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| Health-related medical services are a booming import-export business,
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| Saturday
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Health-related medical services are a booming import-export business, a review showed.
The now-familiar health tourism, where patients travel from developed nations in search of inexpensive surgery, is one example of the growing trade. In the other direction is the so-called brain drain of trained professionals from developing to developed nations.
So documented Richard Smith, Ph.D., of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and colleagues as part of an online, six-paper series on trade and health by The Lancet.
Contributing to a lesser extent are the increasing use of cross-border health services, such as teleradiology and teleconsultation, and growing foreign investment in hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic facilities, they said.
"The main opportunities presented by increasing trade in health services include efficiency, specialization, and quality gains, public-sector cost savings, expansion of service provision, export revenues and remittances, transfer of technology and skills, and increased patient choice," the researchers said.
Dr. Smith and colleagues looked at trends in four broad categories provided by the World Trade Organization for the General Agreement on Trade in Services:
The provision of care remotely from one country to another
Travel to a foreign country for less expensive medical care
Foreign investment in hospitals and clinics
The migration of health professionals to higher-paying countries
Technological advances, particularly faster and cheaper communication, and dramatic cost disparities have cleared the way for greater use of health services delivered across territorial boundaries, they said.
Prime examples are teleradiology, teleconsultation, claims processing, and medical transcriptions.
Estimates place the global market for these services as high as $1 trillion, with India, the Philippines, and Cuba taking the lead.
In India alone, the researchers said, revenue rose from $264 million in 2000 to $4.07 billion in 2005.
Potential concerns associated with using these types of services include problems with medical credentials, legal liability, and patient privacy, as well as fragmentation of care, they said.
The so-called health tourism accounts for an estimated four million patients a year, contributing to a market worth $20 billion to $40 billion. Asia is the leader in attracting such patients. Thailand attracts one million a year, with India, Singapore, and Malaysia expected to reach that number by 2012, according to the researchers.
Many doctors in these countries are trained in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, but the charge for of various procedures is generally much lower outside of those nations.
For example, a heart valve replacement costs about $10,000 in Thailand and $8,000 in India, but about $200,000 in the U.S. and $90,000 in Britain, according to the researchers.
The main impediment to this practice is the inability to use medical insurance for procedures in foreign countries, they said.
A third major category of trade in health-related services explored by Dr. Smith and colleagues is foreign investment in hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic facilities. The investment by developed countries in developing countries increased from $36 billion in 1990 to $155 billion in 2000.
For developing countries, this represents an opportunity to enhance their health sector, infrastructure, and technology and skills, the researchers said.
But concerns remain about foreign control of healthcare, increased privatization, a disproportionate focus on high-end procedures, and "brain drain," they said.
The final, and main pathway for trade in health-related services is the movement of health professionals between countries, the researchers said. For example, about 30% of physicians in Britain. and 20% in Canada, Australia, and the U.S. are foreign-born, they said. There was a similar pattern with nurses.
"Healthcare workers' desire to migrate is related to the differences in . . . remuneration, job satisfaction, resources and facilities, career opportunities, educational and training opportunities, bureaucracy and corruption, occupational risks, and welfare considerations (e.g., social security and retirement benefits," the researchers said.
A concern with this mode of trade, as with others, is the disproportionate movement of professionals to wealthier nations, they said.
They said, "In view of information and data problems, coupled with the complex interaction of trade across modes and service sectors, no universal policy recommendation can be made concerning a country's involvement with trade in health services."
"Instead," they concluded, "every country needs to assemble the relevant information to assess how such trade can affect its key areas of concern."source
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career? |
posted by blogger @ 18:51
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| geriatric health care is the biggest growth industry of our depressed moment
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With the US's largest generation ever -- baby boomers -- about to enter retirement age, geriatric health care is the biggest growth industry of our depressed moment. My friend had been getting cold-called all through December by graduate programs anxious to sign her up. It's looking very much like -- for an American of any age looking to get into healthcare -- the goose just started laying golden, golden eggs.
For an American-born, that is. Not so much for immigrants. Because one of the hangovers of the hysterically xenophobic and PATRIOT ACT-hobbled Bush era is a bottleneck on processing visas and work permits even for much-needed professionals in under-employed fields. Another hangover is continuing funding cuts for health care. This is a formula for disaster in geriatric health care, one in which wealthy Americans will compete with each other for substandard care, and middle class elderly will get left out entirely. Forget about the working class.
Caught in the middle of all of this is the Filipina nurse. source
Provide more foreign nurse visas
US to increase work visas to ease strains of nursing shortage
Top Medical Careers |
| posted by blogger @ 12:46
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| Japan starts recruiting Filipino nurses and caregivers for training and employment
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Japan starts recruiting Filipino nurses and caregivers for training and employment under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement after Monday afternoon's signing of a memorandum of understanding providing for that.
A month after the Framework for the Movement of Natural Persons under JPEPA came into force, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (JICWELS) agreed to recruit Filipino nurses as candidate-kangoshi and caregivers as candidate-kaigofukushishi to Japan. The framework came into force on December 11, 2008.
POEA Administrator Jennifer Jardin-Manalili signed for the Philippines, while JICWELS managing director Takashi Tsunoda signed for Japan.
Under the MoU, Filipino registered nurses with at least three years experience are qualified to apply for training and employment in Japan, while candidate caregivers should be a graduate of a four-year course and certified by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Graduates of a nursing course may also apply as caregiver.
It also specified that applicants shall undergo an aptitude test and interview by JICWELS to facilitate their matching with employers. After selection, they must pass the required medical examination to conclude the employment contract and to successfully qualify to enter Japan.
"Nominal expenses of application shall be borne by applicants for document submission/authentication, medical examination (P1,500 basic), and visa fee (P1,150). Airfare and onsite training costs are shouldered by the employers or the Government of Japan," a briefer on the MoU said.
Qualified nurses and candidates are invited to apply with the POEA and to register online.
Labor Secretary Marianito Roque, who witnessed the signing, said the MoU details the roles and responsibilities of the two parties and the working conditions for the Filipino nurses and caregivers that would ensure their welfare and protection while training and working in Japan.
He said the hiring program will start with the initial recruitment of 200 Filipino nurses and 300 caregivers that the POEA would endorse to JICWELS, which would in turn match to hospitals and institutions in Japan that it earlier pre-qualified to receive the Filipino candidates.
"The Filipino nurses and caregivers shall be covered by a fully transparent employment contract…They shall receive the same salaries equivalent to what Japanese nurses and caregivers receive, based on similar tasks and qualifications," he said.
POEA's Manalili, on the other hand, said that prior to their actual work in Japan, the selected candidates shall undergo a six-month language and culture training, where they would receive an allowance of not less than 40,000 yen (or about P21,000) a month.
"The language training shall help them prepare to eventually take the Japanese licensure examination. The examinations can be taken not more than three chances within three years in the case of candidate-nurses, and once on the fourth year of stay in the case of candidate-caregivers," Manalili said.
She added that before obtaining their qualification as full-fledged nurse in Japan, candidate-nurses shall work under the supervision of a Japanese Kangoshi to fully familiarize them with the Japanese system.
After passing the licensure or certification examinations, the fully qualified nurse and certified caregiver shall have the option to stay for an unlimited period in Japan to practice their profession based on new and upgraded employment contract with their employer.
The controversial JPEPA came into force last December after much debate on its constitutionality and provisions allowing the importation of trash. Aside from trade and investments, the treaty also had provisions for the hiring of Filipino nurses and caregivers to the traditionally closed society that is Japan.
JPEPA, together with the other treaties that Japan signed with other ASEAN member-countries, is evidence that the ageing country is now opening itself to foreign workers. source
Provide more foreign nurse visas
US to increase work visas to ease strains of nursing shortage
Top Medical Careers |
| posted by blogger @ 06:23
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| Boston Reed College remains less than half the price of other colleges in California.
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| Friday
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Boston Reed College is still the most affordable post-secondary college in the State of California. With the prices of education increasing, Boston Reed remains less than half the price of other colleges in California.
Boston Reed has graduated thousands of healthcare professionals over the years who have gone on to fulfill rewarding careers and achieving their lifelong dreams. "I never realized how my job satisfaction would improve by becoming a nurse WOW!! What a difference it has made in my life." says Patty Theis LVN, who graduated in 2006.
"Boston Reed's programs are designed to give our student body of thousands, the ability to go back to school with an extremely affordable tuition, as compared to other post secondary schools teaching the same program," says Dana Bernard, President of Boston Reed College. Boston Reed has been teaming up for several years with schools across the state, teaching healthcare careers. This has provided Boston Reed with the ability to keep tuition down, so the student is able to focus on their education.
About Boston Reed College:
Boston Reed's healthcare career training programs include pharmacy technician, clinical medical assistant, phlebotomy technician (blood drawing), massage practitioner, orthopedic technician, medical biller, optometric technician, vocational nurse to name a few. Boston Reed based in Napa CA. has also created partnerships with more than 4,900 medical facilities, healthcare providers and pharmacies for participants to complete the externship portion of their programs.
Vocational nurse training-Vocational nurse job
Licensed Vocational Nurse Salary in California |
| posted by blogger @ 23:52
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| Fayetteville State University’s nursing program
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If Fayetteville State University’s nursing program survives its latest brush with death, those who care about it should swallow their pride and journey across town to Fayetteville Technical Community College to study a program that works. Ask questions. Make notes.
Better yet, they could travel across the state to visit schools whose nursing programs actually exceeded the average pass rate on the 2008 licensure test. They could invite people involved with those programs to come here, audit classes and curriculum, and share their thoughts about what’s working and what isn’t.
What is clear now is that whatever led to last year’s miserable 39 percent pass rate simply is not getting the required results. Yes, those who failed will get a second crack at it; but most of those who failed would have to pass in order for the school to meet the state’s minimum standard.
Programs that consistently fail to pass 75 percent of their students risk being shut down by the UNC system. The schools at FSU and UNC-Pembroke, neither of which even came close in 2007, needed to improve. A lot. UNCP did. FSU’s program came in dead last out of 60 programs whose students were tested last year.
Jon Young, interim provost, praised the nursing faculty’s hard work and said, “Improving this program is vital to the university.”
“We’re really, really focused on improving our board scores,” said department head Phyllis Morgan. “Now we have better resources and a better understanding of how to support our students so that they can be successful.”
Fine. The problem is that this sounds disturbingly like the previous round of assurances that a corner had been turned.
We don’t mean to imply that hasty personnel changes would set everything right. In fact, this is the right place for a caveat. Low scores don’t necessarily make this the state’s worst nursing school. The list of things that can cause a program to miss the mark is long, and it includes the students themselves. They’re the ones who have to pass the exam. But the time for speculation is gone. The school needs answers, and it needs them right away.
We’ll say it again: No one with a lick of sense wants to see this program die. But the state, FSU, its nursing students and the people who need their services all await the kind of reassurance that matters most: graduates with the full complement of knowledge and skills needed to work in nursing. source
How to Become a Nurse |
| posted by blogger @ 18:07
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| The most common reasons nursing schoos reject qualified applicants were not enough clinical sites for nurse training
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Nursing is one of the few professions in great demand in Florida, but a new study has found that 44 percent of qualified applicants to Florida nursing schools were turned away in the 2007-2008 academic year.
The Florida Center for Nursing (FCN) reported that the 12,563 qualified applicants who were rejected by Florida nursing schools nearly equals the state’s shortage of nursing positions the nonprofit group estimates for this year. Florida nursing schools enrolled 14,644 new students in the last academic year.
The most common reasons nursing school administrators cited for rejecting qualified applicants were not enough clinical sites for nurse training, lack of funds to add faculty and not enough qualified applicants for vacant faculty positions.
Despite the difficulty in accommodating new students, Florida’s nursing programs have experienced growth. Nursing graduates increased 17.4 percent to 11,070 in 2008, up from 9,433 in 2007. Florida nursing schools had 27,187 enrollees on Sept. 30, up 9 percent from 24,945 enrollees on Sept. 30, 2007.
The majority of that growth was in two-year Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) programs. The more advanced programs, which are needed for nurse administrators and educators, were nearly stagnant in graduates and enrollment, FCN said.
“Evidence indicates that this growth may not be sustainable,” the FCN study stated. “The number of full-time faculty members in ADN programs actually decreased during this time, and the number of students per full-time faculty member increased by three. At the same time, full-time faculty vacancy rates were unchanged and part-time faculty hires increased dramatically – suggesting that the economic downturn and continued pressure to expand have resulted in an increased reliance on part-time faculty.”
The FCN warned that the shortage of nurses in Florida would grow to 18,419 by 2010 and 52,209 by 2020 if nothing is done to resolve the problem, which is spurred by long-time nurses retiring and the state’s baby boomer population growing older. source
How to Become a Nurse |
| posted by blogger @ 12:19
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| Wallace Community College the Practical Nursing program, Alabama
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At Wallace Community College the Practical Nursing curriculum is available at three locations--the Wallace Campus in Dothan, the Sparks Campus in Eufaula, and the Fort Rucker Center. With a credential award of a program certificate, the Practical Nursing Program is three terms in length. Program admission is competitive and applications are accepted twice each year for entry in Fall or Spring semesters.
Wallace Campus
Wallace Community College
1141 Wallace Drive
Dothan, AL 36303-0943
Call:(334) 983-3521
Fax: (334) 983-6066
What do Vocational Nurses do?
Important skills, knowledge, and abilities for LVNs
Sparks Campus
Wallace Community College
P.O. Drawer 580
Eufaula, AL 36072-0580
3235 South Eufaula Avenue
Eufaula, AL 36027
Call (334) 687-3543
Fax: (334) 687-0255 |
| posted by blogger @ 06:14
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| Wallace College
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| Thursday
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The Wallace State Practical Nursing program combines classroom and clinical experience to teach students to identify scientific principles which are the basis for safe, effective nursing care and apply those principles to meet individual client needs. Graduates find employment in acute care facilities, physician’s offices, and industry.
Employment of LPNs is expected to grow through 2012 in response to the long-term care needs of an increasing elderly population and the general growth of healthcare. Physicians’ offices and outpatient care centers such as ambulatory surgical and emergency medical centers will provide excellent job opportunities.
Median annual earnings of licensed practical nurses were $33,970 in May 2004, with the highest 10 percent earning more than $46,270. (Source: U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics)
How do I prepare for the job?
Benefits of Vocational Nursing
How do I find the job?
LPNs and RNs-similarities and differences
LVN vs RN What is the difference?
Wallace State Community College
801 Main Street NW;
P.O. Box 2000 Hanceville AL, 35077-2000 |
| posted by blogger @ 23:59
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| Calhoun Community College Practical Nursing Program. Alabama
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Admission to the Practical Nursing Program is competitive, and the number of students is limited by the number of faculty and clinical facilities available.
Information for Admission/Selection -
Calculation of Points for Students Meeting Minimum Admission Standards:
After meeting all minimum requirements, applicants are rank-ordered using a point system based on:
(1) COMPASS Reading scores;
(2) Points from selected college courses (i.e., ENG 101, MTH 116 or higher) or selected high school courses (i.e. Algebra II or
higher level math, highest level Biology, Chemistry); and
(3) Students may be awarded up to 11 points as determined by individual college policy and procedures.
Calhoun Community College
P.O. Box 2216
Decatur, AL 35609
or Calhoun Community College
6250 Hwy. 31 North
Tanner, AL 35671
Phone: 1-800-626-3628
Licensed Vocational Nurse working conditions
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ? |
| posted by blogger @ 18:06
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| Snead State Community College, Alabama Practical Nursing (PN) program
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Practical Nursing
The Practical Nursing (PN) program is a three-semester program whose mission is preparing nursing (PNs) to meet basic health care needs of the community in structured settings of acute and long-term care where policies and procedures are specified and carried out under the direction a licensed professional nurse or other licensed healthcare provider.
Snead State Community College
220 North Walnut Street
PO Box 734
Boaz, AL 35957-0734
Phone: 256.593.5120
The program is commited to the development of the individual's ability to think critically, communicate effectively, and utilize the nursing process in the delivery of health care. the program provides a curriculum that develops knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for a successful career within the nursing profession. Graduates are prepared to fulfill entry-level positions as staff nurses and may be employed in a variety of settings such as hospitals, clinics, physicians' offices, rehabilitative and extended care facilities and out patient clinics.
What do Vocational Nurses do?
Important skills, knowledge, and abilities for LVNs
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse |
| posted by blogger @ 12:02
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| Lawson State Community College Practical Nursing Program, Alabama
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Practical Nursing Program consist of a combination of general education courses and nursing courses.
Nursing courses include a classroom component where a variety of methodologies are used to assist the student to identify scientific principles in nursing. A clinical component is also included to assist the student to apply the scientific principles to meet individual client’s needs. Guided clinical experiences are offered in hospitals, health agencies, and selected community agencies.
Bessemer Campus
205.925.2515
F-205.929.3598
1100 Ninth Avenue NW
Bessemer, AL 35022
Birmingham Campus
205.925.2515
F-205.929.6316
3060 Wilson Road, SW
Birmingham, AL 35221
Minimum admission standards for the Practical Nursing Program include:
Unconditional admission to the College.
Receipt of completed application for the Practical Nursing Program (varies).
A minimum of 2.50 cumulative GPA for students with previous college work.
A minimum of 2.50 high school GPA for students without prior college work (GED acceptable in lieu of high school transcript).
Eligibility for English 101 and Math 116 as determined by college policy.
Good standing with the college.
Meeting the essential functions or technical standards required for nursing.
A score of 76 or higher on the COMPASS Reading Examination (or related ACT Reading Score of 17 or higher).
Admission to the Practical Nursing Program is competitive, and the number of students is limited by the number of faculty and clinical facilities available.
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career? |
| posted by blogger @ 06:16
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| Faulkner State Community College, LPN program, Alabama
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The mission of the Nursing Department at Faulkner State Community College is to develop knowledgeable, competent,caring, and culturally sensitive licensed nurses. These individuals will be prepared to function in the provision and management of nursing care and as members of the nursing profession will make sound decisions based on critical thinking, and will engage in safe and effective skilled nursing practices as defined by law and will function in a variety of healthcare settings.
1900 Highway 31 South,
Bay Minette, Alabama 36507
1-800-231-3752
251-580-2100
Nursing is an art, as well as, a science in which the holistic needs of the individual are met through utilization of the nursing process in a variety of settings. The nursing process incorporates scientific principles, interpersonal and psychomotor skills. The practice of nursing takes place in an ever changing health care system and requires caring, critical thinking, competency, legal/ethical accountability, dedication to an evolving body of knowledge, life long
learning and client advocacy.
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse? |
| posted by blogger @ 18:19
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| to attract people to the nursing industry by offering higher pay for nursing faculty
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While several companies are laying off workers during the sluggish economy, the nursing industry is trying to fill vacancies nationally.
On Tuesday, nearly 1,200 nurses and nursing students attended the Mississippi Nurses Association Annual Statewide Summit at the Mississippi Trade Mart in Jackson.
Deanna Thompson attends nursing school in Mississippi. She said that she always wanted to be a nurse and now she hopes more people will choose her profession because of a shortage of nurses in the Magnolia State.
“I love that I'm going to be a part of trying to do something about that,” Thompson said. “I hope that other people will see how important it is to become a nurse and how gratifying it's going to be to finally be out there working with patients and I hope other people will see that and want to do this too.”
The Mississippi Nurses Association attributes the shortage to an increase in demand for nurses. They said many nurses in Mississippi are getting closer to retirement and there's a shortage of nursing teachers.
“Part of what is also happening is people are no longer going into and staying in the profession as they did in years past,” Rebecca Patton with the American Nurses Association said.
State health officials are trying to attract people to the nursing industry by offering higher pay for nursing faculty and by giving aspiring nurses a reality check about the job.
