Today I Learned: HIPAA

Today I Learned: HIPAA

9/17/14

Today I learned the specifics of what all the HIPAA legislation entails. I am very glad we went over this, there are some special rules I did not know before. 

These laws are extremely important. Patients have rights to their information and its privacy. If one's patients don't feel comfortable with their physician they either will change doctors or not disclose the necessary information to their current healthcare professional. 

HIPAA has a lot of different regulations, and all of them are completely necessary. They will be extremely helpful to me in my medical career to allow patients to trust me, as well as to protect myself against fines and jail time. 

My parents are both healthcare professionals, so I have heard the basics of this legislation before. I did not know previously how in depth they protected patients. So much information passed through the healthcare system is extremely sensitive. People make decisions they're not necessarily proud of and don't want people to know. That's their right to keep that information to themselves. This legislation is extremely useful in doing that for them.

Gloria the HIPAA!

Today I Learned 9/3/2014

 Today I Learned

9/3/14

I learned a lot today. One thing I learned the most about was the use of the web resource called bubbl.us. It was a very creative way to organize thoughts. I remember using paper versions of these several times throughout elementary school and junior high as a way to get my thoughts in order before I began my paper. It has been very helpful to me in the past with various essays and research papers as a way to keep from inadvertently omitting information or repeating myself. 

One other thing I learned came from the research for a different assignment today. I learned how important the different characteristics of the perfect health professional really do affect patient care and their health. Some things, like communication, that never really crossed my mind as important came up a lot today in discussion. It made me realize how important they were in healthcare. 

One characteristic that is important to me is responsibility. Your patients, supervisors, co-workers, families of your patients, and every one else have to be able to trust you in order to do your job. Owning up to your actions and being confident in your abilities, even when  mistakes are made, is extremely important in the healthcare field. 

The three characteristics that I hold myself to every day are excellence, responsibility, and honesty. 

Alegent's Commitments

Alegent's Commitments

Alegent's Commitments are:

- Teamwork

- Integrity

-Compassion

-Respect

-Excellence

Or, how I remember it: Tigers eat rabbits in cages

Without teamwork a patient's plan of care would not be achieved. It takes many different medical professionals all working together. Integrity is important in everything one does. It includes honesty and just being true to yourself. Honesty is important for obvious reasons.Being true to yourself is vital in medical professions. Trying to be someone else gets in the way of patient care, and it causes a lack of patient trust. Compassion allows the patient to feel at ease with the professional. Picturing oneself in their shoes demonstrates empathy that puts the patient's uncertainties to rest. Having respect for everyone is one of the most important things. If you respect others, others will respect you in return. It's that simple. Excellence is absolutely key in every facet of life. People don't want a doctor that just does what's expected. They want an excellent doctor. Striving for excellence is something I make a goal for myself every day throughout every part of my day. 

These commitments affect every one. Patients, other health professionals, visitors, other hospital workers, everyone deserves to be treated with these commitments in mind. On the other hand, it should be expected from everyone as well. The most important to me is excellence. Excellence is something to be worked toward every day. It reflects your character, work ethic, personality, and many other things. It determines job, school, and other kinds of opportunities. 

A little about myself

A Little About Myself

9/3/14

As a person, I am very easy going. I don't enjoy strict schedules, but I love being busy. A schedule with no down-time is what I usually go with. I am an extremely driven student, and am willing to try anything once. I learn hands-on. If I can't study that way I use flashcards. Music is my life. A life without a melody is dead and dull. I play guitar and a little piano, I sing in the upper level choir at my home high school (go monarchs!) and am a part of the exclusive extracurricular choir. In previous years I have competed in the show choirs, but this year I am playing in the band that accompanies them. I make sure music plays an important role in my life every day.

It is my dream to become a doctor. Helping people makes me happy. After graduation I hope to attend Texas Christian University on a tuition scholarship like my parents, majoring in either pre-med or nursing with MD intentions. My fall-back school is South Dakota State University on the same major path. I am thinking of minoring in either Spanish or Faith Studies. God is a big part of my life and I would love for Him to be a part of my career as well. 

I have big plans, and I do whatever I can to see them through.