Your Passport To The World – Teaching English Abroad

February 3rd, 2011 admin

Teaching English in a foreign country can be an incredible challenge… and it can also be one of the most fulfilling experiences you’ll ever have. Living abroad, absorbing the culture of another people, and using your native English knowledge to enlighten your students are all wonderful aspects of this rewarding career.

But before you take the plunge and sign up for a job overseas, there are a few things you should consider about yourself and your intended path. Keep in mind… not everyone is cut out for a job like this!

Teaching English in another country is not just a job. It’s also a lifestyle choice. Regardless of where you choose to teach (and sometimes, your choices may be limited by what areas are in need at a certain time), it can be a time-consuming and demanding project, and it will definitely test the limits of your sense of adventure. You will be immersed in a whole new culture and expected to follow it as a citizen. Contrary to popular belief, an English teacher in another country is a far cry from being a tourist.

A job teaching English won’t be like a vacation. Depending on what type of school you choose to teach at and what country you’re planning on working in, your life will be very different from what you have experienced in the past. Even if you’ve visited your country of choice before, unless you actually lived as a native you won’t have a clear feeling of what it will be like to teach English there.

This isn’t to say that teaching English is a grueling job that doesn’t allow you to enjoy the native culture, however. You’ll still have time to yourself to enjoy the sites, and you should certainly do so in order to gain a better understanding of your adopted life as well as your students. The key to enjoying this experience to its full potential is to keep an open mind. This should become your mantra during the entire duration of your job.

Having an open mind will allow you to experience life in your new country first-hand. If you don’t expect special treatment, don’t allow yourself to get caught up in feeling out of place, and don’t waste your time comparing your new life with your old one, chances are good you’ll feel at home before you know it.

You might love to travel, and that’s fantastic. But love of travel isn’t enough to make teaching English abroad the career for you. You must also possess a sense of independence and self-sufficiency that will allow you to adapt easily to the unexpected. Because your life isn’t going to be just about teaching English and returning to a hotel room to await your flight home. Chances are good you’ll be living in an apartment or rented home in your new country for at least a year, and you’ll be doing everything from grocery shopping to taking public transit. You will become, for all intents and purposes, a working citizen of a place that could be vastly different from what you’re used to.

Still sound like fun? Congratulations! You’re one of a special group of people for whom teaching English abroad may just be the perfect career.

You Show me yours and Ill Show you Mine

January 27th, 2011 admin

As much as employers complain of the difficulty finding good employees, few have embraced a formula that assures success. The greater the difficulty finding good employees in your industry, or certain positions within that industry, the greater the need to view the relationship as a partnership. With these employees observe the Golden Rule, treat them as you expect to be treated. If you extend this principle to compensation, weighing what youd hope to receive in their positions at the expense of some of your profits, youll see the problem disappear.

But arent employees with skill sets more common entitled to their share of the Golden Rule, partially setting issues of compensation aside. After all, the complaint that good employees are scarce extends throughout the economy. Shouldnt the relationship between employer and employee be similar to that of customer and supplier? Its an even exchange, work for pay. Do we unthinkingly accept that the employer has something people want, jobs, therefore their position is superior. If this is truly the way things are, then employers should stop complaining about difficulty finding good employees. It would logically follow from this that there is an overabundance of good employees. But employers need good employees as much as people need jobs. So lets stop the fiction that theyre practically performing an act of charity when they make a hire.

But this reality of mutual need is blurred before you even summit a resume. Ads frequently state, drug test required. There are public policy reasons for some of this, depending on the industry, and the Government has viewed this as a part of its war on drugs for some time. However, often the employer will force you to take a drug screen as a condition of employment without justification. If nothing in your past indicates drug use or abuse, drug screens should be reserved for behaviors on the job that indicate a potential problem. But what of the training costs you ask. We dont want to devote those resources to someone only to find out months later he or she is a drug abuser. Ok. Ill accept that without argument..

But you, the employee, has probably left a job to accept this new position. In keeping with my thesis that the relationship is mutually imperative to each party, wouldnt it be nice if you knew before leaving your current job that the boss wouldnt be subject to fits of erratic outbursts. The results of the test determine whether or not the employer wants you on the team, wouldnt a clean sample provided by the boss make an employment offer more attractive? You could put your mind at ease over mercurial behavior that would make your work life miserable. Besides, a boss with psychological problems can create more havoc in your life than the reverse.