“I think what's critical is nurses truly are the glue that holds together the experience people have,” Patton said. “So, if we don't have those individuals, I think we as a country will have some significant risks in health care.”
Even though the slumping economy helped bring some people back into the nursing industry, some health officials are concerned those people may leave the profession again if the economy improves.
The Mississippi Office of Nursing Workforce said that for the last few years in Mississippi, the state had about 1,000 new nursing vacancies each year. source
Vocational nurse training-Vocational nurse job
Licensed Vocational Nurse Salary in California
Vocational Nursing schools in California
Vocational Nursing schools in Texas
Vocational Nursing schools in Florida
New York LPN Programs - New York LPN Schools & LPN Training Courses |
| posted by blogger @ 06:18
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| we can soon start providing the 10,000 nurses needed by Canada, not to mention the US and the European Union
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| Tuesday
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Late last year, this column featured "A New Approach to Nursing Education," explaining an innovative approach in educating nurses for work in the US. Now we look at how this ingenious model can be replicated nationwide to produce more quality nurses.
The model, introduced by a Filipino doctor from Fresno, California, Dr. Johnny Fong, halves the nursing course from four to an intensive two-year trimester-system based on a US-designed curriculum. The shortened course awards a US diploma, offers a US board exam, and facilitates quick issuance of a US visa via an affiliate school in Saipan, a US protectorate. What more can you ask?
The student takes a 20-month course at the Saint Ignatius Health Science College in Quezon City, then stays four months in the University of Loyola (UOL) in Saipan. He or she can be in California or New York working as a registered nurse within 18 months after taking and passing the US nursing board exams. As an added benefit, graduates of the course are eligible to work in Saipan hospitals at high US-level salaries immediately after passing the board and while waiting for their US visas.
However, the screening system is rigid. It accepts only applicants who pass a US-designed entrance test. Only few applicants may qualify, but about 90% of those who do are likely to graduate, not like in a diploma mill where only 10% will make it. The system does not waste the precious money and time of unqualified students.
In his desire to tap seasoned nurses from poor rural communities across the country, Johnny wants to partner with existing nursing or even nonmedical schools in the provinces. These schools can become affiliates of University of Loyola (UOL) and offer the same US curriculum, diploma, exam, and visa via Saipan.
He explains how easy it is and how so little investment is needed. Even entrepreneurs without school facilities can go join the system if they have the minimum infrastructure of three 40-student classrooms, a 300 square-meter space that would include a library, offices, and laboratories. According to Johnny’s financial projections, a school can break even within six months after 60 students have enrolled.
Even if the student population is small due to the rigid screening, in a very conservative projection of maximized expenses and minimal enrollment of 30 students every two months, the school will have 20% profit in the first year and up to 500% in the next five years.
This is the beauty of the concept. It can draw in small and medium- sized entrepreneurs and not just big investors. In the provinces where capital is harder to get, this is an important catalyst for growth.
Operations are simple, manageable, and quick to learn. A high-quality US-accredited curriculum is given on a silver platter. The needed space does not require big investment on property. A short-term lease, in fact, will do. One can start small and expand slowly through time. The small investor can hook up with a big college and help bring education to the poor.
Drawing the brightest students in your area is the biggest challenge. You are looking for applicants with high IQ and good test results even if they are poor and do not come from good schools like in Manila.
So your school is small, tight, and of high caliber. You do not have to think big like the diploma mills which need big buildings for classrooms for thousands, most of whom may not be qualified to enter the US nursing market.
What does an investor have to do? Almost nothing, except put up the funds and recruit qualified students.
Applying for government education licenses and developing the curriculum, pose no headache since UOL offers a turnkey system which assists in the school-licensing process, and gives the entire curriculum down to the last course module in detail, including all lesson plans, PowerPoint lectures, and testing materials.
Finally, you will be supplied with qualified teachers or assisted in faculty recruitment and in site selection. You can sit down and relax, make money, and feel good being a true educator.
The system offers both scholarships and tuition loans to qualified but poor applicants. UOL is so confident about its program that it offers study-now-pay-later plans for its Saipan education component.
This education concept is a response to the financial global crisis by being simple and small. It can quintuple the nation’s pool of registered nurses in a short time.
And we can soon start providing the 10,000 nurses needed by Canada, not to mention the US and the European Union. source
Medical Careers
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse? |
| posted by blogger @ 23:59
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| Is Nursing right for you?
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Who can become a nurse?
To be a nurse you should be able to answer YES to all of these questions:
Have fun exploring nursing !
Think about whether you would like to work long hours with sick people.
Are you comfortable with technology?
Do you like a challenging, fast-paced working environment?
Are you comfortable touching other people?
Can you listen as well as talk?
Can you be non-judgemental when caring for patients?
Can you handle a lifetime of learning?
Are you a 'people' person?
Do you have a clean criminal record?
Do you want to make a difference in people’s lives and help others?
Do peoples physical and mental challenges interest you?
Do you have good study habits?
Do you honest and ethical?
Do you accept criticism without anger?
If you answered 'Yes' to most of these questions then you really can become a nurse!
Medical Careers
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career? |
| posted by blogger @ 12:24
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| N.C. Central University new nursing facility i
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| Monday
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N.C. Central University Chancellor Charlie Nelms wants his university's new nursing school to send a message of openness to the community in which it will reside.
Seem like a small thing? It isn't to Nelms, who is already talking to an architect about placing the building so that it faces Alston Avenue.
"It has to be oriented to the community rather than facing into campus," Nelms said.
That Nelms is talking now about a new nursing facility is good news at NCCU. Funding for it and a slew of other capital projects across the UNC system was in question amid the state's worsening economic crisis.
But a recent move by the Council of State to fast-track the sale of $742 million in bonds to kick-start the state's economy put the project back among the living. The decision brought with it $24.5 million for the NCCU nursing project.
"It's a big deal," Nelms said. "We simply are out of space."
NCCU's nursing program is in transition. It is becoming a full professional school but needs a new building to house more faculty to teach more students.
"We don't have the clinical space, the laboratories," Nelms said. "Something as basic as office space for our faculty members. I'm talking about basic stuff. We have it now, but not at the appropriate level."
Planners are still working on the building's design and it isn't yet clear just how the building will be situated, said Zack Abegunrin, NCCU's facilities chief. It will be built to high environmental certifications and thus must be positioned to draw as much sunlight as possible, he said. In addition, planners want to mitigate traffic issues on the heavily traveled Alston Avenue, so even if the building faces in that direction, the main driving entrance will likely approach the building from another way, he said.
The nursing program now operates from the Miller-Morgan building on campus. When it moves, it expects to double in enrollment, to 250 upper-division students in the professional program, said Lorna Harris, the current chairwoman of the department of nursing. The state has a shortage of nurses now; the state's nursing board recently gave NCCU approval to increase the program's enrollment by 50 students, well before construction on the new building even starts.
There is plenty of demand. NCCU had 130 applicants last fall for 70 spots.
The new building will help carve out a new identity for NCCU's eastern edge; it will be built along Alston Avenue roughly between the law school and Chidley Hall. The 55,000-square-foot, three-floor building will include several teaching laboratories complete with beds, equipment and mannequins on which students can practice procedures. The current program has just one laboratory, a converted classroom.
Construction is expected to begin later this year, and officials hope the building will be ready to open in 2011.source
Vocational nurse training-Vocational nurse job
Licensed Vocational Nurse Salary in California |
| posted by blogger @ 23:59
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| Johns Hopkins University's schools of nursing
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The Johns Hopkins University's schools of education and nursing will be holding a series of information sessions for people who want to enter the fields.
Education and nursing tend to weather economic storms relatively well. In the last six months of 2008, Hopkins saw a 30 percent increase in applications to the education school, while nursing applications increased 11 percent over the same period in 2007, school officials said.
The information sessions are meant for people who plan to switch careers. |
| posted by blogger @ 16:27
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| Applying for financial aid
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Filling out financial aid applications is akin to filling out income tax forms.
Though it can be worse.
Federal officials estimate that completing their form takes one to two hours for first-time applicants.
Some forms require even more documentation, including information on home values, retirement accounts, expected pay raises and the value of various assets.
To apply for federal and other forms of financial aid, students need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The form is available by visiting www.studentaid.ed.gov or calling 1-800-433-3243 .
Students need the following to fill out the form: Social Security number; driver’s license number; 2008 W-2 income tax forms; a 2008 income tax return; a spouse’s 2008 income tax return if applicable; their parents’ 2008 income tax return; untaxed 2008 income records, such as child support; current bank statements; investment information; and alien registration or permanent-resident cards for non-U.S. citizens.
Some colleges require the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE (https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.jsp) from the College Board, the group that administers the SAT.
Students are typically informed about their financial aid packages through their colleges or universities. |
| posted by blogger @ 12:05
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| Scholarship for nursing students
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| Sunday
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DeKalb Medical in Decatur has awarded $27,000 to nursing students through the 2008 Dr. Mark Coppage Scholarship Fund.
The top 2008 award went to Susan Irwin, a University of West Georgia nursing student. First runners-up are Georgia State University students Tiffany Turner and Jenean Gardner. Other recipients are second runners-up Laura Ohienmhen, Georgia State University, and Judy Gachoka, University of West Georgia; third runners-up Erin Bearden, Gordon College, and David Larod Bowen, College of Coastal Georgia; and fourth runners-up Lisa Massey, Brenau University, and Heather Guthrie, Dalton State College of Nursing.
The recipients were cited for demonstrating leadership, compassion, concern for humanity and other qualities.
“This scholarship is given to students not just because they are talented, but because they really care about their patients and want to make a difference in their lives and communities,” said Betty Casetllani, director of the Coppage Scholarship Fund.
The scholarships are funded through private donations to honor Coppage, a DeKalb Medical anesthesiologist who died in a car accident in 1989.
MARINE CORPS PIONEER: Nursing graduates at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah honored Winifred Case Karnosky in November for her contribution to the school’s nursing program. Karnosky is a university benefactor and was one of the first women to enlist in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve after it was formed in 1943.
In the late 1960s, when her husband, Col. Benedict Karnosky, was assigned as commander of Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Karnosky served on the board of the USO and took professional and continuing education courses at Armstrong Atlantic State.
She became interested in the nursing program and endowed a scholarship to assist nursing students of merit in 2007.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESIDENCY: Kosha Joshi, a December 2008 graduate of the master of health services administration program at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, has been selected for a yearlong post-graduate administrative residency with Columbus Regional Healthcare System in Columbus.
“Kosha is really making a name for herself in the field of health services administration in the state of Georgia, and her selection for this residency attests to that,” said Joey Crosby, MHSA graduate coordinator.
NURSE OF THE YEAR: Brenda Sumerau, RN, CNOR, of MCGHealth was recently named Perioperative Nurse of the Year by the CSRA Chapter of the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses. A member of the organization for more than 35 years, Sumerau serves on the board of directors for 2008-09.
She joined MCGHealth in 1992 and is a staff nurse in the MCGHealth Medical Center in Augusta. She is certified in operating room nursing and in central sterilization distribution.
PARENTAL APPROVAL: Parents magazine has ranked Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta among the nation’s top 10 pediatric hospitals.
A survey of 75 pediatric hospitals measured survival rates, number of complex procedures performed, research studies, staff qualifications, safeguards to prevent medical errors and more. To come up with the rankings, the magazine crunched the numbers and evaluated the survey responses.
The survey collected specific data in oncology, emergency medicine, cardiac, neonatology, orthopedics and pulmonology.
“The Children’s physicians and staff are committed to providing excellent clinical care for Georgia’s children in addition to focusing on research, teaching and wellness initiatives in order to enhance the lives of our patients,” said Donna Hyland, CHOA president and CEO.
PIEDMONT AWARD: Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta has received the Next-Generation Clinical Care Award as part of Health Data Management’s Editors Choice Awards. The organization cited Piedmont for being the nation’s best health care provider in making use of clinical data tools “to provide life-saving intelligence at the point of care.”
The Editor’s Choice Awards recognize the most innovative health care leaders and facilities for their pioneering efforts in using information technology to improve the quality of life of patients and the financial viability of their organizations. source
CNA skills-CNA skills video
Certified nursing assistant salary in California
CNA Programs, Nurse Aid programs in Texas |
| posted by blogger @ 23:57
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| the average age of nursing school graduates increasing-many are starting second careers.
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Rosemary Hill used to earn more than $200,000 a year as an executive for an information systems company.
Rosemary Hill, a nurse in the bone marrow transfer unit at Baylor Medical Center, checks the vital signs of Dan Thornburg. Hill left a career as a highly paid information systems executive to become a nurse making not even a fourth of her previous salary.
Her master's degree in management systems and years of telecommunications work in the Air Force gave her a posh life of first-class flights and swanky hotels.
But when her aunt grew ill with cancer and died in February 2002, the Lakewood resident began re-evaluating her life.
"I watched the nurses, doctors, technicians and housekeepers come together to take care of her," said Hill, 46.
Motivated by their work, she switched gears and in 2005 enrolled in Baylor University's nursing program in Waco, which gave her credit for her master's degree and years as an executive.
Today, Hill is a nurse in the cancer center at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, earning slightly more than $40,000 a year.
"My priorities are different," said Hill. She's typical of thousands of workers in Texas and nationwide who are finding a second career in health care, one of the few industries in this dour economy that is actually hiring.
Economists and staffing experts say that while other industries are cutting back and laying off employees, the health care industry is in dire need of workers.
In fact, health care will generate 3 million new wage and salary jobs between 2006 and 2016, more than any other industry, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"People are coming out of other industries and getting into health care because it's still growing," said Cheryl Abbot, regional economist with the Labor Bureau. "No other industry can say that."
In December, while the U.S. economy shed more than half a million jobs, the health care industry added 32,000, the Labor Bureau reported.
For all of 2008, the economy lost nearly 2.6 million jobs while health care added about 372,000, the bureau said.
The trend in Texas is the same: Texas added more than 28,000 jobs in health care and social assistance during the 12-month period ending in December.
Abbot said the industry is growing because of the aging population and because the political climate favors improving health care, which requires more workers.
Sarah Friedman, Baylor's director of recruiting, said the Dallas hospital system's hiring has grown steadily, from 3,500 in 2006 to 4,100 last year.
Though Baylor doesn't specifically track which hires are embarking on a second career, about 60 percent of hires are older students, suggesting they are switching careers, Friedman said.
Those who embark on a second career in health care typically enter two-year programs in fields that require passing a certification exam, Friedman said.
"A two-year program isn't as daunting as a doctorate in physical therapy," she said.
The Delta Cos., a Dallas health care staffing firm, is expecting 27 percent revenue growth this year because of the demand for its services. The company said it expects to hire 61 employees this year.
"While the rest of the country is preparing to insulate themselves from this down economy, our stance is that this is the best time to play offense," said Ryan Tipton, Delta's chief talent officer.
Specifically, there's a demand for physical therapists because of the aging baby boomer generation, said Ty Chambers, Delta's executive vice president.
And because of a shortage of physicians, many facilities are hiring nurse practitioners and physician assistants, said Bill Tracewell, Delta's vice president of health care placement.
"These professionals can share in the call schedule, assist in the OR and cover the office when the physician is needed in the hospital," Tracewell said.
Ages creep up
Human resources personnel at Texas Health Resources Inc., a hospital system based in Arlington, said they've noticed the average age of nursing school graduates increasing, an indicator that many are starting second careers.
Spokeswoman Rachel Raya said that in recent years THR has hired nursing graduates ranging in age from 22 to 55, with the average age now 31.
Jamie Glass, 27, of Dallas grew tired of "being pushy and forceful" as a sales and marketing executive in the automotive industry.
"I just realized this wasn't something for me long term," Glass said.
In soul-searching for a better career, she remembered how she felt as a teenager watching nurses care for her premature nephew in the neonatal intensive care unit.
She enrolled in a four-year nursing program at Tarleton State University in Stephenville and now is a neonatal nurse with Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas.
Male nurses
THR's human resources workers also said they've noticed more male nurses, many in their late 20s and early 30s moving from other industries.
Shane Spinks, 35, of Euless used to manage a pub that had a full bar, kitchen and live music. But Spinks now expects to graduate in May from Tarrant County College's nursing program.
"We buried my little sister a few years ago," said Spinks, describing his motivation for pursuing nursing in the intensive care unit.
"I felt God tapping me on the shoulder saying, 'This is what you need to do.' " source
Medical Assistant training-Medical Assistant job-Medical Assistant salary |
| posted by blogger @ 18:27
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| LVN, LPN Long-Term Care Certification
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Long-Term Care certification is comprehensive in that it covers the entire life-span, from cradle to grave, for people that are chronically ill. So whether your patients and clients are babies, seniors, or in-between, this is the certification to have. while it certainly covers nursing care in geriatrics, it has a much broader appeal for excellence in nursing care for all age groups with chronic illnesses.
The Long-Term Care Certificate is available to any person who meets all the following:
· holds a current LP/VN license in good standing, AND
· documents 2000 hours of long-term care practice within the previous three years,
AND
· receives a passing grade on the MSNC CO Long-Term Care Certification Examination
Medical Careers
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse? |
| posted by blogger @ 12:23
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| DDC- certification for licensed practical/vocational nurses in the field of developmental disabilities
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the LPN/LVN Certification Program (DDC) provides the only specialty certification for licensed practical/vocational nurses in the field of developmental disabilities. DDNA worked closely with Health Education Systems, Inc. (HESI) to formulate this specialty certification examination. HESI, a nationally recognized company known for its expertise in developing tests for nursing schools and regulatory agencies, was recently purchased by Elsevier Publishing, which currently distributes the exam.
LPN/LVN who is certified in I/DD nursing has experience in working with persons with I/DD,demonstrates a high degree of expertise in the field of I/DD nursing, and maintains that level of expertise by completing ongoing continuing education specific to the field of I/DD nursing.
Medical Careers
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse? |
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| Vocational Nurse IV Therapy Blood Withdrawal Certification Course
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| Saturday
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IV certification program teaches Licensed Vocational Nurses the skills they will need to perform intravenous therapy.
Upon Successful Completion of IV Therapy/Blood Withdrawal Program, LVNs may apply skills to medical facilities & clinics such as Long-Term Care, Skilled Nursing, Acute, Sub-Acute, etc. "Make Yourself More Marketable & Valuable as a Healthcare Professional in the Job Market.
Students will learn about principles of intravenous fluid therapy, patient care, intravenous line establishment techniques, venipuncture techniques and anatomy and physiology of venipuncture sites. Graduates of the program are qualified to apply for IV certification in California from the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians.
LPNs and RNs-similarities and differences
LVN vs RN What is the difference? |
| posted by blogger @ 23:59
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| LPN or LVN Certified in Long-Term Care
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Long-Term Care certification is comprehensive in that it covers the entire life-span, from cradle to grave, for people that are chronically ill.
So whether your patients and clients are babies, seniors, or in-between, this is the certification to have. This certification replaced the NAPNES Gerontology Certification program. It is more comprehensive because while it certainly covers nursing care in geriatrics, it has a much broader appeal for excellence in nursing care for all age groups with chronic illnesses. The LPN designation confirms to employer that you engage in national skill-building.
LONG-TERM CARE CERTIFICATION ELIGIBILITY
The MSNC CO Long-Term Care Certificate is available to any person who meets all the following:
• holds a current LP/VN license, AND
• documents 2000 hours of long-term care practice within the previous three years, AND
• receives a passing grade on the MSNC CO Long-Term Care Certification Examination
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse
Licensed Vocational Nurse working conditions
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ?
How do I prepare for the job? |
| posted by blogger @ 18:26
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| LPN, LVN Certified in Pharmacology
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NAPNES Certification in Pharmacology allows LP/VNs to measure their knowledge against a national test and offers a national credential, post-licensure, that many employers require. Since the mid sixties, NAPNES Certification in Pharmacology has been a mark of excellence -- certification above minimum standards for licensure -- for licensed practical/vocational nurses. Put the LPN/LVN, NCP, designation in your portfolio!
