactions”
Please also review AIHCP’s ADHD Consulting Program as well as AIHCP’s Stress Management Consulting Program and see if they meet your academic and professional goals.
Stress can manifest from many things. It can manifest from situations but also from relationships. Relationships can range from work to home to personal to romantic. Whenever people exist, the chance for conflict can exist. Conflict in itself is not bad but can become stressful when not properly resolved. Individuals need to learn about each other to reduce potential stress and infighting from differences and conflict.
Different personalities in any relationship can create conflict. It is important to see the value of conflict in better resolutions and not allow stress and disagreement to cause damage to relationships
Personality A and Personality B in themselves can cause issues but if we look deeper, we can find more indepth differences between people that result in conflict. People are different at large scales and when these differences in values or expressions manifest at work or in a relationship, they can produce conflict. In properly understanding other people and seeking to find solutions and compromises through questions, one can better resolve conflicts and produce beneficial results from them.
Karl Jung looked at differences in people as a source of stress from four conflicting personality traits.
The first was between extroverts and introverts. Extroverts naturally are more outgoing. They seek to meet new people, surround themselves with others socially and partake in activities. They are quicker to move and respond. Introverts on the contrary are less outgoing. They find discomfort being around multiple people and seek to avoid festivities. Introverts find more joy alone. They move more slowly. With 75 percent of the population extrovert, there is less chance to come into contact with introverts but it does occur. At work, extroverts and introverts can find conflict in how their personalities seek to resolve issues. Extroverts can reduce stress with introverts by encouraging them, while introverts can slow extroverts down through questioning.
Thinking or feeling? Which one do you utilize more in problem resolution?
The second preference is intuitive people and sensing people. Sensing people approach problems more analytically and search for facts before making decisions, while intuitive people relay on gut feelings. Sensing people systematically approach a situation while intuitive people may jump from place to place. The conflict is very understandable. 75 percent of the population is sensing, while 25 percent is intuitive. Both personalities need to see the merit of each other to solve the problem as a whole.
Different personalities react differently to conflict. It is important to know what personality traits you possess
The third preference is judging and perceiving. Judging people are very objective while perceiving individuals are very subjective. Judging individuals will have a set plan while perceiving are more flexible and adaptable. Judging personalities wish to complete tasks and move on, while perceived personalities do not like to be rushed. This flexible and inflexible conflict can lead to stress unless both parties seek common ground and understanding.
The fourth preference is thinking and feeling. Many individuals make decisions based logical decision making instead of making decisions based on feelings. Emotions are critical in processing a decision for a feeler, while logic is more important for a thinker. Most men are thinkers and most women are feelers. Thinkers tackle situations with the term, “I think we should…” while feelers approach problems with the term “I feel we should…” While thinkers are cut off from feeling which is important, many feelers are stressed when making decisions due to immense emotion.
When looking for conflict resolution with less stress and great productivity, it is important that one identifies differences in people. If one can understand their own personality traits and that of whom they are working with, then conflict has a greater chance to be resolved. When one does not identify, then conflict has a greater chance of leading to stress and more problems.
Many individuals enter into conflict with more emotion than logic and set values. Sometimes the values or perceived sense of rules are even greater than the issue itself. It is important to understand each other and not allow extreme emotional responses to overtake.
It is far more than merely identifying differences of personality but also creating a integrative plan to find resolution. This involves four facets.
First, a healthy relationship must be established. This relationship must set ground rules and establish guidelines.
Second, there needs to be a clear statement of how each party feels.
Third, common goals must be established
Finally, a determination of range of alternatives and compromises must be established between the two parties.
Conflict can go either way but by establishing these guidelines, resolution has a far greater chance of success. Sometimes, however, no matter how hard we try, conflict cannot be resolved. Difficult and uncompromising people exist. When identifying difficult people, it is important to have a support group that you can trust and never stop working within your values. When one realizes they are dealing with the difficult personality, it is best to avoid confrontation and when forced to work with such an individual to pose more questions to them than declarative statements.
Conflict resolution requires common ground and mutual understanding of each other.
Ultimately, balance is key in everything. If one discovers they are too extrovert, they may wish to work on incorporating some introvert values, or if one is to rigid and judging, they may wish to balance that with more flexibility from time to time. Balance within oneself creates harmony but when working with others who value differently, we should sometimes try to see them as the balance we may need to make a better decision.
If you would like to learn more about Stress Management or would like to become a certified Stress Management Consultant then please review AIHCP’s Stress Management Consulting Certification Program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals. The program is online and independent study for qualified professionals seeking to learn more in this important field of Stress Management.
To learn more about managing stress and reducing conflict, please review AIHCP’s Stress Management Consulting Certification
Please also view our Anger Management Consulting Program. This program also contains vital information for stress reduction and conflict resolution between differing personalities.
Healthcare sectors have been hit hard by COVID 19. Many resources have been utilized to meet the needs of the pandemic. Project managers have emerged as aides in helping healthcare face its growing challenges.
