Today let us focus on Health Information Management, a booming field with immense potential for many career options. If you have been considering entering the Health Information Management field, continue reading to see if you can see yourself in these character traits. 

Communicative 

Great communicators are able to both effectively share information, as well as effectively take in information. It takes a great listener to be a great communicator. Communication skills are hugely important to Health Information Management professionals. The field requires a lot of communication between health professionals, such as nurses, doctors, etc. Feeling comfortable and confident to be able to reach out to other professionals is important. As well as being able to effectively communicate often complicated data to the public can fall under your job description. Translating medical jargon and making it accessible to the public can be complex but having excellent communication skills will help with that.  

Analytical  

Some people have an intrinsic ability to quickly assess situations. Having analytical abilities is perfect for Health Information Management professionals as part of their work requires proper collection and preparation of healthcare data. Not only is it understanding the data, but also what that data means from a business perspective. It is a matter of providing the best for the patient as well as the healthcare system overall. Having a mind that is able to make quick calculations is important for that.  

Compassionate 

This characteristic is key to any professional working in the healthcare field. While it is important to separate your emotions from your work to a certain extent, having compassion and passion for helping others is an integral part of the Health Information Management field. There may be times where you must speak to patients, and your compassion will help with more difficult conversations. As well you may act as an advocate for multiple healthcare policy issues and speak to government officials and other heads of organizations. Your compassion will highlight the urgency of these issues. 

Collaborative  

As stated above, there is a lot of collaboration related to the Health Information Management field. Whether that is connecting with other health care professionals for inquiries or working on team projects, if you excel working with others you will surely fit in great. Being able to share your ideas while also taking in other’s thoughts can be a hard act to juggle, but group leaders and collaborators are able to do this well. 

Overall, there are many characteristics that you may naturally possess that make you suited for a career in Health Information Management. If you have related to the entries on this list, look no further than this fantastic career program to help you where you want to go professionally.  

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Therapeutic Recreation can be summarized as therapy that does not use traditional methods and utilizes the client’s exposure and understanding of the world to achieve self-actualization.  

What do Recreational Therapists do? 

Although it may sound simple at first, Recreational Therapists must understand the client in order to understand who they are and know what previous treatments they have done before and why they have failed. They are commonly seen working side by side with other health care professionals including, but not limited to, hospitals, rehabilitation centres, schools, and correctional facilities.  

The Goal of Therapeutic Recreation 

As for the goal of Recreational Therapy, it is to create and maintain positive emotion and action in clients. This will enable them to take on increasingly challenging opportunities, improving themselves autonomously. – Carruthers and Hood, 2007

Our Therapeutic Recreational courses are an excellent introduction to the field. Once you decide on Recreational Therapy as a career, you can either pursue a two-year diploma or a four-year bachelor’s degree like our very own Johnathan Pathmanathan. For now, these are the skills you can learn through our courses.

Introduction to Recreational Therapy 

The introductory course will provide you with the “why” and the “what” in the concepts, history, and philosophies of Recreational Therapy. In this course, you will achieve self-awareness, in particular empathy and attention to detail. 

Empathy 

To learn how to treat the client, one must first understand how they feel. This course will discuss the wide range of mental disabilities and barriers that you need to know about. Understanding them and how they affect people will enable you to come up with ways to help them. 

Attention to Detail 

Of course, empathizing is one thing, but no client will be able to easily tell you what troubles them. So, you need to watch, communicate, and analyze the client. Once the initial observations have been made, you need to then identify their barriers. It could be from a mental disability, failed prior treatments, other types of barriers, or a combination of the three.

Advanced Therapeutic Recreation 

Once you have gotten through the basics on the intro course, you will learn how to apply that knowledge as efficiently as possible, while minimizing risks that the client could encounter. 

Problem Solving 

From identifying your client’s mental disabilities/barriers, your next step is to figure out the best course of action to solve your client’s problems and establish autonomy. While figuring out what to implement, you would have to consider the possible options while considering the client’s barriers, to provide the best outcome possible.

Communication and Teamwork 

While establishing the best outcome possible, you will also be working with other health care professionals, and they would be treating and analyzing your client either before or after your turn in treating them. With that, it is crucial to share information with each other so that you would not step on each other’s toes.

Planning and Risk Assessment 

Lastly, the skill that ties the whole thing together is knowing how to plan and assess any current and future risks. It is crucial to create a plan that covers everything that we talked about here. Keeping in mind the existing barriers/mental disabilities, possible treatment methods, past/future treatments from other health care workers and execute it well. Because if it is not executed well, the effect on the client may have the opposite effect or being made even worse. So, it is key to know what can go wrong and what are ways to circumvent it. 

