How Maintain A Strong Immune System When Working In Healthcare
Choosing a career as a medical administrative assistant means dedicating your life to helping the sick and injured and, as part of that commitment, working in an environment where sickness and potential infection are prevalent. Maintaining a strong immune system when working in that kind of environment can seem daunting, so we’ve put together some helpful tips to keep you healthy.
Exercise – Working as a medical administrative assistant can involve spending long periods on your feet and, after a hard day at work, it can be tough to convince yourself to hit the gym. However, if you want to stay healthy, you need to make exercise a regular part of your life. If the gym isn’t your thing then try picking up a hobby that encourages you to be active, such as dancing or hiking.
Stay Social – As odd as it sounds, research has shown that interacting with others is an important step in maintaining a strong immune system. In a recent study researchers monitored 276 people between the ages of 18-55. Those with six or more connections in their lives were 4 times more likely to fight off viruses and colds than those who had fewer connections. Even if your new career as a medical administrative assistant is keeping you busy, make time to socialize with friends, it’ll help keep you healthy.
Get The Right Amount Of Sleep – According to the National Sleep Foundation, young adults between the ages of 18-25 should get 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Adults between the ages of 26-64 need 7-8 hours. Sleep deprivation has a negative effect on your ability to perform at work and can potentially cause a fever, stress, and lower your immune system’s ability to fight off bacteria. It might feel sensible to put off sleep to get more work or revision done, but in reality you’ll just degrade your ability to perform at work and make yourself more likely to get ill.
Observe Infection Prevention Measures – Work as a medical administrative assistant can get busy and sometimes it can be easy to skip steps in the Infection Prevention Protocols. Try to avoid this at all costs. In reality you are putting yourself, your colleagues and your patients at risk. Taking the proper steps to prevent the spread of disease rarely takes long and could save a life.
Take In More Vitamin D – Vitamine D provides essential nutrients to help your immune system fight cold-causing bacteria, so making it a regular part of your diet can help boost your immune system. Make an effort to eat foods rich in Vitamin D such as oily fish, orange juice, citrus fruits, dairy products and leafy greens.
Taking Steps To Stay Healthy
Here at Northwest Career College, our student centered philosophy means that you come first. We offer a flexible schedule so you can care for your family and have a balanced life in Las Vegas while advancing towards your new career. We pride ourselves in being the premier medical administrative assistant schools in las vegas and our established, seasoned instructors offer online and on-campus night classes to accommodate your busy work and family schedule. Call us at (702) 403-1592 to speak to one of our admissions assistants about your new medical administrative assistant career.
Written by:
Jenette Ashcraft, N.C.M.A.
Allied Health Department Director
R.M.A. National Education Center
