Unitek College Blog

California’s first 2010 human cases of the disease West Nile Virus (WNV) were recently confirmed by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The infections were discovered in two women from central California’s Stanislaus County through routine blood testing. The tests were conducted when the women attempted to donate blood to an area blood bank.

In a statement issued on July 16, the CDPH gave precautions on preventing further spread of the blood-borne disease:

“With the first confirmed human illnesses from West Nile virus this year, we are intensifying our surveillance for the virus with the help of all counties,” said Dr. Mark Horton, Director of the California Department of Public Health. “The most important step people can take to prevent West Nile virus infection is to protect themselves from being bitten by a mosquito,” he advised.

First identified in Uganda in the 1930s and discovered in the U.S. in 1999, West Nile Virus is a disease typically transmitted by infected mosquitoes. Both people and animals are susceptible to contracting the illness. The effects of the disease are often mild and include symptoms like: abdominal and back pain, fever, diarrhea, muscle aches, loss of appetite, vomiting and sore throat. These unpleasant symptoms typically last between three to six days.

In rarer cases, West Nile Virus can lead to the development of serious neurological conditions such as meningitis or encephalitis. Elderly people, pregnant women and individuals with compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable to the more dangerous form of WNV. Signs of a possible WNV infection in need of immediate medical attention include: loss of consciousness, stiff neck, muscle weakness and confusion.

According to the CDPH, neither women from Stanislaus County required hospitalization, and both are recovering from their infections. In addition to these first human cases, WNV has also been reported in 19 California counties in 52 dead birds, six chickens, one squirrel and 107 randomly sampled mosquitoes.

The CDPH offers four tips, or “four Ds,” to all California residents and health professionals, including Bay Area Medical Assistants, to help prevent the spread of WNV:

1. DEET – Apply inspect repellent containing DEET, picaradin, lemon or eucalyptus oil or IR 3535. DEET can be used safely on infants and children 2 months of age and older.

1. DRESS – Covering skin reduces the risk of exposure to WMV-infected mosquitoes.
2. DAWN AND DUSK – Mosquitoes are especially prevalent during the early morning and evening. During these times, repellant and appropriate clothing can offer increased protection from mosquito bites.
3. DRAIN – Since mosquitoes lay their eggs on standing water, draining it from swimming pools plant pots, tires, pet bowls and rain gutters can help reduce the mosquito population.

Outbreaks of West Nile Virus and other contagious diseases in California require increased care from skilled healthcare personnel like Sacramento Medical Assistants and San Francisco Medical Assistants. Discover now how Unitek’s quality training program can get you started in this growing field.

For more information about West Nile Virus, please visit www.westnile.ca.gov.

Castro Valley registered nurse (RN) Kristeen Klaas was awarded more than $344,000 in damages last week by an Alameda County jury in response to her lawsuit against ValleyCare Medical System.

According to a July 24 story in the San Francisco Chronicle, Klaas, an RN for more than 30 years, claimed her former employer refused to rehire her after she quit her job in May 2008. Klass left the Livermore-Pleasanton-area hospital after 15 years of service.

Prior to her departure, Klaas complained for over two years to ValleyCare management about patient safety and the questionable conduct of fellow hospital staff. In her lawsuit, Klaas claims that facility management refused to respond to her rehiring request in retaliation against her expressing her concerns. The 54-year-old operating nurse now divides her professional time between San Leandro Hospital and the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland.

The San Francisco Chronicle lists several examples of the controversial practices Klaas reported during her time at ValleyCare. One instance involved a surgical technician who brought a rifle that was for sale into the operating room office. Other instances include a nurse who jumped rope with an electrical cord in the hospital operating room and also brought a dog into the operating team break room.

One of the most shocking complaints made by Klaas describes how the tip of a surgical instrument was left inside a patient. The error was discovered after operating room staff failed to find the object following surgery. Klaas said ValleyCare does not have a formal policy requiring staff to account for instruments after surgical procedures.

Like other skilled nursing personnel, such as Santa Clara RNs, Klaas is dedicated to the proper care and health of her patients. Her commitment and sense of professional responsibility led her to report potentially unsafe practices and stand up to retaliatory management actions.

Northern California has a growing need for skilled and dedicated registered nurses like Klaas. Now may be the best time for you to train for San Francisco RN jobs, or career opportunities as a Sacramento RN.

Expand your professional horizons today with Unitek’s quality LN to RN training program! Our staff of highly-skilled instructors give you the knowledge and expertise you need to transition from Licensed Nursing to an exciting and reward Registered Nursing career. Learn more about our established RN program now!

For more information on the legal proceedings involving Kristeen Klaas and ValleyCare Medical System, please visit:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/24/BA6H1EJ0NA.DTL#ixzz0uqCt1FrX

A ballot measure backed by the retail giants Wal-Mart and Walgreen’s aims to change a nearly 50-year-old law that requires North Dakota pharmacies be majority-owned by independent pharmacists. Since 1963, the North Dakota Pharmacy Ownership Law it has barred hospitals, chain drug stores and retail businesses without majority-ownership by local pharmacists from operating pharmacies in the state.

