Category Archives: Resources For Candidates

Tips for Transitioning To a New Nursing Specialty

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Throughout your time as a nurse, you’ve learned how to work well with change. Still, despite how common it is for nurses to change specialties, taking on a new role can feel daunting. Below are tips that will help you prepare for a smooth transition into a new specialty.

Evaluate the Situation

Before you fill new shoes, ask yourself why you’re in need of a change. Consider the following questions:

  • Do you feel you’re no longer growing in your nursing specialty? How would you like to grow elsewhere?
  • Do you need to take a step back from a high-stress unit, such as the emergency room, and try a role that works at a different pace? 
  • Do you see yourself excelling in your job with a change of environment, such as working in a doctor’s office rather than a hospital setting? 

Once you perform your self-evaluation, research the different nursing specialties you’re interested in and learn which positions can fit your needs. When you gain insight from industry publications, journals, and blogs, you can better understand a new role and how to get there. You may even find furthering your education is the next best step to take to reach your goals. 

Learn from Your Relationships

As you research, keep your colleagues in mind as a source of help and guidance. Recall your needs from your self-evaluation, and if your colleagues are comfortable answering your role-related questions, learn all you can from the people on the job. Furthermore, you can ask to shadow your fellow nurses in the units you’re interested in to help gain more realistic insight of a new specialty.

Prepare for a Timely Transition 

In most circumstances, the best time to take on a new role is when you’ve worked long enough to become an expert in your original role but not so much where you experience a title or pay demotion in the transition. However, while timely transitions are ideal, your personal circumstances are part of the equation, too, so always account for needs, prioritize your goals, and make the change when you’re ready.

Know that You Have Support 

HealthCare Support can help talented, passionate healthcare professionals transition to a new nursing specialty and find the perfect long-term or short-term job. Our professional network is vast, and our dedicated team can help place you in the ideal situation for your career. To learn more about our open jobs and services, please give us a call at 888-219-6285.

Healthcare Recruiting in the Age of Telemedicine

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Up until recently, a traditional healthcare experience was the norm. Patients would make appointments and visit a healthcare facility in-person to access care and get all of their questions answered by medical professionals. However, with recent advancements in technology and an increase in the need for remote medical care, telemedicine has blossomed — allowing patients and medical professionals alike to communicate without needing to leave their homes. 

With COVID’s undeniable impact on the healthcare profession, telemedicine has become a very popular option for both patients with accessibility limitations and healthcare workers who could benefit from such remote operations. Here are some of the top positions recruiters are looking to fill in the age of telemedicine.

Available Telemedicine Careers

Whether you are a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant, there are plenty of telemedicine positions out there that will suit your needs. The beauty of remote operations is that you aren’t bound by any regions as you can perform your duties from practically anywhere. While there are many telemedicine positions available, some of the increasingly popular remote healthcare jobs include:

 

  • Radiology
  • Pathology
  • Cardiology
  • Dermatology
  • Psychiatry

 

How To Find a Job in Telemedicine

Consider these tips before you start job hunting for a career in telemedicine.

  • Overhaul your resume: A must for any new job search, you’ll want to update and enhance your current resume to fit the needs of the job market. In this case, it’s best to include additional technology-related skills that would be translatable to a career in telemedicine.
  • Never stop networking: The greatest opportunities often present themselves through the people you know, so it’s important to build up your network to help you secure opportunities. Making connections with other healthcare professionals will allow you to gain insight into new openings in your field.
  • Get licensed in multiple states: The more licenses and certifications you earn, the more valuable you’ll be in the competitive telemedicine field.
  • Look on telemedicine job boards: Looking at places that specifically promote telemedicine careers is your best bet for securing the perfect job.
  • Work with a recruiter experienced in telemedicine: When searching for a job in telemedicine, you will likely find many opportunities; however, to isolate the right job for you, you’ll need the help of a recruiter. Recruiters can help find jobs tailored toward your skills and needs and offer exclusive opportunities that you wouldn’t find otherwise.

