What is Health Information Technology?

Written by Northwestern WebTeam. Posted in Healthcare

Think about the number of people who walk into a hospital, physician’s office, or healthcare clinic every single day. It’s a staggering figure. In fact, according to a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Americans turned in more than 922 million physician’s office visits and nearly 126 million hospital outpatient visits in one year alone.

Now consider this: For every one of those visits, and every single patient being treated, there are healthcare records that must be prepared, updated, and organized.

Fortunately, with the advances in technology that have happened over the past decade, the procedures for maintaining the dizzying amount of healthcare records have been moved to computer systems, greatly streamlining and simplifying the process. At the same time, it takes healthcare professionals who bring specialized training and skill sets to be able to effectively and efficiently utilize the technology that drives and supports electronic medical records.

Enter the field of health information technology.

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Faculty Spotlight: Susan Dewar

Written by Northwestern WebTeam. Posted in Faculty Spotlight, Healthcare

In honor of Heart Health Month, February’s faculty spotlight is on Northwestern College Associate Professor of Nursing Susan Dewar, MSN, RN, MA, CNE. Susan has been working at Northwestern College for one year and has about 10 years of experience in higher education overall. She brings incredible knowledge to Northwestern College students through her nursing expertise in rehabilitation, home health and hospice, and recovery in same day surgery.

With a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and Foreign Language and a master’s in Elementary Education, one may wonder how Susan ended up in the field of nursing. She taught English as a Second Language (ESL) and Composition for many years. Throughout this time she realized that she is great with people and had a passion for teaching. She “just felt a calling. A real calling to become a nurse,” passionately adding that it was “just a good fit” for her. She went back to school to pursue her associate in nursing and eventually obtained her Master of Science in Nursing Education. Something she continues to instill in her students is that 75-80% of nursing is teaching, and you should always be educating your patients.

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Top 10 interview questions for nurses

Written by Northwestern WebTeam. Posted in Career Planning, Healthcare

There is no doubt that a career in nursing is a rewarding one. Nurses have a vital role in the treatment and recovery of patients and they can make all the difference in the patient’s life, giving them the best care and making them comfortable when facing a hard moment. If a career in nursing is what you dream of, then getting the right preparation is the right way to go. A well-rounded education will give you the upper hand when training to become a nurse.

If you are already getting your training and are about to start your job search, getting prepared for the interview is a must. You must be confident about the skills you have learned and calm so that you can answer questions properly and show the hiring team all you are capable of.

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Responsibilities of nurses working with babies

Written by Northwestern WebTeam. Posted in Healthcare, Personal Development

Many nurses enter the field with a goal of working with babies. Some have a preference to work in the maternity unit (labor and delivery), in pediatrics or to specifically work as a neonatal nurse.

Working in the maternity unit requires nurses to work with both the mothers and the infants, usually providing care leading up to, during and post-labor. Maternity nurses monitor the vitals of both the patient and the infant, assist the doctor during labor and help teach mothers how to feed, change and bathe the newborn.

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Get to know more about careers in nursing

Written by Northwestern WebTeam. Posted in Healthcare, Personal Development

Nurses play an important part in keeping our health care system running smoothly. They are filled with passion, empathy, and compassion. And, on top of that, they are skilled professionals, prepared to face challenges and work through adversities. It’s quite safe to say that if it weren’t for them, we would probably be lost.

If you are considering a career in nursing, it’s important to be aware that there are a number of job opportunities and different roles for nurses. Don’t be mistaken in thinking that the only possibility is to work in a hospital doing night shifts and dealing with emergencies. The array of roles for nurses might surprise you.

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5 Benefits of a Career in Medical Coding and Billing

Written by Northwestern WebTeam. Posted in Healthcare

If you are looking for a career in the medical field with an array of opportunities, medical coding and billing might be right for you. It’s a well-known fact that careers in the healthcare field are booming. However, not everyone wants to work long hours and deal with the physical demands that some of the other careers in the healthcare field have, like long shifts and constant patient care.

Medical coders transform procedures, diagnoses, and medical services and equipment into universal medical alphanumeric numbers. These codes are used to file patient data for insurance purposes. Medical billing is the process of submitting claims to health insurances. Medical coders and billers are crucial to healthcare. They are the ones making sure a patient’s files are correct and insurance claims are error free.

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