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Harvard medical school is an institution for
graduation and it is a part of the Harvard University. This notable
American Medical Institution is located in the Longwood Medical Area of
the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Harvard medical
school trains some 616 students as part of its MD program. The medical
school also conducts Ph.D. and M.D.-Ph.D. programs – there are 155
seats for the M.D.-Ph.D program and 435 seats in the Ph.D. program.

The
highly distinguished faculty members of the school provide complete
support to research, education and clinical care. The school has both
voting and non-voting faculties – 2900 full and part time voting
faculty and 5000 full or part time non-voting faculty.

The
Harvard Medical School has been aptly divided into five societies named
after eminent ex-HMS-ites (except for HST). After the completion of
matriculation, medical and dental students are allotted a society.
Students belonging to the different societies participate in the talent
tests and competitions held from time to time. Each year the members of
the societies take part in “Society Olympics” to achieve the
illustrious Pink Flamingo in a series of events (e.g. dance-off, dodge
ball, etc.).

History of Harvard Medical School

It
was in the year 1782 that the three musketeers John Warren, Benjamin
Waterhouse and Aaron Dexter came together to lay the foundation of this
school. This is, in fact, the third oldest school of America. The first
batch of 2 students graduated from this school in the year 1788. In
1800, a decision was taken and the address of the school was changed to
49 Marlborough Street in Boston. Between the years 1816 and 1846, the
institution was referred to as Massachusetts Medical College of Harvard
University. The location of the school kept on changing – in 1847 the
school came to be relocated at North Grove Street and then its
destination was shifted to Copley Square in 1883. In 1906, the school
finally got shifted to its present location at the Longwood Avenue.

The Major Teaching Affiliates Of Harvard Medical School

• Massachusetts General Hospital

• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

• Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Known
as the “Harvard Trinity”, the three health facilities are hugely
popular with the faculty and the students of the institution.

Harvard Medical School Department Of Nutrition

In
the year 1996, the Division of Nutrition was introduced in this medical
school. The aim of this Division was to bring about a coordination of
several nutritional activities between the Harvard medical school and
Harvard teaching hospitals in matters like post graduate education,
research, teaching and care of the patient.

Another
motive of the nutritional Division was to provide significant
information to the general public about updated medical details
regarding healthy diet, the significance of dietary supplements and
making use of nutritional support in managing several clinical
ailments.

Moreover, for the proper
training of the physicians in the field of nutrition research, the
Harvard medical school initiated a post graduate program in association
with the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public
Health.

Harvard medical school, in
fact, is not just an institution; it is a gateway of development and
innovation in the field of contemporary medical science.

Those of you aiming for a career in medical office
have a great choice in the post of medical administrative assistant.
The job of medical administrative assistant is vital in any medical
office as they are responsible for managing various important tasks.

A
career of medical administrative assistant can bring you satisfaction
as you help others; it brings to you the opportunity to serve a health
care team at the same time. With the growing demand in the health care
sector, demand for such professionals is also on the rise. There are
ample employment opportunities for you in clinics, dental offices,
public health departments, physicians’ offices, prisons and
laboratories.

To be a medical
administrative assistant, you need to pursue a program designed to
prepare you for the entry-level positions as medical administrative
assistants in the health care clinics. The program would equip you with
various administrative procedures that would essentially include case
history processing, bill collections, processing medical insurance
claims as well as normal office procedures used in various medical
offices.

Programs For You

Programs
meant for would-be medical administrative assistant are designed to
develop the skills required for success in administrative support of
hospital departments, in the medical offices, or as Medical Directors
in non-medical business opportunities. Some school curriculum includes
training in “front office” skills and other aspects such as basic
medical coding, computer skills, business math, transcription and
record management.

The courses also
enhance the administrative, business and communication skills of the
students offering well-rounded talents to meet the challenges of
today’s ever-changing medical and non-medical industry. The students
can gain dexterity to become a vital conduit between patient and doctor
or even a client and business owner. The responsibilities of medical
administrative assistants ask for versatility.

Functions of an Administrative Medical Assistant

A
medical administrative assistant holds an important position in the
hierarchy of medical office. As an medical administrative assistant you
would have to perform some of the major functions such as records
management, appointment setting, basic billing, management of accounts
receivable and accounts payable, general bookkeeping and assisting in
payment collections. Two of the most important functions of medical
assistant’s are banking and payroll.

