March 23, 2010

Progress Report

The individual project when first introduced was definitely a stress factor. I could not decide on the topic for my project because there were so many ideas going on in my head. At first I wanted to do something sports related because I love to play and watch sports, but I eventually picked to do an information manual for my job. I am a certified pharmacy technician and it is very frustrating working with people who just haven't caught on to the new Enterprise RX system.

The informational manual is directed towards the pharmacists and technician of the VG's Pharmacy company. Even though there are two seperate audiences, they inevitably do the same work. The only difference being that the pharmacist is in charge of all "Verification". They both are responsable at one point or another for data entry, receipts, and waiting on customers.

Right now, I am pretty sure on how I'm going to do this and have started writing it but I just need to take the pictures and add captions. The pictures may be difficult to get due to HIPAA laws, so I think I will have to make a "John Doe" person in the system and fake a prescription and go through the process that way. Of course I need to do this when we have some down time at work, either on a weekend or a week night when we are not as busy.

I am looking forward to peer review and any help I can get to make this project the best. Thanks all!

March 19, 2010

Task analysis

Task Analysis

Introduction

I would like to create an instructional manual for the Enterprise prescription system used at the VG's pharmacies. This manual will be used to explain and show how to complete the whole task of filling a prescription from start to finish. The task analysis is needed to provide an outline or the instructional manual and how it will be completed.

Description of task

      1) Greeting Patient
            a) Greeting - positive attitude - eye contact
            b) Questions to ask - birthdate - allergies
            c) Giving them an accurate estimation of time when the script will be done
                     i) Knowing which patients need to get done faster - serious illness vs. non-emergency
                     ii) Knowing how to keep patients as happy as possible

                     iii) Putting scripts in order - most important closest to computer
      2) Data Entry
            a) Finding patient in computer - adding patients
            b) Starting prescription filling
                     i) Scan prescription
                     ii) Input time promised

                     iii) How to re-scan if necessary
            c) Selecting Prescriber - what to do if prescriber isn't in system
            d) Selecting drug - when brand is ok - check if in stock
            e) Inputting date, sig (instructions), quantity, amount of refills, DAW code, Origin Code, submit to insurance

            f) Scanning accurancy - scan prescription label - stock bottle
      3) Insurance rejections
            a) Refill too soon
                    i) Check for dosage increase
                    ii) Put on file
                    iii) Write note for patient
            b) Prior Authorization
                    i) Call prescriber - either do prior authorization or change med/dosage

                    ii) Put script on file - tell patient
      4) Communicating with prescribers
             a) NPI look-up website in favorites on home page
             b) DEA, Address must call office for these
                    i) DEA is needed on all Controlled medications (C IV - N)

c) E-scribing and Faxes - where to find them and how to print

      5) Invoices/Inventory
             a) Search by NDC
             b) Adjustments
                    i) Re-order points
                    ii) Quantity on hand

                    iii)Ordering place
             c) Creating orders
             d) Accepting Order - fill on arrival
             e) Where to file
                   i) Controls
                   ii) Regular drugs

iii) Credit Returns

      6) Medications with special instruction
             a) Accutane - iPlegde
             b) Narcotics - Pharmacist locked - inventory done monthly
             c) Plan B - age restrictions
             d) OTC pseudos - logged with patient information
             e) Specific drugs from specific carriers
                    i) Xanax, z-paks, Cipro - Harvard
                    ii) Flonase, Fosamax - Auburn
      7) Verification
            a) Go in order of importance (selected in data entry)
            b) Check over all data
                    i) Patient - name - date of birth
                    ii) Drug - NDC - Scanned presctiption
                    iii) Data - date written - sig - quantity - refills - DAW - Origin Code
                    iv) Dosage
             c) Check DURs - interactions
             d) Verify - print receipt
             e) Bag prescription bottle - staple receipt for scanning at register
       8) Working Register
             a) Ask name - say name back
             b) Locate prescription
             c) Ask if there are any questions/concerns
                     i) If so, try to answer
                     ii) May need pharmacist
             d) Scan the prescription receipt
             e) Ask for signature for verifying the pick-up
                     i) Moves script from "ready" to "sold"
                     ii) Saves signature to patient profile
                     iii) Can be used if there is a discrepency with patient later
        9) HIPAA
             a) What can be said to who
             b) Need signature for understanding of HIPAA
             c) Phone conversations - be sure it is the patient not relative

