Entering but deciding which field to partake in,

Entering in the medical field provides each individual with multiple options such as nursing, emergency medical technicians, doctors, and more, but deciding which field to partake in, and what specialization if any, is a difficult choice. After dedicated research, I have narrowed down my choices to a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Cardiovascular Technician, and an Athletic Trainer.

For each of these career paths, I discovered the educational requirements, required skills, salary, job duties and hours, and the advantages and disadvantages. A Pediatric Nurse Practitioner is a practitioner that is specialized in pediatrics and working closely with children. As one decides they want to obtain the title as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, they must acquire an associate’s degree at the least, and a master’s degree at the highest.

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The highest recommended schools for this medical program is Yale University and Columbia University due to the strenuous activities, simulators, high competition between the students, and their top of the class professors. I, myself, plan on attending LeTourneau University for their undergraduate and graduate program to secure this degree. Most colleges also recommend these future Pediatric Nurse Practitioners to take child psychology, and children’s health so that they are better equipped to succeed at their job. After procuring the degree, the individual must pass the NCLEX-RN exam or the Pediatric Nurse Exam, to become certified as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Due to the fact that a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner works so closely with children, and young patients, the job requires them to have compassion, patience, emotional stability, critical thinking skills, be detail oriented, organized, and be a successful communicator. One must have compassion because most children fear the doctor’s office, and are uncomfortable due to the fact that they may not understand the situation and what is happening. Continuing on this note, to be able to deal with parents who are worried and erratic, or children who are uncooperative, the individual must be patient, and have communication skills to be able to effectively take care of the situation at hand and inform the parents and child of the problem at hand, and what treatment opportunities are available.

Furthermore, one must be detail oriented and organized, so that multiple patients can be cared for at once without having mix ups and giving patient’s wrong treatments. On the same note, in hectic emergencies, critical thinking also is incorporated with organization and detail due to the fact that giving a treatment to a patient fast in order to save their life is crucial, and knowing the symptoms of the disease or problem allows the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner to be successful in the job. Having all of these skills allows the individual to effectively care for patients, provide the  correct treatments, and diagnose problems, and ultimately be successful at their job.A Pediatric Nurse Practitoner’s basic job responsibilities include determining if there are any changes in a childs signs or symptoms, be able to differentiate between normal and abnormal side effects or condtitions, detect any change in pathrophisiological problems in the patient, administer medication, and provide support to dying patients. For most people looking into careers, salary can be a defining factor. A Pediatric Nurse Practitioner’s pay increases as more experience is incoporated. For a beginner one can expect an average pay of $57,600 a year. However, once one reaches the level of mid experience ranging from 4-9 years, one can recieve an average pay between $64,843- $70,097.

On average, a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner makes $65,976 per year. Making this salary, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner’s can expect to work an average 8-12 hours a day for 5-6 days a week. Furthermore, majority of cities have Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and the job is normally performed inside, but can be administered outside in an emergency.

Working as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, one can expect to use a defibrilator, scales, thermometers, cardiorespiratory monitors, and pulse oximeters.While working with this equiptment, one can expect to feel pride and joy as they help children heal, and assist in their needs as they cope with traumatic events. However like every job there is bound to be some disadvantages. Pediatric Nurse Practitioners must cope with overbearing parents, and patient deaths as only a few of the disadvantages faced.Due to the long hours, strenuous activities, and skills required, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner’s live up to everyone’s expectations that include but are not limited to, being great with children, handling emergencies with care, performing job duties with ease, and being empathetic. Pediatric Nurse Practitioners have the ability to leave a lasting impression on our future generations and impact our society. That is why I chose this career.

Continuing on the topic about medical professionals impacting society, Cardiovascular Technologists monitor and diagnose the heart and blood vessels. These medical proffessionals often save lives daily, and some effects, the patients might experience, are joy, gratefulness, and a new way of looking at life. To become a Cardiovascular Technologist, one must obtain an Associate’s degree from any accreditted college ot university. This means, an individual must go to college for a minimum of two years to obtain this degree. One of the best Universities to study this field is Arkansas University due to their extraordinary equipment, and their competitiveness between the student body. However, I plan on attending Oklahoma City University to further pursue my interest in this degree.