Find Your Dream Telemedicine Job

Here at HealthCare Support, our passion is to help highly-skilled and spirited healthcare professionals find their perfect long-term or short-term telemedicine position. With our extensive professional network, our savvy healthcare recruiters can help place you in the job of your dreams. To learn more about what we can do for you, please give us a call at 888-219-6285.

Transitioning From RN to NP

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Change is something you’ve learned to work well with as a registered nurse (RN). However, transitioning to a new role as nurse practitioner (NP) is a change big enough to challenge even the most seasoned nursing professionals. Below are some insider tips that will help you better prepare for and breeze through your transformation from RN to NP.

 

How to Prepare for the RN to NP Transition

From new obligations to a new professional network, so many aspects of your professional life are going to change on your journey to becoming an NP. To prepare ahead of time, take a look at some of the tasks you’ll be taking on:

 

  • Working within the scope of what patients can afford and what their insurance will cover
  • Diagnosing illnesses, creating treatment plans, educating patients
  • Delegating responsibilities to other employees
  • Creating a brand-new network of peers and growing your connections

 

How to Step Into Your New Career

Just like your first weeks and months as an RN, the beginning of your career as an NP will not be without challenges. If you’re feeling nervous, overwhelmed, or a little lost at any point in your transition, refer to the following tips:

 

  1. Overcome the fear of asking questions. Patient health and safety always comes first, so don’t be afraid to speak up if you have any hesitancy or confusion about a particular task or topic.
  2. Keep a record of the answers you receive when you do ask for advice. This will help you avoid needing to ask the same questions twice.
  3. Find a mentor. While you shouldn’t be afraid to ask your coworkers and fellow NPs about patient-related inquiries, having a go-to mentor can be helpful for your deeper career questions.
  4. Listen to podcasts. If you’re struggling to keep up with medical literature, podcasts are a go-to source of information that you can absorb while on the go.

 

How to Find the Right Healthcare Job Opportunities for You

Whether you’re currently transitioning from RN to NP or are thinking about making a major change in your career, the healthcare recruiters at HealthCare Support are here to assist you every step of the way. We’ll alert you with job opportunities that match your goals and keep you updated throughout the application and hiring process. To learn more on how we find jobs and help healthcare professionals like you find success, contact HealthCare Support today at 407-478-0332.

Addressing Personal & Professional Burnout

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Are you experiencing personal or professional burnout? Feeling like your best isn’t good enough? Are you unengaged and wondering what happened to that loving feeling? Have you ever heard the saying, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results?” Well, it’s time to do something differently and address the root of the problem.

What you’re doing isn’t working (for you anymore) and it could be for a range of reasons. Maybe you’re tired, overworked, disinterested or feel like you’re stuck in a rut. You’ve hit the feeling of disappointment and it’s time to evaluate your options.

If you’re tired of the same ole’ thing, or feeling like each day is Groundhog Day; effort alone will not be the solution to your problem. You’ll need to pair effort with strategy. Discover what is really making you feel this way. If it’s the morning hustle of getting yourself and the kids ready, fed and dropped off to school on-time; find out exactly what your stressors are in the process. Are you not giving yourself enough time? Are there things that can be done the night before to make your life easier? Take charge by optimizing your routine and allowing time for the unexpected.

If your burnout stems from work, is it that you’ve become disinterested? Maybe each day has become repetitive and you’re in need of some excitement to reengage. Maybe you’re under-challenged in your role at work and boredom is prompting these feelings. Take control of your future and set up a meeting with your manager to explore how you can take on new challenging projects. A slight shift to your priorities or assisting a new team in your down time could be an easy solution. You might even stumble into a new opportunity that you weren’t aware existed. Do what you can to make your job grow with you.

When you feel the angst of burnout, push through and find solutions to your problems. Stagnancy will not save or excite you. Once you’ve come out on the other side you’ll see firsthand how perseverance has made you stronger and more in control of your happiness.

What Is Medical Billing?

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Just like any other working professional, doctors, nurses, and clinical staff members need compensation for their services—which makes medical billers a major asset to every healthcare facility, especially in Orlando. No procedure is the exact same, so clinical offices can’t slap a predetermined price tag on each treatment plan. Therefore, professionals in any field of medicine must submit their services for payment through the intricate medical billing system.   

