Friday 15 November 2013

Equipment and Wot Not

What should you keep in mind if you plan on buying medical supplies? Medical supplies are vast and varied and chances are, only the most well stocked hospitals have the range of equipment needed to handle a wide range of ailments. Most hospitals have a supply staff that keeps their equipment rooms functioning and well supplied.

But for private home use or for smaller clinics that do not have an extensive staff to supply goods to them, making sure that you are getting the correct medical supplies is absolutely imperative.

First off, you need to assess what kind of equipment you should be purchasing in the first place. Try to figure out what kind of services are needed most and try to find out what would be required to keep your practice functional.

Purchasing the most basic medical supplies is of course, a given. A doctor or any medical practitioner should own a stethoscope to monitor different types of auscultation from the heartbeat to lung sounds. Another piece of equipment that is absolutely required in a clinic would be an otoscope, which is also called an auriscope. It is used for checking the ears and to investigate any symptoms associated with ear pain. An otoscope can look into the outer and inner ear, and also check for fluid build up and allergic reactions. An ophthalmoscope is used to examine the eyes of a patient. Other important basic tools include a penlight for shining light into orifices, a sphygmomanometer for checking blood pressure, a medical weighing scale for keeping track of a patient's height and weight, and reflex hammer to check for neurological disorders.

If you work with children think about equipment that may make their experience a little less daunting. You can buy lots of equipment themed around children such as fun fob watches and patterned tourniquets.

Also keep a good stock of disposable medical supplies such as face masks, medical gloves, tongue depressors, cotton swabs, bandages, disinfectants, cotton pads, and the like.

However, for larger medical supplies you would have to factor in the costs and the profit return. You should also establish the length of need, on whether you would need it as a permanent addition to your armamentarium or if it will be there only for a set amount of time.

When purchasing things such as hospital beds, examination tables, and wheelchairs, you have to factor in the weight of your patients. If your patients are primarily children, you can opt for lighter wheelchairs than the heavy duty ones that are meant for adults.

Next, you have to make sure that your equipment is properly installed. Have a specialist install your new equipment for you. This will prevent damage to your new equipment and ensure that they are functioning properly. If you have a larger clinic, you can hire a biomedical equipment technician (BMET) to handle your supplies and keep them functioning.

Thursday 14 November 2013

Why Become A Nurse IN The First Place?

How do you become a nurse? I have asked myself the very same thing when I was younger, wanting to go into nursing since middle school. Being a nurse is an enormous responsibility, having to provide answers and making my own assessments in the medical field. To be a nurse is to be in a position of leadership, constantly responding to new situations whether it is a crisis or your patient's regular care routine.

Not surprisingly, nursing has become a rapidly changing field that has gone from nursing people back to health to having to prevent the onset of disease. In the UK, English nurses are focusing more on public health than ever before, and many nurses are going into other medical fields such as research, clinical education, and management.

Nurses can be found not only in the hospital, but in the private sector as well, such as in homes, at schools and universities, voluntary organisations, and pharmaceuticals. Indeed, choosing which career path you should take once you qualify for a nurse can be rather daunting, but it is important to choose what you wish to specialise in so that you know what path to take in your education.

In the UK, you become a nurse by obtaining the proper education needed. You can find many universities providing nursing as one of their courses. Half of the programme is spent in the classroom, and the other half of the programme is spent in clinical and hospital settings under the supervision of their educators. The best way to become a good nurse is to choose a school that will allow you to gain experience on the field.

Nurses in Britain can typically choose from a variety of specialties including adult nursing, children's nursing, learning disability nursing, mental health nursing, and midwifery. Each field comes with its own challenges and responsibilities.

Along with physical care, these courses also include social and cultural studies to teach nurses how to work with their patients. For example, a certain level of sensitivity is needed when working around children; so proper briefing is required in order to work with a child efficiently. Becoming a nurse isn't easy, but it is a fulfilling line of work.