The
duty also involves handling telephone calls from physicians, patients,
laboratories, and equipment-manufacturers, representatives of
pharmaceutical companies as well as the physician’s family and all
these demand expertise. Overall, the job of a medical administrative
assistant is to ensure smooth functioning of the medical office. Once
you prove your worth as an administrative medical assistant, you would
be eligible for future promotions.

The Medical Assistant is a multi-skilled health professional
rendering clerical, administrative and technical aid to the physician.
The help and support of a medical assistant is inevitable and it counts
a lot when the doctor is busy with great number of patients.

Duties Of A Medical Assistant

A
medical assistant generally works in the laboratory areas or in the
front/back office. The job of the medical assistant is directly
controlled by the department administrator.

Unlike the
physician’s assistants, medical assistants have to undertake/perform
some administrative and clinical duties as well. The administrative
duties incorporate attending telephone calls, scheduling appointments,
updating medical records of patients and many more. The clinical duties
are like preparing patients for medical examination, explaining
treatment procedures to the patients or assisting the physician during
the examination.

A Medical Assistant cannot perform any
independent practice or cannot make any independent decision about
treatment, diseases and/or emergency plan about the patient. The job of
a medical assistant is limited to the offices of health practitioners
such as the chiropractors, podiatrists, physicians and others and is
generally directly dependent on the practitioner’s specialty.

Academics

The
primary education of a Medical Assistant can happen in a technical
institute or community college or vocational school, technical
institute or proprietary school. If you are very much eager to be a
Medical Assistant in the future, but not interested in taking education
in any of the mentioned institute, then you can opt for the online
educational programs. Nevertheless, before taking up any particular
medical assisting program, make sure that the program is accredited by
any renowned institution.

Registration And Certification

Before
becoming a full time medical assistant, it is necessary to obtain
certification. For this you have to undergo a test conducted by the
National Board of Medical Examiners or the notable bodies. Once you
have cleared the exams successfully, then you are certified as a
registered medical assistant. If a person wants to become a Registered
Medical Assistant (RMA), then he or she should be at least 18 years of
age and should pass a medical assisting curriculum in a school
accredited by any renowned institution. To become a RMA, the person
needs to have a minimum of 5 years of experience.

Scope Of Practice By The Medical Assistant

The medical assistants have a huge scope of practice which have been listed as below:

Since
the medical assistants are not licensed, therefore, they are required
to work under the direct supervision of the licensed health care
professional like the physician or the registered nurse.

In case,
a medical assistant is working under the direct supervision of a
unlicensed health care provider, then it is necessary for both of them
to have authorization by the state for such practices as allergy
testing, needle injections, venipuncture and Mantoux skin test.
In some states, medical assistants are required to produce proof of
their qualification or seek permissions before exposing the patients to
x-rays or before blood tests, etc. Some states even require them to
pass a certain examination.

The
medical assistant acts as a communicator between the patient and the
physician. Therefore, the service of a medical assistant is
indispensable and utile in medical practice.

The rapid expansion of the medical industry together with the
increasing demand for trained medical assistants have led to the
mushrooming of a number of Medical Assistant Schools. A Medical
Assistant School offers courses/training for a lucrative and
financially secured career as a medical assistant.

A very
rewarding career for both males and females, Medical Assistants require
specialized professional trainings in order to excel, be established in
their profession. Actually, the duties of medical assistants are
directly linked to the specialties of the practitioners and they have
specified clinical and administrative roles. This makes it imperative
to enroll with a reputable medical assistant school, especially if you
are aim to shine as a medical assistant. Attending a reputable medical
assistant school really matters, and this enables you to polish your
skills and make you a successful professional in your field.

Take a clear note of the following before you get enrolled with a Medical Assistant School:

First,
the school should focus on introducing you to the basics, so that it
can enable you to expand your knowledge and practical skills.
A
renowned medical assistant school will heighten the chances of
obtaining the desired accreditation/certification, which can be the
stepping-stone towards a promising career.
Before you opt for any particular medical assistant school, it is
incumbent to know the level of professional medical assistance to be
provided by the school.
It is as important to take note of the amount of time and money that
will be required to complete your course. Remember, there are many
medical assistant schools that allow the students to quickly graduate,
compared to the other schools.

About Certification and Registration

If
you want to be a certified medical assistant, then it is necessary to
pass a test conducted by the National Board of Medical Examiners.
Henceforth, the medical assistant will be given the CMA status. To
become a Registered Medical Assistant, he or she should be at least 18
years of age and should pass the medical assisting curriculum from the
accredited medical assistant school or should possess at least a
minimum of 5 years of experience.

