1. Introduction to Being a Health Care Worker

2. History of
Health Care

3. Health care has developed and changed throughout history.
Knowing the history of health care helps you understand
current procedures, practices, and philosophies. The
experiences and discoveries of the past led to the advances
of today.
Today’s achievements could not have occurred without the
trials and errors of the past. When you understand the
primitive beginnings of medicine, you appreciate the
advances made during the past 5,000 years.
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4.  No electricity, few tools, poor shelter
 Protect themselves against predators
 Believed illness and disease were caused by
supernatural spirits
 Used trephining, herbs, and plants as medicine
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5. • Egyptians first people to keep accuracy records
• Ancient Chinese first to use acupuncture
therapies
• Ancient Greeks first to study causes of disease
– Illness has natural rather than spiritual causes
– Considered medicine an art
– Learned some disease caused by lack of sanitation
 Romans developed sanitation system
 First to organize medical care
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6.  Hippocrates based his knowledge of anatomy
and physiology on observation of the external
body
 Known as the father of medicine
 Disease not caused by supernatural forces
 Wrote the standard of ethics ─ Oath of Hippocrates
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7.  Medical science stopped for 1,000 years when
Roman Empire conquered by the Huns
 Medicine practiced only in convents and monasteries
 Primary treatment was prayer
 Care was custodial
 Epidemics
 Bubonic plague, smallpox, syphilis
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8.  Rebirth of learning
 Universities and medical buildings built
 New ideas about disease
 Dissection of the body
 Development of the printing press
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9.  Leonardo da Vinci studied and recorded the anatomy of
the body
 William Harvey used physiology to describe circulation
of blood and pumping of the heart
 Gabriele Fallopius discovered the fallopian tubes
 Bartolommeo Eustachio discovered tube leading from
the ear to the throat
 Antonie van Leeuwenhoek invented the microscope
 Apothecaries/early pharmacies started
 Practice of quackery
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10.  Students attended lectures, treated patients at their
bedsides, and dissected bodies
 Elizabeth Blackwell first female physician in United
States
 René Laënnec invented the stethoscope
 Joseph Priestly discovered the element oxygen
 Benjamin Franklin discovered bifocals and that colds
could be passed from person to person
 Edward Jenner discovered smallpox vaccination which
led to immunizations
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11.  Ignaz Semmelweis identified cause of childbed fever
 Louis Pasteur discovered tiny microorganisms are
everywhere
 Father of Microbiology
 Pasteurization kills bacteria in mild
 Joseph Lister first doctor to use antiseptic during surgery
 Ernst von Bergmann developed asepsis
 Robert Koch developed the culture plate method to identify
pathogens and also isolated the bacterium that causes
tuberculosis
 Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-rays
 Paul Ehrlich discovered the effect of medicine on disease-
causing microorganisms
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12.  Anesthesia, nitrous oxide, ether, and chloroform
discovered
 Gerhard Domagk discovered sulfonamide
compounds ─ medications effective in killing
bacteria
 Dmitri Ivanovski discovered that some diseases
are caused by microorganisms that cannot be
seen with a microscope (viruses)
 Rabies
 Measles
 Chickenpox
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13.  Sigmund Freud discovered the conscious and unconscious parts of
the mind
 Basis of psychology and psychiatry
 Sir Alexander Fleming found that penicillin killed life-threatening
bacteria
 Jonas Salk discovered that a dead polio virus would cause
immunity to poliomyelitis
 Albert Sabin used a live polio virus vaccine, which is more effective.
 Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the molecular
structure of DNA, based on its known double helix.
 Christian Barnard performed the first successful heart transplant in
1968
 Ben Carson separated Siamese twins and performed
hemispherectomies (surgeries on the brain to prevent seizures)
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14.  Telemedicine practiced
 Consultative, diagnostic, and treatment services
 E-mail, fax, telephone
 New inventions and procedures have changed
medicine
 People are living longer and healthier
 Greater need to understand geriatric medicine
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15. Hippocrates Bartolommeo Eustachio
Leonardo da Vinci Anton van Leeuwenhoek
William Harvey René Laënnec
Gabriele Fallopius Joseph Priestley
Benjamin Franklin Joseph Lister
Edward Jenner Ernst von Bergmann
Ignaz Semmelweis Robert Koch
Louis Pasteur Wilhelm Roentgen
Paul Erlich Alexander Fleming
Gerhard Domagk Jonas Salk
Dmitri Ivanovski Albert Sabin
Sigmund Freud
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16.  Florence Nightingale created the Nightingale School of
Nursing
 Designed a hospital ward that improved the environment and
care of the patients
 Clara Barton volunteered as a nurse during the Civil War
 Established a bureau of records to help search for missing men
 Established the American Red Cross in 1881 and to serve as its
first president.
 Lillian Wald established the Henry Street Settlement in
New York to bring nursing care into the homes of the
poor
 Led to the Visiting Nurse Service of New York
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17.  LVN/LPN
 Nurse assistant
 Unlicensed assistive caregivers
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18.  anesthesia  geriatric
 antiseptic  intravenously
 asepsis  microbiology
 convents  Microorganisms
 custodial  monasteries
 dissection  noninvasive
 epidemics  observation
 ethics  pasteurization
 exorcise  phlebotomy
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19.  physiology  respiration
 predators  stethoscope
 primitive  superstitious
 psychiatry  symptom
 psychology  telemedicine
 quackery  trephining
 recipient  vaccines
 replicate
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20. Becoming a Health Care Worker

21. A health care worker is a well-trained professional whose
top concern is patient welfare. Health care workers must
have a thorough knowledge of current health procedures.
They must maintain a professional appearance and
practice professional behavior. They must also safeguard
the confidentiality of patient information. You must keep in
mind all of these standards of behavior as you become a
health care worker.
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22.  Match key terms with their correct meanings.
 Discuss the importance of proper health care
training.
 Describe the proper appearance for a health
care worker.
 Discuss standards of behavior.
 Discuss the importance of confidentiality when
working with patient records.
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23.  Choose a quality healthcare program that meets
your needs
 Technical, community or four year colleges with
accredited programs
 Obtain a certification or an associate’s, bachelor’s,
master’s or doctoral degree
 Continue your education after employment, as
health care procedures and knowledge change
constantly
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24.  Professional appearance reflects your
commitment to patient care
 Follow facility’s dress code
 Minimum jewelry
 Wear name badge
 Clean and appropriate shoes
 Clean hair
 Follow rules of good personal hygiene
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25.  Behave professionally
 Calm and courteous manner
 Listen carefully
 Monitor patients appropriately
 Perform tasks efficiently
 Do not gossip about staff or patients
 Do not use coarse or offensive language
 Do not “horseplay”
 Watch for hazardous situations
 Follow all facility safety procedures
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26.  Exhibit positive personal traits
 Empathy  Self motivation
 Honesty  Tact
 Dependability  Competence
 Willingness to learn  Responsibility
 Patience  Discretion
 Acceptance of criticism  Team player
 Enthusiasm
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27.  Make sure you portray positive body language
 Make and maintain eye contact
 Smile
 Keep an open stance
 Give patient your full attention
 Keep your hands away form your mouth when
speaking
 Sit or stand at eye level when talking to a patient
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28.  Confidentiality of patient records is critical
 Patients sign confidentiality form before
receiving treatment
 Legally binding document
 Health care workers may be reprimanded if they
do not ensure patient confidentiality
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29.  accredited  hygiene
 appearance  maintain
 commitment  professional
 confidentiality  recommendations
 converse  reprimanded
 courteous  stance
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