The Connected World of Medical Billing 

There are three parties involved in medical billing and in healthcare reimbursement as a whole—the first, second, and third being the patient, provider, and payer, respectively. Medical billing is the thread that connects each party and ensures that the necessary ones are billed or payed. While the second party of medical billers creates and assigns the bills, or claims, the first and third parties are responsible for making payments on each service provided. 

Claims sent by medical billers to insurance companies, or third parties, include information about the patient and the service provided to the patient. For example, a colonoscopy claim would include the patient’s personal, medical, and insurance information as well as a report on the colonoscopy procedure and the reason it was recommended. 

The Day-to-Day for Medical Billers  

On a daily basis, the majority of medical billers’ time goes to creating claims. Therefore, they must be familiar with various insurance companies and their individual policies. Medical billers also have to verify and proofread each claim to remove any errors and verify that all of the information is correct and comprehensive. 

While there are many software options that can alleviate the complexity of medical billing, medical billers still need an intricate knowledge system to effectively navigate medical codes and assign the proper ones to each claim. The day-to-day duties of a medical biller include tasks such as: 

  • Filing claims with various insurance companies 
  • Tracking previously filed claims 
  • Receiving claim payments 
  • Correcting medical coding errors 
  • Updating billing information 
  • Contacting insurance companies 

Healthcare providers can use automated services or even outsource their medical billing, but medical billers remain imperative to their financial functions.

Start Your Career in Medical Billing

Here at HealthCare Support, our experienced team of healthcare recruiters understand the importance that each medical professional plays in our healthcare system. That’s why we strive to prepare every candidate to secure and succeed in the position that fits their interests, experience, and goals. If your career path is pointing toward medical billing, join our talent network today and gain access to top recruiting tactics designed for medical billers. For more information on our healthcare recruiting services, contact us today at 407-478-0332.

Telemedicine: The New Face of Healthcare

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For a long time, the normal way to access healthcare required scheduling time off, commuting to a healthcare facility, and sitting in a waiting room. Now, thanks to telemedicine, patients can not only speak with healthcare professionals, but also access care, ask questions, and receive advice remotely. Telemedicine serves more purpose to more patients than ever, but just like traditional in-office healthcare, it, too, comes with unique advantages, opportunities, and challenges.

Quality Healthcare, Anywhere

While telehealth had been steadily rising over the past few years, the COVID-19 health crisis drove record numbers of patients to start leveraging remote healthcare services in 2020. Even after the threat of COVID-19 subsides, it’s predicted that a lot of patents will continue to consult physicians via phone or video chat because of benefits including:

  1. Quality care — An increasing number of patients using telehealth services are satisfied and continue to use such services as a mode of care.
  2. Lower costs — Remote visits with a physician can alleviate the expenses of commuting and missing work, and they can even help lower the number of costly ER visits.
  3. Greater access — Patients without personal modes of transportation or accessibility issues don’t have to travel to receive telehealth services.

Out-of-Office Healthcare Issues

Telehealth is a more convenient and cost-effective alternative for many, but it isn’t free of flaws. For example, not all healthcare insurance plans even cover telemedicine services, which can make it difficult for some patients to visit a physician remotely. In addition, without a physical examination, physicians may easily overlook troublesome symptoms that might be easy to identify in person.

Remote Job Opportunities

The benefits of telehealth are seemingly endless for patients. However, this remote mode of care also presents new opportunities for workers in the healthcare field. Many physicians and other clinical practitioners now offer telemedicine service in tandem with standard, in-office care options. And as telehealth becomes more prominent in existing clinical positions, it also establishes demand for brand-new ones. For example, a surge in telehealth-exclusive medical facilities has led to the creation of fully remote physician and nurse practitioner positions.

Start Your Career in Telemedicine

Whether you’re looking to branch out into new roles in telehealth or are trying to start your career in telemedicine, you’ll have access to interview prep and industry connections when you partner with the healthcare recruiters at HealthCare Support. Join our Talent Network and our team of recruiters will find openings to match your interests, desired location, experience, and education. To get started, contact us today at 407-478-0332.