Ready to help?

To learn more, check out our Therapeutic Recreation Demo Class. If you are interested, we offer an Introduction to Therapeutic Recreation class and an Advanced Therapeutic Recreation class. Make an impact today! 

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Graphic Design  

Design is a key part of marketing. Creating content that is eye catching to viewers will provide traffic and growth. While there are designated graphic designers in the industry, having graphic design skills will heavily aid your resume and help you stand out. Knowing how to work on different platforms such as Canva or Adobe Photoshop means that you can help provide not only design skills but a designer’s eye to different projects. It is also good to create a portfolio with your work to show employers your talents. 

Video Editing  

Through the rise of social media, video content has been a major part of marketing. Being able to edit videos is an important skill to cultivate. Knowing different video editing software and familiarizing yourself with different video formats will help enhance your digital marketing skills. For example, knowing what makes for effective video content on TikTok versus on YouTube is an important distinction. Therefore, understanding the different social media platforms is also paramount.  

Copywriting  

If you are a great writer, digital marketing might be the perfect field for you. Catchy slogans and captions are often written by a professional in the marketing team. There are many different styles of writing in marketing, for example writing for a campaign versus a social media caption. Being a diverse writer who is able write in multiple styles effectively is a fantastic skill to cultivate.  

Data/Analytics  

Where the past entries on this list have focused on the more creative endeavors within digital marketing, knowing the analytical business side to the field is just as important. Understanding business data will allow for better decision making on what marketing is working and what is not. Knowing how to break down analytics on both social media platforms and other analytical tools such as Google analytics will make you a desired professional in the field. You can also learn these skills through Ashton College’s Digital Data Management and Analysis course. 

Planning and Strategy  

Strategy is an absolute necessity in marketing. Without a plan for success, it is quite difficult to achieve success. Being a good planner and problem solver will allow your organization to channel your limited resources into a strategy that will provide the best results. What type of marketing is most effective? Is it social media or email marketing? Being able to not only focus on the big picture but the small parts that make up that picture will set you apart from other Digital Marketing professionals. If you are wanting to further cultivate this skill, this Digital Marketing Strategy and Planning course will help provide you with more knowledge on the topic.  

Closing Thoughts 

Digital Marketing is a field that values a diversity of skills. By expanding your knowledge, you can become a highly valued employee in the field. Ascend to the next level of your digital marketing career today. 

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SEO  

SEO, or search engine optimization, marketing is one of the most in-demand skills in the industry. It focuses on designing and creating content that will rank higher on search engines therefore bringing in more traffic to your site. To do so it requires including key words in content, great page usability, fast website speed, clear mobile accessibility, and more. The career path within SEO includes SEO Specialist, SEO Manager and finally Digital Marketing Director, meaning that there’s great potential for growth within this area of the field. 

Social Media  

Almost everyone has some form of social media. It is just about a necessity in this day and age. Social media has more than just the potential of sharing fun photos and videos, and it plays an integral role in many companies. Social media marketing acts as a great tool for advertising by promoting customer interest and engagement with the companies and products on a wide range of social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. As social media specialists and managers you will be in charge of creating original content to help promote the client’s social media presence and overall goals.  

UX Designer 

This area of design focuses on creating maximum interaction between users and products and services, such as websites, apps, etc. A goal of a UX Designer is to create the best customer experience possible by focusing on what users want and need. Possible duties within UX Design include: 

• Conducting user research 
• Creating user personas 
• Designing websites, mobile apps, and software 
• Creating prototypes 
• Conducting user testing 

Ashton offers a fantastic UX design certificate course for those who are interested in learning more about UX Design.

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1. Baker Red Seal Exam Prep Course

2. Gasfitter Red Seal Exam Prep Course

3. Industrial Mechanic (Millwright) Red Seal Exam Prep Course

4. Truck and Transport Mechanic Red Seal Exam Prep Course

On Talent.com, Red Seal certified trades people earn an average of $71,891 annually.

Note that all these jobs require you to have completed at least high school, the apprenticeship of each respective field, and have competencies in reading, writing, oral communication, computer use, and other skills of the same calibre for a solid foundation before reaching their specialized knowledge in order to do your jobs properly and effectively.

All these prep courses require an understanding of the National Occupational Analysis (NOA) and standard exam practices such as content review, study notes, and strategy against multiple choice questions.

1. Baker

Much like the cook, the Baker, focuses mostly on bread-based food. Being a Baker requires one to have knowledge of different baking techniques, machinery usage, and culinary knowledge on how different types of food work with each other.

