As COVID-19 rages on in its winter-time resurgence, we're witnessing incredible dedication from our healthcare workers. We often hear the term "frontline workers" and how we should all be so grateful for their sacrifice. This is absolutely true, as frontline workers are right in the path of the virus and putting themselves at risk to help others. However, it's also important to understand that these frontline workers have a massive web of support working behind-the-scenes to keep things running smoothly.
Let's take a closer look at some of the positions that help support frontline workers and why they're so crucial. It's important for all of us to thank our healthcare workers as a whole, because without them, this virus would likely have claimed more lives already.
Remember that it's also important to respect our healthcare workers by taking proper precautions to combat the spread of the disease. Here are the CDC's guidelines: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html.
What Are Frontline Workers?
When we talk about "frontline workers", who are we talking about? A frontline worker is someone like a nurse, physician, surgeon, respiratory therapist, or anyone else that comes in direct contact with a Coronavirus patient while providing care. You might have seen pictures of these workers in full biohazard gear, sweating and exhausted. Some frontline workers end up working about 12-14 hours per day, and as the virus rages on, there are no signs of it letting up anytime soon.
Imagine the sacrifice it takes to operate in this capacity. Some frontline workers can't even go home, because they could potentially spread the disease to their family members. As of now, around 12.9 million cases have been reported, and about 262,000 deaths.
The Web Of Support Behind Them
This article is in no way meant to downplay the sacrifice of our frontline workers, but it's important that we recognize the other workers that make the industry as a whole function. Without this massive web of support behind our frontline workers, the system wouldn't function. From medical assistants to technicians and beyond, there are thousands of workers that don't come into direct contact with patients, but are just as important in terms of the medical care process.
Medical Assistants
Medical assistants work to help physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals with some of the administrative duties that otherwise couldn't be attended to by the physician himself. This can include minor clinical duties, but usually means answering phones, scheduling appointments, interacting with patients, storing data, organizing records, and more.
Certified medical administrative assistant training can be obtained either online or through the traditional university route. Most people opt for the certification route, however, because it's a faster way to get into the field. If you'd like to become one of these essential healthcare workers, you can become certified in anywhere from a few months to two years.
Medical Billers and Coders
You can imagine the cost that something like a pandemic can incur for both the medical industry as a whole and the patients suffering from the disease. Luckily for us, medical billers/coders exist to help file insurance claims properly, so payments are made and the whole industry stays alive.
Coders are responsible for taking medical paperwork and turning it into standardized codes for billing. In most cases, the coder is also the biller, so they transfer those codes to an invoice for billing.
If no one's medical bills are getting paid, that means the institutions aren't getting paid, and they can't continue operations.
Technicians
Let's not forget about our medical technicians. These include medical information technicians, surgical technicians, pharmacy technicians, and more. These are considered "assistants" in some cases, but they're every bit as important as their fellow workers. Surgical technicians help ensure the integrity of the surgery room, the instruments, and more. Pharmacy technicians help the pharmacist organize medications, deliver to patients, and track paperwork.
We have a deep respect and appreciation for everyone working in the healthcare industry during this tough time. We're not sure how long the pandemic will continue to affect us, but what we do know is that we'll always have people willing to put their lives on the line to keep us healthy.
A Special Thank You To Frontline Workers
I'd like to take this time to give a special thank you to our frontline workers. It takes incredible courage and dedication to remain on the frontlines, even when our politicians seem to be failing us in terms of managing the virus. Your commitment to the rest of us does not go unnoticed! We fully understand that without you, there would be no care, and likely a lot more deaths.
Stay strong, resilient, and courageous; your courage is an example to the rest of us on the outside looking in.
