Our increasingly dysfunctional world has at least one positive side:  It has created a fast-growing career field for those interested in a job in a mental health profession.  This is as true for the mental health nurse as it is for the psychiatrist.  Getting onto that career path, of course, means passing the PMHN (Psychiatric & Mental Health Nurse Exam), which is challenging.  But it’s worth it.  Because once you pass it, there are a world of career choices available to you.  PMHN Job Listings HERE

* For instance, one door that the PMHN could open for you is that of the psychiatric technician.  This is a person who uses technical, scientific and manual skills to diagnose and treat a patient with mental illness.  Some of the diseases he might diagnose and treat include schizophrenia, dementia, depression, and others.  In fact, the demand for psychiatric technicians is rising precisely because there is a growing number of people suffering from schizophrenia and dementia.  Getting into the field generally requires a two-year degree in Human Service as well as passing the PMHN exam.

* Another growing career field for those who pass the PMHN is that of the outpatient clinic therapist or counselor.  These professionals generally deal with the “street level” dysfunctions of people with limited incomes.  Usually this means issues pertaining to alcohol, drugs, domestic violence, etc.  In addition to passing the PMHN, a Master’s degree is usually required.

* A third career field that is expanding rapidly, for which the PMHN is often required, is that of the rehabilitation counselor.  This counselor helps the disabled person, whether the disability is physical, mental or emotional in nature.  The rehabilitation counselor assists the patient to overcome debilitating attitudes and helps them to reach their goals and to live lives that are not hindered by their disabilities.  Sometimes the counselor works with patients individually, and other times in groups.  The job candidate must usually pair the PMHN exam with either a Bachelor’s degree or preferably a Master’s degree in human services.

* And finally, for those who want to work in a hospital, the principal career path for which the PMHN is a door is that of the psychiatric nurse.  This is the nurse who works in the psychiatric ward of a hospital, monitoring patients, to make sure that they’re safe, and taking care of their daily needs.  Passing the PMHN plus a master’s degree in nursing are expected.

These are three of the best opportunities waiting for those who pass the PMHN.  All are growing fields, and all are good reason to prepare now so that you do well when you take the exam.

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The growing career field of nursing has intersected with the information age in the 2000′s to create a fulfilling opportunity called nursing informatics–a branch of health informatics.

Healthcare informatics refers to that point at which healthcare and information and computer science come together.  Specifically, it deals with the devices, methods and resources needed to optimize the acquiring, storing, retrieving and use of information in biomedicine and health.  Tools in the field include computers, formal medical terminologies, clinical guidelines, and communication and information systems.

The nursing informatics specialist directs and leads the planning and implementation of information technology systems that are used in hospitals, clinics and similar healthcare environments.  The specialist works closely with nurse managers, nurses and with the IT department to gather information that will be used for designing, developing, implementing and evaluating correct clinical information systems.  These systems include software, databases, and other applications used to manage patients, personnel, supplies and other facts needed to deliver efficient and effective patient care.

The nursing informatics specialist serves as the project lead on any IT project which has an impact on clinical departments.  She will manage timelines, vendors, and budgets, and work with leaders such as nurse managers to train system users.  The informatics specialist will also work with managers to ease staff in the transition toward new systems and processes.

In addition, the nursing informatics specialist is usually required to draw upon her own clinical expertise and her knowledge of information systems to make sure that all of the healthcare facility’s systems work for the staff and patients and also comply with federal and state guidelines.

The informatics specialist can expect a good salary, ranging from $40,000 to $120,000 yearly, depending on education level.  Typically, a Bachelor’s degree in nursing is required, with a Master’s degree earning the higher end of the pay spectrum. And of course, a nursing license is required.

The outlook in this field is quite good because it carries a one-two punch.  Number one, all nursing fields are expected to have many openings in the next decade, and two, computer professionals will also be in high demand. Put the two together and you can understand why there is a tremendous amount of job security for the person who has trained himself or herself adequately for a job as a nursing informatics specialist.  Few people will have the skills in both areas to qualify for this job–which means that you will be gold if you happen to be one of those few.

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Once you’ve made the decision to pursue a career as a midwife, the next task is figure out the correct path to take toward your goal.  No matter how you do it, though, three elements will be required:  you’ll be expected to pass the midwife exam, you’ll be expected to have proper accreditation, and depending on where you practice, you might be required to have a state license.  The midwife exam is administered by the American Midwifery Certification Board.  This three-phase approach is especially important in a time when midwifery, the practice of assisting women in childbirth, is coming under increasing scrutiny by the government.

Both the exam and the accreditation process are designed for the same purpose:  to ensure that the midwife has the proper skills to handle her tasks.  Specifically, those involved want to know that the midwife:

* is able to give the essential care, supervision and wife necessary for women during pregnancy, the birth process, and post-partum period;

* is able to conduct a delivery on her own;

* is able to accurately take the woman’s history and give her a physical assessment;

* is able to order the appropriate lab tests and procedures;

* is equipped to counsel patients regarding health-promotion as well as risk-reduction activities.

The midwife is an important person in medical communities around the world, because they offer more personalized attention, and more in-depth assistance, to the new mother, than a standard practitioner would be able to do.

All current midwife programs in North America are found at institutions of higher learning. Currently, about 70 percent of those who go full-time into midwife careers have received a Master’s degree, in addition to passing their certification exam.  Even after you’ve been certified, however, there is still the issue of being licensed–a process which, in the United States, is handled on a state-by-state basis.

The certification exam itself is administered by the AMCB — the American Midwifery Certification Board.  It provides certification for both Certified Midwives and Certified Nurse-Midwives.  The Actual test is given by AMP.

Once the midwife has the proper credentials, she will be allowed to practice in any suitable setting, including hospitals, clinics, health units, even in a private home. See Midwife Job Listings here

In preparing for this nursing certification exam, if you’re limited in how much studying you can do, or how much material you can cover, pay particular attention to matters of safety.  These more than procedure and technique are greatly emphasized on the exam–and an emphasis on these areas should help improve your score..

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A Licensed Vocational Nurse or LVN normally works under the supervision of a physician or a Registered Nurse, but the duties and licensing vary from state to state. Generally the program is approximately twelve to fourteen months depending on the state for licensure and is a stepping stone to becoming a registered nurse.

The LVN training includes courses that prepares the student for nursing and familiarizes them with the respiratory system, the reproductive system, the endocrine system, immunology, oncology, the cardiovascular system, the gastrointestinal system, the integumentary system, the musculoskeletal system, oncology, obstetrics and pediatrics to name a few.

LVNs usually work in a hospital but can be employed in skilled nursing facilities, schools, clinics, home health care agencies, physician’s offices and even correctional facilities. Their duties include assisting with the daily activities of a patient that might include assisting with food service, bathing, dressing changes and inserting catheters. They are likely to take a patient’s vital signs and in some states they would start and hang an IV or draw blood for laboratory work. Other activities might include changing linens on beds, assisting patients with other activities like shaving or other personal care.

Many people who are training to be a registered nurse become a licensed vocational nurse so that they can be working while they are still in school to become a nurse. This gives them on-the-job training so to speak and is invaluable in assisting them in giving them firsthand knowledge on what they will be dealing with once they become a registered nurse. With doctors spending less time with their patients, it makes sense that there are nurses of all levels that are available to provide the variety of services needed for a patient that is in a hospital or other healthcare facility and a licensed vocational nurse offers a valuable service.

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