This thought came to me while I was working for a family who were all subject to terrible mood swings. Screaming and yelling would be followed by an arm around the shoulder in the blink of an eye. One day I received a list of the psychotropic medications prescribed to the patients in the facility. The person in the office next to mine came to see what had caused my outburst of laughter. After dismissing it as nothing, I felt the satisfaction you gain when a mystery dissolves. At the bottom of the list were the names of the owners, obviously receiving their prescriptions from the doctor in residence, who was of course in their employ. The mood altering drugs prescribed to them, many anti-anxiety, were far above what any of the other patients received, and this was a facility with a large psychiatric population. After consulting the PDR, I wondered how they maintained verticality during the day. Evidently they had developed a tolerance for those pills, but for little else. Is this situation out of the ordinary? Probably. But Id like to see some data indicating employees are statistically more prone to drug abuse than their managers before accepting the current state of affairs as reasonable.

Psychological testing, popular with some employers, should be mutual as well. Ive known my share of managers who insisted you share their roller coaster of emotions, without presenting a ticket during the interview.

Finally, this insistence that we negate the strict mutuality of the employer-employee relationship, illustrates something thats always puzzled me while reading HR advice in the trades. It is often stressed that a potential employee should be scrupulously honest while interviewing for a position. Sounds reasonable. But if theyre advising employers to do the same, Ive missed those articles. How often have you found the organization to be as advertised after a short while on the job? I once had 2 people, an HR Manager and Assistant Administrator, tell me on my first day, after leaving a position Id be in a considerable number of years, that it was their way or the highway. During the interviewing process, they were falling all over themselves to convince me to join the ranks. It was obvious within my first week that much of their presentation had been a lie. Im sure had I been provided with psychological profiles or urine samples of the duo beforehand, I would have declined the offer. But of course, they had a right to see mine, while I only had the right to hope for the best.

Wrongful Termination: 18 Things a Lawyer May Want to See

January 20th, 2011 admin

Wrongful Termination: 18 Things a Lawyer May Want to See When You Meet

Wrongful termination occurs when you are fired in a way that violates public policy and may include situations where you were forced to resign (called constructive discharge). If your employer fired you, or asked you to resign, or if you quit because you felt working conditions were intolerable, you may have a case for wrongful discharge.

You need to contact a lawyer and schedule an initial conference with him or her. To make that first meeting as fruitful as possible, you need to provide copies of a number of documents for the lawyer to review.

There is a useful list of 18 things your lawyer may want to review presented at:

http:employment.findlaw.comarticles2563.html .

A key item for review is a diary or chronology, or a written journal of events, with dates of important employment problems, any opposition you made to employment policies or practices, any participation you may have had in investigation of any discrimination complaint, meetings, and adverse actions taken against you.

If you kept such a journal, good; make a copy. If not, start recreating the series of events from memory, emails, documents, your calendar, and whatever else can help jog your memory. This is done most easily on a computer, either as a table in Microsoft Word or as a modified spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel. The advantage of using the computer is that when you remember an event that occurred between two events you already have in the table, you can merely insert a new row into the table and fill in the date and details of the event.

Having copies of documentation for your lawyer to review will help him or her determine if you have been the victim of wrongful termination.

Writing Cover Letters That Sizzle

January 13th, 2011 admin

Anything being sent to a decision-maker should sell you, not just state facts. When conducting a job search, your cover letter and resume are in a pile for the decision-maker to review, one by one, along with a vast number of other documents submitted by other hopeful individuals. The odds that YOUR document is the very first ones on the pile are about a zillion to one! This means the decision-maker has probably read X number of cover letters (and resumes) before reaching your set of documents. With that in mind, I never recommend you start the cover letter with the sentence used in so many other letters:

“Pursuant to your recent advertisement in the New York Times for the position of Staff Accountant, I am enclosing my resume for your review.”

B-O-R-I-N-G!! Plus, the decision-maker probably just read this same (or very similar) sentence about five dozen times. Remember, you want to GRAB the decision-maker’s attention and SELL yourself to them.

Since the cover letter is designed to market you to potential employers, don’t state the obvious. If the cover letter does not create a sense of excitement and entice the reader, it is a waste of your time for writing it and a waste of time for the reader reading it.

Keep track of how many times you use the words “I” andor “my”. After you write the letter, take a pen and circle all the I’s and my’s in the letter: more than five? Time to re-write some of the sentences.

Here’s an illustration of how to do that: instead of writing “I am looking for an opportunity for advancement with a new employer. My background is in retail management and I feel well-qualified for the Store Manager position with your company” you can write, “A background in retail management and proven record of obtaining results as a Store Manager are key elements in qualifying me for consideration as part of your team.”