There are many reputable
medical assistant schools, which offer fast-paced program to enable the
candidate to earn a professional certificate in very less time.
Moreover, the courses prepare the candidates for entry-level positions
in professional fields. Therefore, if you are planning to pursue a
career as a medical assistant, then the medical assistant school should
be your priority in seeking a qualification.

If you aspire to become a medical code professional,
then join the medical coding classes in order to get the required
training and to learn the nitty-gritties about the job. To pursue your
dreams, you may attend regular classes or opt for an online course.

Know About Medical Coding

It
can be defined as assigning codes to various diagnosis, symptoms,
treatments, procedures, followed in the hospitals or in allopathic
medicine, in order to expedite the process of reimbursement. The coding
system enables the processing of medical claims for physicians,
hospitals, medical institutions and long term care facilities. The
coding system informs the insurance company, which services should be
administered by care provider. In a few days, the money is reimbursed.

What A Person Can Learn From The Medical Coding Classes?

The
medical coding classes provide extensive training on coding systems.
There is a technique of assigning codes to the various services and the
aspirant student has to learn it first. A medical coder is taught about
how to convert a disease into ICD-9-CM code and medical diagnosis into
a CPT code.

The courses offered at the
medical coding classes are many, and the student initially
learns/memorizes and then apply the correct codes. The student is also
taught about reimbursement optimization and government compliance
regulations. However, before assigning codes to the services, the coder
has to make an extensive research about the information provided by the
physician pertaining to the diagnosis, symptoms, procedures and
treatments.

The Various Subjects Covered As Part Of Medical Coding Classes

Important
subjects are taught as part of the medical coding classes. The subjects
include advanced medical coding, procedural medical coding, advanced
procedural coding, advanced coding for the physicians office as well as
medical coding and billing associate certificate program.

Along
with the main subjects listed above, you are also taught other subjects
like physiology, law, medical information, reimbursement methodologies,
anatomy ethics and similar subjects.

Medical Coding Classes On The Internet

Many
schools, colleges and universities are now offering medical coding
classes via the Internet. The online education comes with lots of
benefits. You can pursue the course without having to sacrifice your
job. You can also attend to other social chores, and at the same time
dedicate sufficient time for your studies. Another advantage is that
you can complete the course at your own pace. There are no age
restrictions. Once you complete the course, you can seek a position
with a reputed firm. Students working with a hospital or in a
physician’s office have greater chances of bagging a job as a medical
coder.

If you want to shine in the medical field, think of Medical
continuing education. Medical practitioners have the opportunity to
improve their services, courtesy the continuing medical education.

Continuing
medical education is the logical extension of continuing professional
development. Continuing medical education helps professionals to
enhance and extend their knowledge and consequently become aware of
latest developments, which can be skillfully used for the betterment of
patient and public at large. The process of categorization, enlargement
and promotion of rules used by physicians to heighten expertise helps
in ameliorating medical care for patients.

CME activities
comprise educational involvement (through live events, written
publications, online programs, audio, video or other electronic media)
that rely on evidence-based medicine to give medical professionals a
pragmatic medical boost, which eventually improves the health care
service. Medical professionals proficient in their own respective
fields, prepare, assess and deliver the content for such programs in
the manner of the system followed in academic journals.

The
monetary funding for medical continuing education comes from multiple
sources like the private sector, government, hospitals, academic
institutions, non-profit organizations, and industry. In 2005, the net
monetary funding was $2.25 billion and the big chunk of it $2.25
billion came from commercial support. The 2005 period witnessed 79820
activities approved or accredited as official CME against 48092 CME
activities in 1998.

The monitoring body of CME recognizing
the lurking possibility of “commercial bias”, has formed and maintains
it “Standards for Commercial Support” to ensure that the independence
and quality of CME is not diluted. Organizations like the Alliance, the
largest professional organization for CME professionals often hold
meetings to address issues related to standards and development of the
CME. The public media sources have now and then questioned continuing
medical education.

Who Oversees The Activities Of CME?

The
CME enterprise is monitored and administered by a body known as ‘The
Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education’ (ACCME). This
seven-member organization includes members from the American Medical
Association and the American Board of Medical Specialties. The ACCME’s
Mission is to recognize, evolve and promote standards that will usher
new knowledge helping to develop better medical care facility, bringing
smile on the faces of patients and the public on the whole.

