Sunday, September 19, 2010

More About Travel Nursing Jobs

Some Thoughts On How To Find Travel Nursing Jobs
by Earlene May

Becoming a travel nurse can be an excellent way of expanding on your skill set and visiting new places around the world. Travel nurses will fulfill the requirements of medical facilities all over the world by working on short-term assignments, giving them a certain freedom in choosing where they can work for brief periods of time around the world. If you are looking for travel nursing jobs, consider these tips.

It is important that you make sure you have all of the relevant qualifications that will be required if you were to become a travel nurse. As such, you need to make sure that you have an license and that you have some experience within a clinical fixed position. In addition, you can also give yourself a head start against the competition if you specialize in something like emergency care.

After finding out whether you can actually pursue different travel nursing opportunities are not, you need to think about your own personal needs. You need to think about where you might like to travel and where you might like to be positioned within the role of the travel nurse. In addition, it is important that you think about how often you would like to go on these assignments and how long you might require between.

It is a good idea to go to job fairs when you are looking for opportunities. When you do go to these always bring along a reason they that is completely up-to-date and you should give this to different recruiters. You can also use these sorts of opportunities to gather additional information about becoming a travel nurse and what any assignment would actually entail.

You can also get in touch with agencies that specialise in positioning travel nurses. They will be able to help you find relevant positions to which you can apply. Also spend some time conducting your own research and looking for relevant travel nursing companies and opportunities around the world.

You should also ask colleagues of yours who may have had some experience in travel nursing themselves. Spend as much time as you need in gathering information from experienced colleagues who have engaged in different assignments. This will give you an opportunity to garner a first-hand point of view of exactly what to expect from any assignment that you go on.

As such, taking these steps should allow you to find some suitable opportunities to which you can apply. Always make sure, however, that you are aware of what any assignment will entail before you do sign up.

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Thursday, September 9, 2010

Eating Right - As A Nurse, As A Patient

One of the things you learn in nursing school is nutrition and metabolism. But the truth is, for many nurses, the greater concern is their own health and well-being, at least when it comes to nutrition and "eating right".

Below is an article worth reading and keeping in mind:

Eating for a Healthy Heart

Eating for a healthy heart is not difficult, in fact it is certainly not about making radical, short-term differences to your diet. It truly is about building a habits change. Eating for a healthy heart is definitely critical initial step to lowering your chance of getting heart disease. Heart disease will take a lot more lives versus the next seven leading causes of death. Find out why eating for a healthy heart just isn't as rigid as you thought, but it is vital to happy healthier life.

If heart problems runs in your family you have to be particularly watchful. Heart or cardiac disease is the number one killer of people in the United States. It kills much more Individuals than all forms of cancer put together. Heart attacks tend to be devastating, especially whenever they appear as a surprise, and many people who suffer a cardiac event do not recover. Heart disease is usually a huge, blanketing term that encompasses every problem or condition associated with the heart. It is the result of clogging of the coronary arteries as a result of build-up of fatty deposits in your blood vessels. Heart attacks may be prevented, but lots of people in the western world multiply their danger of having a heart attack by a lot of things they do every day. There are many factors that can influence your risk of cardiovascular disease. How and what you choose to eat may drastically impact the health of your heart. There are healthy foods you can consume in order to promote and sustain a healthy heart. To keep your heart and body healthy, focus on a diet around the following suggestions: Eat many different foods. Your heart is begging you to definitely step away from the cheeseburger. You are being taught to produce healthier choices about food that hopefully will take care of your heart for the rest of your lifetime. Put simply, a heart-healthy diet is not tough to achieve. If you wish to get into the specifics, the American Heart Association suggests always keeping your intake of total fat to around thirty percent of your combined daily calories.

Healthy eating is critical for a healthy heart. Follow a healthy diet. Healthy cooking recipes are definitely popular as more of us make an effort to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Two healthy cooking techniques are stir frying and sautéing using olive oil or canola oil. Healthy carbohydrates involve whole grain breads, whole grain pasta, brown rice, and a bunch of veggies. Top salads with heart-healthy avocado rather than mayonnaise. Plain yogurt is an outstanding substitute for sour cream.

Eating for your heart requires avoiding sugary foods such as candy, cookies, cakes, and pastries. Eating healthy vegetables and fruit is good, as these foods are rich in anti-oxidants. Eating healthy is always great for your body and your lifestyle, especially when it comes to your heart and also the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Eating healthy for your heart is one thing everybody needs to try and do, particularly when it involves restoring health and reducing heart attacks.