Overcoming Workplace Negativity

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When a problem happens in your workplace do you find yourself complaining about the issue or looking for solutions? If your answer is to complain and grumble, you’ll probably find and connect with others doing the same thing. There is an age old saying, “your vibe attracts your tribe,” which means the energy you put out is the energy you will receive from others. Before long, one negative attitude can spread to an entire department and all hope of problem-solving will be lost. To help lose your negative mindset in your workplace, next time there is a problem avoid complaining and approach the issue in a helpful manner with constructive feedback.

Be sure to present your opinion to the appropriate channel. Complaining to a coworker who has no ability to implement change may just spread more negativity surrounding the problem. Find out who is best to receive this information without stepping on any toes in the process.

Remember that your feedback should be constructive. Instead of complaining about the issue, you should state the problem and a solution to it. If possible, test drive your solution to make sure there is actually a better way of doing it. Often times work tasks can be tedious making those who do them feel there must be a better way, however that is not always the case and what may seem like a serious issue to you may be less of one to person hearing your concerns.

If you’ve identified the right person and constructive feedback doesn’t get the ball rolling for a solution to your problem, know when to give up. Persistence, itself is a good thing as long as you know how to use it. Once you’ve hit a brick wall in solving your problem, persistence turns bad and will lead you and your constructive criticism sounding like the Negative Nancy complainer you were avoiding all along.

How to List Your Nursing Credentials

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Your nursing credentials sum up your education, active licensure, certifications, and greatest professional achievements. Whether you’re filling out a job application or signing a legal document, you’ll need to pay careful attention to how you write them. Here are some tips to help you list your nursing credentials correctly.

Listing Your Nursing Credentials

As a nursing professional, your credentials should appear in the following order:

  1. Highest earned degree (including doctoral degrees, master’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and associate degrees)
  2. Licensure (including RN and LPN)
  3. State designations or requirements (including APRN, NP, and CNS)
  4. National certifications (including RN-BC and FNP-BC)
  5. Achievements and awards (such as FAAN)
  6. Other recognitions or certifications

Your highest earned degree comes first in your list of credentials for multiple reasons: Your degree doesn’t require renewal, and it is the least likely of all your credentials to change. Of course, you may continue your education in the future — replacing what you originally listed with the most recent, highest earned degree. Because licensure is necessary to practice nursing and may or may not be renewed, it is always listed second in your line of credentials.

State designations and national certifications follow licensure because these, too, are required for practice and will expire without continued education. Finally, achievements, awards, and other recognitions are left last on your line of credentials. These additional honors aren’t required to practice nursing, but they are still significant to your professional experience and can help you stand out as a competitive nursing candidate.

Once you have finished listing your credentials complete your resume with your experience listed from your most recent position. There is typically no reason to list any employment that surpasses the last 10 years.

Nursing Credentials Q&A

Below are some of the most common questions that nursing professionals have about their credentials:

  • What should I do if I’m unsure how to list my specific degree or state licensure? Consult your state board of nursing for accurate listing information.
  • Am I required to list certain credentials? You should always list the credentials necessary for your profession in your state when signing legal documents.
  • What if I have more than one degree? List your education in order from the highest to lowest level or simply list your highest earned degree.
  • What if I have multiple nursing credentials? While you aren’t required to list multiple nursing credentials in any specific order, it may be useful to list them from most recently acquired to first acquired or in order of relevance to a specific job if you are applying for one.

Nursing Tips, Tricks, and Preparation

Are you a recent nursing graduate applying for jobs or an experienced nursing professional that’s ready to hop back on the job market? If so, you’ll not only need to get your credentials in order, but also have an interview-ready resume and virtually unlimited access to relevant job postings. That’s where HealthCare Support comes in. Our team of healthcare recruiters will help you find jobs, prepare for interviews, and settle into your new position. To learn more, contact HealthCare Support today at 407-478-0332.

COVID-19 and the Future of Healthcare

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Healthcare organizations continuously adopt new technologies and modify practices on their own. But in spite of the industry’s initiatives, no medical facility could have predicted the impact of COVID-19 and what it would reveal about the current state of medicine. While it’s unclear when the pandemic will ultimately pass, let’s take a look at how it might influence healthcare in the near future and far down the line.

