Jane Fern's Pharmacists Guide
Friday, November 6, 2009
Are Home Diagnostic Kits Reliable As A Substitute For Professional Medical Opinions?
Let’s face it. A trip to the drugstore is a whole lot easier than a costly and time-consuming trip to the doctor’s office. No time wasted waiting for the physician; no embarrassing questions to answer; and no sticker shock when the bill comes. Just head for the section of your pharmacy with all of the gadgets and home test kits and you are ready to “play doctor.”
With skyrocketing medical costs and increased concerns about privacy, more and more Americans are taking advantage of products designed to help monitor existing conditions or to help diagnose new ones. Blood glucose monitors help diabetics manage their condition, blood pressure kits help monitor hypertension while those with cardiovascular concerns can track cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Of course, home pregnancy kits have been available for years. But now it is possible to go well beyond health management with these off-the-shelf products and individuals can now perform diagnostic tests in the comfort and “safety” of their homes.
But is this trend really safe?
Health care professionals have expressed concerns that the use of home test kits may cause users to delay or avoid proper medical care. Misinterpreting the results of self-administered tests can lead to decisions that are based on false assumptions. For example, there have been reports of people changing their medication dosage based on results of blood pressure readings at home. Decisions about any treatment based on self-administered tests should be deferred until a physician confirms them.
The list of conditions for which home diagnostic products are available is expanding rapidly. It is now possible to test for drug use, alcohol use, HIV, prostate cancer, hormone levels, diabetes, blood type, anemia, allergies, hepatitis, cholesterol levels, fertility and even certain strains of flu.
The opportunity is always present for a user to improperly administer a test or to misunderstand the results. Delaying treatment based on these results could have serious consequences. Now that the number of tests available is so large, and the conditions so potentially serious, it is absolutely critical that these test results be validated by a doctor.
Given this diverse menu of tests, users are sure to get results for which they may be unprepared. A positive reading for HIV could be devastating. Health care professionals are trained to address the concerns and possible psychological issues faced by a patient receiving bad news from a test. Individuals trying to cope with a similar result at home may find themselves alone and unable to cope.
Home health tests should be used with great care and should never be considered as a replacement for proper medical care. If you are seriously concerned about your health and well-being, it is fine to practice a bit of do-it-yourself medicine… as long as you get a second opinion.
With skyrocketing medical costs and increased concerns about privacy, more and more Americans are taking advantage of products designed to help monitor existing conditions or to help diagnose new ones. Blood glucose monitors help diabetics manage their condition, blood pressure kits help monitor hypertension while those with cardiovascular concerns can track cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Of course, home pregnancy kits have been available for years. But now it is possible to go well beyond health management with these off-the-shelf products and individuals can now perform diagnostic tests in the comfort and “safety” of their homes.
But is this trend really safe?
Health care professionals have expressed concerns that the use of home test kits may cause users to delay or avoid proper medical care. Misinterpreting the results of self-administered tests can lead to decisions that are based on false assumptions. For example, there have been reports of people changing their medication dosage based on results of blood pressure readings at home. Decisions about any treatment based on self-administered tests should be deferred until a physician confirms them.
The list of conditions for which home diagnostic products are available is expanding rapidly. It is now possible to test for drug use, alcohol use, HIV, prostate cancer, hormone levels, diabetes, blood type, anemia, allergies, hepatitis, cholesterol levels, fertility and even certain strains of flu.
The opportunity is always present for a user to improperly administer a test or to misunderstand the results. Delaying treatment based on these results could have serious consequences. Now that the number of tests available is so large, and the conditions so potentially serious, it is absolutely critical that these test results be validated by a doctor.
Given this diverse menu of tests, users are sure to get results for which they may be unprepared. A positive reading for HIV could be devastating. Health care professionals are trained to address the concerns and possible psychological issues faced by a patient receiving bad news from a test. Individuals trying to cope with a similar result at home may find themselves alone and unable to cope.
Home health tests should be used with great care and should never be considered as a replacement for proper medical care. If you are seriously concerned about your health and well-being, it is fine to practice a bit of do-it-yourself medicine… as long as you get a second opinion.
Labels: doctor, health, health care, medical, medicine
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Making the Switch to a Pharmaceutical Sales Career
By Ryan Stewart
The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most lucrative business sectors as evidenced by its $550 billion global industry revenue in 2004. As such, many careers have been developed to cater to the varying needs of the industry. One good example of such a career option is pharmaceutical sales, which is believed to be one of the most sought-after careers in the job market today.
The reason behind this trend is that pharmaceutical sales offers extraordinary salary potential, which may go as high as six-figures annually. Other amazing perks are special bonuses, a company car, trainings in exotic locations, flexible work hours, as well as unlimited opportunities for career growth.
Needless to say, many people who already have a career in sales are slowly but surely transitioning into pharmaceutical sales. If you're one of those people who are ready to take your sales career to the next level, there are a variety ways to do just that.