To be eligible for NAPNES Pharmacology re-certification, you must:
1. hold a current NAPNES Pharmacology Certification card
2. have a current LPN/VN license
3. complete one of the five (5) options for demonstrating current
competence (i.e., documentation of continuing education or
retake and pass the Pharmacology certification examination)
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career?
What do Vocational Nurses do?
Important skills, knowledge, and abilities for LVNs |
| posted by blogger @ 12:12
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| The need for nursing services is continuing to grow tremendously as our population ages
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Nicole Lopez chose nursing as a career because she wants to help people. And help in the nursing industry is needed now more than ever.
"It just never dawned on me that there would be a shortage of nurses," Lopez said.
Nursing officials at West Texas A&A say it's a critical need.
"The need for nursing services is continuing to grow tremendously as our population ages and as patients just get sicker and sicker," said Dr. Heidi Taylor, WT School of Nursing Dean.
The University hopes to reverse the trend. They are now offering free tuition to incoming freshmen or transfer students with financial need.
"Students with families less than $40,000 of annual income are going to have undergraduate tuition fees completely paid for," said Dan Garcia, Dean of Enrollment at WT.
The Buff Promise Program is available to students of all majors, but the nursing school could see the greatest benefit.
"The Buff Promise will ensure that our talented people out there who are interested in becoming nurses will have that opportunity," Taylor said.
School administrators say it's a well rewarded opportunity.
"As students go into that field, not only will they have the support to pursue their degree, but they will be entering a field that is going to compensate them well," Garcia said.
For Lopez, helping others, is the best compensation. source
Travel nurse job-Travel nurse salary |
| posted by blogger @ 06:13
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| Second degree new nurses more likely to stay in their jobs
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| Friday
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As the United States continues to experience a nursing shortage that is expected to grow to one million nurses by 2016, a new research study highlights a pool of potential candidates who could alleviate the shortage in an economical way.
The study, published in the January/February 2009 issue of the Journal of Professional Nursing, compares nursing graduates whose first baccalaureate degree was in nursing with nursing graduates whose first baccalaureate degree was in another field and who obtained a second baccalaureate degree in nursing. Findings from the study, funded through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, suggest that second degree nurses are an efficient new solution to the current nursing shortage.
Through a 16-page survey, the study sampled 953 newly licensed registered nurses from 35 states and asked questions about how they felt about their jobs, information about work settings and their intent to stay at their current job. The nurses had been licensed from five to 18 months prior to taking the survey.
According to the study, second-degree students are usually older and more motivated. Because they have more work experience, they have coping advantages over newer, younger nursing graduates during the period immediately after leaving school and entering the workforce. This finding is significant, since some new registered nurses have left their first jobs in frustration from a lack of coping skills or the knowledge to do their jobs. New nurses who only had nursing degrees generally did not like their work setting, were less satisfied in their jobs and more likely to leave them. Second degree new nurses, however, were more likely to stay in their jobs and to be better able to cope with stress and frustration in the workplace.
"Second degree candidates bring life experiences to their jobs that are valuable to employers," said Carol S. Brewer, Ph.D., RN, associate professor of nursing in the University at Buffalo School of Nursing and lead author of the study. "Second degree graduates may be particularly attracted to employers who mitigate family/work conflict, and promote work group cohesion."
Second-degree nurses also can be educated in much less time than basic registered nurses, according to the study, because they already have college degrees. However because they are older, they many have shorter work careers. Understanding which group is more productive in the workforce will help organizations design recruitment and retention programs for each group.
"Nurses in second degree programs are a great source of new nurses for the health needs of Americans. They usually complete nursing programs in 12-15 months," said Christine Kovner, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, professor at New York University's College of Nursing and co-author of the study. "At NYU we are a large second degree program. I have found teaching these students delightful and think they are wonderful new nurses."
This research used a sub-set of nurses involved in a larger Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded study by Brewer and Kovner which tracks changes in the careers of a group of newly licensed nurses over 10 years.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health-care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the foundation has brought experience, commitment and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. source
Dental Assistant training-Dental Assistant job-Dental Assistant salary |
| posted by blogger @ 23:58
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| The nursing shortage is getting worse: Yakima Valley Community College
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The Yakima Valley's three nursing schools are cranking out graduates, and almost all of them find jobs.
But the schools simply can't keep up. The nursing shortage is getting worse anyway.
"Experts around the state say it's not enough," said Rhonda Taylor, the nursing program coordinator at Yakima Valley Community College.
Despite accepting and graduating more students and hiring more instructors, they're falling behind demand. There are 98 vacancies at hospitals in Kittitas, Yakima and Klickitat counties, according to the Health Workforce Institute in Seattle. That's the exact same number as 2004.
In that time, enrollment at the Valley's three nursing schools -- Washington State University's School of Nursing in Yakima, YVCC and Heritage University -- has skyrocketed.
In the last four years, WSU-Yakima, at the YVCC campus, has doubled each year the number of new students to about 40. YVCC's enrollment jumped 35 students to 165 this year.
Heritage's nursing program started only five years ago. But it now has 285 undergraduate nursing students.
Nearly every nursing student will find a job.
"We pretty much have a 100 percent employment rate," Taylor said.
Most of them work locally; 93 percent of Heritage's nursing graduates stay in the Valley, said Sandy Wells, nursing program director.
"I'm really impressed with what a broad availability there is in this area for nursing care," Wells said.
Finding faculty is part of the problem. Anyone qualified to teach makes more money working in a hospital or doctor's office, sometimes twice as much, said Debra Franck , director of the WSU College of Nursing Yakima campus. Often, brand-new graduates make more than their instructors.
WSU and YVCC have added an instructor recently. However, schools must compete not only with each other but with hospitals, school districts, jails, private practice and all the places nurses work. It sometimes leaves schools turning away as many students as they accept.
Hospitals in the area are helping by offering many of their employees free tuition at nursing schools in exchange for two-year commitments in the nursing ranks. Since 2002, 18 employees at Sunnyside Community Hospital have taken advantage of it, giving the hospital several cases of housekeepers turned registered nurses, said Lisa Garcia, human resources director.
Also, Sunnyside Community Hospital pays for a nursing faculty member at YVCC. In exchange, Lower Valley students can use the hospital for hands-on experience while commuting to classes in Yakima several days a week.
Prosser Memorial Hospital offers full tuition for nonemployees, too, in exchange for a two-year commitment.
"The national nursing shortage is a reality, and we have to face that," said Jason Jones, a hospital spokesman. source
Medical Careers
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career?
What do Vocational Nurses do? |
| posted by blogger @ 18:44
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| Texas Tech University is now offering the Second Degree Nursing Program
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Texas -- Local health professionals estimate there are 250 to 300 nursing vacancies in El Paso alone, and that number is expected to increase as more nurses reach retirement age.
In hopes of combating the shortage, Texas Tech University is now offering the Second Degree Nursing Program. Students can enroll in the program if they have a college degree and become a nurse in 12 months. The first class on board the accelerated program in the El Paso campus started Jan. 5.
Wednesday, KFOX followed new student Catherine Hood around Thomason Hospital's Emergency Room as she took patient vital signs. Hood said she never thought she'd go into nursing. She graduated college several years ago with a political science degree, and her plans included going to law school.
However, personal reasons kept Hood from pursing that dream, and when she heard of the new nursing program at Texas Tech University she thought it would be a good career opportunity.
"Texas Tech said, 'Yeah, we'll take you.' So, I got excited and got into the program. (I'm looking forward to being able to) actually help somebody, face to face, one on one," said Hood.
Hood is one of 10 students enrolled in the program. Lectures are offered online by faculty in the Lubbock campus. In El Paso, the faculty consists of a Master of Science in Nursing and a Bachelors of Science in Nursing.
"It's a 12-month consecutive program. It's for individuals who already hold a bachelors degree in anything, and have the prerequisites, which are two semesters of anatomy, one of microbiology, growth and development, and food and nutrition," said Dr. Josefina Lujan, regional dean for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing.
Other admission requirements include a 3.0 GPA or higher on prerequisites, pathophysiology, microbiology, anatomy, and physiology, and must commit without employment during the program.
Each student is assigned to an experienced nurse who coaches that student in the emergency room, intensive care unit, and medical surgical throughout the year. Students receive hands-on experience twice a week during two 12-hour shifts at Thomason Hospital.
"(It’s great because) here's a book, and then you go and do it hands on. I'm hoping by the end of the year I can do this on my own, and not have to worry about her (my mentor) being at my side, that way I can help a put a greater impact on my community as a nurse," said Hood.
Students take several standardized exams throughout the year. Once they’re done with the program, students must pass the NCLEX Exam to become a registered nurse.
The current class is expected to graduate at the end of December. Thomason Hospital donated about $750,000 to help start the program and offer scholarships to students.
Lujan said starting pay for nurses is about $24 an hour, plus a sign-on bonus with most hospitals. Aside from the national nursing shortage, Lujan said there is a dire need for more Hispanic nurses, or those who are bilingual. source
Vocational nurse training-Vocational nurse job
Licensed Vocational Nurse Salary in California
Vocational Nursing schools in California |
| posted by blogger @ 12:35
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| Mexican nurses in the United States: a nursing shortage for Hispanic (Spanish) speaking nurses
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EL PASO, TX -- UTEP is offering coursework to send Mexican nurses living in the United States back into hospitals.
The four-month program consists of two classes: a refresher course for nurses to prepare them for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), an exam that each state board of nursing uses to determine whether or not a candidate is prepared for entry-level nursing practice, and an English as a Second Language course.
The creation of this program comes at a time when the medical field is in need of more nurses.
"Of course we do have a nursing shortage, particularly for Hispanic (Spanish) speaking nurses," says Dr. Robert Anders, the dean of UTEP's School of Nursing. Dr. Anders later added that only 2% of nurses in the U.S. speak Spanish.
The program is currently only available to Mexican nurses living in the United States. Dr. Anders says it may expand.
"We can take some students under the J-VISA who are residents of Mexico into the program as well," the nursing dean said.
Only 16 seats are available for the program, which begins at the end of the month and runs through the beginning of June 2009. UTEP will add another class section if demand is high. Classes cost $2,300. source
Provide more foreign nurse visas
US to increase work visas to ease strains of nursing shortage
Top Medical Careers |
| posted by blogger @ 06:31
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| A virtual tool may help you to learn more basic life support
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| Thursday
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Everybody must know what basic life support means. This virtual tool may help you to learn more about such an important procedure.
Now I’ve got a huge list of useful Second Life medical sites and islands on Webicina, but here is the newest addition. The Italian Resuscitation Council (IRC) is starting to explore the possibilities to use Second Life like an environment for training
One of the great advantages of Second Life environment is the possibility to create various training simulations, improving and testing teamwork, leadership, and technical skills. Simulations can be used simultaneously by a group of trainees connected from world different locations.
IRC headquarters in SL should became a place were instructors can be trained and re-trained. We are planning to build a CPR training platform in SL to maintain and update knowledge after a traditional BLSD course. Finally, IRC headquarters would become a site where avatars/layperson can afford to the cardiac arrest prevention knowledge and basic life support information
It’s also possible to organize meetings at this great placehsource
LPNs and RNs-similarities and differences
LVN vs RN What is the difference? |
| posted by blogger @ 18:15
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| Paramedic students use Second Life
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Paramedic students will be taught how to deal with emergency situations using Second Life before they apply for graduate jobs in London, it has been reported.
The use of Second Life to provide students with a chance to work in a small team to treat a virtual patient is being introduced at the Faculty of Health and Social Care Sciences, which is a partnership between St George's, the University of London and Kingston University, according to e-Health Europe.
Using their own paramedic avatar, students will be able to respond to a 999 call and treat a person slumped outside a nightclub and after accessing the patient the virtual paramedics can place the patient into the back of an ambulance, the news provider states.
When they arrive, they have to handover patient notes, which are emailed to their tutor, the website reports.
Emily Conradi, e-Projects manager, told e-Health Europe: "The advantage of Second Life is that it feels more real. Students get a sense of being there together and can decide what to do from what they can see in front of them."
Meanwhile, ministers are keeping a close eye on virtual world economies to see if they need to intervene and impose taxes on them, reports Reuters. source
Student nurses will be trained in the Second Life-virtual world |
| posted by blogger @ 12:05
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| Nursing students treat and advise their virtual patients-The University of Central Florida
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Soon after students arrive at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine next fall, they likely will get a call in the middle of the night from a "virtual patient."
The computer-generated patient will speak like a real human being complaining of ailments ranging from a common cold to cardiac arrest. How well students treat and advise their virtual patients on the spot will be a part of their evaluation. Avatars of different ages will seek the medical students' care throughout their four years in school.
The avatar is part of a high-tech program called MyCaseSpace. It is the brainchild of UCF Assistant Professor David Segal, who developed the software for his health classes so students could learn how to properly evaluate and diagnose conditions. The system will allow professors to add dynamic basic science and clinical cases to supplement their uniquely integrated curriculum at the College of Medicine, he said.
"It's interactive and a way to make it fun for students while they learn to make better decisions," Segal said. "And they learn. There's an assessment tool built into this program to validate that the technology is enhancing their learning."
More than a dozen universities across the country have already expressed an interest in acquiring the software.
"This is an amazing program that brings learning alive for students," said Jim Wolford-Ulrich, an associate professor at Duquesne University in Pennsylvania who is working with Segal to adapt the program for the School of Leadership and Professional Advancement at Duquesne. "This model allows for experiential learning for students on line."
The unique avatars are one of many examples of how the UCF College of Medicine will harness the best traditional and cutting-edge techniques to educate the next generation of doctors.
Segal has degrees in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and he has served as a fellow in neurology, psychiatry and behavioral sciences. He is an assistant professor of Health Professions Cardiopulmonary Sciences in the College of Health & Public Affairs. He also is certified in information technology and has been developing game software to help his students learn complicated information and sharpen critical thinking skills.
He blended his science background and programming expertise to create MyCaseSpace and help the digital generation learn. That's what he calls this generation of students who grew up using a variety of multimedia that 30 years ago hadn't even been invented yet.
Segal clearly enjoys his work. His avatars speak 13 languages with varying accents, and they can sneeze, cough and even go into cardiac arrest. He can program them to display symptoms related to a course’s lesson plan for a particular week or ailments that students learned about several weeks ago.
Segal also can program the avatars to make emergency calls to students in the middle of the night or to come into a virtual clinic to get a check up.
The Web-based program will help students learn a variety of skills they will have to perfect before becoming practicing doctors. Those skills include taking medical histories, deciphering between critical symptoms and those that may be masking other conditions and matching up symptoms with necessary tests to determine a diagnosis.
But the virtual patients are just part of the story. Because the program is dynamic and can be changed with a few keystrokes, patients in the virtual world can have family members who make demands of the doctors and nurses and other personnel who assist them.
The program is the first of its kind to blend so many elements. And it can be adapted to other fields as well. Any course that requires students to make critical decisions in problem-based case scenarios would benefit from this new, interactive tool, Segal said.
For example, law students have to decide when and how to do depositions or interrogate witnesses, nurses have to evaluate and interpret patients, and counselors must talk with clients about sensitive issues.
"It’s engaging and fun," Segal said. "And because it's fun, the students like it and will actually use it to better their education. In the end, that’s what it is about -- making better doctors, lawyers and teachers out of our students."
UCF Stands For Opportunity --The University of Central Florida is a metropolitan research university that ranks as the 6th largest in the nation with more than 50,000 students. UCF's first classes were offered in 1968. The university offers impressive academic and research environments that power the region's economic development. UCF's culture of opportunity is driven by our diversity, Orlando environment, history of entrepreneurship and our youth, relevance and energysource
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| posted by blogger @ 06:19
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| Virtual School : complete your internship in a bathrobe and bunny slippers
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| Wednesday
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The University of Central Florida and Florida Virtual School made history today when they announced a groundbreaking program that promises to enrich student education.
For the first time, college students will train to become educators by interning with teachers at the Florida Virtual School (FLVS). In the 2007-2008 school year, the virtual school served more than 63,000 students in grades six through 12, harnessing the power of the Internet.
Six UCF education majors will be immersed in the virtual school environment and gain experience teaching online. During the internship, they will work closely with FLVS teachers, providing direct instruction via webinars and meeting with middle- or high-school students and their families via conference calls. The interns also will interact with other online teachers and teaching teams at FLVS and grade student work.
The tech-savvy UCF students selected for the internship will be able to complete it from home -- in a bathrobe and bunny slippers if they wish.
“We’re a forward-thinking institution,” said Michael Hynes, chair of the Teaching and Learning Principles department at the College of Education. “We want to be thinking ahead of where the education industry is now. This program will give our students an edge, because they will not only know how to teach a traditional class, they will know how to do it virtually.”
The UCF-FLVS partnership addresses a growing shift in education from traditional learning environments where students and teachers are located in a classroom to a blended model that uses technology to deliver the learning experience to any location. With the K-12 online learning market growing at a rate of 30 percent annually, the pilot program is a significant first step to ensuring teachers are properly trained and equipped to effectively teach in the online world.
“We are delighted to have this opportunity to work with UCF,” said Julie Young, president and CEO of FLVS. “Modern communication tools are rapidly changing the face of teaching and learning. By giving new teachers the opportunity to experience the online learning environment, we will help the education system at large continue to meet the needs of our students by creating dynamic learning opportunities for all students.”
The UCF students will work with the FLVS teachers for seven weeks. Then they will spend seven weeks in traditional classrooms in Central Florida. After each period, they will be evaluated.
The students, all “digital natives” who volunteered to be in the pilot program, say they expect to learn as much if not more from the online platform. Wearing pajamas is just a perk.
“This opportunity will do more for me because it will challenge me to be creative to ensure I’m reaching students,” said UCF student Josephine Givens of Shalimar, Fla. “It’s one thing to be in a classroom where you can see a student react. It’s another to be online. I think it will keep me on my toes.”
Teachers at FLVS are equally eager to work with the interns.
“Every day I see first hand how modern communication tools are changing the way students learn and communicate,” said FLVS teacher Stephen McPherson. “Teaching in an online learning environment provides an opportunity to use these tools to prepare students for their next steps. I look forward to sharing my knowledge and best practices about teaching online with these aspiring teachers.”
Hynes said that other UCF students would continue with traditional “bricks-and- mortar” internships – one of the last elements before students graduate with teaching degrees. But the success of the pilot program could result in a larger “virtual” internship component. He said students who complete the virtual program likely will have an edge.
“Florida Virtual School leaders will know they can hire UCF education graduates who can jump in and get the virtual teaching done without missing a beat,” Hynes said.
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UCF Stands For Opportunity: The University of Central Florida is a metropolitan research university that ranks as the 6th largest in the nation with more than 50,000 students. UCF's first classes were offered in 1968. The university offers impressive academic and research environments that power the region's economic development. UCF's culture of opportunity is driven by our diversity, Orlando environment, history of entrepreneurship and our youth, relevance and energy.
Florida Virtual School: Florida Virtual School (FLVS) is an established leader in developing and providing virtual K-12 education solutions to students throughout the country. A nationally recognized e-Learning model, FLVS founded in 1997 and was the country’s first, state-wide Internet-based public high school. Today, FLVS provides flexible learning options for all students, including more than 80 courses for middle and high school students. FLVS is governed by an independent educational entity with a gubernatorial appointed board and is the only public school where funding is tied directly to student performance. source
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| posted by blogger @ 18:33
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| Virtual medical education
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Meet Yumi, a 24-year-old college student who has been experiencing head pain for the past several days. The sensation is not new — she has had similar episodes periodically over the last two years — but the headaches are becoming more persistent, and pain medications like Tylenol and aspirin are not working.
"The pain sometimes wakes me up from sleep at night," she says. "It is beginning to interfere with my studies."