Project managers can help healthcare face its next crisis Please also review our Case Management Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals
The article, “How project managers can help the healthcare industry prepare for the next crisis” by Moira Alexander discusses how project managers can play a role in the next crisis. She states,
“Virtually every industry was hit hard by COVID-19, but the medical sector suffered the greatest and still continues to feel the strain. Whether it’s hospitals, care centers, dentists, or private medical practices, there are opportunities for improvement—and that’s where project management professionals (PMPs) can play a pivotal role. ”
To review the entire article, please click here
Please also review AIHCP’s Case Management Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.
Telemedicine is becoming more prominent and will be here to stay since the pandemic. It is being applied to reach the sick as well those in emotional need. Substance abuse and addiction are also big uses of telemedicine. Unfortunately, the technology is still ahead of many regulations. Patients need help not red tape preventing healthcare providers the ability to help the addicted.
Those suffering from addiction are benefiting from telemedicine during the pandemic. Please also review AIHCP’s Substance Abuse Counseling Training Program
The article, “Telemedicine and addiction recovery: A new way forward?” by Mary Tolan looks at the importance of telemedicine in helping individuals who face addiction and how to make it more efficient. She states,
“Will the future of addiction recovery take place on video conference screens and emailed notes? Even a few months ago, treating addiction patients remotely might seem like a stretch at first listen — metaphorically, geographically, and medicinally. But now, as the Covid-19 crisis puts pressure on outpatient providers to facilitate remote care, some addiction professionals have set aside that skepticism and opened digital care channels, willing to explore any avenue that might lead their patients out of the opioid epidemic’s grip and into a healthy future. ”
Covid19 has changed the landscape of healthcare forever and modern technology will continue to play a vital role. Now it is just a matter of the regulations and laws to catch up to the new technology. To read the entire article, please click here
Hypnosis. Legal case management. Grief counseling. Stress management. Meditation. Spiritual counseling. There are many different areas of specialization when it comes to the vast realms of the healthcare industry.
Some allied health professional jobs require specific certification and others do not. However, if you happen to work in one of those positions that do not require specialized certification, do you really need it?
You are the only one who can make that decision for your career, but we are going to present you seven reasons why healthcare clinicians should achieve certification.
1. Gain advanced knowledge and skills in a healthcare sub-specialty
Physicians, nurses, and other allied healthcare professionals often get into the field because they have a passion or interest in a certain field of healthcare. Perhaps you are a nurse who has always been interested in the area of spirituality. Even if you are not currently practicing as a nurse in this field, you can increase your knowledge and skills to learn more just for curiosity’s sake, or to set yourself up for an opportunity to work in that specialty in the future.
2. Healthcare employers require certification more frequently
Healthcare facilities’, hospitals’, and other companies’ policies about continuing education requirements are constantly evolving. Some employers who never required a certification for their employees in the past have changed their practices and now make certification mandatory for a variety of reasons. Furthermore, there can also be laws made at the state level meant to keep the public safe that require allied health professionals to obtain and hold certain credentials.
3. Advance or expand your healthcare practice
Maybe you are a physician who wants to expand your current general practice roster of patients. Perhaps you want to offer specialized services to a certain segment of the population. Certification opens up doors as a healthcare provider to expand your practice and services to meet a wider range of patients and treat specific conditions and ailments.
4. Gain a competitive edge and increase your marketability
Perhaps one of the biggest reasons healthcare professionals obtain a certification is to increase their employability and gain a competitive edge in the industry. Having the certification itself does not guarantee job placement, however it can definitely give you an advantage when you apply for a job in the medical industry. Even if the particular job you are applying for does not require certification, having one related to the healthcare sub-specialty, i.e. intensive care unit (ICU), geriatrics, etc., shows your dedication and demonstrates your level of expertise.
5. Be viewed as a credentialed expert in your practice specialty
Certification in a certain area exerts yourself as an expert in the field. When you are nationally-recognized for the attainment of knowledge and skills by meeting specific predetermined criteria, it demonstrates your competency as an allied healthcare professional. This recognition may help you personally or professionally, it just depends on whether it means something to you to be viewed as an expert, or if you plan on taking that position to advance your healthcare career. It can also be a combination of both. You might also use this recognition to become a part of a professional group or network with other certified healthcare specialists that practice in your specialty.
6. Show employers you stay up-to-date
By its intrinsic nature, the medical field is an industry that is constantly changing. In fact, all of the changes that have been ushered in since the beginning of this pandemic are testament to this very fact. In order to stay on your toes, it’s important to keep up with all the changes the best you possibly can. Healthcare certification is the perfect way to do just that. Most certifications not only require the base of knowledge and skills to obtain the credential, but they also include a certain number of continuing education hours annually in order to renew it. This demonstrates to employers that you are a healthcare professional who cares about continuing education and keeping up with the best practices in the industry. If you were the employer, would you not prefer to hire someone who has proven expertise in the field?
7. It speaks to who you are as a clinician
Certification in healthcare is so much more than a piece of paper. It demonstrates who you are as a person and an allied healthcare professional. It shows that you are committed to the practice, your career, and to providing the very best patient care possible. Employers look for those qualities when they are considering hiring anyone in the healthcare industry.
Want to learn more about healthcare certification?
The American Institute of Healthcare Professionals is committed to providing opportunities for clinicians to expand their skills and knowledge base to advance their career in healthcare. You can learn more about each of the different types of certifications they provide by clicking on one of the links below.
Written By Miranda Booher