March 9, 2010

Audience Analysis

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE

Objective

The instruction booklet will help the VG’s pharmacy departments work better with the computer system and also become faster at providing prescriptions to patients. The pharmacy technicians and pharmacists need to become more familiar with this system to provide better quality to patients, and to get more prescriptions done faster. The instruction booklet with be used for reference when employees forget how to do something, or if one employee is not busy to perhaps learn something new with this system.

This instruction booklet is intended for VG’s pharmacists and technicians, who have already had training on the system and work with it daily, but could definitely use the help of this booklet for the needs of the patients. The booklet will include all of the following:

~ How to add a patient

~ Adding third party information

~ Scanning the scripts, making orders, and other data entries needed

~ Scanning the pill bottles, and sending it to the pharmacist

~ Verification and the location of all things to be verified

~ How to fold the receipts for the best use

~ Insurance companies phone numbers

~ Pictures to go along with these instructions

Document Summary

This Audience Analysis will provide the VG’s pharmacy employees the instruction booklet

This document will give details of who the audience is and its approximate size.

This analysis is intended for VG’s pharmacist and pharmacy technicians.

Audience Types

The main focus of pharmacists and technicians is customer service and ensuring that the customer is happy with the service provided and will continue to come to the pharmacy. In order to provide the best customer service, the employees need to be efficient with the computer to reduce mistakes and time taken to get prescriptions done. The booklet will provide a quick place for the employees to look if they do not know where to go, or to become faster and familiar with the system.

Pharmacy Audience Profile

Potential Audience

VG’s has 14 different pharmacy locations where usually at least 4 people work, and the busier pharmacies having at least 6 people. That makes the potential audience to be around 80 employees.

Demographics

From my knowledge and experience at VG’s, most technicians are female and most pharmacists are male. Everyone at VG’s has at least a high school diploma and is at least 18 years of age. Due to the demographics where VG’s are located, all employees must speak English and be able to be understood by the general public for customer counseling if needed.

Talking with Customers

At VG’s the technicians typically work either 6 or 8 hour days, whereas the pharmacist works a 12 hour day. Training for different necessary areas, such as Fraud, Waste, and Abuse, HIPAA, methamphetamine sales, and safety are done online at work while on a work shift. Technicians are consistently waiting on customers taking their scripts, checking them out, or writing up a pseudoephedrine log for decongestants.

The technicians do almost all of the data entry for every script, always wait on the customer and provide as much information to the customer as possible to let the pharmacist continue to verify.

Informational Needs

The pharmacy technicians should know how to do all of the following:

~ Data entry for scripts

~ Checking out customers

~ Common short codes for prescriptions to cut down on time

~ To improve communication between pharmacist and the technicians

Pharmacist Audience Profile

Potential Audience

At VG’s there are 24 full-time pharmacists and approximately 4 part-time “floater” pharmacists to direct the pharmacy technicians.

Demographics

The pharmacists at VG’s tend to be middle-aged males, with only three of the total pharmacists being female. They have all completed a pharmacy degree, and depending on their age was about 3 to 5 years of schooling after a bachelors degree.

Informational Needs

The pharmacists need to be much more educated on how the medicines work then on computer information, but in the economic needs the pharmacists are working a few hours by themselves and therefore need to become more familiar with the system.

Pharmacy Technician

Tammy Echols

Tammy is a 43 year old pharmacy technician and has been an employee with VG’s for 17 years. When first hired in she was not certified and did most work with the register and checking out customers. She still went through all the required online training, such as HIPAA and Fraud, Waste and Abuse. She recently became certified by taking the exam in Lansing. She felt she had to become certified for her own comfort in the information, even though becoming certified is just passing the exam for Michigan. She has often times made comments that she wishes she could work as fast and the young technicians do with the computer, and admits it is due to unfamiliarity.