Keeping your heart strong, your weight down and staying satisfied. As the scientific evidence amasses, it seems to show that eating for a healthy heart just isn't about what to avoid eating -- it's about what to enjoy.

Start your plan for eating for a healthy heart today. Don't delay take the time to make the changes for yourself and your family.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

How To Choose The Right Phlebotomy Certification Training Organization

Multiple phlebotomy certification agencies exist, all which offer specific training courses. Not all phlebotomy certification organizations are created equally. Although similar, their program curriculum's will vary somewhat and you may find that some employers do not give as much "weight" to certain organizations certificates.

When deciding on a decent phlebotomy training course , try to find one that is recognized by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), uses materials and examinations that reverberate CLSI standards, and qualifies graduates for an test through an external certification agency.

As of 2010, ten different phlebotomy certification organizations exist. When searching for phlebotomist certification agencies, you will find that ASCP and NPA are two of the most popular choices. The requirements to become a certified phlebotomist deviate by agency and are outlined below.

For example, The American Certification Agency for Healthcare Professionals offers two phlebotomy certification options; phlebotomy techs and phlebotomy instructors. In order to qualify for the phlebotomist examination, one hundres hours of on-hands training must have been compoleted (this includes one hundred successful venipunctures and 10 dermal punctures). Obtaining your phlebotomy certification isn't as easy as writing an exam online. You must also pass a practical test where actual job duties mut be performed on patients. You have to be a registered LPN or RN in order to become a phlebotomy instructor. An examination is not necessary; but applicants must provide 3 years of blood drawing experience in addition to 1 year of teaching experience.

Those interested in obtaining their certificate for phlebotomy can obtain it through AMT. Those applying must have successfully passed a phlebotomist program that meets standards set out by the USDE, as well as 120 hours of teaching & clicnical work. Alternatively, 1040 hours of work in the phlebotomy field over the last 3 years will suffice. One must also meet the following creteria; have performed at least 25 skin punctures, and 50 venipunctures. In order to make certification easier, AMT offers a number different manuals and reference material to their applicants.

You can also obtain your phlebotomy certificaion and donor certification through The National Center for Competency Testing. You most posess a high school diploma in order to write either test. In order to apply for this certification program, you must have either worked in the phlebotomy field for a year, or have taken a training course from an accredited school. The NCCT also requires a phlebotomy performance form. Due to state laws, California and Louisiana require additional forms. Getting a donor phlebotomist certification, one must have 6 months of experience including 80 successful blood collections.

Pay Scale For Nurses Aids and Nursing Assistants

Nursing Assistants are an important aspect of our health-related facility staff members. They offer ongoing care to people at a level most other staff members really don't have the time to. They tend to fundamental demands of bathing, feeding, and dressing. They also offer emotional support for the patient plus the family. Nursing Assistants are expected to aid other health care office staff at a moments notice with a variety of tasks including setting up health-related equipment and having individuals ready for X-rays and surgery.

Most folks entering the Nursing Assistant industry really don't do it for the cash. They do it out of a desire to become of assistance to other people and likewise a desire to grow within the health industry. Given that health care services rank Nursing Assistant as an entry level position, the pay rate is really low compared to other people, specially nurses. This can lead to some Nursing Assistants feeling angry, upset, and unappreciated.

The median expected salary for a Nursing Assistant from the United States is $24,383. On average, this comes out to approximately $2,000 per month. That amount varies by experience and career location. As you may see, it does pay out far more than minimum wage and generally employees in this industry are able to secure insurance and retirement plans.

Nonetheless, whenever you compare that on the median salary of a Licensed Practical Nurse, which is $43,333, you may see a big discrepency. Even though it can be understood that the Licensed Practical Nurse position holds far more responsibility and effectively as requires a lot more schooling and training, we can also see why some Nursing Assistants end up feeling that their earnings aren't adequate. It truly is also accurate to say that the better a Nursing Assistant is paid, the more pride they take in offering good quality services to all people.

Several wellness care services recognize this, and deliver the results challenging to retain Nursing Assistants content. They try to give raises as they are able to for performance at the same time as the length of time about the career. They recognize that Nursing Assistants are essential for the overall balance with the Nursing staff members. They also recognize finding qualified employees is tricky adequate without having getting to continually interview and train new employees. Given that Nursing Assistant jobs are plentiful, they are able to lose their excellent employees to other services who offer you greater fork out.

Due for the shell out big difference, some people pick to go to school directly into a degree software and skip the Nursing Assistant certificate software all together. For those wanting to ease inside doorway in the health-related profession and those who have to have the revenue even though in school, the Nursing Assistant software is still quite important to them in terms of getting an revenue and getting in a learning environment with the professional medical industry.