Yumi's story may sound realistic, but she is not a real person. She's a virtual patient and part of a new program developed by a professor at the University of Central Florida. Like a real patient, she can talk and cough, and will age over time. But with the click of a button, her computer-generated voice can be translated into 13 different languages.
Yumi and other virtual patients are part of MyCaseSpace, a Web-based program already being used to present clinical cases to students in health-related professions to test their critical-thinking skills.
Traditionally such cases are presented in class discussions with paper-based exams given afterward, but today's "digital natives," professors say, learn better when they get information in a form they can interact with.
Critics of virtual worlds, however, say important interactions between professors and students are lost when education takes place primarily on a screen.
The creator of MyCaseSpace, David Segal, an assistant professor in the College of Health and Public Affairs at the University of Central Florida, has created characters like Yumi to look as realistic as possible. The interaction between the students and the virtual patients, he said, keeps students more engaged and allows professors to better assess the different paths students take through cases.
"It is no different than developing a video game," Mr. Segal said. "You can walk down five different paths. Depending on which one you do, you will have a different outcome."
Mr. Segal sees a thousand and one possibilities for his program. He's assembling a team of experts to develop a library of cases that can be used in a variety of disciplines. The library might work like iTunes, where, for a small fee, universities could purchase cases individually or in bulk.
The program's virtual patients are similar to inhabitants — called avatars — of other virtual worlds like Second Life, a popular 3-D environment where characters interact with one another. Unlike avatars in Second Life, the virtual patients are not representations of actual people and their dialogue is scripted.
The virtual patients Mr. Segal has created will greet students at Central Florida's College of Medicine next fall, when it welcomes its first class. When students log in to the program, several virtual patients, like Yumi, will appear in a waiting room. The students will select a case, and that virtual patient will describe symptoms. Based on those signs, students can seek information about the patient's medical history and can request certain lab tests.
After reviewing the test results and the history, students diagnose and treat the patient. The outcomes of each case are varied, depending on the accuracy of the diagnosis and treatment.
At the end of cases, students receive grades based on their decision making. Students can choose to retake portions of the case for better outcomes or scores. They can also see how other students handled the same case. In addition, the program allows students to work in groups, where they can discuss different approaches to the case — a valuable feature of traditional medical education.
MyCaseSpace can give professors more accurate information on individual student performance, Mr. Segal points out. This semester, the professor is teaching nearly 800 pharmacy and pathophysiology students in four classes, two online and two that meet in person. Each student is assigned 15 cases, and that means Mr. Segal has 12,000 cases to grade, a daunting task. But MyCaseSpace does much of the work for him, he said. It tracks each student as he navigates through and records how long the student spends on each portion of the case. In traditional classroom discussions, it is difficult to determine if everyone is absorbing the material, he said.
Professors interested in the program will have a few options: purchase and use existing cases created by Mr. Segal or others; customize cases to their liking; or build their own cases from scratch or from other resources, like textbooks. In building a case, professors will put information from their own lessons or textbooks into the program's slides, and will need to determine what they want the virtual patient to say. That process could be time consuming, Mr. Segal said, and might require funds to pay for the extra time spent outside the classroom creating the cases. Professors can also choose to develop their own virtual patients or use one of Mr. Segal's.
Commercial interest in the program is growing. Mr. Segal is working with Venture Lab, a service at Central Florida that works with technology entrepreneurs to develop business plans.
The program has also made its way into business instruction. Cameron Ford, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Central Florida, worked with Mr. Segal after the pair saw a parallel between training students to diagnose a patient and coaching entrepreneurs. Mr. Segal developed a demonstration model for Mr. Ford that asks entrepreneurs basic questions about their backgrounds, business ideas, and how far along they are in developing them. Based on the answers, the avatar suggests free services in their geographic areas to help them. The response from the business community in Orlando has been good, Mr. Ford said.
"We feel like we can connect entrepreneurs to those agencies more effectively and give them more guidance to think more rigorously of the quality of their ideas and business concepts at a very low cost," Mr. Ford said.
Critics, however, note that there has been no research showing that students do learn more using programs like that. "In a way, what is being done is experimental," says Peter J. Ludlow, a professor of philosophy at Northwestern University and an author of The Second Life Herald: The Virtual Tabloid That Witnessed the Dawn of the Metaverse. "I'm sure it is more fun to do it in Second Life, but as to whether you get a superior training, it is just not clear where that would come from." source
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| posted by blogger @ 08:27
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| Being in the hospital made me want to be a nurse
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| Tuesday
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Molly Kerkman heard the crash before she saw it.
Her sister was learning to ride a dirt bike in the family yard when she tried to turn the bike but couldn’t. The girl crashed into a trailer, and the handlebars of the dirt bike smashed into her chest.
“I helped her as much as I could,” Kerkman said. “There were a lot of people there though.”
Kerkman said the collision bruised her sister’s chest enough to warrant taking her to the hospital, and lingering colon complications as a result of the crash kept her sister there.
That’s when Kerkman said she knew she wanted to be a nurse.
“It got me more excited to help people,” the 17-year-old Grand Junction High School senior said. “Being in the hospital and watching everyone work made me want to be a nurse.”
The accident happened during Kerkman’s junior year, and since then, she has delved into nursing as much as she can.
Kerkman is enrolled in the medical preparation program at Western Colorado Community College, which will make her a certified nursing assistant upon completion.
“We’re just getting to the hands-on part,” Kerkman said. “It’s really fun.”
In February, Kerkman said, the class will begin clinical rotations in area nursing homes before the students are allowed to explore their interests in specialized nursing.
For Kerkman, that is either prenatal nursing or neonatal nursing, and she would like to study at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs because of the school’s good nursing program.
“I’m not sure which one yet,” she said. “I just like babies.”
Kerkman is also involved with Grand Junction High’s chapter of the Health Occupation Students of America group, which is a national group for students interested in health careers.
The group is raising money to finance a trip to a health competition this spring, Kerkman said, that will test competitors’ nursing abilities with tasks such as bed making.
“It’s basically different things associated with being a nurse,” she said.
Kerkman said the group kept busy over the fall semester collecting teddy bears to distribute to several groups including children at St. Mary’s Hospital and local foster children.
Teddy bears were even sent to children in Afghanistan, Kerkman said.
“I don’t even know how many there were,” Kerkman said. “Bags and bags full, at least.”
Kerkman’s French teacher, Jodee Cronk, said Kerkman always offered extra help to lower-level French students when she mentored a French class for a year.
“She even taught the class whenever the teacher was absent,” Cronk said. “Molly was an excellent role model source
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LPNs and RNs-similarities and differences
LVN vs RN What is the difference? |
| posted by blogger @ 23:58
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| Warren County Community College's nursing program.
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Wearing a nursing gown and oxygen mask, Warren rests comfortably, his vital signs all normal.
His breathing eventually becomes labored, his heart rate begins to spike and his eyes eventually close. Warren just went into cardiac arrest.
"When I was in nursing school, I never saw anyone have a heart attack," said Joan Pollner, director of Warren County Community College's nursing program. "Now every one of our students can see a heart attack."
Warren, a medical simulator, is part of the college's $5.5 million addition unveiled and dedicated Saturday just days ahead of the start of the spring semester.
Faculty, observing from behind one-way glass, will control Warren's vital signs and adjust them accordingly as students react to the "patient's" changing conditions. Pollner said instructors will not grade the sessions, as they're intended to develop students' abilities to think on their feet.
"Sometimes when (students) pore over a book they memorize, they don't critically think," she said. "If you're in the hospital, you don't want your nurse looking through a textbook."
The roughly 19,000-square-foot, two-story addition doubles the college's educational space, adding 12 classrooms, including two science laboratories and the nursing laboratory. College President Will Austin said student enrollment has increased about 83 percent over the past five years to about 1,850 students this fall.
He expects enrollment to top 2,000 students for the first time in school history for the fall 2009 semester.
Several dignitaries on hand for the ceremonial ribbon cutting echoed the community college's growing importance in the face of a worsening economy. Freeholders and assemblymen noted the college can provide additional education for those in the work force and an affordable place for families to start their children's educations.
"There may be more families that have to rely on this institution to educate their children," Freeholder John DiMaio said. source
Important skills, knowledge, and abilities for LVNs
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| posted by blogger @ 18:06
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| Genesee Community College's growing nursing program
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Genesee Community College's growing nursing program may relocate to the first building in Batavia's new Med Tech Park, the college said last week in a news release.
Vice President for Finance and Operations Kevin Hamilton outlined plans to the Board of Trustees during its meeting on Jan. 12.
The Med Tech Park is located on about 30 acres on the south side of Assemblyman R. Stephen Hawley Drive. GCC's Board of Trustees, with the consent of the Genesee County Legislature, ceded the parcel to the Genesee County Economic Development Center for the creation of a new business park that can house medically-oriented firms in biotechnology, telemedicine, and other emerging health care technologies.
The Genesee County Economic Development Center is now planning the first building in the new park, Hamilton told trustees. Preliminary plans call for the nursing program to occupy the second floor of the new building.
The second floor would consist of four classrooms, three nursing labs, a large group instruction room, and seminar space, the news release said.
GCC's nursing program now admits students twice each year. The program has grown by about 70 percent in the past year in an attempt to help meet the growing demand for nurses in area hospitals and other health care facilities, the news release said.
If negotiations progress well, the nursing program could occupy the new space in the 2009-10 academic year, Hamilton told the board.
In other business:
-- Dr. Ruth E. Andes plans to retire at the close of the current academic year.
Andes has been a member of the faculty for the past 38 years, serving as professor of sociology and more recently, as assistant dean of Assessment and Special Projects.
Andes has also served as chairwoman or co-chairwoman of each of the institutional self-studies required by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in preparation for reaccreditation. source
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| posted by blogger @ 12:03
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| They expect to be certified dental assistants, with jobs soon after.
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America's education businesses are absorbing some of the unemployed and unsatisfied domestic workers. DeVry University, a subsidiary of DeVry (DV), is benefiting from citizens looking to reposition themselves in the job market. Online enrollment increased by a full quarter -- from 41,128 to 51,628 -- in November 2008 compared with a year earlier. Graduate-student enrollment rose 13.7% during the same period, from 15,657 to 17,803. DeVry shares also trade just below a 52-week high of 61.
Much of the focus has been on the health sector as students look for jobs as medical assistants, surgical technicians, and respiratory therapists. DeVry also benefits from companies that reimburse employees for tuition, such as Verizon (VZ), Best Buy (BBY), Boeing (BA), and McDonald's (MCD). "It's a good, calculated risk," DeVry University President David Pauldine says of returning to school. "It's either that or you drop out and head to Mexico," he jokes.
At the Citrus Heights [Calif.] campus of Western Career College, a DeVry subsidiary, sisters Julie Johnson, Hollie Pearson, and Aimie Earle are pursuing certifications to work as dental assistants. Like many other DeVry students, the three are changing careers. Recently married, Johnson worked the graveyard shift as a cocktail waitress in the card room of a Sacramento casino. Earle was laid off in September after two years at a car dealership. Pearson, who worked in central California real estate, says she probably wouldn't have returned to school if business had stayed strong. "Since the market went where it went, this is a good change for me. I'm glad to be here," Pearson says about school. By August, the sisters expect to be certified dental assistants, with jobs soon after. DeVry says that more than 90% of its graduates find jobs in their field within six months. source
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| posted by blogger @ 06:51
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| Lone Star College LSC-Montgomery’s nursing program
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| Monday
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Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital to Fund Nursing Faculty Position at Lone Star College-Montgomery
THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Recognizing the critical need for qualified nurses, Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital recently pledged to support Lone Star College-Montgomery with a dedicated salary for an additional nursing faculty member.
The annual contribution to the college, which totals approximately $57,000 per year, allows the college to continue to expand its nursing program, said Dr. Ron Dewlen, dean of natural science and health professions at LSC-Montgomery.
“We are so grateful for Memorial Hermann's recognition of the importance of our nursing program," said Dewlen. "Our program demands intense faculty interaction with our students, and an additional instructor will allow us to serve more students.”
“Memorial Hermann The Woodlands is extremely pleased to provide support to Lone Star College-Montgomery for an additional nursing faculty member,” said Susan Griffin, RN, chief nursing officer at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital. “This will allow additional qualified applicants to enter the profession of nursing. We enjoy a great partnership with Lone Star College and will continue to work closely to provide a great learning environment for student nurses. We are actively employing many as professional student nurses who we often hire full time after they complete their nursing curriculum.”
LSC-Montgomery offers several nursing programs, including the basic associate degree nursing (ADN) track, licensed vocational nursing (LVN), and a transition to professional nursing track for those LVNs and paramedics desiring to pursue the ADN track. The college also offers a certified nurse assistant (CNA) program.
Normally, the college has 114 students enrolled in its ADN and LVN programs. With the contribution from Memorial Hermann, the college will be able to expand the program by almost 10 percent, adding 10 students for the upcoming 2009-10 academic year--and each year thereafter.
According to Manijeh Azhang Scott, director of the LSC-Montgomery nursing program, the hospital's contribution couldn't come at a better time, considering the ongoing nursing shortage--both locally and nationally.
"The need for highly qualified nurses in Montgomery County and the surrounding area has only increased over time," said Azhang Scott. "Our students are highly sought after once they complete their program and pass the Board of Nursing’s certification/registration exam."
Nationally, the shortage of registered nurses could reach as high as 500,000 by 2025 according to a report released in March 2008 by Dr. Peter Buerhaus of Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Dr. Douglas Staiger of Dartmouth University, and Dr. David Auerbach of the Congressional Budget Office. The report found that the demand for RNs is expected to grow by 2-3 percent each year.
For more information about LSC-Montgomery’s nursing program, visit the Web site below or call (936) 273-7030 and ask about the dates of the upcoming information sessions source
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MyCoolJob: Nurse |
| posted by blogger @ 23:58
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| The UT Health Science Center now offers a Masters of Science in nursing,
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Because of continuing budget cuts, it is becoming harder for UT students to get accepted into the UT nursing program. However, a new nursing program at the UT Health Science Center in Memphis is providing an alternative.
The UT Health Science Center now offers a Masters of Science in nursing, which will prepare students for RN licensure and certification as a clinical nurse leader. The program was created especially for students seeking a master’s degree who do not have a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
To apply to this program, students need to have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher with a 3.0 grade point average. They must also have taken anatomy and physiology, microbiology and statistics.
Susan Jacob, executive associate dean for the College of Nursing at the center, said CNL programs benefit patients, as well as nurses.
“Clinical Nurse Leaders are registered nurses with specialized skills and knowledge about safety and error reduction to better prepare them to care for today’s patients in a complex health care environment,” Jacob said. “CNLs are skilled in quality improvement methods and use clinical data to inform decision making.”
Jacob said patients will benefit from having CNLs who can provide coordination and integration of care, which will lead to better patient outcomes.
Joan Creasia, dean of the UT College of Nursing, said she believes this program has benefits for those looking for a second degree.
“This is a good program for students who want a master’s (degree),” Creasia said.
The 22-month program is accelerated. After 16 months, students can take the registered nurse licensure examination, and program graduates can sit for national certification as a CNL.
CNLs are registered nurses who have completed a master’s generalist Clinical Nurse Leader program, and the MSN CNL program is partially being implemented to provide for more CNLs in hospitals.
The CNL program also provides direct preparation for a job in the field.
“Graduates will be prepared for entry-level positions at the bedside,” Jacob said. “They should be highly sought by employers who are aiming for safe, cost-effective patient-centered care.”
Jacob also said the MSN CNL program prepares nurses to improve how health care is delivered for better patient, staff and organizational outcomes.
A small pilot program was conducted with registered nurses two years ago where six registered nurses completed the CNL program and became certified as CNLs.
Jacob said graduates of the program, as well as employers have expressed satisfaction with the CNL program.
She said employers have not only reported satisfaction with CNLs, but employers who have an adequate number of CNLs have reported improvement in ventilator care, surgical infection rates, patient falls and length of stay for patients with heart failure.
The program’s curriculum is directed toward the study of scientific rationale underlying nursing care, the development of critical-thinking skills, knowledge of clinical microsystems and a focus on quality, safety and error reduction.
A typical first-year curriculum includes clinical anatomy, genetics, health assessment and pharmacology, along with other courses.
Each term is 20 weeks, and one must complete a total of 60 credit hours with 855 clinical contact hours before being licensed. An additional 19 credit hours with 360 clinical contact hours are required for completion of the program.
The deadline to apply is Jan. 15. The program will accept 70 to 90 applicants, and those applicants will receive notification of their admission status by March. source
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Why I became a nurse
What it Takes to be a Nurse
Why a Nurse? |
| posted by blogger @ 18:11
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| You’re never too old to become a nurse
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My previous column, about my experiences in nursing and the ongoing demand for nurses today despite the troubled economy, seems to have touched a chord. A number of nurses wrote in to share their love of the profession, but I also heard from people outside the field who are attracted to it, yet concerned that it may be too late in life for them to take it up.
“I wish I had done it sooner,” says Janet, a 41-year-old mother of three in Milford, Conn. “I just can’t help shaking the feeling that I might be too old to start. Does nursing want people like me?”
Phyllis Simon wonders the same thing as she enters a licensed practical nursing program (LPNs perform under the supervision of registered nurses or doctors) at age 57: “Do you think I am too old?” she asks. “I know lots of people now are making changes at all ages.”
You’re never too old
Phyllis is right; you’re never too old to try something new. I was the same age she is now when I decided to start working as a nurse in special education schools in 1976. Granted, my nursing background was an advantage because they needed people with medical background, but I still had plenty of new and unfamiliar material to tackle. In order to get accreditation, I had to get six credits in teaching reading, for example.
I was starting over from A-B-C, literally. But I got through it, and special ed nursing was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. And if I could do it in my mid 50s in 1976, you can do it today, Phyllis!
H. Ross in Columbus, Ohio probably isn’t as old, but still has misgivings about changing fields: “I am a recent college graduate from OSU (criminology and sociology) who feels that nursing may indeed be my true calling. Do you have any advice for people who already have a bachelor’s degree in another field, or would you recommend starting the process all over again with another bachelor’s program in nursing?”
Don’t assume that your credits aren’t applicable, H. Ross; put those criminological skills to work and do some investigating. For instance, your criminology credits might apply toward a career in forensic nursing: nurses who work with law enforcement to investigate crimes such as sexual assault, as well as treating crime victims.
Playing detective
Where should you start your detective work? Online is certainly one place. Johnson & Johnson has a site called DiscoverNursing.com that reveals the plethora of specialties within the field. In Florida, for instance, where I live, I see plenty of travel nurses, who follow patients south in the winter and north in the summer.
Another place you see nurses these days: drugstores, where certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants offer an often lower-priced alternative to doctor’s offices in treating such ailments ear infections or administering flu shots or polio vaccinations.
But don’t be afraid to wear some old-fashioned shoe leather too as you probe the possibilities. The nursing magazines I read are full of job fairs. Another place to go: your local hospital, where you’ll often find materials on nurse recruitment right up front in the reception area.
In fact, nurses are in such demand that many hospitals are giving review courses to people who have been out of the field a while – like reader Hollie Bamford, 60, in Alexandria, Va., who loves nursing but is daunted by the number of non-nursing-related academics she has been told she needs to tackle in order to get her BSN. “I LOVE nursing, but I have found myself somewhat stymied,” she writes.
Keep knocking on doors
Hollie, I suggest you visit a different university and get reevaluated. There are also career counselors out there who will assess your record and suggest alternatives. If one door doesn’t open for you, get out there and knock on some others!
Granted, changing careers is challenging. But people do it all the time—people like Ann Mellema in Naples, Florida, who writes that she returned to get her bachelor’s of science in nursing after 20 years, and proudly lists her credentials— RN, CCRN (critical care registered nurse), CMC (nurse practitioner), BSN—after her name. “I have been a nurse for 25 years and have enjoyed every minute of it,” she writes. “I would encourage nursing as a great career path.”