Pharmacist

Norm Isbell

Norm is a 55 year old VG’s pharmacist who has worked for VG’s for 20 years. Norm has rheumatoid arthritis which makes it hard to stand on his feet for his full 12 hour shift. He verifies prescriptions well, but often gets stressed when the pharmacy becomes busy. When he is stressed, so is everyone else which then makes good customer service very difficult. Also, since a majority of the time he just has to verify, when he works alone for a few hours it is very difficult to perform the data entry for scripts. An instructional booklet to be left at the pharmacy would benefit Norm and also the customers.

Conclusions

The instructional booklet will not only benefit the technicians that use the computers more, but also the pharmacists who are now forced to work alone. As long as the employee has gone through initial training the booklet will be of great help, and can be accessed at all times.

February 22, 2010

Group project

February 16, 2010

Individual project

For the individual project, I think I create intructions on how to use the Enterprise RX pharmacy system. I work at VG's pharmacy and we have recently gotten a new system, that other than me and one other coworker, no one can seem to get a grasp of. The people I work with are not very computer savvy and need all the help that they can get. The instuctions manuel will be left on the pharmacy grounds, have quick tabs for frequently asked questions and solutions.

This instuctions manuel will assist the technicians in everyday use, even though they have already been trained on the system, many of them do not use it properly nor understand the system completely. Not only will this provide complete instructions on the Enterprise system, but it will also have the insurance companies numbers inside the front cover.

The benefits of this instruction manuel are endless, and include faster prescription time and less waiting time for patients, there will be less extremely busy times because of faster presctiption times, less stress from being too busy, less stress from not understanding the system, better care provided for patients due to less stress from job and more time for patients from less time on prescriptions.

I am qualified for this instruction manual because of the following:

~ I am familiar with the system and its benefits

~ I am a certified pharmacy technician and have worked at VG's for 2 years

~ If there are problems at work, I am the one they call/rely on.

The final project will not only include text, but pictures to help understand. Although this project seems uneeded by some, it is very much neccessary to the pharmacy workers who do not understand the systems and its' advantages, which in my experience is more than half of the workers.

The cost for such project will be as follows (14 stores with pharmacies):

Labor $150

Printing $100

Lamination $ 50

Binding $ 40

TOTAL per store $ 340

TOTAL for all

company stores $ 4,760

If anyone, students or professor, see any problems with this proposal please let me know! Thank you!

February 11, 2010

Review of Facilitation

The second student group facilitation was great timing because the group chose great topics. With the group projects looming in the near future, the facilitation group chose to teach us about the different forms of communities online. I know their discussion has helped my group decide on what kind of online community/type of services provided. Each online community is different in what it offers. Just like Savannah pointed out with the just photo community there are many different providers, and they each differ on what they offer, whether it be storage size, how many pictures one can upload, the social aspect of the site, etc. It is important to know what you want from a site to ensure you pick the right one for your needs/wants. For example, I was thinking of doing such site for wedding and honeymoon pictures (that I will soon need to upload in August!) for family and friends who may not engage in the social network of facebook, so that they can still view the pictures.

Joe's presentation on podcasts helped me out on a personal level because I have always heard TV shows or radio stations mention to follow their podcasts, which I had no clue what it was. Also on iTunes there is a podcasts section, that to this day is empty because I didn't know what it was. Now that I know what it is, I will have my fiance record the song he wrote and played for me onto my iTunes so I can have it forever.

Mike's presentation on wiki's was great. I really had no clue what a wiki was, even after reading about it, and I definitely wouldn't of known how to use one. The video he showed in the facilitation was helpful because it was probably the most "dumbed-down" way to show how to use a wiki. I can definitely agree that e-mails can be tough for more than 2 people to feel included and kept up to date.