Some of the things you will learn from this exam prep course include:

• Understanding the basics of food safety and sanitation
• Understanding food science
• Applying the mathematics of baking which covers conversions, calculations, percentages, and formulas

2. Gasfitter

A Gasfitter helps with the inspection, repair, and maintenance of gas lines and other types of gas fired equipment in the form of British Thermal Units (BTU). The U.S. Energy Information Administration states that BTU is a measure of heat in fuels/energy. One BTU is around the energy released of one lit match. Gasfitter has two types of classes:

Class A permits the Gasfitter to handle an unlimited amount of BTU; Class B can only permit up to 400,000 BTU.

Some of the things you will learn from this exam prep course include:

• Understanding how gas piping systems work and how to assemble them
• Understanding the safety of handling gas and the tools and equipment that will be used
• Knowing the different types of systems which include, but are not limited to, vents, air supply, electrical, and propane

3. Industrial Mechanic (Millwright)

An Industrial Mechanic works on any machine or equipment that has any part that is mechanical based, pneumatic based, hydraulic based, fuel based, lubrication based, cooling based, or exhaust based, on an industrial level. Interestingly, the reason why this trades job has the word “millwright” in parenthesis is because it refers to a person who works in mills, to which have similar moving parts to most modern, big industrial machinery and we can assume, that is why the word “millwright” is there.

Some of the things you will learn from this exam prep course include:

• Understanding the ins and outs of basic robotics and automated equipment
• Knowing systems that Millwrights will work on, which include vacuum systems, pneumatic systems, hydraulic systems, etc.
• Understanding the components and system of a mechanical power transmission

4. Truck and Transport Mechanic

A Truck and Transport Mechanic works on any vehicle that is big enough to transport cargo or is classified to be a truck. They work on inspection, repair, and maintenance on a lot of aspects of a vehicle, which include but are not limited to, structural integrity, mechanical parts, electrical parts, and even electronic systems.

Some of the things you will learn from this exam prep course include:

• Understanding the different systems that go on in trucks and other transport vehicles
• Knowing how to inspect and repair the many systems that exist in large vehicles
• Knowing the tools and how to use them to repair vehicles

Interested?

Get a head start on your Red Seal certification with the help of our red seal exam preparation courses. Sign up today at Ashton College.

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When someone mentions careers in the health field, many times the first thoughts are doctors, nurses, counsellors, etc. However, as the healthcare industry evolves so do the tools that are critical to providing the best care. One key part is health information and how that is organized, to provide patients privacy and the right information. If you are interested in both technology and healthcare, look no further than the Diploma in Health Information Management. This career program combines the teachings of biology, technology, and security to provide a fantastic career for students. 

What is Health Informatics? 

Health Informatics, also known as Health information systems, combines informational science, computer science and healthcare and relies on information technology. Health information professionals organize and analyze health records to improve healthcare outcomes. A patient’s medical history is key to ensuring an accurate diagnosis and treatment, which is why the storage and organization of such information is so important. Professionals in this field are critical to ensuring smooth communication between different health channels and healthcare personnel by building communication protocols in their facilities. The field is wide and so far, covers these fields: 

• Data informatics 
• Decision support systems 
• Telemedicine, 
• Ethics 
• Consumer health informatics 

• International healthcare systems 
• Global health informatics 
• Translational research informatics 
• Home care 
• Information security 

• Data privacy 
• Artificial intelligence 
• Healthcare 

Health Information field  

This is a continuously growing field. As medical technology advances so does the need for skilled health information workers. There is an estimated 0.8 percent growth in the years 2021-2026, and a 1.8 percent growth in the years 2026-2031. This means a great outlook for prospective jobs in the health information management industry. As a Health Information Management professional, you can be employed by both public and private institutions, expanding your job prospects. The Health Information Management Diploma provides a great foundation for professionals to enter the field, while also having the potential to upgrade their education if they choose to. 

Health Information Management Duties  

Many careers can fall under the health information management field, your specific duties will change depending on your job title. However, some of the everyday tasks you will be expected to complete include: 

• Implementing health information systems and processes in order to confirm the complete and accurate documentation of medical records 
• Working with various medical staff, including nurses and doctors, to improve the quality and accuracy of patient data 
• Code, or collaborate with coders, to ensure secure and bug-free systems for managing health information 
• Collaborate with compliance officers that regularly track audits and denials from third-party auditors and insurance companies and find trends in the data

More about the Health Information Management Diploma Program  

Ashton College provides a fantastic two-year Health Information Management program that prepares graduates for a long, successful career in the field. If you are nervous about the more technical aspects of the field, no need to worry, this program covers a wide range of topics including medical terminology and examining health tics. Apply now to join for upcoming full-time classes starting September 12, 2022. Both in-person and live-online classes are available. Looking for more information or have any questions to ask? Join us for the upcoming live info session happening on August 30, 2022, at 2:00 pm PST. 