Diane Green, an RN in Massillon, Ohio who went through a three-year diploma program in the early ’80s, agrees: “It is a rewarding profession, and a very fast-paced one.” Like me, Diane is dazzled by the technological upgrades in nursing, such as computerized charting. And, she adds, “I can pick my own schedule.”
Even if you have to take some courses or training to pursue your dream, don’t be daunted: There are a lot of aging baby boomers, and the new health programs expected to come as the Obama administration begins this week will create even more need for health services. That means there are going to be jobs in nursing for a long time to come. According to ADVANCE for Nurses magazine, the country will need 2.8 million nurses by 2020 — and there’ll be a shortage of some 250,000 of them.
So if you’re thinking about changing fields to nursing or within nursing — or even to another field altogether — my advice remains the same: Be flexible. Be persistent. And don’t sell your own experience short. source
How to Become a Nurse
Faster than average job growth for registered nurses
Possible Solutions for Nurse Shortages
Top Medical Jobs |
| posted by blogger @ 12:05
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| Jefferson Community College was awarded nearly $2 million
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| Sunday
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Jefferson Community College was awarded nearly $2 million Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor as part of the Community-Based Job Training Grants Initiative.
"I'm just thrilled for the college and the community," JCC President Carole A. McCoy said. "This is wonderful. To be able to produce more nurses at all levels and to get this programming here is just amazing."
College officials applied for the grant in the fall in hope of securing funding for health care programs. The college will use the money to create a part-time night and weekend associate degree nursing program, establish a program mentor for registered nursing students and increase faculty capacity for all nursing programs.
The money will help support the Jefferson Higher Education Center, which will house a family and psychiatric nurse practitioner program, respiratory therapy program and medical technology program. The grant also will provide tuition assistance for students who want to pursue a master of science nursing program at the Higher Education Center.
"Health care is a pressing need in this community," Mrs. McCoy said. "We've been pushing to try to provide more health care workers for the community. It's a great opportunity for us to implement the program we know the community needs."
Mrs. McCoy said the college is still considering putting the Higher Education Center in the former Redwood Bank location on Coffeen Street. She said some money from the grant would go toward paying for the faculty and staff needed at the center, as well as necessary equipment to offer the programs.
JCC is just one of 68 community colleges and community-based institutions in the country to receive funding under the grant this year.
In the first three years of the grant, more than 270 institutions received $497 million in funding.
"The (money) awarded today will expand enrollment in education and training programs, and provide more workers with the skills they need to succeed," Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao said in a prepared statement. source
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Why I became a nurse
What it Takes to be a Nurse |
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| the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University have pulled back on study-abroad programs in Israel
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Concerned about increasing violence in the Gaza Strip, the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University have pulled back on study-abroad programs in Israel and the West Bank.
Penn's nursing program has postponed sending five students to Israel, and likely will suspend study abroad there for the spring semester. And the university strongly recommended that students in other programs in that region defer study abroad for the spring. Four of the six agreed; the other two applied for leaves of absences to study at Israeli universities on their own.
At Rutgers, nine students were scheduled to study there this spring. Six still plan to go on their own. One will remain home, and two others have decided to go to Australia, said spokeswoman Sandra Lanman.
"I have very mixed feelings about it," said Julia Selznick, 20, a Rutgers junior from Haddonfield, who said she now would not be able to complete requirements for her Jewish-studies dual major. "On the one hand, it's almost like it's not worth the risk. However, I have a lot of friends who live in Israel. I know a lot of kids who went there for community service programs over break, and everyone there said they couldn't feel the effects of the war going on."
Also a psychology major, she will study in Australia this semester instead.
Both local universities made their decisions last week as schools throughout the nation debate the issue.
"Some, like Penn, have decided this is not the right time to do those programs," said Gary Rhodes, director of the Center for Global Education at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. "Others are keeping a close eye and continuing to operate them. Others have made statements that they definitely will continue to operate them."
At Penn, 11 undergraduate students were scheduled to study there this semester - 10 in Israel and one in the West Bank. Of particular concern to Penn were students in the nursing program.
"The nursing program includes travel from college dormitories to hospitals for their clinical rotations. It's that travel that we were most concerned about for the nursing students," said Anne Waters, executive director of the Office of International Programs.
The university was guided by Department of State travel warnings, she said.
In addition to a longstanding warning, the department on Jan. 6 put out an alert urging U.S. citizens "to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness."
The alert noted that Israel began a military operation against terrorists in Gaza on Dec. 27, following ongoing rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza into southern Israel. It also warned that protests against the military action in Israel and the West Bank could turn violent.
Some schools were undeterred.
Cornell University will send 11 students to four universities in Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beersheva, which is near the Gaza strip.
"We haven't made any decision to change our policy," said Richard Gaulton, director of Cornell Abroad. "Obviously, if we felt our students were in particular danger in any country, we could withdraw them."
He said the university in Beersheva, where one student will study, has decided to relocate visiting students to a safer campus location.
Swarthmore College will send one student to the University of Haifa this spring, a spokeswoman said.
Drexel University will proceed with plans to reestablish a co-op program in Israel, which will start in September. They will reevaluate as the starting date nears.
Muhlenberg College in Allentown will keep a handful of students in programs in Israel. Students who want to study in locations where there are travel warnings are required to undergo special counseling with their families, said Donna Kish-Goodling, associate dean of global education and an economics professor.
Kish-Goodling emphasized that there are risks anywhere in the world, including the United States. She noted that Muhlenberg had students in London when the subway was bombed.
The suspension of the program at Rutgers has raised the ire of some Jewish leaders, who fear that it sends the wrong message and unnecessarily raises alarm.
"For those of us more familiar with security that Israeli institutions provide and how daily life is continuing at this time, it seems that the university's decision was unnecessary and harmful, of course, to the students who had planned for, in some cases, years to take part in this study-abroad experience," said Andrew Getraer, executive director of Rutgers Hillel in New Brunswick.
Joshua Barer, 20, a junior Jewish-studies major from Westfield, N.J., was at the University of Haifa in the fall and plans to return on his own this semester.
"If you live in fear, then you're not really living," he said, adding, however, that he does understand Rutgers' reluctance to take on the responsibility of the risk.
"It's very different when you're over there, especially being around Israelis so used to it. You see they're not stressed," added Barer, who was in Israel since the conflict began intensifying last month and returned to the United States a few days ago.
Universities typically reevaluate their programs as conflicts heat up, said Tony Pals of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa., suspended travel to Israel and the West Bank before 2002 and hasn't resumed.
"The State Department issued a travel warning at that point, and we took that into consideration," said Brian Whalen, president and chief executive officer of the Forum on Education Abroad, based at Dickinson, which maintains 25 active abroad programs.
In 2005-06, the most recent academic year for which statistics were available, 2,226 U.S. students studied in Israel for credit at their home universities, said the Institute of International Education.
Penn could resume study to the region in the summer or fall. "The university remains committed to our academic exchanges with Israeli universities," Waters said. "It is the current conflict situation that concerns us and guides our decision for spring term."source
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| Tennessee Technological University nursing program
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While universities across the state have cut the number of nursing students they will teach to help solve the state's continuing budget crisis, Tennessee Technological University says its program remains in high demand and no plans have been made at this time to reduce the number of students it serves.
"Our program has grown quite a bit," said Monica Greppin, associate vice president of communications and marketing at TTU. "We're very fortunate to have a dedicated faculty and a number of nurse practitioners in the area to serve as adjunct faculty."
That mix of full-time and part-time instructors has helped the program maintain its faculty-student ratio and serve a growing number of students. Greppin said there are 160 students enrolled in upper division school of nursing course work, while there are 350 lower division students. Since 2006, the program has added 60 more upper division students and 100 more lower division students.
But at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, the state's budget deficit and instructions to trim budgets by 20 percent have led the university to say it may admit 50 percent fewer undergraduate students this fall.
And that has health care advocates concerned. According to data from the Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing, Southern Regional Education Board, there are about 2,400 annual job openings for nurses in Tennessee through 2012. By 2020, Tennessee is projected to have a shortage of more than 35,000 registered nurses.
"This is the time when colleges and universities should be considering how to support the nursing industry to boost our economy as well as promote patient safety," said Ann Duncan, executive director of the Tennessee Center for Nursing, in a press release.
While cutting nursing programs would make it difficult to fill nursing jobs, the Tennessee Nurses Association says the economic impact would be substantial. More than 33 health care companies are headquarted in Middle Tennessee and many rely on nurses as an essential base for their workforce. Nursing and health care related employment are among the fastest growing occupations in Tennessee.
While nurses are an important part of the state's health care system, training those nurses is expensive.
"On any campus, nursing is one of the most expensive programs to support," Greppin said. That's due to the specialized equipment and supplies needed.
"But the university is dedicated to making sure the nursing program is successful," she added.
TTU's School of Nursing, which moved to a new facility this past fall, continues to exceed national and university graduation rates. Graduates of the TTU program had a 100 percent pass rate in 2008 on licensure exams and employer surveys show a high level of satisfaction with the program's new graduates. Graduates surveyed also expressed satisfaction for being prepared to begin their first job.
TTU has formed a task force to study the school's budget situation and develop scenarios to handle possible cuts. They are early in the process and no recommendations have been made at this time. Greppin said there were three vacant positions in the School of Nursing that may go unfilled.
"That's up in the air right now," she said. source
Faster than average job growth for registered nurses
Possible Solutions for Nurse Shortages
Top Medical Jobs |
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| Mount Carmel College of Nursing has added another school to a program
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Mount Carmel College of Nursing has added another school to a program that allows undergraduates to complete general education courses at their home campuses and complete a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the hospital-affiliated school.
Eight students from Wilmington College will be accepted yearly to finish their last five semesters at Mount Carmel under the partnership outlined this week. The private Quaker college with about 1,700 students is in Wilmington, halfway between Columbus and Cincinnati.
Mount Carmel entered a similar collaborative two years ago with fellow Roman Catholic institution Ohio Dominican University in Columbus.
The religious-based schools share similar missions, Ann Schiele, president and dean of the nursing college, said in a release. The partnership gives Wilmington an inexpensive way to start a nursing program while assuring Mount Carmel a student body that’s been rigorously prepared academically.
Several Wilmington students have shown interest in the profession amid a national shortage, and Mount Carmel has a leading reputation, college President Daniel DBiasio said.
Based on the campus of Mount Carmel West Hospital near downtown, the school offers programs that include bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Through the first nine months of last year, 137 of its graduates, or 84 percent, passed the licensing exam, according to reports filed with the Ohio Board of Nursing.source
Vocational nurse training-Vocational nurse job
Licensed Vocational Nurse Salary in California
Vocational Nursing schools in California |
| posted by blogger @ 23:52
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| Troy University-the Doctorate of Nursing Practice
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Troy University has received a level change approval from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, paving the way for the university to offer its first doctoral program, the Doctorate of Nursing Practice.
“This is a milestone in the history of Troy University,” Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr. said. “We are excited about this major achievement for our university, but the real beneficiaries will be the people of the state of Alabama as we increase the availability of highly trained nurse practitioners.”
The Commission on Colleges approved the level change for Troy University at its annual meeting in San Antonio. Hawkins shared the news with members of the Board of Trustees at the fall trustees meeting.
Dr. John Dew, associate vice chancellor for institutional research, planning and effectiveness, said the Commission on Colleges decision means Troy University is authorized to offer up to three doctoral programs.
The action by the Commission on Colleges comes a little over a year after the Alabama Commission on Higher Education granted Troy approval to offer the Doctorate of Nursing Practice. At that time, Chancellor Hawkins said by offering the Doctorate in Nursing Practice, the university will help improve Alabama’s healthcare system, particularly in underserved areas of the state.
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Our proposal was based on the indisputable need for more nurses in the state at all levels, from the associate’s degree though the doctoral level,” Dr. Hawkins said. “These new programs will help alleviate the nursing shortage in our state.”
According to Dr. Ed Roach, executive vice chancellor and provost, Troy University is taking steps to implement the DNP program by fall semester of 2009. source
Vocational nurse training-Vocational nurse job
Licensed Vocational Nurse Salary in California |
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| the right number of nurses with the right skills in the right places.
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CHEAPER and in some cases unqualified nurses will replace university-trained nurses across Greater Southern Area Health Service (GSAHS) hospitals as of next year.
The move has been labelled as the State Government’s latest round of cost-cutting, expected to save $800,000 in salaries from GSAHS hospitals in a six-month period alone.
Up to 53 full-time equivalent registered nurse positions in GSAHS will be turned into enrolled nurse roles, saving $20,000 each.
Media reports yesterday said six positions will be affected at Deniliquin, Batemans Bay and Corowa hospitals, and 18 at Albury Base Hospital.
The decisions will take the ratio of enrolled nurses, who have no minimum level of education, to 50 per cent of the combined registered and enrolled nurse numbers.
Meanwhile, general manager of GSAHS central sector Jill Ludford said the nurse skill mix initiative ensures GSAHS hospitals have the right number of nurses with the right skills in the right places.
“It is about getting the mix of nurses in a clinical team right and is not a reduction in nursing staffing numbers,” Ms Ludford said.
“Wagga Base Hospital already has an appropriate mix of registered and enrolled nurses to work across acute and community services.”
The NSW Nurses Association said the union would try to ensure the needs of each hospital were assessed individually.
The association did not provide a person for comment on how the changes would affect Wagga, despite requests from The Daily Advertiser yesterday. source
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse
Licensed Vocational Nurse working conditions
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ? |
| posted by blogger @ 16:16
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| The University of Tennessee’s College of Nursing
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The University of Tennessee’s College of Nursing will halve the number of students it admits next fall unless it can secure $450,000 in external funding in the face of growing state budget pressures.
Three grants totaling $450,000 have run out, the nursing program has cut positions, and state law requires the college to maintain eight students per one faculty member, but currently mandated state budget cuts could take up to $268,000 more from the budget, which was adopted at $3.7 million this fiscal year.
As a result, the college may have to reduce next fall’s admissions to 48 students, down from 96.
“There’s a huge demand for nursing — and there will continue to be a huge need — but we’re not able to admit a sufficient number of students to help meet that need,” said Gary Ramsey, chairman of the undergraduate nursing program. “This is devastating for these students, but it’s a reality we all have to deal with.”
A 2007 American Hospital Association survey of hospital leaders said U.S. hospitals had 116,000 registered nurse vacancies as of December 2006 — a vacancy rate of 8.1 percent.
Ramsey said the college is working to secure additional funding by March, when the college makes decisions about admission.
“We have applied for grants. We’ve talked to some foundations. We’ve talked to some of the local business people who have health care interests. … We’re asking all the local hospitals to commit a dollar amount to us for anywhere from a two-year to a five-year commitment,” Ramsey said.
Additional funding would allow the college to retain faculty needed to serve 96 students, Ramsey said.
Admission to UT’s college is “highly competitive,” Ramsey said. About 250 to 300 students apply each year. Of 282 applicants last year, 240 had a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. The cut-off GPA was 3.53.
“What happens is you have 200 students who are well-qualified and certainly able to succeed in the program, but we don’t have the budget to admit these students,” Ramsey said. “That’s a broken system. … It’s very disconcerting.”
The undergraduate applicant pool will grow even larger for fall 2009 as the college implements a new admissions initiative in which incoming freshmen will be able to apply directly to the nursing program and, if admitted, have a guaranteed slot when they enter their junior year.
The college plans to “overadmit” because some students will decline admission, change majors or have difficulty maintaining the required 3.2 GPA.
Currently, UT sophomores apply for junior-year admission to the college and, if denied, about 40 percent leave the university to pursue other nursing programs or majors. Sixty percent remain at the university and either reapply or change majors.
Some UT sophomores have said they are so upset at the current problems that they will not even bother to apply, said Beth Barret, director of student services for the College of Nursing.
“Students are feeling panic, frustration and fear that they’re not going to get in,” Barret said. “You can imagine how frustrating it is for someone who worked hard for two years, did very well academically, then can’t get in. It’s a bad situation.”
The college has operated at an annual deficit, balancing its books with the new funding that comes with each new budget year, Ramsey said.
“Each year that deficit, over the past three years in particular, has grown, so that this current year, starting this July 1, 2008, we were actually $365,000 over budget,” Ramsey said. “That money was taken away on the front end to zero out the previous year’s budget. So that figure has compounded over a several-year period of time.”
As a result, he said, “The current budget, we’re operating at a loss. It is not an adequate budget to actually do what we’re currently doing.”
Future budget cuts also will impact the college at the graduate level. Ramsey said the college is looking at consolidating programs and eliminating some of the concentrations for graduate students.
Ramsey said the college sees more applicants during economic downturns, because there are abundant nursing jobs.
“It’s discouraging because there is such a high demand for nurses,” said Whitney Prude, a junior in nursing. “It just seems counterproductive.”
Local hospitals aren’t happy with the possible reduction in admissions.
“With a nationwide nursing shortage, it is always a concern when a program has to downsize,” said Teresa Gross, Covenant Health spokeswoman. Gross said the change in the UT nursing college “will have some effect” on Covenant Health, but the impact will be lessened due to a partnership with the Tennessee Wesleyan College–Fort Sanders Nursing bachelor’s degree program.
UT Medical Center, however, receives more UT-Knoxville graduates than any other area hospital, said spokesman Jim Ragonese. The hospital hired 105 new nursing graduates in 2008, and 22 of those were from UT.
“It saddens all of us,” said Janell Cecil, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at UT Medical Center. “We’re concerned because UT’s school of nursing is a good program, and we see many of those students come through our program. And we’re about 36,000 (nurses) short in Tennessee — the demand is great, but the supply is little.”
Ramsey said other area nursing schools lack the budgets for increasing enrollment to meet the statewide nursing demand.
“No one is going to be able to pick up that slack,” he said.
Dr. Ruth Elliot, associate dean for nursing at Tennessee Wesleyan, said nursing admissions are strong and resources are committed to increasing the nursing program.
UT-Knoxville’s interim chancellor, Jan Simek, said in a statement, “This is an example of how what happens at UT impacts the entire community and the state. We’re cutting tens of millions of dollars out of the budget at UT Knoxville, this has a dramatic impact on our students, faculty and staff; but there are also consequences for the people of Tennessee who benefit from the services this university provides.” source
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career?
What do Vocational Nurses do?
Important skills, knowledge, and abilities for LVNs |
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| Doctors and nurses who do not wash their hands could be sacked under new "zero tolerance" rules
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Doctors and nurses who do not wash their hands could be sacked under new "zero tolerance" rules to prevent the spread of superbugs.
The tough rules on hand hygiene will be applied to Scottish hospitals from January.
Those who repeatedly fail to comply with hand washing guidelines have been warned they could face disciplinary action when the new rules are implemented.
Ministers previously set a 90 per cent target for handwashing, to be met by February next year.
But they believe that target has already been achieved ahead of schedule and the health boards are being told to target the remaining ten per cent of staff who fail to keep their hands clean.
An aide to Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said it was "unacceptable" for medical staff to flout hygiene rules.
He said: "Hand hygiene is an important part of our drive to tackle healthcare associated infection. NHS Scotland has met the target to achieve at least 90 per cent compliance.
"We are now adopting a zero tolerance approach to non compliance and all Boards are expected to implement this policy from January 2009."
He added that a new campaign would be launched next month to raise awareness of the high standards being set.
"Compliance monitoring will be stepped up and there will be a new hand hygiene campaign launched in January.
"It is unacceptable for staff to fail to comply with hand hygiene guidance. All staff must ensure the safest possible environment for patients.