Remember the PURPOSE of the cover letter: to highlight your background in the right light, sell your skills, and show the potential employer you are worthy of an interview. Explaining what you WANT throughout the letter doesn’t tell the reader the BENEFIT of what you can offer, which is imperative for you to be successful.

One of the techniques I like to use in cover letters is to pull out the top 4 or 5 achievements and mention them in bullet form with the letter. It serves as a wonderful focus point for readers’ eyes and draws their attention immediately to your strengths. Here’s a brief highlight in what would naturally be a longer cover letter:

…Recognized as a top-performer and dedicated professional, my record of achievements include: Generating a 58% increase in new business during tenure as Regional Advertising Manager Boosting client media coverage 50% and developing partnerships with previously unsecured media contacts

There are many ways to say things but, as you can see, some words have a stronger impact on readers than others. In cover letters, e-resumes, and traditional resumes, you can change the reader’s perception in a heartbeat by substituting various words or phrases for more traditional (and outdated) verbiage. See the outline below:

NON-AGGRESSIVE VERBIAGE

Set up entire department from scratch
Worked closely with department heads
Helped produce 3 million in sales
Helped new employees
In-depth knowledge of capital markets and corporate finance
Assisted marketing department in strategies and bids
Reduced expenses by 10%

AGGRESSIVE VERBIAGE

Established department from inception through successful operation
Fostered relationships with department heads
Instrumental in generating 3 million in sales
Aided new employees
Expertise in capital markets and corporate finance
Actively participated in formulating marketing strategies
Slashed (or cut) expenses by 10%

In short, aggressive writing makes you SIZZLE, while passive writing tells your “story.” Remember your goal is to effectively market yourself, not to author your employment biography.

Wonder Why a Hiring Company Wants to Check Your Background?

January 6th, 2011 admin

Wonder Why a Hiring Company Wants to Check Your Background?

Over 90% of companies run some type of background check on their job applicants. Pre-employment screening can be expensive and time-consuming, but most companies feel it is an essential part of the hiring process.

Here are the top five reasons why a company will take a good look at you before making a hiring decision:

1. Fraud Its estimated that over half of all job applicants lie on their resumes and job applications each year. Education leads the list, with over half a million people in the U.S. falsely claiming to have college degrees. Many people enhance their job titles, stretch dates to cover employment gaps and even invent employers. By running a complete background check, a company can quickly verify if an applicant is telling the truth.

Veritas asked CFO Kenneth Lonchar to resign following the discovery that his claim to an MBA from Stanford University was phony. George OLeary, hired as Notre Dames head football coach, lost his job when it was revealed that his resume contained falsehoods.

2. Criminal Activity No company wants to hire an individual who will bring crime into the workplace. Some two million Americans are victims of workplace violence every year. Many companies face theft, embezzlement and drug use by employees on a regular basis. In addition, the terrorist attacks of 911 have caused many employers to take a more careful look at their hires.

A complete background check will usually let a company know if an applicant has a criminal record. Not all people with criminal records are hiring risks, but pre-employment screening allows the employer to make an informed hiring decision.

3. Negligent Hiring Lawsuits A company can be held responsible for the actions of its employees if it fails to conduct a background check prior to hiring someone. Lawsuits for negligent hiring are one of the fastest growing areas of litigation. Industry experts say that employers lose almost 80% of these cases.

Seeking to protect themselves from multimillion pound jury verdicts and enormous legal fees, companies are now very cautious about who them hire. They know that one bad hiring decision can dramatically hurt a companys finances and reputation.

4. Recruitment Expense Finding qualified applicants for a job costs time and money. Managers who are looking for new employees must spend their valuable time developing and placing ads, sorting through resumes and interviewing applicants. After a long recruiting process, a company wants to be sure that they have selected the right applicant. They dont want to repeat the process all over again.

5. Federal & State Laws Background checks are required for many state and federal jobs. For example, most states must run a criminal background check on anyone who works with the elderly, the disabled or with children. Many federal jobs require an extensive investigation for those trying to get a security clearance.

Whatever the reason, the chances are excellent that a hiring company will want to look into your past. The best thing you can do is to be prepared when it happens.

Winning Ways At Interviews

December 30th, 2010 admin

Marketing communications copywriter Charlie Trumpess takes a humorous look at how best to tackle that age old terror, the job interview.