The pay out scale variation can typically result in concerns arising between Nursing Assistants plus the Nursing employees. On a single side, you could have Nursing staff members feeling that they have a degree and shouldn’t need to participate in specific tasks. Other people just are overwhelmed by time restraints, and for that reason retain their occupation segregated from that on the Nursing Assistants. About the other side you could have Nursing Assistants who experience their tasks are harder and they aren’t acquiring paid nearly as much as the Nursing office staff. This can lead to them developing feelings of resentment towards the Nursing staff members. This getting said, it can be critical for administration to aid both the Nursing staff members and Nursing Assistants interact and appreciate each other.

Seeing that shell out variation likewise as wanting to participate in a lot more advances areas with the people has lead quite a few Nursing Assistants back into training to earn a degree being a Licensed Practice Nurse, a Registered Nurse, or an additional specified location inside health-related industry.

Health-related services plus the government agree that when professional medical staff members is short, the individuals are the ones who suffer the most. It really is no unique inside the location of Nursing Assistant. If they positions aren’t filled, the clients may well not get all of their wants met daily. As an example, some nursing homes only bathe the people each other day mainly because of short employees concerns.

The government is trying to uncover funding to aid enhance the rate of shell out for Nursing Assistants. On the other hand, they sense that they pay out isn’t the only issue. It really is believed that healthcare services will need to begin showing Nursing Assistants far more respect, appreciation, and recognition for their tough perform. This profession has a single with the highest turn over rates do to demanding function conditions, feelings of getting under valued, and lower fork out than most experience they're worth. The result is healthcare facility people feeling the burden in portion since in the shell out scale for Nursing Assistants.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Phlebotomy Vs. Nursing - How To Get Started

Getting to be a phlebotomist is a enjoyable vocation. Phlebotomists are really expert clinical staff who interact with people without having the stresses associated with being a doctor or registered nurse. Phlebotomists take blood for evaluation, the results of which doctors utilize as an essential diagnostic tool. Just like most healthcare employees, learning to be a phlebotomist requires a strong education. Being a phlebotomist requires studying and understanding human anatomy and physiology, blood taking skills, safety protocols, first aid and CPR.

Getting to be a phlebotomist starts off with high school. Phlebotomists will have to have a high school diploma or equivalent. Phlebotomists then undertake a phlebotomy training program. Phlebotomy programs are generally made available by training colleges, most hospitals, online, occupational and vocational schools. There are three choices of phlebotomy courses: certification, associate, and bachelor's degrees. Certification training courses are the most popular among students with the intention of becoming a phlebotomist. Certification courses last 12 weeks on up to one year and can cost $1500 to $3000 to complete. Associate and bachelorÔøΩs degrees will need two to four years and run up to ten times more than certificate programs. People interested in becoming a phlebotomist will have to be certain to find a program that has been acknowledged by the United states Department of Education, the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NAACLS), or similar agencies. Recognized or accredited courses match the standards and guidelines set by 2 very important institutes, the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Becoming a phlebotomist does not finish upon graduating from a study course. Accreditation will be the next step in learning to be a phlebotomist. While not required by law for professional phlebotomists, except in California and Louisiana, the majority of companies would not use non-certified phlebotomists. Possession of certification says that the phlebotomist is totally knowledgeable with collection methods and techniques as well as safety procedures and protocols. Accreditation is given through ten nationally accepted certifying organizations. These agencies include the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT), and the National Phlebotomy Association (NPA). Phlebotomists will need to make an application for certification (which often can be submitted on the internet) then successfully pass a standardized test.

Individuals attracted to being in the healthcare industry really should consider becoming a phlebotomist. At this time there is definitely huge demand, because the health care industry is continually growing caused by an aging general public. The fact is that, the US Bureau of Labor predicts a 14% increase in job prospects from 2006 to 2016. Phlebotomists earn an average hourly wage of $12.84 and an normal yearly income of $26,710. A lot of companies provide employee benefits to phlebotomists, including vacation, paid sick days and access to health care and pension plans.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Skills Needed For Nursing

Due to several economic and demographic factors, the demand for licensed practical nurses in the United States has been increasing for several years. Within the near future, demand for nurses is estimated to skyrocket; demographic polls have suggested that between the years of 2006 to 2016 this demand will increase over 23%.