"Zero tolerance means just that, and all staff should be in no doubt that the highest standards are expected." source
Vocational nurse training-Vocational nurse job
Licensed Vocational Nurse Salary in California |
| posted by blogger @ 08:28
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| LVN program, CA, College of the Redwoods
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The Licensed Vocational Nursing program is a 3-semester program preparing the individual to work as an LVN under the supervision of a Registered Nurse. Licensed Vocational Nurses work in acute and convalescent hospitals, physicians' offices, clinics, and other health care facilities.
College of the Redwoods.
7351 Tompkins Hill Rd,
Eureka, CA 95501
The LVN program provides the students with learning opportunities to develop interpersonal and technical skills. The LVN functions as a member of the health care team providing basic nursing care, administering medications, reporting and documenting patients' signs and symptoms, and carrying out therapeutic and rehabilitative measures. The LVN program is offered at both the Eureka and Del Norte campuses.
When does the LVN Program start?
The LVN program is offered every year on the Eureka campus starting in the fall semester and concluding at the end of the summer session. On the Del Norte campus, the LVN program starts every other year in the odd years and completes the fall semester of the even years - 8/2003-12/2004; 8/2005-12/2006.
What are the entrance requirements?
Entrance to the Program is subject to an application process (Eureka - annually; Del Norte - biennially). In filing an application for entrance to the LVN program, the applicant must verify: Enrollment at College of the Redwoods, High school graduation or equivalent, and Successful completion of "prerequisite courses" to the nursing program with a
grade of "C" or better. Applicants who have completed the "prerequisite courses" at accredited colleges/universities other than College of the Redwoods, these courses must be comparable in course content and unit value.
Vocational Nursing schools in California
Vocational Nursing schools in Texas
Vocational Nursing schools in Florida
New York LPN Programs - New York LPN Schools & LPN Training Courses |
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| Nurse Assistant, South Florida Community College
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This program is designed to prepare an individual to work as a nursing assistant in a hospital, nursing home, skilled nursing facility, and in other health care settings.
600 West College Drive -
Avon Park, FL 33825 -
863-453-6661
The participant should be able to provide basic patient care to all age groups in a safe manner. Emphasis is placed on good clinical skills and effective communication. Successful completion of the course permits the graduate to take the state exam for certification. Some weekend hours are required for clinical purposes.
Special Requirements:
Successfully pass CPR prior to or during the first two weeks of classes to remain in program.
Score Reading - 8, Mathematics - 8, and Language - 8, on TABE prior to registration.
Length: 180 contact hours
Certified Nursing Assistant provides optimal patient care
Certified Nursing Assistant Jobs
Job opportunities fore nursing assistants |
| posted by blogger @ 23:55
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| CNA program, Florida, Pasco-Hernando Community College
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The purpose of this program is to provide the knowledge and skills required to pass the written and skills portion of the State of Florida Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) exam and enter the workforce as a CNA in a health care facility.
Pasco-Hernando Community College.
10230 Ridge Road, New Port Richey, FL 34654-5199
727-847-2727
The Bureau of Labor Statistics for the U.S. Department of Labor is projecting that the employment of nursing assistants will grow between 21 to 35% through the year 2012 due to an increase in the elder population and longer life expectancies.
Potential Earnings
According to Labor Market Statistics by the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, hourly salaries for CNAs can range from $9 to start to $12 for experienced professionals. Typical salaries are about $11 per hour.
This is a 4-technical credit hour program. Full-time students may complete the program in about one term. Part-time students may require additional time.
Certification
Students who successfully complete this program are eligible to take the state exam.
Clinical agencies may require the student to submit a criminal background check.
A physical examination certifying satisfactory health (Form SAR-40A) and a professional liability insurance card are required for clinical courses in this program
CNA salary-Certified nursing assistant salaries by location
Where to find a free CNA training?
What is a Nursing Assistant and Certified Nursing Assistant? |
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| Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training program-The East Central Florida Memory Disorder Clinic
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The East Central Florida Memory Disorder Clinic, part of the Health First Aging Institute, is now offering a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training program as part of the Clinics Training Academy. The program consists of 19 days of classroom lecture and 4 days of clinical training in a long-term care facility. The first class begins Monday, March 3, 2008, from 9 am to 2 pm. The classes meet Monday through Friday, with the final class session on April 4, 2008.
"This is a recent addition to our Training Academy. We feel this program will really make a difference in the delivery and quality of care of people in our community," said Farah Sivolella, Director of the ECF Memory Disorder Clinic.
The five-week CNA training program is based on coursework from the American Health Care Association and instructors are registered nurses experienced and knowledgeable of Florida State requirements for certification. The five-week class will start March 3, 2008, in Melbourne at the ECF Memory Disorder Clinic Training Academy classroom, 3661 S. Babcock Street. Additional five-week classes will be offered throughout the year, with the next class period beginning in May. The coursework includes 120 hours of lecture and skill development; CPR training; and clinical training in a long-term facility to help the student successfully pass the licensing exam.
The Certified Nursing Training Program is helpful to anyone looking for a new career or a career change to the nursing profession; upgrading from a non-professional position within a medical facility to a licensed CNA position; for those planning on entering a nursing degree program and wish to have an income and experience while obtaining an education; the course can be used as a preparatory course to any continuing nursing program.
A deposit of $50 is required to register for the class and full tuition ($650) must be paid by the end of the coursework before receiving a Certificate of Completion. Tuition may be reimbursable by your employer.
For more information about the CNA course, please call (321) 768-9575 extension 3002 source.
What nurse assistants do
Certified nursing assistants in a hospital environment
Certified Nursing Assistant training
Certified Nursing Assistant provides optimal patient care
Certified Nursing Assistant Jobs |
| posted by blogger @ 08:48
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| Arizona nursing programs
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| Monday
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Despite a mounting need for nurses across Arizona, proposed plans to slash higher education budgets could force many of the state's universities to downsize their nursing programs, the East Valley Tribune reports. According to the Tribune, nursing programs in Arizona are particularly expensive because state law requires schools to have one professor for every 10 nursing students. By contrast, other educational programs can have as many as 20 to 30 students per professor.
To offset the proposed budget cuts, Arizona State University, which runs the state's largest nursing program, has already announced it will cut 80 spots from its incoming nursing class, reversing progress over the last five years to expand the program by 40%. Meanwhile, officials at Northern Arizona University are exploring ways to make budget cuts without lowering enrollment.
To ensure a continuous supply of new nursing talent, the state's private and community colleges are expected to begin filling the enrollment gap. Many hospitals and health systems also are pressing forward with efforts to expand the nursing pipeline. Scottsdale Healthcare, for example, collaborated with Scottsdale Community College to allow students to gain clinical training at the system's hospitals. In addition, Banner Health has partnered with five local community colleges in Maricopa County to launch a nursing fellowship program that pays for students' education in exchange for a three-year work commitment.source
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Free CNA programs:Free CNA training
CNA skills-CNA skills video |
| posted by blogger @ 23:56
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| Nursing education in Ross County-Veterans Affairs Medical Center
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Nursing education in Ross County is growing again, this time through a partnership between Ohio University-Chillicothe and the Chillicothe Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Classes started earlier last week at the VA, providing 30 additional people the ability to start prerequisites needed to be eligible for selection to the associate's of applied science degree in nursing at OU-C. Math, chemistry and English evening classes are offered on the VA campus by OU-C staff. Currently, a dozen of the openings are filled.
"I think it's an advantage to the VA because you have the hospital facility and you're training onsite," said Joyce Atwood, resource development coordinator.
The arrangement also makes it convenient for VA staff interested in the program, added Charlotte McManus, associate director of OU-C's nursing program.
"There are several LPNs out there who might be interested to go into our LPN to RN program. We could get them in a little sooner with the collaboration with the VA," McManus said.
The extent of the partnership still is being determined, but it is possible the nursing classes and labs could be offered at the VA as well, McManus added.
"They have what we need if we do offer it there," she said, adding her students already do some clinical work at the VA.
Jeff Gering, VA director, is excited about the partnership as well as another venture that beings this summer. Starting in July, the VA will be assigned a group of students doing their medical residencies, a first for the Chillicothe VA and unusual for a smaller VA facility, Gering said.
"They find 17 to 20 percent of residents stay in the area where they complete their residency, so this will help the whole community as well," Gering said.
Although OU-C has graduated more than 600 nurses since beginning the program in 1993 and the long waiting list for those interested in the program, neither McManus nor Atwood feel there is any danger of the industry getting flooded.
"I've never seen it flooded; I've been in nursing since 1978 ... I've never had any of my students turned away from a job. All of them get jobs before graduating or a few weeks after graduating," McManus said.
Actually, the need is continuing to grow as baby boomers become older and have more health care needs. However, the higher demand is for RNs, McManus added, and many places are encouraging and providing incentives for their LPNs to continue their education.
In recent years, OU-C has utilized partnerships to expand its program. The nursing program works with Adena Regional Medical Center, Berger Hospital and Ohio Christian University, to name a few.source
Dental Assistant training-Dental Assistant job-Dental Assistant salary |
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| Arizona State University College of Nursing
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The education of nurses is vital to the health and welfare of Arizona residents. The Arizona State University College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation has doubled its enrollment in the past five years to help close a critical shortage of nurses in our health-care system, which makes it the state's and one of the nation's largest producers of nurses with baccalaureate and graduate degrees.
Since 2004, the College of Nursing has increased its faculty from 42 to 80 full-time members and 65 part-time faculty. During that time, the number of students admitted to the bachelor of science degree in nursing program increased from 160 to 300 a year. Although substantial state budget cuts will reduce that number to 220 admissions per year, it is a net gain of 60 graduates a year over the 2004 level.
Despite the rapid expansion, the program has maintained its outstanding quality with consistently high pass rates on the RN-licensure exam by its graduates and has become a national model for the preparation of nurses who deliver evidence-based care, which improves health-care quality, cost and patient safety.
Increases in enrollment to other nursing-degree programs at ASU also have been dramatic:
• RNs returning for bachelor of science in nursing degrees have increased from 41 per year to 119, a 190 percent increase.
• Master's and doctor of nursing practice degree admissions, which prepare nurse practitioners to provide quality health care to Arizonans, have increased from 125 to 184.
• Master of health-care innovation degree admissions that prepare leaders for health systems have increased from the first class of 16 in 2007 to 35 students currently enrolled;
• Thirty students will be admitted to the first cohort of students in the master of clinical research management degree that begins in August.
• And 19 students have been admitted to the PhD program that prepares nurse educators to teach nurses in a time of a critical shortage of nursing faculty.
In the face of extreme state budget cuts, ASU had to make a difficult decision to reduce the number of students it can admit. Reducing the number of students who are admitted to the traditional baccalaureate program was only one strategy implemented to deal with the budget reduction.
Other actions included placing a hold on various open faculty positions and reorganizing the college's five nurse-practitioner managed-health centers. Substantial funding increases from new faculty grants, development efforts and continuing education initiatives helped to avoid further reductions in enrollment.
Four years ago, ASU "stepped up to the plate" to help reduce the state's nursing shortage. That the College of Nursing has had to retrench in the wake of a dire budgetary situation is not a wavering of commitment to produce the highest quality of nurses to care for the people of Arizona, but rather a fact of fiscal reality.
It is costly to educate nurses compared to graduates in non-licensed degree programs, in large part due to the state-mandated 1:10 faculty-student ratio for clinical-learning experiences to best ensure safety and quality care for patients.
State funding to ASU has been cut tens of millions of dollars during the past six months and tuition covers only approximately 25 percent of the cost of a nurse's education. It is not possible to provide a high-quality education to more and more students with fewer and fewer resources.
To combat the most severe nursing shortage that our state and country has ever seen, more funding from multiple sources is desperately needed so that our colleges can produce more highly competent nurses, nurse practitioners and doctorally prepared faculty to ensure the health and safety of the public today and for years to come.source
Nursing assistant training-Certified nursing assistant job
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CNA Programs, Nurse Aid programs in Texas |
| posted by blogger @ 16:21
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| interest in nursing had been rising over the past few years
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DEMAND for nursing qualifications through TAFE SA has surged by almost 20 per cent, latest applications data shows.
Figures released exclusively to The Advertiser by the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre show an 18 per cent jump in applications to study enrolled nursing, from 1986 students in 2008 to 2350 this year.
The Australian Nursing Federation said interest in nursing had been rising over the past few years but there still were not enough places in the vocational education or university sectors to meet demand.
Overall, TAFE attracted almost 900 fewer applicants this year but fields such as nursing, graphic design and dentistry experienced booms in popularity. The figures come on the eve of the publication of first-round TAFE offers in The Advertiser tomorrow.
For those who miss out, a second and final round of offers will be published on February 6.
Australian Nursing Federation (SA) education services manager Rob Bonner said the rise in applications was positive but he called for more places, particularly at universities where more advanced registered nursing qualifications are offered.
"For the last several years the number of applicants has greatly outnumbered the number of places that are available," he said.
"On current trends we will have a shortage of several thousand registered nurses in South Australia by 2020 unless we increase significantly the number of university places."
He said TAFE produced about 600 enrolled nursing graduates a year compared to about 250 five years ago.
Overall, 12,134 people applied to TAFE this year, down from 13,013 last year.
Enrolled nursing topped the list, followed by Business, Clerical and Office Administration (2069 applicants) and Childrens Services (1925 applicants) which was the most popular field last year but sustained a 16 per cent drop in applications.
Other popular subjects this year included Graphic Design (613 applicants, up 19 per cent) and Dental and Paradental (597, up 20 per cent).
Enrolled nurse Sue Pascoe, 40, graduated from a Certificate IV in health at TAFE in 2003 and now works at Flinders Medical Centre.
She applied to study a further advanced diploma in enrolled nursing this year, saying TAFE was more affordable and accessible than university.
"I think it is a good entry point for people (to) then step up to registered nursing if they want to," she said. source
Anesthesia Technologist Training Anesthesia Tech Job and Salary |
| posted by blogger @ 12:04
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| Health care and medical technology
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As 2009 begins, San Diego County faces its toughest employment challenge since the early 1990s, when local defense factories shut their doors and laid off thousands of workers after the end of the Cold War.
Economists predict the county's unemployment rate will top 8 percent this year and the work force could lose as many as 30,000 jobs, compared with the 13,500 jobs lost in the first 11 months of 2008.
“We definitely haven't seen the worst of it,” said Kelly Cunningham, economist at the San Diego Institute of Policy Research.
But the job cuts won't hit all industries equally.
Economists say construction and financial firms will probably bear the brunt of the cuts because of continued weakness in the real estate market. Retailers and restaurants will lay off workers as consumer demand declines. The tourist industry may cut workers as businesses and individuals trim their travel budgets.
On the other hand, there are a few growth areas for local employment, partly because of expected government spending programs and partly because some public necessities – such as health care – transcend the fluctuations of the economy.
Following are some of the employment areas that economists say could provide some shelter in the continuing economic storm:
Health care and medical technology. Over the past year, the county added 1,500 jobs in health care. Employment agencies expect the hiring to continue next year.
“No matter how bad the economy is doing, people are still getting sick. They still need surgeries,” said Phil Blair, who co-manages the regional operations of the Manpower Inc. employment firm. “There's demand for everything from home health workers making $9 per hour to highly skilled physicians.”
Kanani Moser, who heads the technology division at TriStaff Group, a local executive search firm, said “anything that's health-related tends to be almost recession-proof.” Even in the worst years of the recession of the early 1990s, for instance, health care employment in San Diego County grew by more than 2 percent per year.
Companies that specialize in medical devices or diagnostic tests have been doing well in the current downturn.
Gen-Probe, which screens blood donations and makes tests for diseases, lists 16 job openings in the local market, including biostatistician, financial analyst and software verification specialist. Gen-Probe spokesman Michael Watts said the firm's employment level is growing at a modest but steady pace.
Telecommunications and high tech. Last year, scientific research and development firms grew by 3.9 percent in San Diego County, adding 1,000 jobs. Wireless firms grew 6 percent, adding 700 jobs.
Kevin Carroll, who heads the local office of the AeA, a leading high-tech business association, said he doesn't expect strong growth this year, but he also doesn't expect a dramatic rise in layoffs.
“We're not going to see whole industries wiped out, like what happened in the early 1990s,” he said. “We're not going to see anybody standing out on street corner, carrying signs saying 'Will code for food.' ”
Local employment agencies say there are still openings for highly skilled technicians and engineers. Tech employment could also benefit from some of the stimulus programs being considered in Washington.
The incoming Obama administration is working on a multibillion-dollar package of tax credits and grants to develop a national broadband network and a computerized health care information system.
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a think tank in Washington, maintains that such a package could generate nearly 1 million jobs at a cost of $300 billion – less than half the bailout offered to the financial industry last year.
On the other hand, San Diego Association of Governments economist Marney Cox warns that even with the stimulus spending, tech firms will face a challenging year because venture capital is drying up and credit is difficult to get.
“The high-tech clusters that we've got in the county are very dependent on venture capital funds and IPOs (initial public offerings),” Cox said. “With the credit freeze, it's harder to get that money, so I'm expecting to see some job declines this year.”
Green industries. San Diego's growing green technology sector – which includes such solar-and wind-power firms as Kyocera International in Kearny Mesa, Envision Solar in La Jolla and Clean Power Systems near Scripps Ranch – also stands to benefit from economic stimulus spending.
President-elect Barack Obama said last week that he plans to double alternative-energy production over the next three years with the help of tax breaks and other incentives. Among other things, the solar industry is lobbying for a $10 billion program to install solar paneling on the roofs of all federally owned buildings, which could result in more jobs for panel producers and installers. Obama's goal is to add 5 million clean-energy workers nationwide over the next 10 years.
“The new administration's emphasis on green technology will have a huge impact in Southern California in particular, both for wind and solar,” said Gary Hardke, president of the Cannon Power Group in Del Mar.
Hardke said California's requirements for more renewable energy will also result in a number of projects over the next several years, which will create more jobs for production, installation and clerical workers.
Defense. Although San Diego is not the Navy town that it once was, the defense industry continues to be a major driver of employment here. A study last summer predicted that military contracting will increase steadily despite the economic downturn.
“As long as we have wars, the defense industry will be hiring,” Blair said.
Employment agencies say that SAIC, BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman are among the defense contractors that are continuing to look for workers. Military demand for the Predator, a flying drone, has led GA Aeronautical Systems to expand its production facilities in Rancho Bernardo.
Military/infrastructure construction. Since the home construction boom reached its peak in mid-2006, San Diego County has lost 17,200 construction jobs, including 6,200 in the first 11 months of 2008. The losses are likely to continue this year.
Economists from Chapman University in Orange and the University of California Los Angeles predict that construction employment statewide will decline between 2.7 percent and 5 percent this year, which could translate to a loss of 2,000 to 4,000 jobs in San Diego County.
But local construction companies could get a shot in the arm from the U.S. military. The Marine Corps plans to spend $4.7 billion on construction in San Diego County over the next two years, including $1.7 billion renovating barracks and single-family housing at Camp Pendleton.
“That's a lot of construction,” Cox said. “It could help ensure that the construction industry doesn't suffer any further declines.”
To create new construction jobs, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last year pledged to speed up infrastructure projects, including renovations in San Diego County along Interstate 15 and state Routes 52 and 905. But those plans are now threatened with postponement or cancellation because of the state's budget crisis, which could lead to the loss of several thousand local jobs.
On the federal level, Obama has pledged to set aside hundreds of billions of dollars for infrastructure projects throughout the nation. But that funding is aimed more at maintaining existing construction jobs rather than creating new ones.
Even though Obama plans to give the states billions of dollars to aid in their own infrastructure spending, Cox isn't sure whether that will result in a spurt of job creation in California.
“If new money comes in, the people in Sacramento are going to have to ask themselves whether they want to use it to balance the budget or to create new jobs,” Cox said. “If the budget isn't balanced, that will create even more problems.” source
Nursing assistant training-Certified nursing assistant job
Free CNA programs:Free CNA training |
| posted by blogger @ 08:56
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| to help nonresident nursing graduates find work
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A CNMI lawmaker is hoping to help nonresident nursing graduates of the Northern Marianas College find work immediately after graduation.