Lets face it, job interviews are about as much fun as a hot wax with no anaesthetic. After all, attempting to showcase your talents to a bunch of strangers, usually against the clock and on someone elses turf is not a natural act. Nevertheless, if you really want the job then you have to crack the interview conundrum. Giving good interview is all about the three Ps – preparation, presentation and positive thinking. All interviews are basically made of the same hellish stuff, so let’s start at the beginning with the introductions.

The interview introduction can be a slippery customer and one that can easily get away from you. Once you enter that chamber of horrors commonly known as the interview room, youre on your own, never sure if youre saying or doing the right thing. The harder you try to relax the more nervous you seem to feel. Simply stringing a coherent sentence together seems like one of the labours of Hercules. Of course the room is unbearably hot and your mouth is unusually dry so your tongue swells, cutting off the oxygen to your brain. Panic grips you. Finally, just as youre about to turn on your heels and make an undignified dash for the nearest fire escape, the kindly interviewer extends a friendly hand and welcomes you. Now what do you do?

Fear not. Introductions dont have to be embarrassing, distressing or tearful episodes. Introductions can be easy and fun. You simply have to approach things calmly and logically. Stop and think about it for a moment. Youre meeting someone for the first time; its a clean sheet, an opportunity for you to write your own ticket without preconceptions or bias getting in the way. All you have to do is arrive on time, dress smartly, check your teeth for remnants of your last meal, be yourself and make sure youre wearing industrial strength deodorant. What could be simpler? To build up confidence you can always practice introducing yourself in front of the bathroom mirror before you actually attend any interviews. You might want to try this in the comfort of your own home rather than in the washroom of your local pizzeria, where introducing yourself to fellow patrons might be frowned upon.

Having successfully navigated the interview introductions, your next big challenge is to deal with an offer of refreshments. Something as seemingly benign as a cup of tea or coffee can wreak havoc during an interview. Having to juggle hot liquids in flimsy plastic cups while convincing a stranger of your marketing expertise or business acumen should always be avoided. Accepting or declining refreshments is something of a judgement call, as you dont want to appear ill at ease, but remember the risks are high. Loud slurping or gulping wont endear you to the interviewer while spilling hot chocolate down the front of your cream and oatmeal business suit is a blunder few candidates can easily recover from. So, if you find fear and anxiety has made your mouth as dry as Death Valley on the hottest day of the year simply ask for a glass of water. Its probably your safest option.

According to certain eminent psychologists, who study such things, the first few minutes of any interview are crucial in determining the final outcome. It seems that first impressions really do count. With the preliminaries over, its time to tackle the main event. By this stage of the game youll either be brimming with confidence or desperate for the lavatory, a cigarette and a family-sized candy bar. Whatever happens you must stay focussed on the task at hand. 105 seconds is all the time youre going to get to make the right impression. The key is not to panic. DONT PANIC! If youre properly prepared then nothing can go wrong. You should know exactly what questions to ask, what to say, and when to say it. Try to anticipate the questions the interviewer is likely to ask, and have your answers ready. But remember, before answering pause for a moment. It looks more natural. Keep your delivery clear, consistent, positive, short and simple; then you wont go far wrong. And try not to get sidetracked or go off at a tangent.

However doubtful you are, take it on trust that having your highly polished, recently manicured fingernails pulled out with rusty tweezers is far worse than your average job interview. Interviewers arent the monsters they might first appear. Theyre just ordinary people doing a difficult job. If the interviewer makes a poor decision then both you and your new employer will suffer the consequences. The best thing that you can probably do is place your trust in the interviewers experience while checking the chair youre offered for chains and thumbscrews. At the end of all this torment, after saying and doing everything right, you still might not get the job. Sometimes life is fickle. In such a case, try to get some positive feedback on your interview technique and move on.

Typically, just as you start to relax and feel youre building a rapport with your interviewer youll find the whole torturous process suddenly coming to an end. And its now, at the end of the interview that you face your biggest challenge. As your confidence levels climb its tempting to drop your guard and divert from your original interview strategy. Resist this impulse. Technically known as end-of-interview euphoria you must fight the urge to say something witty or clever. In the intoxicatingly thin air of your newly found confidence the chances are that your wit and cleverness will be interpreted as glibness or even rudeness. Take it from someone who has suffered this fate; fight your urges and keep your mouth shut without youre asked a direct question.