The
ACCME accomplishes its goal via a voluntary self-regulated system for
accrediting CME providers and a peer-review process ready to adopt
innovative steps in medical education and the health care delivery
system. Bodies like Government, private, non-profit organizations,
professional societies and academic institutions offer CME or
facilitate CME delivery.

If a doctor acquires CME “credits”
through accredited CME activities, most of the regulatory bodies make a
doctor’s registration or licensure conditional. However, different
states have their own parameters for physicians and other clinicians.
Each state has various CME requirements for physicians and other
clinicians desiring to keep and sustain their licensure.

Medical
continuing education has evolved innovative ways to improve the health
services and has added a new dynamic vision in the field of medical
science, enabling medical professionals to carry out their functions
smartly and diligently.

There are always sick people in need; so, medical jobs are always
very much in demand. You do not really need to spend 7 long years in
being a doctor to help other people. You can take care of ill people in
different ways and in different capacities. These jobs are as important
as that of a medico. The wages and hours vary, but the fundamentals
remain the same. There are many training centers on basic health care
and you would learn that the job needs more care than skill. If you
have the personality, you can opt for various health care careers.

Growing Importance Of Medical Jobs

In
2004 alone, healthcare created 13.5 medical jobs (of which at least
13.1 million jobs were meant for wage and salary workers and 411000
jobs for those who are self employed). Of the 20 leading occupations,
at least 8 belong to the health care field. It is being estimated that
between 2004 and 2014, about 3.6 million jobs would be created in the
healthcare sector. Most workers in this field need 4 years of college
education but among them, treating practitioners are the most educated.

The Various Medical Jobs


Qualified nurses are always required in hospitals and nursing homes and
there are many nursing curriculums to train aspiring candidates for the
job.
If you have good administrative skills, you can help many sick people
in the capacity of medical assistants and keep things smoothly running.
Hospitals and nursing homes always need volunteers to help them keep
things going on.

Speaking
of job opportunities, your health care training could be a boon if you
want to go to another country. New, foreign recruits are being absorbed
in undermanned healthcare sectors in low-population countries. In US,
e.g., the need for health care professionals is rising and they are
outsourcing nurses and health care professionals from other countries,
mostly from Asia.

Medical jobs are among the best paying
jobs today. Newspaper classifieds pinpoint the importance of medical
jobs. The challenge health jobs pose, assure that you will have a
rewarding career and so there is no need to look back before taking the
plunge.

A medical laboratory technologist is essentially a part of the
health-care profession. Their job is to perform laboratory analysis and
furnish the information to the physicians. Sometimes, a doctor is
accompanied by a medical laboratory technologist, who assists him in
diagnosing and treating the patients. At times, the technologist even
helps in preventing the disease and monitors the condition of the
patient. The service of a laboratory technologist is very crucial when
it comes to proper treatment of a patient.

The Job Of Medical Laboratory Technologists (MLTs)

The
main job of a medical laboratory technologist is to handle a number of
complicated machines all at a time. They should have excellent skills,
such as, hand eye coordination, motor skills and manual dexterity. They
must have the ability to take care of the minute details of the subtle
changes to any microscopic objects, such as tissues, blood and
bacterial cells.

However, obtaining results is not the only
job of an MLT. He has to prove the authenticity and the validity of the
report and for the same; he should make critical and analytical
scrutinization of the report. Besides, he should posses the virtues of
patience and dexterity. Communication skills should be vivid and
comprehensible.

The Demand Of MLTs

Science is
now more advanced and therefore the roles of the laboratory
technologists are getting more complicated. As new discoveries are
being made everyday, a medical laboratory technologist is required to
watch out for new developments. They must also make the utmost efforts
from their end to contribute for the development of medical science –
say for evolving newer and better methods of diagnosing complicated
health problems, such as, cancer and genetic disorders.

Variety
is the basis of work in a laboratory. The MLTs have to perform tests in
various disciplines and, therefore, they meet new challenges and
assorted career options. Job-satisfaction is the key word for a Medical
Laboratory Technologist.

A Medical Laboratory Technologist
can enjoy expanding roles. “Point of care” testing is now a very common
sight in many hospitals. To ensure faster testing and uninterrupted
monitoring, the monitors are now mostly placed beside the patient.
Nonetheless, a medical laboratory technologist can enjoy the scope of
working independently, without the interference of a third party.

A
MLT has many career options. He/she can find challenging jobs in arenas
like, physician’s office, hospitals, private laboratories, public
health laboratories, sales and marketing, consulting, research and
product development, education, technical support, supervision or
administration or management, public health or infection control,
forensic biological sciences and many more.

