Career  Connections       Nov / Dec 2013

Northeast Missouri Area Health Education Center 

Phone 660.665.6404     Fax 660.665.6439     Toll free 1.877.303.2938 

Visit our website at: www.nemoahec.org
In This Issue
Health Careers Spotlight
Fall M.E.S.A. Dissections...A Success!
Respiratory Therapy Programs in Missouri
Job Shadowing Opportunities 

 

Opportunities are available for undergraduate pre-medical and pre-dental students to job shadow within certain Kirksville clinics. 

 

For more information on qualification requirements, please contact Dinah Coles at dcoles@nemoahec.org.

 

 

Need a Healthcare Workshop?
We can provide one for you!
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Have an event or a club where you would like a healthcare workshop provided? We can provide one for you!

 

Available topics include:

  • Emergency Preparedness
  • Health Literacy & Service Learning
  • Biomedical Ethics
  • Medical Terminology
  • Nutrition
  • Health Careers (Basic overview, or specific for certain career options)
  • AND MORE!  
 

For more information, please contact Anna Kaminski: akaminski@nemoahec.org 

or 

(660) 665-6404  

Board Members

 

Janice Clark, EdD, President

Audrey Gough, BSN, Treasurer   

Leanna Leake, FNP 

Tanya Taylor, BS, Secretary 

Connie Thompson, RN, ADN

Susan Wathen, SPHR

 

   

NEMO AHEC serves 21 counties:

map

Staff

 

Becky Dawson 

Executive Director

 

Dinah Coles

Office Manager

 

Anna Kaminski
Health Careers & Health Education Coordinator


MAHEC logo blue

 

NEMO AHEC

312 S. Elson St. 

Kirksville, MO 63501  
(660) 665-6404
MAHEC  Mission

To enhance access to quality health care, particularly primary and preventative care, by growing and supporting Missouri's healthcare workforce.
Online Resources
Health Careers Spotlight
Field: Respiratory 

 

Job: Respiratory Therapist

 

Job DescriptionRespiratory therapists care for patients who have trouble breathing; for example, from a chronic respiratory disease, such as asthma or emphysema. They also provide emergency care to patients suffering from heart attacks, stroke, drowning, or shock.

 

Average Salary:$54,280

                          (May 2010) 


Predicted job growth
: Increase by 28% by 2020 (much faster growth than average)

 

EducationRespiratory therapists need at least an associate's degree, but employers look favorably on applicants who have more education. Many colleges and universities, vocational-technical institutes, and the Armed Forces offer training. Most programs award an associate's or bachelor's degree.

  

All programs have clinical components that allow therapists to earn course credit and gain supervised, practical experience treating patients.

Respiratory therapy programs include courses in human anatomy and physiology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, pharmacology, and mathematics. Other courses deal with therapeutic and diagnostic procedures and tests, equipment, patient assessment, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

  

High school students interested in applying to respiratory therapy programs should take courses in health, biology, mathematics, chemistry, and physics.

  

Important Qualities

  • Compassion: provide emotional support to patients undergoing treatment and be sympathetic to their needs
  • Detail Oriented:  to ensure that patients are receiving the appropriate treatments and medications in a timely manner. They must also monitor and record various pieces of information related to patient care.
  • Interpersonal Skills: Respiratory therapists interact with patients and often work as part of a team. They must be able to follow instructions from a supervising physician.
  • Patience: Respiratory therapists may work for long periods with patients who need special attention.
  • Problem-solving Skills: Respiratory therapists need strong problem-solving skills. They must evaluate patients' symptoms, consult with other healthcare professionals, and recommend and administer the appropriate treatments.
  • Science & Math Skills: Respiratory therapists must understand anatomy, physiology, and other sciences and be able to calculate the right dose of a patient's medicine.
Source: www.bls.gov
HOSA Officer Leadership Training
  

The NEMO AHEC HOSA Club Officers from Green City R-1 High School, Knox Co. R-1 High School, Milan C-2 High School, Newtown-Harris R-3 High School, and South Shelby Co. R-4 High School attended an Officer Leadership Training event on November 5, 2013 at Truman State University.

Fentress with Newtown-Harris Officer, explaining the "Table Top Game"
At the training, students had the opportunity to
 learn their role as a particular HOSA Club officer, interact and brainstorm with other HOSA officers in Northeast Missouri, and take the time to plan out their HOSA club year with their HOSA Advisor(s). 

The students really enjoyed a session on Developing Communication & Leadership Skills by Michael Fentress, President of Truman State University's Toastmasters International Club. He opened with an interactive exercise called a "Table Top Game' where s
tudents picked out random items out of a brown paper bag, and "sold" the item to their neighbor and had 1 minute to do it! They had to be energetic and convincing to get the job done! Needless to say...there was a lot of laughter during this exercise! The students had a lot of fun!
Green City & Milan Officers enjoying lunch!

A meal etiquette training session was also introduced to the students by Brandi Wriedt & Polly Matteson from the Truman State University Career Center. The students enjoyed eating a delicious, formal lunch with formal etiquette instructions! 

 








Finally, we ended the training with a team-building activity. The Officers worked as a team to figure out how to make a structure to hold a golf ball after it is dropped 10 ft, with only 50 straws and a roll of masking tape! 
Milan Officers discussing their strategy for the team building activity
 
 
 
Funding for this project was provided in part by the Missouri Foundation for Health. The Missouri Foundation for Health is a philanthropic organization whose vision is to improve the health of the people in the communities it serves.
Fall M.E.S.A. Lab Dissections...A Success!

 

The M.E.S.A. (Medical Explorations in Science & Anatomy) lab dissections are an interactive distance learning series, providing a hands-on educational opportunity to enhance skills and to academically prepare and motivate high school students who are interested in healthcare careers. Within each session, a comparison is made between mink, cow & sheep specimens, and human anatomy, so students can appreciate the similarities and differences that exist.  

 

As you can see below in the following pictures, the Fall 2013 lab dissections on October 22nd and November 12th were a success, and a lot of fun for the students that attended. 

 

 October 22, 2013 "Once Bitten" Dissection Lab focused on the oral cavity

 

Newtown-Harris & Schuyler Co. students practicing their teeth extraction techniques with a cow jaw!

 

We had 5 dental student volunteers from the Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health (MOSDOH) that helped with this dental exploration dissection! 
(1 volunteer is not pictured)
 
November 12, 2013 Dissection Lab focused on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems

Milan students enjoying "pumping up" a sheep's lung through its trachea

Newtown-Harris students examining a sheep's heart

 

There will be 2 M.E.S.A. Dissection Labs in the Spring - Dates will be announced in the January/February edition of Career Connections. 

 

If you would like any additional information on these events, please contact Anna Kaminski at akaminski@nemoahec.org or at (660) 665-6404.

 

Funding for this activity was provided in whole by The Missouri Foundation for Health. The Missouri Foundation for Health is a philanthropic organization whose vision is to improve the health of the people in the communities it serves.

 Respiratory Therapy Programs in Missouri

  
Respiratory therapists interview and examine patients with breathing or cardiopulmonary disorders