Maybe not the big finale you imagined or rehearsed, but safer by far to conclude your interview with a thank you, a smile and a gentle reminder of your contact details. Before you stand up to leave, especially if youre one of that daredevil breed who recklessly accepts liquid refreshments, make sure that everything spillable is out of harms way. Now, all that remains for you to do is get out of there. At this last delicate stage of the proceedings its advisable not to run. Hazards are everywhere and tripping over the wastebasket, upsetting the coffee table or ripping the telephone line out of its wall-socket will usually go against you. Whenever possible its best to leave your potential new employers office building, fixtures and fittings just as you found them. Play by the rules and youll walk out of there with a new job in the bag. Congratulations. Alternatively, tomorrows another day and another interview.

Win Your Own Lotto

December 23rd, 2010 admin

When people talk about enrichment, they are usually thinking of financial enrichment. (Show me the money!) But, we can enrich many other aspects of our lives too such as: spiritual, mental, physical, and social, as examples. Winning the multi-pound lotto is not impossible, but are you spending your life waiting for your fortune to come to you? For those of you that feel powerless at work, you have more control over your destiny than you think you do.

Why don’t you win you OWN Lotto?!? Yes, that’s right. What is stopping you from winning big in your own life?

A friend of mine owns a PC Support service called Geeks 4 Rent http:www.geeks4rent.com. What started out as a hobby for him a few years ago is now his full time business. This is a guy who knew what he wanted and devoted most of his time, money, and energy to creating his own PC Support business. As someone who has worked at a Helpdesk for five years, I know that very few people have more knowledge of computers than my friend who runs Geeks 4 Rent. He is working at his dream job and gets paid very well for it. He won his own Lotto!

You can win your won Lotto if you embrace the challenge and possibility of the future. Remember the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol?” Scrooge had no desire to change. The ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future convinced Scrooge to change by showing him where he had been, where he was, and where he’d end up if he continued to live his life the way he did. By the end of the story, Scrooge was a changed man because he learned to embrace the future rather than be afraid of it.

Yes. Change IS scary. The unknown is scary too. Too many of us live with regret and we hold on to past mistakes. Of course, there are some regrets that we cannot overcome. But we CAN react to present events and be proactive about avoiding tomorrow’s misgivings. What do you want your future to bring? What do you want your life to look like? How will you win your own Lotto?

Why You Should Write An Interview Thank You Letter

December 16th, 2010 admin

Job searching not only include resumes and interviews, but also involves other activities to ensure that you get the job you want. An interview should never be considered as the end process of job searching. It is also important to write an interview thank you letter.

You must be wondering why you should write an after-interview thank you letter. Here is a list of reasons why it is vital:

Writing a thank you letter after an interview can leave a positive impression with an employer and will distinguish you from other candidates.

The employer will remember you. It would be best to send the letter within 48 hours following the interview.

Dont forget to address the thank you letter to a specific individual and not just a general title. Be sure also that you spelled the name correctly and be sure that you use the right title. There is no graver sin than to reduce in rank a person of high position.

Make sure also that your thank you letter is business like in appearance and should never be printed on the same paper stock as your resume. Always have someone proofread your letter before sending it to ensure that its flawless.

Write each thank you letter separately even if the form is similar for each letter. Likewise, try to highlight what was discussed in your interview and restate your qualifications as well as other continuing interests.

And if you have received and accepted a job offer, be sure that you send your new employer a thank you letter. This is to show your gratitude and it is also an excellent way of starting a positive relationship with your new employer.

When writing thank you letters in response to telephone conversations and informal interviews you should remember to write clearly and briefly. And again reiterate some of the important or major points of the conversation and then express your gratitude for the assistance extended to you.

In case you would like to withdraw from consideration for a position or to turn down an offer, it is best to send a polite and positive thank you letter. This leaves a good impression on your part and could open doors for future consideration if you change you mind.

In situations where you are rejected, still send a thank you thanking them for the interview which they granted you. Likewise, express your continuing interest in working for their company.

If you resign from your employment it would be nice to send a thank you letter to your previous employer. This type gesture may generate positive references. Sending a thank you letter reflects that you are were a grateful employee.

Why You Should Hire An ASE Certified Mechanic

December 9th, 2010 admin

How do you go about choosing an auto mechanic? Do you look for one that’s close to you? Do you just open the yellow pages and see who has the biggest ad? If that’s how you choose a mechanic, you may be in for a big surprise when you get your car or truck back. The most important thing to look for when you hire an auto mechanic is an ASE certification.

ASE certified mechanics have undergone extensive training and have been tested to prove that they know what they are doing. ASE stands for Automotive Service Excellence. Since its inception in 1972 the National Institute for Automotive Excellence has certified over 400,000 automotive professionals. The Institute says that their mission is to “improve the quality of vehicle repair and service through the testing and certification of repair and service professionals.” But how do they do this?