Rep. Justo S. Quitugua has introduced a bill that would allow nonresident nursing graduates from NMC the chance to work at private medical facilities in the Commonwealth, in addition to the Department of Public Health.
Currently, nonresident nursing graduates from NMC must have two years of experience before seeking employment in the CNMI except for those employed by DPH.
“Unfortunately, the Department of Public Health cannot hire all the nursing graduates of the Northern Marianas College every year, thereby leaving many nursing graduates without job opportunities to gain experience,” the bill states.
If passed, Public Law 15-108 would be amended to say that nurses may be exempted if they are graduates from a recognized institution with a degree in nursing science and satisfy licensing requirements in their country as well as requirements set by the Commonwealth Board of Nursing for License Practical Nurse (LPN) or Registered Nurse (RN).
“Nurses employed pursuant to this subsection shall meet all minimum experience requirements for employment as provided by law, except that any minimum experience requirement shall not apply to a foreign national worker who completed the nursing education program at the Northern Marianas College or other approved vocational nursing school in the Commonwealth, passed the NCLEX exam, and is employed on or before December 31, 2009, in a nursing position at the Department of Public Health or a private medical clinic in the Commonwealth.” source
Vocational nurse training-Vocational nurse job
Licensed Vocational Nurse Salary in California
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| posted by blogger @ 23:58
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| 56-year-old single parent dreams to become a nurse
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Debbie Watson believes in the American dream. Not only does she believe it, she is determined to keep it alive. Her dream is to drive a better car, find time to read a book, go to a movie or just relax and unwind for a day. None of which is currently within her reach, and for the next 15 months, it doesn't look any better for this 56-year-old single parent with two grown children at home.
Life seemed pretty good working at Corbin's Clothing during the 1990s. Better than average pay, good benefits, the luxury of a 40-hour work week. Even the 30-minute drive from Crown City didn't seem all that expensive. Then downsizing began, the hours were cut back along with a reduction in pay. By 1999, a 20-hour work week with minimum wages was hardly enough for utilities and groceries.
"I just didn't know what to do. There were bills coming in, and the money was no longer there to pay them. I was forced to declare bankruptcy. I felt so ashamed to do it, but I didn't feel there was any other way out," said Watson, who was then forced to depend on food stamps for basic necessities.
Struggling from job to job, trying to find something of substance, Watson heard of a Marshall University program called WIA, a federally funded workforce developing program that offered degree programs at the community college. She graduated with a 3.8 grade point average in Health Information. Watson had now made one giant step in her climb back up the mountain.
It wasn't long after graduation that Watson was given a job at HealthSouth. It wasn't the position she had hoped for -- but she took it anyway.
"I worked in the kitchen at Health South for over three years. During this period, every time a job came open in the Record's Department, I would apply. I kept on applying every time they advertised that position. I also made sure my application was updated to keep it current. Finally, the day came. I was hired," said Watson, who now has aspirations of climbing even further up that mountain.
Currently, Watson's face is as bright as the new attitude she appears to carry with her. Despite working two full-time jobs for the last 24 months, she has now set her target on another goal: a career in nursing.
"I have always loved helping people. Being around patients at HealthSouth, talking to them, assisting them with their needs has all helped me to understand that I enjoy this type of environment," she said.
Watson currently works full time at HealthSouth and another full shift at Kentucky Fried Chicken on U.S. Route 60. A typical day might begin at HealthSouth from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., then KFC from 5 p.m. until closing. She has done this in an attempt to save money for the 15-month nursing program which begins in January at Collins Career Center in Ohio.
"When school starts, I will leave KFC and work during the day at HealthSouth while attending evening classes at Collins Career Center. I really want to thank the staff at KFC. They are wonderful in understanding what I'm doing and been most supportive in letting me work any shift I can. Also, my supervisor at HealthSouth, Teresa Adkins. She is a most gracious individual who has supported me since the very beginning," she said.
In addition to working with very understanding people, Watson is blessed with another support system -- family. Her daughter cleans the house, does the shopping, washes clothes and generally helps in any way she can. Her son bought new tires for her car and does general repairs around the house when something breaks. With this type of family unity, Watson is closer to the top of the mountain than she may realize.
Yes, Watson has a dream. She also has the support of her children to reach it. They shop at Goodwill because it stretches the budget. They clip coupons and look for bargains at the grocery store. This Christmas, they bought a few gifts and spent the rest on a holiday meal that they enjoyed together as a family.
If success is measured by the effort required to obtain it, this is a story of very successful family. source
Vocational nurse training-Vocational nurse job
Licensed Vocational Nurse Salary in California
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| posted by blogger @ 20:12
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| Nurse, please, please accept a high-paying job with us!
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Please, please accept a high-paying job with us. In fact, just swing by for an interview and we'll give you a chance to win cash and prizes.
Sounds too good to be true, especially in an economy riddled with job cuts in nearly every industry. But applicants for nursing jobs are still so scarce that recruiters have been forced to get increasingly inventive.
One Michigan company literally rolled out a red carpet at a recent hiring event. Residential Home Health, which provides in-home nursing for seniors on Medicare, lavished registered nurses and other health care workers with free champagne and a trivia contest hosted by game-show veteran Chuck Woolery. Prizes included a one-year lease for a 2009 SUV, hotel stays and dinners.
"We're committed to finding ways to creatively engage with passive job seekers," said David Curtis, president of the Madison Heights-based company.
Recruiters like Curtis may have little choice. The long-standing U.S. nurse shortage has led to chronic understaffing that can threaten patient care and nurses' job satisfaction, and the problem is expected to worsen.
The shortage has been operating since World War II on an eight- to 10-year cycle, industry experts say. Each time the number of nurses reaches a critical low, the government adds funding and hospitals upgrade working conditions. But as the deficit eases, those retention efforts fade and eventually the old conditions return, often driving nurses into other professions.
"We recently had a hiring event where, for experienced nurses to interview -- just to interview -- we gave them $50 gas cards," said Tom Zinda, the director of recruitment at Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare in the Milwaukee-area city of Glendale. "We really try to get as creative as we can. It's a tough position to fill."
Recruiters across the country have tried similar techniques, offering chair massages, lavish catering and contests for flat-screen TVs, GPS devices and shopping sprees worth as much as $1,000.
Even strong salaries aren't doing the trick. Registered nurses made an average of $62,480 in 2007, ranging from a mean of $78,550 in California to $49,140 in Iowa, according to government statistics. Including overtime, usually abundantly available, the most experienced nurses can earn more than $100,000.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts about 233,000 additional jobs will open for registered nurses each year through 2016, on top of about 2.5 million existing positions. But only about 200,000 candidates passed the Registered Nurse licensing exam last year, and thousands of nurses leave the profession each year.
Several factors are in play: a lack of qualified instructors to staff training programs, lack of funding for training programs, difficult working conditions and the need for expertise in many key nursing positions.
Cheryl Peterson, the director of nursing practice and policy for the American Nurses Association in Silver Spring, Md., said employers must raise salaries and improve working conditions.
"The wages haven't kept up with the level of responsibility and accountability nurses have," said Peterson, whose organization represents nurses' interests. Chronic understaffing means nurses are overworked, she said, and as burned-out nurses leave the situation spirals for the colleagues they leave behind.
Some hospital departments where experience is vital, such as the emergency room or intensive-care unit, simply cannot hire newly minted nurses. So managers in those areas have even fewer staffing choices.
Nurses qualified to teach aspiring nurses are scarce chiefly because they can make at least 20 percent more working at a hospital, experts said.
"It can be hard to turn down that extra money," said Robert Rosseter, the associate executive director of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing in Washington, D.C.
Many recruiters have looked for employees overseas, and about one-fourth of the nurses who earned their licenses in 2007 were educated internationally, most in the Philippines and India.
Some health organizations go out of their way to recruit as many nurses as possible even when they're overstaffed.
Residential Home Health, the home-nursing company in Michigan, is always looking to hire, Curtis said. Even with 375 clinical professionals on staff, his recruiters are eager to sign up as many as 50 more nurses and therapists, hence the Chuck Woolery event.
Zinda, the Milwaukee-area recruiter, said creative recruiting helps to introduce nurses to his hospital. Besides offering interviewees $50 gas cards, he has provided $100 gift cards to the local mall, and created a Facebook page to target younger nurses.
Attracting good candidates is about offering good working conditions, he said, but creative recruiting goes a long way in generating a buzz.
"Bottom line, you need to get people excited about what you're offering," he said. "If you don't, they can easily go elsewhere."source
How do I find the job?
LPNs and RNs-similarities and differences
LVN vs RN What is the difference? |
| posted by blogger @ 12:28
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| More men in nursing.
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Indiana Wesleyan University officials want more men in nursing.
The nursing division at IWU remodeled its offices to be more gender-neutral, encourages a change of mindset about nursing and created an extracurricular group for men in nursing.
With men representing roughly 10 percent of IWU’s nursing students, the university is already above average, said Barbara Ihrke, IWU’s executive director of nursing programs. The division realized a few years ago the profession was viewed in a particularly feminine light, so they decided to make some changes.
“We have men who want to be in nursing, so we decided we were going to make a real effort to try to attract men and make nursing at IWU a little more gender neutral,” Ihrke said.
The department was transformed from pastels and flowers to neutral colors with a large-screen television. When Ihrke originally looked at the proposed changes, she didn’t like them. She called in the men in the department, who said, “I really like that.” Ihrke went through with the changes and said she likes them now.
“It really has a whole different look, and I think that that will help as young men come in to visit us,” Ihrke said.
The effort to recruit men to nursing is more than a bucket of paint and wanting to increase a percentage, though. IWU nursing professors said the industry needs men.
“There is a national nursing shortage that’s significant,” said Rob Dawson, IWU’s interim chairman of the division of nursing and director of the Transition to Nursing program. “If men went into nursing at the same rate, or even half the rate that women went into nursing, the nursing shortage in the United States would be completely resolved.”
As of early this month, 6.7 percent of Marion General Hospital’s registered nurses were men. Tracy Livingston, a licensed practical nurse in the surgery department, has worked as a male nurse for 20 years at Marion General Hospital. In May, he graduates from IWU as a registered nurse.
“It’s very rewarding, and I very much enjoy what I do,” Livingston said.
During his 20 years as a nurse, he said he’s watched people become more comfortable with having a male nurse take care of them. He hasn’t had any recent issues with patients being uncomfortable with him.
Livingston said he sees several advantages to his profession and for hospitals to have male nurses. In some cases, women are more comfortable with a female gynecologist. He said he thinks men can be the same way with nurses, and he anticipates the population of men in the profession growing.
Dot Clark-Ott, IWU instructor of nursing, said she also wants to see the percentage of men in nursing and in IWU nursing classes increase. Men care for patients just as much as women do, Clark-Ott said, but there are some differences.
“Men do different things when they’re nurses,” she said. “They tend to joke a little bit more. … They touch, but they don’t touch in quite the same ways.”
The differences aren’t bad, though — they’re just different, she said.
Beyond the renovations and the group for men in the nursing program, the university is also reaching out to area middle schools and high schools, placing men into school nurse roles to get students more familiar with the idea.
“The schools have been tremendously receptive,” Clark-Ott said.
For Ihrke, more men in IWU’s nursing programs would be an improvement, but she wants more diversity overall. She wants to see different ethnic backgrounds in the program.
“The more diversity, the better it is,” she said. source
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse
Licensed Vocational Nurse working conditions
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ? |
| posted by blogger @ 08:41
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| Nursing School scholarships
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Students interested in pursuing a nursing career may be eligible for financial assistance through a fund administered by Rome Memorial Hospital.
Scholarship applications for 2009 are now available in the guidance departments of both Rome Free Academy and Rome Catholic School.
Selection is based on scholastic achievement, financial need, personal qualifications and professional promise. Female applicants must be citizens and legal residents of Rome and a high school graduate or senior who is expecting to graduate in the current year. Candidates must also be accepted or eligible for acceptance in an approved school of nursing.
Two or more scholarships are distributed annually for the first year of nursing school. The scholarship can be extended for two additional years if the recipient demonstrates need and is doing well academically.
The interest accrued annually from the Blanche and Fred Griffith Scholarship Fund is used to assist nursing students whose goals are to become registered nurses. The scholarship fund is administered by the hospital's board of trustees. The board appoints a committee to review applications and examine the credentials of applicants. The names of candidates will then be submitted to the board for final approval.
Applications are due by Friday, May 1st, and should be mailed to the Nursing Administration Office, Rome Memorial Hospital, 1500 N. James St., Rome, NY 13440.source
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career?
What do Vocational Nurses do? |
| posted by blogger @ 04:14
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| Nursing school uses the virtual patients
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Senior nursing students Jodi Hankins and Brandi Huffaker said they could use their imaginations or a breathing, role-playing volunteer to practice medical procedures in their school lab.
But the computerized mannequins purchased recently by Northwest Technical Institute make their learning seem real, actually more lifelike, than the lower-tech alternatives.
"It's just not the same," Huffaker, 20, of Lincoln, said Thursday during a demonstration of the models.
Instructors seated across the room can throw them curves, using software on MacBook laptops to program a range of dummy responses, such as blinking, talking, heartbeat, pulse rates and respiration.
"You can get different scenarios," said Hankins, 20, of Arkadelphia, who, like Huffaker, is seeking a certificate in licensed practical nursing. "Such as, if you give them a med, and it raises their blood pressure."
"There's even bowel sounds," Hankins added.
During the 2007 legislative session, the institute received $236,429 from the General Improvement Fund for the simulation lab equipment, said George Burch, the school's president.
The school got three computerized dummies, which for Thursday's tour were dressed as a grown man, a little boy and an elderly woman, that cost about $65,000 each, said Mandy Allen, the lab's coordinator.
The appropriation also allowed the institute to expand its existing cast of two noncomputerized dummies to five, buy the software and switch to motorized hospital beds so students could more easily practice the body mechanics of moving patients, she said.
The institute's officials said during Thursday's news conference they plan to look into ways that others in the community can benefit from the lab, such as area hospitals, medical and pre- medical students, and students at other Northwest Arkansas nursing schools.
The institute has 46 seniorlevel nursing students and 50 "prerequisite" students who are taking core courses with plans to major in nursing later, Allen said. The school also offers a "bridge" program, in which instructors from Northwest Arkansas Community College hold a satellite course in the room next to the institute's simulation lab, allowing students who get an LPN certificate from Northwest Technical Institute and pass their state LPN certification to enter the community college's associate degree program that trains registered nurses.
Institute officials said they are the first in Arkansas to use a brand of virtual patient technology from Medical Education Technologies Inc., a company with headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Sarasota, Fla.
Mannequin technology itself is not new in the state.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has used low- and high-tech mannequins for years, and schools such as the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith have started using them, as well.
UAMS spokesman Leslie Taylor said her school uses the virtual patients in areas such as its Clinical Skills Center and the College of Medicine's anesthesiology department, so that a variety of medical students, nursing students and those studying other health-related profession get exposure.
"It's a good tool, because it allows them to practice in these stressful situations before they have to practice on a real patient," she said.
Linda K. Calhoun is a UAMS assistant professor of nursing who coordinates the baccalaureate of science and nursing program in the school's College of Nursing.
"Simulation is something that's been around for decades," she said. "It's just that it's progressed, technologically over time, to be much more lifelike.
"Their skin is lifelike skin, they have blood vessels - unlike in the '60s or '70s. They are physiologically and anatomically accurate, even in the way that blood vessels are placed."
The trio of dummies in the institute's lab Thursday had pulse points that could be seen and felt, a heartbeat and breathing movements.
Students can perform all sorts of invasive procedures on the dummies - depending on the level of the students' program - that would be unsafe to practice for the first time on a real person, such as starting IVs, inserting urinary catheters, drawing blood and intubating patients. They also can practice dressing wounds and giving medication.
"Certainly, you wouldn't want students putting catheters into their peers," Calhoun said. "You don't want the students to have their first practice on a patient, who is sick in the hospital."
The most invasive procedures the program's students will use on the dummies include starting IVs, inserting nasal-gastric tubes, inserting catheters and performing enemas, Allen said.
The virtual models are so essential to education, UAMS' Calhoun said, that they are used throughout nursing programs, even by advanced students who already are working with live patients.
"Everybody works on models - they just work on different ones," Calhoun said. "Even your smallest community college nursing setting, they have probably one model, at least." source
Vocational Nursing schools in California
Vocational Nursing schools in Texas
Vocational Nursing schools in Florida |
| posted by blogger @ 23:10
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| Maria College in Albany nursing program
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Maria College, a two-year private school in Albany, is seeking state approval to expand its 40-year-old nursing program and begin offering its first four-year degrees.
The proposed bachelor of science in nursing would be open to registered nurses and is expected to increase enrollment by 20 students.
It would generate more than $170,000 a year in additional revenue based on tuition that would be higher than the $8,600 a year currently charged for students.
“Offering bachelor’s might help address the [nursing] faculty shortage by giving students another option,” said Margie Byrd, vice president of academic affairs at the New Scotland Avenue college.source
Vocational nurse training-Vocational nurse job
Licensed Vocational Nurse Salary in California |
| posted by blogger @ 20:04
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| North Central Texas College NCTC hopes to open a branch campus in Graham
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Higher education in Graham is poised to take a major step forward — if the voters agree.
The board of directors of the Graham Education and Workforce Center recently voted to change the focus of the college and invite North Central Texas College to open a community college branch in Graham.
Neal Blanton, the president of the board, said the decision was not easy but it was necessary to ensure higher education had a constant presence in Graham. Blanton explained that while the GEWC has been successful in many ways over the last three years, the college never was able to get all the classes it hoped to offer in Graham. To guarantee class offerings, the best solution right now is to invite a community college to come into Graham.
The question was what college?
For years, Ranger College offered courses in Graham, but the relationship never grew to a level that pleased local leaders. When Ranger refused to offer more courses, local leaders went to the Legislature and got permission to break free from Ranger and begin its own college which became the GEWC.
So returning to the community college level was not something that was easy to do until NCTC came into the picture. Blanton explained that a relationship with NCTC began when Graham began looking for a college to bring in a nursing program.
“The board started talking to NCTC about starting a nursing program,” he said. “Last month, I signed with NCTC to begin a nursing program.”
Around the same time, the board began debating the future of the GEWC.
“We started looking at and evaluating what the board thought the vision was originally — that was higher education, vocational training, dual credit courses,” Blanton said. “We started looking for someone who could fill that bill. Every time we turned that corner, there they were — NCTC.”
Blanton said returning to a single community college was not something the board wanted to do — until they began meeting with representatives of NCTC.
“I can’t tell you in visiting with them how impressed I am with them,” Blanton said. “You need the identity of a college. Our idea was great, but you need the identity of a college.”
Emily Klement, dean of the Bowie campus with NCTC, will oversee operations in Graham on a temporary basis, and she said she hopes it will become permanent.
“We want to provide the opportunities the people of Graham deserve,” Klement said. “A branch campus allows the college to provide every service the main campus does. We would want to do that any way. We will be able to give this college the same focus as the main campus.”
The main campus of NCTC is located in Gainesville and satellite campuses have been opened in Bowie and Denton. NCTC hopes to open a branch campus in Graham.
But before NCTC can come in, there is one hurdle that must be cleared — finances.
“We would have an election called by the school district,” Blanton said. “It would be presented to the voters for a five cent per $100 property tax. That will raise us $300,000 per year. That will go toward the district. It will go toward the campus.”
Blanton said some of the money would be spent on salaries, but the vast majority would be used to maintain and improve the campus.
If the tax is approved, NCTC could move in and open the branch as early as the fall semester. When that happens, the courses available to students will grow quickly.
