One of the talking points that has been in the news cycle in recent months regarding the COVID-19 is the concept of ‘herd immunity’ and the possibility of its use to end the threat of  Coronavirus.   In this article, we’ll be looking at what the term herd immunity means, how it can be achieved, and why it is crucial to the outcome current virus crisis. What Does Herd Immunity Mean? In its most simple terms, herd immunity means that around 70% to 90% of a population has developed the necessary antibodies to be functioning immune to a particular disease.  ..

When it comes to medical care, parents always want the best for their children. In order to expand the pediatric knowledge of medical assistants, and increase their employability in the areas of pediatric, the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) has launched the Assessment-Based Certificate in Pediatrics (ABC-P) program as an extension of The Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) qualification. What Is The CMA? The Certified Medical Assistant credential, often shortened to CMA, is a qualification offered through the Certifying Board (CB) of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA).   The CB and its CMA (AAMA) Certification Program are the..

Technology is one of the driving forces behind the advancement of the healthcare field and, by using the major advances in communications technology over the last decade, telemedicine is the next major advancement on the horizon for the US healthcare industry.   In this article, we’ll be looking at what exactly telemedicine is and how its benefits have the potential to revolutionize the way we approach healthcare. What is Telemedicine? At its most basic, telemedicine makes use of the proliferation of modern telecommunications technology such as phones, tablets, and computers to allow healthcare professionals to deliver high-quality remote healthcare to..

While classroom teaching is hugely important to learning the ins and outs of being a medical assistant, at some point you’re going to get dropped into the real world, and having some real-world experience already under your belt is going to help smooth that transition.   That is why we here at Northwest offer an externship at local healthcare providers to all of our medical assisting students. If you’re wondering why an externship is so important, strap in, because we’re about to show you. Like Being on the Job, But With a Safety Net  A medical externship isn’t like the..

Many countries around the world, including the US, have now put social-distancing policies in place to attempt to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.    Unfortunately, some of the advice, and terminology, related to social-distancing can be confusing and, in places, seem contradictory. In this article, we’ll be breaking down what exactly social-distancing means, what you can do to socially-distance, why it’s different from self-isolation, how it can slow the spread of the virus, and where you can get the most accurate and up to date information. What Is Social-Distancing Simply put, social-distancing is the practice of limiting your..

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States and, because of heart disease, one person dies every 37 seconds in the United States, which adds up to about 647,000 Americans dying from heart disease each year. That’s almost one-quarter of the total preventable deaths in the US!   Treatment and prevention programs for heart disease also cost the US healthcare system around $219 billion each year. However, advances in medical science, with a little help from cutting edge technology, are making spotting and curing heart..

Around 42 percent of Americans have some sort of smart speaker or virtual personal assistant, like Alexa, Cortana, Siri, or Google Assistant, in their home and make use of it on a regular basis. While these new AI-driven caretaker devices are useful in many ways, from turning on the lights and heating on before you get home on a cold winter night, to finding you the best recipe for pasta carbonara, they are certainly no replacement for a medical professional. Siri Has the Same Medical Knowledge as a Household Pet Research, conducted by the University of Alberta and published in..

2.1 million women contracted breast cancer in 2018, with the WHO projecting that rates will reach 3.1 million by 2040. Around 630,000 of those diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 died because of preventable causes such as late diagnosis and lack of access to affordable treatment. In response to these rising breast cancer numbers across the developing world, The UN health agency has prequalified a biosimilar version of the medicine trastuzumab. Trastuzumab is an effective cure for early-stage breast cancer and has been shown to have a positive effect on some advanced cases of the disease. A Nearly Two-third Price..

In last week’s article, we covered some of the amazing advancements in medical technology that making previously fatal diseases and conditions more survivable and returning function to body parts lost in accidents or to congenital issues.   Given how many truely fantastic new medical technologies are being researched, we’ll be expanding on that list in the article with five more amazing advancements in medical technology. Smart Inhalers According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 13 people have asthma. This means more than 25 million Americans have asthma, which is 7.7 percent of adults and 8.4..

Medical technology has been on a constant forward trajectory since we used leeches and trepanning. While most of us take the miracle that is modern medicine for granted, the combination of the drive to cure persistent medical issues and the wonders that modern technology can produce have resulted in some truly spectacular advancements in recent years. 3D Printed Body Parts 3D printing has moved from a curiosity and hobby activity only a couple of years ago into a widespread part of the second industrial revolution. Everything from guns to cars can now be 3D printed and the technology is making..