As of May 2006, the average hourly wage of a nurse within the United States was $28.70, while the average annual income was $59,710. Today, in 2010, the average annual nursing salary has already risen to between approximately $62,450-$65,130, with an average hourly rate of roughly $31.31. The states with the highest ranking annual salaries include California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York. These states pay annual salaries ranging between $73,160- $83,040 and hourly wages between $35.17- $39.92. Wages such as these make nursing a viable and very much sought after career field in today’s work force, and the wages are only getting higher as demand for trained nurses increases. With nurses in such high demand and earning such enticing salaries, many men and women and considering formal schooling in these fields, however, many are not only unaware of the skills required to become employed in the nursing field, but also uncertain of how to tell if they themselves fit the profile for a nursing position.

Nursing is a demanding field both physically as well as emotionally. Nurses are required to deal with a wide range of situations from the mundane and ordinary tasks of everyday medical offices, to the frightening and shocking events witnessed by those in emergency rooms. They therefore must possess a wide range of skills, of those pertaining to both educational as well as personality or character trait qualities. They must be prepared not only to handle life or death situations, but also synonymously be able to help others through the crisis. Nurses must therefore have well honed people skills, be able to experience and fully express empathy, and compassion, comfort a patient, and be able to deal with crisis situations while remaining calm. Nurses must also be patient, willing to continuously learn and well adapt to teaching others skills and methods of handling patients, or dealing with situations. A study in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” by Linda H. Aiken, PhD, RN, also sites that 40% of nurses experience burnout during their careers. Likewise it can also be noted that nurses must be well aware of the stresses of their positions, and well educated in how to deal and cope with these stresses.

Aside from personality or character traits, candidates for nursing also must possess a certain nursing prerequisites to be eligible for enrollment in nursing programs. While prerequisites for nursing programs may differ from school to school, those looking to be accepted into nursing programs in the United States must have a minimum of a high school diploma or GED. Average to above average marks in science and mathematical skills are also often required for acceptance to most programs. Those looking to be accepted into baccalaureate programs often require more courses than associated degree programs as well. While enrolled in post secondary programs for nursing, individuals will also cover subjects of study such as anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, medication administration, ethics, and nursing theory. Depending on the level or degree of specialization within the nursing field, one may also have to pursue several years of prior post secondary preparation courses in order qualify for the intended field.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

The Positive & Negative Aspects of Nursing School

When it comes to nursing schools, there are always both benefits and drawbacks. I found this article and thought that it would be helpful to anyone considering applying to a nursing school. It outlines the pro's and con's of nursing in detail.

I hope you enjoy it!

Online degrees are becoming an increasingly attractive option for more and more people today, especially when it comes to choosing a nursing program. Online nursing programs offer training through web casting or recorded videos and documents, and live interactive chat. It all boils down to this though: are online nursing school programs the same, if not better, than the traditional on-campus education?

The Pro’s

Programs such as online nursing classes provide huge perks for both students and professors alike. Schedule flexibility is one; distance learning emphasizes an asynchronous method of learning, meaning two people do not have to be available at the same time to be able to interact with each other. Nursing students which couldn’t make it to the web cast that day can easily watch its recorded version or read the professor’s documentation about it later.

Another benefit would be transport issues. Due to the fact that lessons take place in the virtual world, students can just simply stay at home and learn without going to have to go to the college’s campus especially if it’s a state or two away. The students are also provided with easier access to information. Being online, a student can easily get research information on homework or coursework activities through wikis, blogs, e-books and forums. Online Nursing School Programs also provide the benefit of clinical activities when you’ve reached that part of the program. Usually the online institution will find a medical facility near your home where there they’ll send staff to teach and assist you on your clinical requirements.

The Con’s

Although the advantages mentioned above are quite enticing, there are those who remain skeptical with this kind of approach to learning especially with hands-on, in-the-field degrees like Nursing. One disadvantage of online nursing school programs would be the student’s interest. Many complain that they have a hard time comprehending such long and dry lectures made by professors with complementing documents which are just as dreary. Clarification usually takes time to be made unlike in the campus were professors are easily available for the student and can quickly provide an answer to any of the student’s inquiries about the topic.

Another disadvantage of online school nursing programs would be the student’s ability when it comes to the clinical requirements. Research made by the U.S. Department of Education show that although students of online nursing school programs tend to excel in lectures, on the field performance sometimes leave more to be desired.

In all of this, it really depends on the individual as to which method to utilize in order to obtain his Nursing Degree. If you believe that you’re a self starter and can work without easily being distracted, then you should enroll in an online nursing school program. Some schools who offer this kind of service are the Indiana State University, The College Network and Ashford University. Otherwise, stick to the traditional on-campus learning, the vast temptations on the internet might get in the way of your learning.