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In today’s fast-moving world of technology and entertainment, it can be hard to know what to do first and stay on task when you have things to get done. With remote work and school on the rise, more and more people are working and learning from home. This means no teachers or bosses watching over your shoulder, making sure you aren’t taking extra breaks or working on your online shopping cart. Staying focused can seem impossible sometimes with so many options of distraction around us. On top of that, these distractions also contribute to a decrease in our sleep schedules and affect our daily routines overall. Learn these tips from our student success centre on how to stay focused, which is a life-long habit that will benefit you overall. 

Factors Affecting Our Attentiveness 

A common cause of distraction is our constant use of technology and being online. Whether we are staring at our computer screens, iPads, televisions or phones, there is rarely a moment when we truly disconnect. The constant social media updates, notifications going off, TikTok and Instagram reels, or emails to check can accumulate to a lot of daily screen time. Go check your own screen time in your phone settings right now, you might be shocked to see a number higher than you would expect. Besides online distractions, working from home all day means unlimited access to the kitchen for snack breaks, friendly pets to play with, or even kids running around the house. We decide to do some laundry, or quickly vacuum the rug, the next thing you know it’s been hours since you got back to your work! 

Inadequate amounts of good sleep also affect our ability to concentrate and stay focused during the day. The average adult needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, anything less than this is linked to poor physical and mental health, and your body does not get enough time to go through the cycles of sleep and proper rest and recovery. Screentime is a huge deterrent when it comes to people getting to bed on time, as we all know about the late-night hours of scrolling paralysis and tv show binges.  

A poor diet and unhealthy food choices are other factors which will affect how you feel mentally. If you are not fueling your body with essential nutrients and energizing whole foods each day, your brain will not be functioning smoothly. Your body needs energy, as well as plenty of water, to keep functioning properly and not crash. That might mean replacing your second and third coffee of the day with herbal tea or water with fruit in it. 

Things to Improve Focus and Concentration 

Eliminate distractions. This starts with limiting technology and social media apps. Try setting up timers or locks on your devices during the day so you aren’t tempted to scroll through. Also, have a separate email account that you use for personal things, and only check your work or school email during your working hours. Silence your notifications so you are not tempted to check on things unrelated to your tasks.  

Have a peaceful designated workstation. It Is also important to make sure that your workspace is free from distraction as well. Wherever you choose to set up this spot, it should be a quiet and simple space where you can be alone. It should have adequate lighting, a door to close and be clean and simple. Some people like to listen to white noise or brown noise, which can be a calming tool to help a racing mind zone in on a task.  

Prioritize your sleep and eating. Sleep is one of the most important factors that will improve your concentration levels. This is how your entire body runs, and without adequate sleep, you will not be at peak functioning levels. This goes for healthy eating as well. Having whole, non-processed foods in your day will sustain you and keep your mind sharp. Prioritizing exercise throughout the week is also important for mental health and regulating stress and anxiety levels. Good food and exercise will also make sleeping at night easier. Cut out screen time an hour before bed, and try unwinding with a book, quiet chats with a loved one, or some meditation. Having a bedtime routine every night will help regulate your body to have a normal sleep pattern.  

Schedule your day with a routine. Even if your job or program changes daily, create your own personal routine that you stick to as best you can every single day. This means waking up at the same time each day, and maybe taking 15 minutes to yourself to journal or have a coffee on the porch. Set allotted times throughout the day to take breaks, which could include eating, a walk around the block, or calling a friend for a quick chat. By scheduling these types of things into your day, you already know that you will be doing them and you will be less tempted to stray from your work. 

Practice mindfulness and don’t multitask. When we have multiple projects to work on, emails to send, or classes to attend, the urge to multi-task in an attempt to get more done faster is very strong. This is actually making you more stressed and getting less done than if you just worked on one thing at a time. Giving one task your entire attention instead of giving 3 tasks each a little attention will result in more efficient work, fewer mistakes, and much less mental stress and headaches. Take a deep breath and take things one step at a time. You can learn more about mindfulness in one of these helpful courses. There will always be new emails to send, and work is never truly done. Know when to give your complete focus, but also when to log off. 