Patients Leveraging Telemedicine

Social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home mandates will eventually lift, but telemedicine is predicted to remain as an empowering healthcare tool — especially for patients in rural areas with limited healthcare access. Although telehealth technology existed long before the onset of COVID-19, it’s expected that patients will leverage this healthcare tool more than ever as a result of the pandemic. For primary care specifically, telemedicine can virtually eliminate the need for most in-person visits through remote doctor access and prescription refills.

Facilities Prioritizing Preparation

Pandemic preparedness can take many forms — each of which requires preemptive planning. To prepare for the possibility of another pandemic, every healthcare facility should first start by mobilizing a task force dedicated to organizing and allocating resources. These types of preparedness committees must include disaster coordinators along with select members from each facility department. Similarly, hospitals and private practices may improve their pandemic preparedness by forming or joining coalitions to widen the scope of planning.

Employers Accommodating Professionals  

Growing the healthcare workforce has long been a priority for individual practices and healthcare groups. However, COVID-19 presents many organizations with the challenge of instead maintaining their workforce. As clinical workers face a higher risk of infection, healthcare facilities face a higher rate of turnover. Therefore, during and after the pandemic, it’s predicted that healthcare facilities will begin to offer more flexible solutions, amenities, and benefits to retain and protect medical staff, such as:

  • Access to new childcare programs
  • Improved training processes and practices
  • Medical daycare for family members

Your Long-Term Healthcare Partner

Change is imminent in the healthcare industry, which is why the team of healthcare recruiters at HealthCare Support wants now more than ever to make a difference. Our experienced staff is dedicated to closing talent gaps and filling voids across hospital networks and individual organizations. To learn more about our services, contact us today at 407-478-0332.

The Day-to-Day Duties of a Pharmacy Technician

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If you’re thinking of becoming a pharmacy technician, you’ll certainly be curious as to what their day-to-day schedule looks like — because it’s what your day-to-day schedule will look like. To help you get a clear picture of what this career consists of, let’s walk through some of the responsibilities typical to pharmacy technicians roles be it in a retail pharmacy, mail order or other pharmacy settings.
Pharmacy Patients
Many pharmacy technicians are expected to provide face to face customer service to patients though some only communicate with patients over the phone and others have no direct communication with patients.  Beyond providing outstanding customer service to patients, many pharmacy technicians are tasked with uploading and processing medication requests and verifying coverage for customers. Before handing prescriptions off to patients, pharmacy technicians must confirm the recipient’s insurance information and personal information so they can accept payment and make adjustments to patient records whenever necessary. Because the costs of some prescriptions can still be high even after being discounted by an insurance company, pharmacy technicians may even help customers apply for manufacturer coupons.
Prescriptions
While physical prescription drop-offs still pass through the hands of some pharmacy technicians such as those in retail, hospital or long term care settings, most drug requests are processed electronically. Once an order has been processed, a pharmacy technician can begin dispensing the medication, which requires them to either retrieve a pre-packaged medication or hand-fill a prescription. This process involves multiple steps of verification to ensure that:
• The medication being dispensed matches the prescription
• The patient receives the appropriate dose and amount of medication
• The prescription label is accurate
• The medication is in stock
• The shipping information is correct for any mail order or specialty pharmacy orders
Third-Party Providers
For a number of prescriptions pharmacy technicians fill, there’s an insurance issue to resolve. On a weekly and sometimes daily basis, pharmacy technicians are placing or receiving calls from third-party providers. That’s because, after submitting a pharmacy claim to an insurance company, pharmacy technicians are often the first to know if the claim was denied for any reason. In some cases, the
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pharmacy technician can easily resolve claim issues by resubmitting it with corrected information or requesting that a patient consult their physician about the timing of their refill.
Join Our Healthcare Talent Network
Could you see yourself in the role of a pharmacy technician? If so, expand your career opportunities with HealthCare Support. Our team of healthcare recruiters can match you with the facilities and job openings that fit your background and future goals. To learn more about our services and gain access to countless healthcare job openings, contact us today at 407-478-0332.