North Dakota’s pharmacy ownership law is the only one of its kind in the United States. Its unique provisions have allowed independently-owned pharmacies to thrive throughout the state. According to figures published by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), nearly 90 percent of North Dakota’s pharmacies are independently-owned and operated. By comparison, only around 30 percent of the pharmacies throughout the rest of the country operate under independent ownership.

With financial backing from Walgreen’s and Wal-Mart, the group North Dakotans for Affordable Healthcare hopes to repeal the law through the passage of a ballot measure in the upcoming November election. After months of petitioning North Dakota voters, the group confirms it has exceeded the amount of signatures required to have their initiative placed on the state’s 2010 election ballot.

According to the group’s website, the pharmacy ownership law unfairly restricts the sale of generic prescription drugs in North Dakota by non-pharmacist-owned businesses. As a result, the group claims, North Dakota residents continue to pay more for medications than consumers in other states.

Despite claims that the pharmacy ownership law prevents North Dakota prescription drug users from saving money, a 2009 report issued by ISLR found that repealing the law may actually cost the state millions in lost tax revenue and related economic activity. The report also said passage of the repeal would jeopardize local pharmacies that serve the state’s many rural communities.

Recent efforts by the North Dakotans for Affordable Healthcare group aren’t the first attempt to overturn the pharmacy ownership law. The law was upheld by the United States Supreme Court in the 1970s and was the subject of an attempted repeal by members of the North Dakota State Legislature in 2009.

Although its pharmacy ownership laws are unique, North Dakota, like all other states, relies on the expertise of pharmacy professionals to provide valuable prescription-related services to its residents.

Throughout California, the demand for qualified professionals, like San Francisco pharmacy technicians, continues to grow. The state requires more Sacramento pharmacy technicians and PTs in other locations to assist consumers with their prescription medications. Now is a perfect time to pursue a career in this expanding field. Discover today how quality training from Unitek College can jumpstart your career as a Bay Area pharmacy technician.

For additional information on North Dakota’s Pharmacy Ownership Law and the opposing ballot initiative sponsored by North Dakotans for Affordable Healthcare, please visit:
http://www.newrules.org/retail/rules/pharmacy-ownership-laws/pharmacy-ownership-law-north-dakota
http://ndrx.org/
http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/07/21/nd-initiative-to-change-pharmacy-law/

A group of California-based nurses departed July 21 for a month-long medical mission to Haiti and Central America, announced National Nurses United, the largest nursing union in the United States. The California registered nurses (RN) will join nurse volunteers from Michigan and Washington state as part of the international humanitarian assistance program Continuing Promise 2010.

During their deployment, the nurse volunteers will be stationed aboard the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious U.S. Naval ship. From July to November, the Continuing Promise volunteers will provide nursing care in temporary clinics located on the coasts of Haiti, Coasta Rica, Colombia, Guatemala, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, and Suriname. The nurses will assist patients in these countries on a one-month rotational basis.

The first team of professionals to participate in the mission is comprised of Nurse Practitioners (NP) and Registered Nurses (RNs) who have disaster relief experience and backgrounds in women’s health. Like other kinds of nursing professionals, including Santa Clara LVNs, RNs and Nurse Practitioners undergo specialized training that provides them with the knowledge and skills they need to care for their patients safely and effectively.

San Francisco Bay Area women’s health nurse practitioner Jane Ernstthal is one of the healthcare professionals participating in the Central American-bound mission. She has extensive clinical nursing experience in regions as diverse as Chile, Ecuador, Haiti, Mexico, Malawi and Kenya. During her previous nursing missions, Ernstthal provided family planning education and training for personnel at local clinics.

Joining Ernstthal and the other volunteers is San Diego-area Registered Nurse Amanda Howard. After Haiti’s devastating earthquake in January, Howard spent six weeks in the island nation. As part of her volunteer nursing work, the RN helped establish pre- and post-natal care at an existing Haitian clinic.

Erstthal and Howard are part of National Nurses United’s volunteer Registered Nurse Response Network. The group provides widespread care through a series of continuous assignments, including a mission earlier this year to treat those critically injured in the Haiti earthquake.

Since 2005, Conintuing Promise has brought together civilians, Sailors and Marines with a desire to provide humanitarian aid to citizens of South and Central American countries, particularly during critical situations resulting from natural disasters.

The need for skilled nursing professionals both abroad and close to home continues to grow. If you’ve been thinking of exploring LVN jobs in San Francisco, Fremont or elsewhere the Bay Area, see how Unitek College can get you started on an exciting nursing career. From LVN jobs in Sacramento, to nursing roles in San Jose, Unitek has the quality training program to help you jumpstart your career in this growing healthcare field.

For additional information on National Nurses United, please visit:
http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/

For further details on Continuing Promise, please see:
http://www.usmc.mil/unit/mcascherrypoint/Pages/MACS-2tosupport%E2%80%98ContinuingPromise2010%E2%80%99inCentral,SouthAmerica.aspx

In a July 19 article published in ForbesWoman, an online and print periodical targeting women professionals, Medical Assistant jobs are listed as some of the fastest-growing professional opportunities for women in the country.