Staying focused is something that just about everyone struggles with in their life. When you pinpoint what it is that is hindering your concentration, these tips are an excellent place to start changing your daily habits and routines. These can even be implemented in small steps, and by just choosing one or two things on this list to start including in your life, you might notice a difference in your workday. 

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Wanting to Become a Human Resources Professional? 

If you have yet to enter the Human Resources field, look no further than the great HR courses at Ashton College. If a career program is what you are looking for, the Human Resources Management Diploma provides an excellent foundation to enter the job field. In fact, human resources managers are one of the top three most in-demand professionals in the HR field in Canada.  

Diversity and Inclusion  

A diverse team is always a benefit for any work environment. However, there can be some challenges that go along with that, and it is a human resources professional’s job to best handle unique sets of circumstances. The Diversity and Inclusion training certificate course gives students the skillset to tackle contemporary issues in the workplace related to race, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, religion, ability, age, nationality and ethnicity.  

Conflict Resolution  

Deferring opinions or positions in a workplace can sometimes cause conflict to arise. As a human resources professional, it is your job to best put issues to rest before they become a crisis in the workplace. To simply not intervene will most likely only escalate the situation or cause it to fester in the work environment. To do this, you require critical skills and techniques to stop conflict in its tracks, which can be provided through this conflict resolution certificate course.  

Change Management   

As our world continues to evolve and alter, so does the workplace. However, change can be scary and a difficult concept for some to tackle. As a human resources professional, it is your responsibility to act as a leader of change. To do so you must be skilled in communication in order to best address staff concerns. As well have change management techniques in place to facilitate a smooth transition, all of which will be covered in our change management certification course.   

Mediation 

Similar to conflict resolution, as a mediator you will act as an arbitrator, i.e. impartial middle person, between issues and conflicts that can arise in a workplace. Mediation is popular amongst HR professionals as it reduces stress, resolves conflict, and restores working relationships. There is an art to mediation, and it is one that can be learned and applied. This mediation certification course will provide you with the tools and techniques to mediate any situation.  

Taking any of the above courses will be a fantastic addition to your resume. Continuing your education allows you to expand the roles you can apply for and grow your career. And there has never been a better time to study than now. Our summer study rebate is on now until July 29, 2022. You can get $50 rebate off your registration fee!  

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Psychologically Safe (Work) Space 

According to Amy Edmonson, a psychologically safe workspace is defined as “a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.” However, this is meant for “work” spaces, how does this apply to coach/client environments?  

Well, the idea and end goal are practically the same, and explaining that is what I want to achieve in this blog. 

In her TEDxTalk, Edmonson talked about the three things that make a safe space: 

1. Frame the problem as a learning problem, not an execution problem 

To start, we must first look at our problems as learning opportunities rather than purely execution problems. Execution type problems are ones where you must succeed on the first try, 100% of the time. When having this kind of mindset, you will have the result of having no creativity, and therefore no growth. By looking at problems as learning opportunities, you are willing to try new things and see which solution will stick. You must remember that in life, the only constant is uncertainty, and if you understand that, you will be ok with failing. Because if something does not go the way you want it to, you will always feel bad, and so knowing that things do not always come the way you plan will put you in a state of creativity and less mental stress when failing.  

In the aspect of Life Coaching, you are also human. You are still learning, even outside of textbooks and lectures. When you get your first client, you may feel lost, and you may say the wrong thing. But always know that the more clients you encounter, the more you will learn, and your chances of client success will increase with it. 

2. Understand that we fail 

For the learning aspect to work, we must fail first. For most of us, we do not like to fail. It shows vulnerability and weakness, but that is the whole point, that is what makes us human. If we can live with the fact that we fail, it makes us learn better and takes care of the mental stress when failing. When we do manage to cope with failure, we are more likely to try new things. 

In the aspect of Life Coaching, be alright with the fact that some methods will fail, and when you know that you can and will fail, you will pick yourself up and try again. 

3. Be curious 

This is the neat little bow that ties it all together. Being curious is the result of learning. You will ask questions, good and specific questions, look at different viewpoints, because everyone’s understanding of any subject matter varies from person to person. 

In the aspect of Life Coaching, being curious may solve more than one problem at a time and may solve future problems that could occur. 

Next Steps… 

By following this concept, you and your client will establish a non-judgmental environment where questions will be constantly asked and both parties are relaxed and learning about yourselves and each other. 

Now that you have understood the aspects of establishing a safe space, the next thing you can learn is the skill of active listening, but that is for another time. If you would like to know more and get your Life Coach certification training, you can check out our Professional Coach Diploma Career Program on our website.  

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