The Healthcare Support Services Program

Healthcare Class: What I learned about healthcare Medical Terminology Anatomy & Physiology - Nervous System, Skeletal System, Immune System, etc. How to take an individuals Vital Signs - Blood pressure, Pulse, Temperature, etc. Infectious Diseases Infection Control

Certifications and Training earned in the program: Infection Control Waste Management Medical Terminology Safe Body Mechanics WHMIS training Workplace Violence training N95 Mask Fit Testing Medical Ethics and Confidentiality

Medical Terminology I learned in the program and at my placements: Abbreviations Examples: NPO = Nothing by Mouth ER = Emergency Room SDS = Same Day Surgery Prefixes, Suffixes and Root Words Example: Craniotomy can be broken down into Crani / otomy Crani = Pertaining to the skull otomy = cutting into Therefore Craniotomy = cutting into the skull

What is Infection Control? The ability to control the spread on infection This can be done by breaking the chain of infection at any of the links Ways to break the chain of infection are: -Hand washing -Taking the prescribed antibiotics till the bottle is finished -Properly cleaning patient room -Isolating patients with infectious diseases

Field Trips We Took: Ontario Science Center - Body Worlds Willow Grove Retirement Home General Hospital Rehabilitation Center Eastmount Chiropractic and Wellness Center McMaster University - Health Research under the Microscope Mohawk Hospital Services - Where the Hospital Linen is cleaned

Skills We Learned in Class: Clean a wound Transfer a patient to a chair or commode using a mechanical lift Transfer a patient to a stretcher using a roll board Take a patients vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, temperature, etc.)

Healthcare Careers that I have learned about: Respiratory Therapist -Care for patient with breathing or cardiopulmonary disorders -Responsible for all respiratory care treatments and diagnostic procedures Anaesthesiologist -Care of medicine that is used to relief a patients pain -Take total care of patients before, during and after the surgery has been performed

Working in a hospital Environmental Aides Deliver water and meal trays to patients Stock blood and linen carts Clean patients rooms control infection - Blue cloth for Bedrooms, Orange Cloth for Bathrooms Terminal Cleans Making hospital beds

General Portering Bring patients for the ward their on to MRI, Ultrasound, X-ray, etc. Pick a patient up from MRI and bring them back to the ward their on Pick up blood from a ward and bring it to Lab Core or Trans. Med. Take plasma and blood from Trans. Med. up to the specified ward Operating Room Portering Bring contaminated surgical equipments down to the Central Processing Department (Decontamination) to be cleaned Pick up sterilized equipment from Central Processing Department (Dispatch) and bring to OR Stock green scrubs in the scrubs dispensing machines

My Placements McMaster Hospital – Ward 3Y – Medical Environmental Aide Henderson Hospital – Portering General and OR Portering General Hospital – Emergency Room Environmental Aide

Hospital Experiences Met tons of interesting people Watch an Intravenous being put in so the patient could get the vitamin they required Saw a total knee and hip surgery taking place in the OR Watch the beginning on a stem cell transplant

People I have met Judy who is an environmental aide and has worked in the hospital for many years Lots of doctors, nurses, environmental aides, porters, and many more

What I have learned How to properly clean a patients room How to properly don and remove personal protective equipment (gown, mask and gloves when entering isolation rooms.) You have to speak loudly and clearly when speaking to patients that are hard of hearing If I have the ability to work in a hospital setting

Most important skills required for work at this placement Reliable Hardworking Independent Good time management skills

Skills that I could transfer to other work environments Proper body mechanics How to interact with people of all ages Importance of washing your hands How to properly manage your time so everything that needs to get done gets done

Specific tasks that I completed at my placement that I learned from class Roll board transfers Medical terminology Cleaning Techniques (Blue cloth for bedroom and orange cloth for bathroom) Infection Control Waste Management ( how to properly dispose of different waste. Example: Tissue, organs and body parts not including teeth, hair and nail would be put in Biomedical: Human Anatomical Waste)

Most significant part of my co-op placement was: Know that nursing is the job for me! Im capable of interacting with patients and staff I can handle the site of blood Im capable of working hard to help others

The thing that affected me the most at my placement was The people affected me the most They can tell you first hand what its like in the hospital for them (pros and cons) Give you advice for the future

I would recommend this program to other students because: Excellent opportunity to experience the medical field See if your meant for a career in healthcare Prepares you for a career in healthcare Learn about other healthcare careers other than a doctor or nurse