The article cites recent research conducted by Laurence Shatkin, a 30-year veteran of the career information field, and the prolific author of numerous employment resource guides, including “Best Jobs for the 21st Century,” “50 Best Jobs for Your Personality,” and “150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs.”

According to Shatkin, the Medical Assistant field is ranked eighth in a list of the 20 fastest-growing professional fields for women. Opportunities for Medical Assistants, such as San Francisco Medical Assistant jobs, are projected to increase 40% through 2018. This anticipated growth is likely to bode well for women professionals, who, according to ForbesWoman, make up 90 percent of the Medical Assistant field.

Shatkin is said to attribute the impressive growth of jobs in the Medical Assistant field, like San Jose Medical Assistant jobs, to the country’s significant population of aging baby boomers and the recently approved reforms to U.S. health care law; both factors are expected to contribute to the need for greater numbers of qualified Medical Assistant personnel throughout Northern California and the rest of the country.

Shatkin’s findings are based largely the analysis of data compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor, which provides detailed job and salary descriptions for Medical Assistants and hundreds of other professions in its annual Occupation Outlook Handbook (OOH).

According to the most current information listed in government’s established career guide, the outlook for the Medical Assistant field is particularly strong:

“Employment is projected to grow much faster than average, ranking medical assistants among the fastest growing occupations over the 2008–18 decade. Job opportunities should be excellent, particularly for those with formal training or experience, and certification,” states the U.S. Department of Labor in the 2010-2011 edition of its Occupation Outlook Handbook.

In addition to requiring greater numbers of Medical Assistants, the healthcare field and medical professionals will need skilled personnel who can perform a number of key administrative tasks (scheduling appointments, maintaining patient files and arranging laboratory services); as well as clinical duties (taking patient medical histories, preparing patients for exams, recording vital signs).

If you’ve considered exploring Medical Assistant Jobs in Sacramento, Santa Clara or elsewhere in the Bay Area, now may be the best time to start training for this exciting and rapidly-growing profession! Learn how Unitek College can help you get the quality training you need to start your new Medical Assistant career.

To learn more about ForbesWoman’s Top 20 Fastest-Growing Jobs for Women, please visit:

http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/19/job-market-growing-industries-employment-forbes-woman-leadership-most-secure-jobs.html?boxes=Homepagemostpopular

For information on the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, please see: http://www.bls.gov/oco/

And for additional details on Laurence Shatkin, please go to:
http://shatkin.com/default.aspx

Brenda Calvin Wright, a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) clinical manager for the Chapa-De Indian Health Program in Auburn, California, will receive a distinguished national award for excellence in nursing on July 21 in Washington D.C., reported the Colusa County Sun Herald.

Wright will be awarded on Wednesday during the 2010 Nurse Leaders in Native Care Conference. The annual event includes a series of educational workshops and presentations on the people and issues that impact American Indian and Alaskan Native nurses. It is sponsored by the Indian Health Service (IHS) Division of Nursing, the Indian Health Service National Nurse Leadership Council, and the Arizona Nurses Association.

As a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Wright was nominated to the National Nurse Leadership Council by her supervisor for her compassionate approach to nursing, and the positive impact she has on her patients’ lives. In her nomination, Wright is said to improve the attitudes of numerous patients by taking the time to communicate sensitive medical practices and emphasizing the benefits of daily self-care.

According to the Colusa County Sun Herald, Wright began working at the Chapa-De Indian Health Program as a receptionist five years ago. After a year at the Auburn-based healthcare program, the native of Colusa County, northwest of Sacramento, transitioned to a rewarding new role as an LVN. This professional change followed the death of her husband Larry in a truck accident.

Wright, a grandmother of two, is the only California Indian Health Care nurse to receive this year’s prestigious award from the IHS National Nurse Leadership Council.

The Chapa-De Indian Health Programs serve more than 4,000 patients in the Greater Sacramento communities of Auburn, Grass Valley and Woodland. While many of the programs’ patients are Native American, Wright is recognized for sharing her compassionate and professional nursing skills with all of Chapa-De’s clients. As she told the Colusa County Sun, “All our patients are like family to me. Not just Native Americans, but those from all communities.”

Like other nursing personnel, such as San Francisco LVNs, Wright is part of a vital and growing field in the healthcare profession. Licensed vocational nurses play an important role in the and daily care of patients in clinics, hospitals and other settings. They also provide key information on preventative care and treatment to families and caregivers.

If you’ve thought of exploring LVN Jobs in Sacramento or considered working as a Santa Clara LVN, Unitek College has a quality training program that can get you started on a rewarding career in the expanding nursing industry. Discover more about Unitek’s LVN convenient training program today!

To learn more about Brenda Calvin Wright, please visit:
http://www.colusa-sun-herald.com/news/wright-5090-nurse-patients.html

And to learn more about the federal Indian Health Service program, please visit:
http://www.ihs.gov/
http://www.ihs.gov/medicalprograms/nnlc/nnlc_conferences.asp