To obtain an ASE certification, mechanics must have 2 years of hands on work experience and pass at least one of their exams. Mechanics are required to renew their certification periodically to make sure that they stay up on the latest technology. This assures that the Institutes trademark “blue seal” remains meaningful.

To find an ASE certified mechanic, look for a blue seal with the letters ASE on it. Certified mechanics will proudly display it in their sop and on their advertisements. To locate an ASE certified mechanic, you can also visit the for Automotive Excellence websites mechanic locator. You won’t be disappointed.

Why the Nursing Community is Crucial to the Medical Community

December 2nd, 2010 admin

Why the Nursing Community is Crucial to the Medical Community

Nurses are a vital part of the medical community. There are over 2.5 million nurses in the United States, and nursing is the largest employer in the healthcare field. As the population ages, it is expected that we will need more nurses than ever to fill these available positions. There are two reasons for the increased demand for nurses. An aging population is one that will have a greater need for medical care, and many nurses are reaching retirement age. At a time when teacher and nurse where the two traditional career paths for women, many of the nurses that are reaching retirement age now chose nursing as a career. As other fields of study opened up, fewer women chose to enter the nursing field. That is offset slightly by the fact that many men are entering the field once dominated by women. Men, lured by the promise of flexible schedules and high demand, are a growing segment of the nursing community.

The nursing community is vital to the structure of the entire medical community. Nurses are responsible for their patients well being, and must not only dispense medicine, but recognize early signs of complications, monitor the patient’s emotional condition, and help the patient’s family understand the diagnosis and treatment of a disease.

The Importance of Nurses in the Hospital Setting

Nurses receive specialized training in monitoring and assessing medical conditions. While a physician diagnoses a disease or ailment and prescribes a course of treatment, it is the nurse who is involved in the implementation of that therapy. Nurses work one on one with patients, monitoring their vital signs and observing any changes to their condition. Often a nurse’s instinct, honed by hours on the job, is the first clue that a patient may not be responding well to treatment or that there may be another problem.

A nurse will typically be responsible for many patients on each shift. She is responsible for making sure they receive their medications and any other prescribed treatments, as well as helping with basic needs and comforts. The nurse is often a liaison between the patient and their family and the physician. The nurse can often explain in layman’s terms what the doctor has diagnosed and, using knowledge from years on the job, comfort the patient and family members.

The Importance of Nursing in the Community

Nurses are an important part of the community. Particularly in under-served areas, a patient may receive a good deal of their primary care from a nurse. Immunization clinics and health screenings are just two of the ways that nurses serve the community. Without community nurses, many children would be unable to attend school, or be unable to see the chalk board, or older patients would be unaware of high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

Community nursing is growing in importance as health care becomes unaffordable for many families. Community nurses often implement low cost programs that allow members of the community to receive help in losing weight, monitoring their blood pressure, or obtaining dental or eye exams for their children.

Nursing in the Home Care Setting

Nurses that work in home health care provide a valuable service to their clients. Often an elderly person is unable to live on their own, but does not want to give up their independence and enter a nursing home. Sometime, a child with a medical condition can stay home, but needs therapy daily. In situations such as these, a home health nurse is invaluable. The nurse makes up a schedule that is set up by the treating physician, and visits homes, administering therapy, checking on the clients well being, and assessing the patient for any additional needs they may have.

A Higher Level of Care

One of the problems with the rising cost of health care is the lack of access to physicians. Many nurses are furthering their education in ways that help the entire medical community. A registered nurse that has completed his or her bachelor degree may continue on to one of many branches of graduate school. After specialization, she will graduate as a nurse practitioner, and specialize in midwife and delivery, community health, family care, or anesthetics. Although supervision levels vary by state, the nurse practitioner typically works under the supervision of a physician.

While the nurse practitioner must work under a physician, she has a great deal of autonomy. It is not a situation where the nurse is directly supervised. The physician is available for consultation, and may review charts and diagnosis on occasion, but the nurse practitioner can order tests, refer patients to specialists and has prescribing authority. Nurse practitioners have enhanced the level of care offered in many poor and rural communities. They also allow a hospital to reduce its costs by providing services that in the past were only offered by a physician.

« Older Entries
RSS FeedSubscribe to our RSS feed!
Powered by WordPress | Shop Sprint Phones with New Plans. | Thanks to MMORPG, Video Game Music and Isochronic beats