Eric's presentation on skype was good as well. Having used skype many times, I think he did a great job to show all the uses of skype and how great of a tool it can be. My fiance and I use it to keep in contact with friends and family, and I never thought you could use it how Eric does with his band. That is amazing to be able to have band practice together without actually having to be together.

Overall the second facilitation group did a great job in showing us the different opportunities we have on the internet and how to use them. It was great timing by the group as well because of the group projects due soon.

February 8, 2010

The Proposal

Many different businesses use the proposal to get new ideas and ideas for change. Proposals can be done individually or as a group and are ones' way to get their ideas for the business heard, and to possibly make a little more money. Many proposals are persuasive, trying to get people to buy your idea, or yourself. However, many times when you are giving a proposal, looking the part definitely helps.

Proposals have the usual parts of a paper, such as introduction and conclusion. However, the body of the document has more specific areas to hit; such as background information, the benefits, results and schedule of project, money or resources needed, and some information on the person or group presenting the project. Each topic is pretty obvious at what it is for, whereas the benefits part of the document discusses the needs for the proposed project and how it will accomplish these needs. I think the most important aspect of the document in many businesses is the money or resources needed because most businesses do not have a lot of extra money for new ideas.

Proposals are introducing a new idea/project, informing its benefits, and then asking the audience for its approval. Most proposals follow the basic format listed above, and have a specific audience. As stated in earlier reviews, knowing your audience is also a very important aspect of technical writing and it is no different for proposals. Knowing if your audience is aware of the need for this proposal, and how much they know about the former project in place are just a few things one should know for their propsal audience.

February 1, 2010

Facilitation

I am never a big fan of talking in front of a class nor group projects so when I came to the understanding that one of the first big assignments of this class was a group project that was done in front of the class, I was a bit nervous. I'm not the type to volunteer for the first group to go because I like to see what other people do and what is expected. However, I thought that since understanding what technical is would be fundamental in the remainder of the class I decided to volunteer for the first group

I must say that I am very satisfied with my decision and the members of my group. Not only do we work well together and have many different ideas, they kind of motivate me to stay on top of things in class. The class facilitation was fun to work on with the group, and I will admit that breaking the students into groups and rotating around was kind of a lot to comprehend and I would of never thought of it but it worked really good. I was able to get a little more comfortable with each group than I would of in front of the entire class.

The idea of "who, what, how" of technical writing helped me understand the depths of technical writing and I hope that it did the same for the students. It was the best way for us to break the group into different parts so that we were all accountable for some part of the project and learn something on my own and teach it not only to my group but my classmates as well.

I am looking forward to other group's faciliations and seeing what they do differently. And most importantly I am looking forward to working with my group in future projects.

January 28, 2010

Online Communities

In chapter four, a main topic was online communities and their benefits. Online communities can be used for many different reasons, ranging from professional and non-professional blogging, company pages, college students working together, etc. While on the internet, just about everytime i find myself on some sort of online community, most commonly facebook. I use facebook to keep in touch with old friends and family members.

I also have found there are a lot of "wedding" online communities. I can definitely use all the help I can get when it comes to planning my wedding. Websites like mywedding.com allow me to set up a website that all friends and family members can go visit and read about us, the wedding plans, and leave support.

Recently, my fiance and I were watching the TV show "The Office" and a character on there is active on Second Life. After watching that episode my fiance tried Second Life, and while it was kind of neat to be online and doing everyday things, I believe Second Life takes a lot of time to get used to and a big hard-drive. The game was so slow on his computer and we were getting booted from every place we went. We both didn't really understand what was going on, whereas most people can get right on to twitter, facebook, blog sites and be able to somewhat work the site.

As a college student, I am always weary when having to do a group project, or a kind of similar event book sprint. I am always afraid I will have that student who is just looking for a free ride, but I can definitely see the benefit from book sprints. Everyone puts their creations together and comes up with a big project that has more than just one point of view.