The Qualification Of Medical Laboratory Technologist

To
qualify as an MLT, the aspiring student should earn a bachelor’s degree
with major in medical technology or the student should earn a four-year
degree in Life science, but the certification must come from an
accredited training program.

Do you know what a medical license is? It is a document stating the
medical practitioner’s right to practice medicine within the limits of
a certain locality. In the majority of the countries, the practitioners
equipped with the medical license (awarded by government approved
professional associations) are only permitted to practice medicine. You
cannot hope to be appointed to a job or for that matter to be paid,
unless and until you have a valid medical license.

Obtaining A Medical License

Now
after knowing the importance of the legal medical license, you must be
concerned to know how to obtain it. In that case, you will need to
collect all relevant information for acquiring the medical license.
Therefore, you will need to contact appropriate bodies/departments in
individual states.

You can also get a medical license
after a residency year in an approved residency program. The residency
programs are actually accredited by the ACGME through the Residency
Review Committees (RRC).

The US Requirements

The
US requirements for the medical license are flexible and simple. An
approved US medical school will mean that the school should be
accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). This
committee is a joint committee of the American Medical Association
(AMA) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

The
medical student is required to succeed at the minimum in one exam for
being competent enough to practice medicine. Medical license in the US
also requires a review of the medical student’s malpractice theory and
letters of reference.

In comparison to the US requirements, the regulations of the foreign medical schools are more complex.

The Steps Of The US Medical Licensing Exam

Analyzing if the medical students have the understanding of applying the basic scientific concepts to the practice of medicine.
Judging whether the medical students can apply their medical knowledge and clinical science skills to patient care.
An assessment of the medical student’s capability to apply the medical,
clinical and biomedical science knowledge for the unsupervised practice
of medicine.

These testing, eligibility requirements and score reporting will be assessed for providing you a medical license.

Medical School can be defined as an ordinal educational institution,
which imparts medical information. Worldwide there are many medical
schools and their entry criteria, teaching methodology, nature of
medical programs and structure vary considerably. You can opt for any
medical school, but before taking admission, it is important to collect
necessary information and then pursue your dreams.

The Criteria For Admission

Every
year, thousands of people seek admissions to these medical schools.
Therefore, to restrict the admission numbers, the schools offer highly
competitive exams, such as MCAT and BMAT. If you are serious about
taking admission in a medical school, then it is advisable to have
subjects like organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, physics and human
biology in the undergraduate pre-medical curriculum.

You
will, however, need to remember one thing – though you clear the
medical school exams and go on to obtain the degree of the Doctor of
Medicine, you cannot practice medicine legally, unless you are licensed
by the appropriate authority. Licensing entails a lot of formalities,
like checking references, or undergoing criminal background check,
paying a fee and may even involve passing a test.

Courses And Subjects

The
various courses furnished by medical schools incorporate PhD program,
Masters Degree program and educational program. The subjects offered
are biochemistry, human anatomy, human biology, genetics, neurobiology
and immunology.

Few Important Things You Should Follow Before Seeking Admission

First, you need to have the aptitude and passion for the career you want to pursue.
You should at least be familiar with the various institutions offering medical courses.
Scan the various medical schools and collect the necessary information
before you decide on any one. For this, you need to compare the
different schools and select the one, which is the best in your view.
Check what kind of program the medical school offers and whether the
academic counselors and advisors are involved in the program.
Before seeking admission, it is very important to ensure whether the
laboratories of the medical school are properly equipped or not. If you
are eager to do an internship, then check if there is a campus hospital
or not.
To collect details, you can log on to the websites for more definite
and elaborate information. The Internet provides easy access to a sea
of information and you can know what the schools are really offering
and also everything about their specialized training programs.

There
are also many renowned medical schools, which not only have strong
academic programs and internship facilities but also furnish
scholarship and financial aids to the deserving candidates.

Course Tenure

An
aspiring doctor has to undergo at least a four-year training period in
a recognized medical school. If you are only interested in the general
practice and do not want to pursue higher education in the medical
field, you will be spending two to three years in the medical school.
Nevertheless, if you intend to specialize, then you will have to spend
an eight-year period in the medical school.

A medical
school is the foundation for shaping a doctor’s career. The methods of
teaching are in tune with the goals of the aspirant and only a medical
school can fulfill your dreams of pursuing a medical career.