 In any occupation, basic skills are required to be able to succeed in the field. Cardiovascular technologists need specialized skills such as active listening, effective communication skills, a drive for constant learning and adjustment, and decision making skills. These are important because one must effectively and correctly inform the patients, relatives and doctors, about the problems and diagnosis of the patient. Cardiovascular Technologists must also learn how new equiptment, diseases, and protocol works and be able to adjust quickly while not making mistakes regarding patients. Furthermore, an individual must be able to make a decision regarding treatment, and diagnosis pertaining to patients and their symptoms and complaints. These skills come into effect as a person grows in the field, and learns more and more about their line of work, however some skills one developes over time throughout their life.Due to the fact that in any country, people work for their money, and depending on the amount recieved, determines the way of life one lives. As a Cardiovascular Technologist, one can expect to make $17.

23- $35.46 an hour, depending on experience. That amounts to about $36,313- $76,761 annually. The more educational experience one has also affects the amount of pay  recieved. This means that if one individaul, let’s say Individual A, only went to college and recieved their Associate’s degree, and Individual B went to college and got their Bachelor’s degree, Individual B would make more starting pay than Individual A. Cardiovascular Technologists have a wide range of pay options and of course, location matters as well.Participating in daily acivities that can be strenuous or difficult sometimes cause people to be unhappy.

That is why one should observe and research the daily activities of their interest before entering that field of expertise. Basic duties for Cardiovascular Technologists include, but are not limited to, serving as assistants to physicians, diagnosing and treating problems occuring in the heart and blood vessels, review the doctors, and patients documentation , schedule, appointments, and monitor the heart rates. The equipment used most often is the electrocardiogram, EMR software, and the phonecardiogram. As a Cardiovacular Technologist, one can expect to work 5 days a week, or 40 hours.

The job market has a large range of places that offer these hours and duties like most cities, and indoor facilities. All jobs have factors to consider when decisding what one wants to be when they “grow” up. Cardiovascular Technologists save people by improving the heart function, and have flexibility between invasive and noninvasive procedures. However they also have to endure with the physical stress of performing on the most vital organ in the body, and the time commitment.Saving people, and detial oriented work is also asscoiated with Cardiovascular Technologists, which is why I have an interest building in this career.Injuries. Sports. Those two words can bring to mind many memories for some of us.

The pain, the rehab, the therapy, and most importantly sitting on the sideline watching your team play, doing nothing but being moral support. Those people who rush onto the field or court when one gets injured, the Athletic Trainers, are considered heros to those who have been severely injured or demobilized. To become a certified Athletic Trainer, one must graduate any university or college with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, and pass the Board of  Certification test.

While considering options on colleges for this degree, one should research the University of Florida’s program, as it is top of the line. However, if I choose to go in this direction, I will attend Oklahoma City University due to the scholarship opportunites I posses regarding this field. Athletic Trainers posses certain skills, or qualities as one might say, that enables them to be so successful at their job.

Some of these include, the love of sports, active listening, critical thinking, and time management. Loving sports allows an Athletic Trainer to connect with their patient on a personal level, and that goes hand in hand with active listening. By doing this an individual may better understant the symptoms and pain a patient in experiencing, and provide effective treatment. An Athletic Trainer, especially one in the school environment, must excell in time management between patients, and between their career and home.Aside from everyday skills, an Athletic Trainer needs to have specialized medical skills pertaining to the job duties.

These include,a body background to be able to effectively diagnose and treat injuries, therapy and rehabilitation knowledge to provide their patients with quick and effective treatment to enable them to return to the game, and how to properly use medical equipment.Money. Always an issue in today’s society.

While deciding a career path, one might factor in salary. As an Athletic Trainer, one can expect to make anywhere from $30,918 to $56,636 anually. On an average however, Athletic Trainers make $40,934 in the United States. However your starting pay may not always be $30,918. Depending on your experience you may make more than that.

As an Athletic Trainer, one can expect to treat injuries such as sprains and breaks, and to be a preventative to injuries by stretching patients out, and applying tape and braces to previously injured or weakened areas. Furthermore, one can expect to work 60-70 hours a week, normally Monday- Friday. The only exception is when sports teams travel on weekends. Majority of these jobs are found in schools with active sports, and are in most cities. To prevent, and treat injuries, one must know how to use the stadiometers, x-ray machines, medicine balls, foam rollers, elastic resistance bands, trampolines, and bikes effectively in rehabilitation. Some benefits of becoming anathletic trainer are not what one may expect, such as preventing injuries, and watching injured players step back onto the court or field for the first time after recovering. However the downfall is the long hours put in to be able to succeed.

Between Pediatric Nurse Pratitioners, Cardiovascular Technologists, and Athletic Trainer, I have three very different directions. I can choose to work with children with many many different diseases, and cases. I can choose to work on heart and save peoples lives, or I can choose to work in teh sports field of medicine and help athletes like me recover.

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