Time Management Strategies Essential to Work/Study Balance

by
Developing time management skills, like any other worthwhile endeavor, requires planning and then lots of practice. But the benefits of mastering your own schedule can be felt in all areas of your life; personal and professional. The overall point of focusing on time management is to become more aware of how you use your time and break your days up between work, study, family, social activities, and sleep.clock Follow me past the jump for some ideas on how to begin the process and practice better time management. Continue reading…

Take Advantage of New Tax Deductions This Year

by
Ahh, a new year has begun and that means the new tax season is upon us.  Like many, you may wait until the April 15th IRS deadline for filing.  But this year, there are a range of new tax deductions and credits available to students, drivers, homeowners and home buyers.  With so much of your money at stake, it may be a good year to start a little early on your taxes so you can spend some time investigating if you’re eligible for any of the new credits or deductions available to taxpayers this year. Did you buy a new car?  Are you a full time student?  Did you replace appliances, windows or other energy saving items in your home?  Do you have children?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, there is new information available that can help you make your return fatter.  Click here for a good list of all the new credits and deductions.

Great News If You Want A Job In Health Care…

by
newspaperGreat news for health care job seekers: According to an article written in  The New York Times, health care employment has increased during the recession, while employment as a whole has declined. The article highlights that regardless of how the current health care reform ends up, industry jobs will likely remain abundant due to the aging population and technological advances in medicine. To access the entire article, click here.

15 Ways to Blow Your Job Interview

by
interviewdoThis is an exceptionally funny look at some of the really stupid things people do or say at job interviews.  Culled from professional recruiters, these are all things that actually happened and that should be avoided at all costs if you’re lucky enough to land an interview in this tough employment environment.

Jobs Disappearing (But Not in Healthcare)

by
closedAn interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal discusses the likely permanent loss of jobs during the Great Recession of 2009.  Obviously, fields closely related to the credit and housing bubbles at the root of the current recession – mortgage brokerages, financial industry, home building etc. – have shed jobs which may never return.  Also, jobs in industries that can be automated by ongoing developments in IT – secretarial, mailroom, etc. – are also probably gone for good.   Add to this mix, the increasing practice of offshoring tech-enabled jobs to emerging, low-cost labor markets like China and India and it becomes apparent that it may take years for the US to return to employment levels seen pre-recession in 2006.  What was the one bright spot according to the US Labor Department?  Jobs in the healthcare field.  Training for service in the healthcare field puts you at the forefront of the career market for the next decade.  Congratulations!

Avoid the Top 10 Job Interview Blunders

by
job-interviewFortune Magazine and CNN Money recently put together a list of the top 10 blunders, screw-ups, missteps and SNAFUs made by candidates at employment interviews.   The currently high  unemployment rate has made it even more difficult than usual to land a job with about six job seekers for every available position.  In normal economic times, there are about 2-3 seekers for every offered job.  The list below the fold, adapted from the Fortune magazine list, was compiled by hiring managers from companies across a wide range of industry sectors.  These are the folks who see hundreds of candidates each week.  They see all kinds of applicants; the good, the bad and the ugly.  Take their advice if you’re currently seeking gainful employment. Continue reading…

House Passes HCR Bill – Women’s Reproductive Rights Take Hit

by
us-houseThis past Saturday night, the  US House of Representatives worked all day and into the evening (it felt good to watch these people work on a weekend for once) and narrowly passed a bill aimed at reforming the broken healthcare system.  In the process though, they were forced to insert an amendment (the Stupak amendment) which disallows women who would be enrolled in the public option plan from getting abortions.  I am fed up with people inserting their religious preferences into legislation that effects all Americans, religious or otherwise. Continue reading…

Hospital Worker? Direct Media Inquiries to Public Affairs

by

guest-blogger2Guest Blogger Zipporah Dvash – Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs and Development, Long Island College Hospital

Do you work in a hospital?  It seems like they’re are always in the news.  Remember that reporters don’t just speak to doctors and nurses – sometimes they wait for staff as they’re coming and going and aggressively demand answers to questions.  When, if ever, should you speak to a reporter?  Would you be violating patient confidentiality?  Can you be fired for speaking to the media without permission?  You’ll never go wrong if follow these Media Do’s and Don’ts below the fold. Continue reading…

Latest Neat-o Advance from the Field of Medicine

by
vscan-stethoscopeI have always been amazed by how far medical science and technology has advanced in the space of the last decades and wrote a piece back in August illustrating how far medical technologies have progressed since the turn of the last century.  Training for a career serving the healthcare field is really exciting because it is a field that will definitely be home to continuing innovation and technological breakthroughs.   Take for instance the latest device dreamed up by the engineers at General Electric. Continue reading…