January 25, 2010

Vanquish Manual (James Bond car)

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Aston Martin Vanquish Manual

Please read all information and instructions regarding the Aston Martin Vanquish before operating. This manual contains specifications, instructions for use, precautions to take, and some background information on the Vanquish

Specifications

Engine

6.0-Liter 460Bhp V12

Stainless steel exhaust system

Max power 350 kW at 6000 rpm

Max torque 600 Nm at 5000 rpm

Max speed 190 mph

Acceleration 0-60 in 4.6 sec

Rear-mounted six-speed transmission

Power-assisted steering

Body

Two-door coupe

19” alloy wheels

Anti-lock brake system

Traction control

Length 185.5”

Width 74”

Height 50”

Interior

Leather interior

Adjustable seats

Trip computer

Navigation system

Heated seats

Front and side air bags

Weaponry

Twin .50 caliber autocannons

5 rocket projectiles behind retractable grill

Dorsal target-seeking shotguns

Spikes that extend from tires for better traction

Infra-Red Search and Tracking System

Passenger ejector seat

Adaptive camouflage “Cloaking” system

Instructions

1. Open driver side door and sit in driver’s seat.

2. Position seat for driving and comfort.

3. Check and align all mirrors to ensure full vision

4. Go over all gadgets and buttons:

Circular red button on dash: engage the twin .50 autocannons

Circular green button on dash: engage rocket projectiles (one at a time)

Triangular red button on steering wheel: engage dorsal target-seeking shotguns

Triangular green button on steering wheel: engage passenger ejector seat

Circular red button on shifter: engage camouflage system

Circular blue button on dash: engage spikes from tires for better traction

5. For the twin .50 caliber autocannons: once engaged they will use the tracking system for the selected target, therefore no shooting by the driver is required; to disengage press and hold the circular red button on dash for 5 seconds

6. For the rocket projectiles: once engaged they will use the tracking device, however will require the driver to shoot by pressing the circular green button on dash that is used for engagement; to disengage press and hold the circular green button on dash for 5 seconds

7. For the dorsal target-seeking shotguns: once engaged that will seek target selected and shoot automatically; to disengage press and hold the triangular red button on steering wheel for 5 second

8. For the passenger ejector seat: once engaged the roof panel will retract and passenger will be ejected

9. For the camouflage system: once engaged the cameras on all side of the car will make the image of the surrounding environment on car making it invisible; to disengage press and hold the circular red button on shift for 5 seconds ***susceptible to interruption by continuous gun-shot or explosions

10. For the spikes from tires: once engaged they will stay out until disengaged by pressing and holding the circular blue button on dash for 5 seconds

11. Buckle yourself into the seat and start engine by placing key in ignition and rotating clock-wise

12. To get the car into drive: press the brake pedal on the left with right foot and move shifter in the D position

13. To drive: slowly remove right foot from the left brake pedal and slowly accelerate right foot onto the acceleration pedal on the right

14. To park car: slowly remove right foot from acceleration pedal, then slowly push the brake pedal with foot until the car is at a complete stop, then adjust shifter to the P position

Precautions

AS stated before camouflage will not work when under continuous gun-fire or explosion

CAMOUFLAGE may take a lengthy amount of time to reset

BE sure to select the right target with the .50 caliber autocannons because they will fire continuously at selected target until disengaged

ALWAYS be safe with ammunition as unneeded and plentiful deaths would be bad for the British Secret Service

ALWAYS buckle yourself in, as the car will not operate without the driver being buckled

NEVER operate the car while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or any other mood or mind altering substance

NEVER use the weaponry provided with this car when unnecessary

ONLY use the camouflage when it is absolutely necessary

Background Information

Aston Martin cars have been used by the British Secret Service for many years and have been great with every upgrade possible. The Vanquish has the next best upgrade; camouflage. The BSS has been waiting for a car with the capabilities of invisibility and it is finally here. While the Vanquish still has all the weaponry expected for a BSS car, it now has the newest, best camouflage system which uses many cameras on all sides of the car that imitate the environment around and project it onto the car. Although it is susceptible to continuous gun-fire, it is the best system available. The BSS is privileged to enlist the Vanquish as its’ greatest cars list.