For starters, educating yourself about the pharmaceutical industry is an important first step. Learn about various pharmaceutical companies, especially the biggest and most successful ones and how the entire industry is doing. It's also important to keep yourself updated on industry trends.
In addition, equip yourself so that potential employers may notice you. As mentioned earlier, pharmaceutical sales positions are so in demand these days that you have to truly stand out among other hopefuls. To address this concern, there are online companies today, which through their websites are offering products and services that aim to help prospective pharmaceutical sales reps – with or without sales experience – to land a job in the field.
Such products and services may include how-to e-Books and other information materials, resume writing and evaluation services so that your resume is specific to and targeted towards the pharmaceutical sales industry, and more. They also offer interview coaching, which may include doing mock interviews to help you develop the confidence and to ensure that you know the right things to say.
It would also be a good idea to begin establishing networks with other pharmaceutical industry professionals, particularly in your area. The reason behind this is that job openings are oftentimes filled through referrals from existing pharmaceutical sales reps and that pharmaceutical companies rarely post job ads, except for those which are relatively harder to fill. As such, you definitely would want to be in that loop.
Lastly, different companies have different requirements – some require their pharmaceutical sales reps to at least have a bachelor's degree, others may require an MBA. But in the end, having a smooth transition to pharmaceutical sales boils down to having the right attitude. For instance, one should have an aptitude for science so that learning would be a breeze. More than having the sales or the medical background, equally important is displaying your outstanding interpersonal communication skills. An aspiring pharmaceutical sales rep should be able to relate to different types of people.
Also, an aspiring pharmaceutical sales rep should be an aggressive, motivated and driven self-starter with high achievement goals. This is especially important once you've actually got the job. Otherwise, it would be very difficult to succeed. Needless to say, pharmaceutical sales is one career option where the saying “you reap what you sow” is very, very true.
Ryan Stewart has coached hundreds to pharma sales success (and he's done it all for free). To jump-start your pharmaceutical sales career go to pharmaceutical-sales-representative.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Stewart
The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most lucrative business sectors as evidenced by its $550 billion global industry revenue in 2004. As such, many careers have been developed to cater to the varying needs of the industry. One good example of such a career option is pharmaceutical sales, which is believed to be one of the most sought-after careers in the job market today.
The reason behind this trend is that pharmaceutical sales offers extraordinary salary potential, which may go as high as six-figures annually. Other amazing perks are special bonuses, a company car, trainings in exotic locations, flexible work hours, as well as unlimited opportunities for career growth.
Needless to say, many people who already have a career in sales are slowly but surely transitioning into pharmaceutical sales. If you're one of those people who are ready to take your sales career to the next level, there are a variety ways to do just that.
For starters, educating yourself about the pharmaceutical industry is an important first step. Learn about various pharmaceutical companies, especially the biggest and most successful ones and how the entire industry is doing. It's also important to keep yourself updated on industry trends.
In addition, equip yourself so that potential employers may notice you. As mentioned earlier, pharmaceutical sales positions are so in demand these days that you have to truly stand out among other hopefuls. To address this concern, there are online companies today, which through their websites are offering products and services that aim to help prospective pharmaceutical sales reps – with or without sales experience – to land a job in the field.
Such products and services may include how-to e-Books and other information materials, resume writing and evaluation services so that your resume is specific to and targeted towards the pharmaceutical sales industry, and more. They also offer interview coaching, which may include doing mock interviews to help you develop the confidence and to ensure that you know the right things to say.
It would also be a good idea to begin establishing networks with other pharmaceutical industry professionals, particularly in your area. The reason behind this is that job openings are oftentimes filled through referrals from existing pharmaceutical sales reps and that pharmaceutical companies rarely post job ads, except for those which are relatively harder to fill. As such, you definitely would want to be in that loop.
Lastly, different companies have different requirements – some require their pharmaceutical sales reps to at least have a bachelor's degree, others may require an MBA. But in the end, having a smooth transition to pharmaceutical sales boils down to having the right attitude. For instance, one should have an aptitude for science so that learning would be a breeze. More than having the sales or the medical background, equally important is displaying your outstanding interpersonal communication skills. An aspiring pharmaceutical sales rep should be able to relate to different types of people.
Also, an aspiring pharmaceutical sales rep should be an aggressive, motivated and driven self-starter with high achievement goals. This is especially important once you've actually got the job. Otherwise, it would be very difficult to succeed. Needless to say, pharmaceutical sales is one career option where the saying “you reap what you sow” is very, very true.
Ryan Stewart has coached hundreds to pharma sales success (and he's done it all for free). To jump-start your pharmaceutical sales career go to pharmaceutical-sales-representative.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Stewart
Labels: career, job, medical, networking, pharmaceutical, resume, sales