“We think in a very short period of time we can have a welding class, electric, plumbing and vocational courses,” Blanton said. “We think almost immediately we will have more classes and we will have better classes.”
Klement said NCTC has already agreed to run the nursing program in Graham, offering students the ability to earn LVN certifications at home.
“That’s going to be very important that we provide allied health for this area,” she said. “We’re going to start with the LVN program.”
Klement hopes that the nursing program will grow to offer opportunities to become registered nurses quickly.
As for the rest of the academic opportunities in Graham, Klement said there is no limit to what can be offered.
“If we can start this college here, not only can we have the academic transfers that will lead to teachers and engineers, but we can be leaders in workforce development,” Klement said.
She explained that NCTC makes vocational training and workforce opportunities a priority. She said in Graham she could quickly see a welding program to meet the needs of employers like Southern Bleachers. She said the Bowie campus recently opened an oil and gas technology program that could be shared with Graham.
“If we’re to have a branch campus, we would have those opportunities,” Klement said. “That’s something the public may not know.”
In addition, NCTC has made an effort to reach out to public schools, working with students from the fifth grade through graduation.
“It is important that we partner with the ISDs, not only with dual credit but with readiness for college that is so important in their lives,” Klement said.
Big changes could be on the horizon, but for the time being, things will continue as normal, Blanton said.
“Vernon will continue its classes for the spring semester,” Blanton said. “NCTC will have its classes. They had an open registration recently and had more people turn out than at their Corinth and Gainesville campuses.”source
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How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse |
| posted by blogger @ 16:29
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| Filipino nurses were involved in cheating in a nursing exam
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The Pinoy nursing community in Oslo is reeling from an allegation that Filipino nurses were involved in cheating in a nursing exam conducted by a local college here.
The allegation stemmed from a report from the local paper, Dagavisen, quoting a Filipino nurse called “Romeo” revealing that he was part of cheating in an exam held by the Høgskolen i Vestfold in 2002 with the help of his recruiter, Rizalina Jenssen.
“Romeo” alleged that Jenssen was present during the exam and was giving his answers to other recruits of ASOR to make sure that they pass the exams and make them eligible to work in Norway as nurses.
Rizalina Jenssen is the owner of the recruitment agency, ASOR, that recruits nurses from the Philippines to work in Oslo.
Outraged by the allegations, around 50 nurses from Oslo met at the Philippine embassy last Friday to discuss what they are going to do about the revelations that they claim had tarnished the image of Filipino nurses in Norway.
The nurses belonging to two major nursing organizations, the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) and the Filippinsk Integrering og Interessegruppe (FIIG), are considering launching a signature campaign condemning the allegations of cheating and calling for an investigation of the matter.
In the meeting at the embassy, Helen Locsin, leader of FIIG admitted that the scandal has affected all Filipino nurses in Norway.
“We are here to find a solution on how we can uplift the credibility of Filipino nurses and to stop the allegations kung hindi tutuo,” she said.
PNA leader Cynthia Baluyot said she seriously doubts the truth behind the allegations but she called an investigation of the college that conducted the probe.
Both Jenssen and the Vestfold College have denied that the cheating took place in separate newspaper reports.
The Statautorisasjonkontor (SAFH) called the college to verify the report and had been reassured that the allegations had no basis. source
An immigrant doctor from the Philippines takes a job as a nurse in California-video
The Filipino Nurses-video
Pinoy nurse video
Pinoy Nurses Meridian Tonight News Video
Joys and pains of filipino nurses video |
| posted by blogger @ 08:26
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| Filipino nurses should not pin all their hopes on the American market
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The United States will need 1.2 million new nurses by 2014 to meet the growing demands of its aging population and to fill in for retiring health workers, a recruitment consultant said over the weekend.
Citing a report from the US Department of Health and Human Services, recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani said the US will need 500,000 nurses to replace those leaving the service and 700,000 more to take care of the aging baby boomers in the coming years.
Geslani, however, said Filipino nurses should not pin all their hopes on the American market.
According to Geslani, who works for the Federated Association of Manpower Exporters (FAME), an umbrella group of recruiters, the US States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has yet to adopt rules that would expedite the processing of visas for foreign nurses.
There have been proposals to the USCIS to have a dedicated lane and category for foreign nurses to fast track their visa applications. Geslani said the USCIS is still studying the proposal and it may take the agency sometime to reach a decision on the matter.
“The nursing shortage in the US may not be solved in the immediate future as policy recommendations will have to be approved and the red tape involved in the processing of nurses visas will have to be resolved without the CIS letting up on its safeguards in setting up standards for foreign nurses qualifications,” he said.
Geslani and FAME urged Filipino nurses not to wait for the US market to open up. They noted that they could apply to health facilities in the Middle East. Although the pay in Middle East is lower than in the US, Filipino nurses do not have to wait for years before getting a job there, Geslani said source
Provide more foreign nurse visas
US to increase work visas to ease strains of nursing shortage
five nurses from the Philippines lost their jobs because they failed to meet the region's expectations |
| posted by blogger @ 23:57
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| Hiring of Filipino nurses in the US has declined due to the slow processing of nurse visas
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Job recruiters expressed optimism yesterday that at least 20,000 jobs await Filipino nurses and other health workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East.
Lito Soriano, president of LBS E-recruitment Solution Inc., said Saudi Arabia and other Arab Gulf countries are in dire need of healthcare-related workers.
He said representatives from various hospitals in Saudi Arabia are arriving in the country this month to recruit the necessary workers.
“Teams from King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital arrived yesterday and other teams from other medical hospitals are also arriving in the coming weeks,” Soriano added.
Aside from Kind Fahd, other hospitals recruiting health workers are Armed Forces Hospital in Jeddah, Prince Sultan Cardiac Center in Riyadh and King Khalid Military Hospital in Hafr Al Batin.
The Philippines is having difficulty filling up the job orders from the Middle East due to lack of experience among Filipino health workers, Soriano said.
Recruitment agencies, however, warned local nurses yesterday that a continued slowdown is projected in the hiring of Filipino nurses in the United States this year.
Soriano said the hiring of Filipino nurses in the US has declined since 2004 due to the slow processing of nurse visas by American immigration authorities.
The US Citizenship Immigration Service (USCIS) admitted the need to fill up the requirement for 1.2 million new registered nurses by 2014 to meet the growing demand for heath workers in the US.
The processing of US visas for foreign nurses, including Filipinos, has remained slow despite the growing demand.
Soriano said the request of the US Immigration Service’s Ombudsman to the USCIS would not immediately hasten the processing of visas of Filipino nurses applying to work in the US.
“The recommendations made by the Ombudsman to USCIS are merely proposals for improving the processing of nurse visas and not immediately executory,” Soriano explained.
He pointed out that the recommendations would have to be adopted by the USCIS after hearings and consultations with the government and private nursing sectors in the USA.
“News reports that the US market has opened up and the lengthy period for entry of Filipino nurses to the US has been shortened are therefore not true,” Soriano clarified.
Meanwhile, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said the re-nationalization program in Middle East and European countries is unlikely to affect the hiring of skilled overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Roque said that since 2001, various Arab Gulf states have restricted the entry of foreign workers, including Filipinos, but that many countries would still be needing Filipino workers in the so-called “3Ds” or jobs classified as difficult, dirty and dangerous.
Local recruitment industry officials have warned of a possible decline in the hiring of Filipino workers because of the nationalization program in European countries.
Soriano said a slowdown in the deployment of OFWs is expected in oil exploration and service sectors abroad.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) confirmed that nationalization policies in Middle East countries remained a threat to the hiring of OFWs.
Soriano said European countries have also announced plans to restrict the entry of foreign workers and to prioritize the hiring of their nationals.
Canada and Australia are planning to impose measures to protect their own citizens and limit the hiring of foreign workers.
Companies in the United Kingdom have also announced plans to reduce their workforce in 2009 due to the global financial crisis.
POEA Administrator Jennifer Manalili, however, remained optimistic that Middle East countries would continue hiring Filipino workers. source
Provide more foreign nurse visas
US to increase work visas to ease strains of nursing shortage
Medical Careers Salary Best Medical Careers Top Medical Jobs |
| posted by blogger @ 20:44
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| a regular dental assistant school and the Assist to Succeed dental assistant program
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The difference between a regular dental assistant school and the Assist to Succeed dental assistant program is location. The students at Assist to Succeed aren’t in a classroom designed to mimic a dentist’s office. They are in the St. Nicholas office of Dr. Zan Beaver.
“It’s an accelerated course condensed into 11 Saturdays,” said Beaver, who opened the local chapter of the Assist to Succeed school in 2005. “We offer as good as, if not better, training.”
For under $3,000 per semester, a maximum of 15 students can be trained for a job in high demand. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates dental assistant jobs will grow 29 percent from 2006 to 2016.
“I started the school from scratch three years ago because I found it was hard to find well-trained assistants,” said Beaver, who hired a graduate last fall. “And it’s accelerated, so if you’re working a full-time job, you don’t have to quit.”
Keith Lechwar, one of Beaver’s clients, recalled being treated by the employee, Summer Pearce.
“She did a fine job,” said Lechwar.
Pearce, who read about the school in a newspaper article and responded because she always wanted to be in the medical field, loves what she is doing and was happy to go to school on the weekends while she had a part-time job as a waitress.
“It’s overwhelming at first,” said Pearce, who prior to completing the school’s training had just graduated from high school. “But classes are small, so you get one-on-one with the teachers.”
The typical Saturday consists of morning book work followed by lunch with an afternoon clinical. There is a midterm practical exam and a final. At the end of the 11 weeks, students take month-long externships and finish with 200 hours of work. And the graduates can practice anywhere.
“I get calls from doctors weekly asking for externs,” said Beaver. “Instead of advertising openings, they call and ask if there are any students interested.”
With a state-of-the-art classroom that has PowerPoint capabilities and actual patients coming in, the Assist to Succeed school requires potential students to have a high school diploma or a GED minimum requirement. There are no preliminary tests.
The first Assist to Succeed program was started in Boise, Idaho by Dr. Taylor Clark. The program has since spread to 16 states – from Alaska to Massachusetts and California to Florida.
“My goal,” said Beaver, “is to make the school the best.” source
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Maria College Practical Nurse program, NY |
| posted by blogger @ 16:13
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| Truckee Meadows Community College: people are desperate to get new skills and escape the ranks of the unemployed
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Matt True of Sparks has spent most of life in his family-run business, but the 30-year-old construction worker went to Truckee Meadows Community College on Wednesday looking for a new way to make a living.
True is among thousands of Nevadans enrolling in classes to increase their job skills or learn a different profession because they have lost their jobs or fear they will soon.
True's family ran a Grass Valley, Calif., dry wall company that catered to custom homes.
"We got a licensed in Nevada about three years ago so I could expand the business up here, and then, it just dried up," the father of three children said. "I haven't worked since October, and I have been supporting a family on unemployment."
True said he plans to enroll at TMCC and eventually become a drug and alcohol abuse counselor.
"It doesn't pay a lot, but it seems like a good thing for me to do because I'd be helping other people and making a living at it," he said.
The spring semester at TMCC starts Jan. 24, but enrollment already is up by 6 percent compared to last year, spokesman Kyle Dalpe said.
"We're getting a lot of people who don't know where to start," he said. "They find themselves unemployed after 20 years, and they don't know how to apply online for school or for a job."
Seeking more education to escape the ranks of the unemployed is a growing trend across Nevada and the nation.
The College of Southern Nevada, the state's largest community college with 41,388 students, is seeing more students enrolling in an effort to land new jobs, said Jason Cifra, director of counseling.
"We always have students who want to get into new careers, but a lot more are being forced into new careers because of the layoffs," he said.
Although the construction, hotel, food service and retail industries are among the hardest hit, Cifra said the sagging economy has had a wide-ranging impact.
"So, there are a lot of different areas, not just a few particular fields, and people are desperate to get new skills," Cifra said. "They're not just trying to augment their current job skills, but to learn totally new ones."
These students are under a financial and time crunch to turn their professional lives around, he said.
"When someone can think proactively about getting a new degree, they have the luxury of time and some financial stability," Cifra said. "But when you have lost a job and need something tomorrow, there is tremendous pressure."
Enrollment at the Reno campus of the University of Phoenix has risen 15 percent in the past three months, director Kathy Gamboa said.
"A lot of that is due to the economy and people looking more at what they bring to the table for their employers and what more they want to bring to the table," she said.
Gamboa said some new students are switching to new careers: a woman who had been in the banking industry for
20 years who wants to become a teacher, and a steelworker lost his $80,000-a-year job and hopes to find a new livelihood to support his family.
"A lot of people are coming back and saying, 'I need to improve my marketability,'" Gamboa said. "They know this situation won't last forever, and they want to be one of those people who are at the top of the list when it is over."
Western Nevada College, based in Carson City, has 3,800 students enrolled for the spring semester, 100 more than last year, spokeswoman Anne Hansen said.
Online enrollment has shown even greater growth, with about 1,000 student signed up for Web classes compared to about 760 last year, she said.
"We believe that is due, in part, to the economy," Hansen said.
Norma Kent, vice president of communications at the American Association of Community Colleges in Washington, D.C., said enrollment nationally was up last fall by an estimated average of 8 percent to 10 percent.
"Historically, when the economy is down, enrollment in community colleges goes up, but this is the most extreme example we have ever seen," Kent said.
Unemployment is turning more former employees into new students, but lower tuition is another reason students are flocking to community colleges, she said.
"Our national average cost a year is $2,400, which compared to even public four-year institutions, is quite affordable for most people," Kent said.
Those students who are the victims of layoffs sometimes can take a class or two that can give the an edge in an increasingly competitive job market, she said.
"So many of these people take advantage of this opportunity to learn new job skills, while others focus on new fields," Kent said. "We've had reports of some colleges that are offering wind turbine technology programs having students snapped up before they've finished the program."
Deena Garcia of Reno earned a certificate to become an administrative assistant in a legal office two years ago but has been unable to find a job.
"I have even tried getting work at Taco Bell and McDonald's, and they say I'm over-qualified," Garcia said. "At the casinos, they want you to work the graveyard shift, but as a single parent, I can only work when my kids are in school."
The mother of three now is planning to enroll at TMCC to become a dental assistant.
"I went to TMCC's reentry program at its Meadowood Mall site," Garcia said. "It helps parents, mostly single moms who have been out of the work force for a while, learn to write résumés and other skills source
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North Country Community College, NY, |
| posted by blogger @ 12:01
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| high school graduates to earn medical degrees in just five years-23-year-old physicians
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A state official is promoting a bold plan that would allow high school graduates to earn medical degrees in just five years, potentially creating 23-year-old physicians — the youngest in the nation.
Lt. Governor John Garamendi, who is also a University of California regent, envisions a program at the University of California-Merced which would create more Central Valley-grown family doctors, using an educational approach that is cheaper, quicker and less specialized than traditional schools. He hopes by combining undergraduate and medical degrees, the fast-track program would supply much-needed medical care to the underserved region.
It is the most extreme example of a growing trend. Currently, the quickest combination degree is a six-year program at University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine.
"I applaud the concept," said Dr. Henry Sondheimer, senior director for student affairs and student programs at the Association of American Medical Colleges, noting that several states are adding new rural medical schools. "The idea of shortening the process is gaining traction everywhere. "... Because the costs of going to college and medical schools are increasing, many are looking to see if there are ways to shorten it."
But others wondered if young UC-Merced is up to the task — and cautioned that such an approach needs to be planned with care.
"The problem with accelerated programs is that students are still very immature," said Erin Quinn, dean of admissions at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. "Maybe they're superstars in high school, but you really need maturity for medical school."
Garamendi's plan would target the Central Valley's brightest youngsters, with family ties to the area. He imagines a program that would condense an undergraduate science program into three years, then a general medicine program into two years.
In contrast, Stanford University and the University of California-San Francisco Medical School offer four-year programs, on top of a conventional four-year undergraduate degree — a total of eight years.
The state's newest UC, Merced is an isolated campus of only 2,700 students, one-third of them Central Valley natives. Its first full undergraduate class will graduate this spring. It's not expected to be fully accredited until June 2011.
But its plan for a more traditional medical school has been derailed by state funding problems; by downsizing, Garamendi is trying to salvage the concept.
He said the campus is an ideal place for a medical school that can be tailored to the rural region, where 130 languages are spoken and many residents suffer from chronic ailments such as diabetes, heart disease and respiratory ailments from dust, diesel-burning farm equipment and wood-burning stoves.
"A new school has an opportunity to play a profoundly important role in meeting the health care needs of the San Joaquin Valley, and can be done in a way that is not expensive," said Garamendi, a native of the tiny Central Valley town of Mokelumne Hill, who attended UC-Berkeley and then Harvard University.
The Merced school would provide no research component, he said, unlike the state's five existing UC medical schools: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Davis, Irvine and San Diego.
Because it would be held at the UC-Merced campus, community colleges and local clinics and hospitals, no new construction would be required and it could open as soon as 2010, he said. But some regents have questioned whether a new UC campus should embark on a medical school.
Medical education experts agree that California has a big problem: No new seats have been added to its medical schools for 35 years — while its population has surged to nearly 40 million.
The Central Valley is one of the most physician-poor regions in the state. The eight-county San Joaquin Valley has only 173 physicians per 100,000 people, compared with 415 per 100,000 residents in the greater Bay Area.
"If you get sick, you get the hell out of here," said Diana Westmoreland Pedrozo, executive director of the Merced County Farm Bureau, whose father had a pacemaker implanted in Santa Barbara, mother-in-law was treated for cancer at UC-San Francisco and brother-in-law had prostate surgery at Stanford. "But traveling is hard on the elderly. And we have a large population of uninsured."
Fresno High School principal Bob Reyes said that last year's two valedictorians, both interested in medical careers, left the valley to attend college. "I like what Garamendi is proposing because it will benefit our kids," he said.
But in addition to building new medical schools, officials need to consider changing the admissions criteria or expanding the existing slots. The highly competitive process has historically excluded Central Valley students, who haven't had the same access to Advanced Placement courses.
"I'm not saying it's not possible," USC's Quinn. "It all depends how you recruit students and how you select them."source
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| posted by blogger @ 08:00
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| Medical school or wrestling
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Portland State wrestler Steven Dailey is a young man who is going places. But at the moment, he’s not in a great rush to get there.
An academic senior with nearly straight A's (a B plus in a non-academic subject “really annoyed” him), Dailey already has been offered admission to three medical schools—Temple, Tulane and Maryland—and has yet to hear from Dartmouth, Albert Einstein (in New York City) and some others.
He applied only to out-of-area medical schools because he wants to travel and see other parts of the country.
But, he’s only in his junior year of eligibility and is planning to seek delayed admission to medical school so he can spend another year on the PSU campus. He’s just having too much fun.
“I’ve talked to doctors who say that you’re really into your career after the first year in medical school and there’s not a lot of time for anything else. I’ve met some of the best friends of my life in the wrestling program here and I want to spend another year with them. I’m having a lot of fun at PSU,” said the 21-year-old athletic standout from Molalla High School, who is wrestling at 149 pounds.
The school has been a good fit for Dailey, but he almost didn’t end up here.
A state champion wrestler and all-state football player at halfback and defensive back, several Ivy League schools recruited him as a wrestler. Football held greater interest, though, so he accepted an offer to play football for Willamette University.
Following a frustrating freshman year at the Salem Division III school (he was injured and felt that “I wasn’t fitting into the football program”), he’d decided to return to wrestling and to spend a year at Clackamas Community College.
“PSU had an open mat during the summer and I worked out with the wrestlers here and got to know some of them,” Dailey recalled. When first year head coach Mike Haluska offered him a partial scholarship, he grabbed it.
Wrestling was a sport he began early. At a sixth grade birthday party he was wrestling around with a friend, “who did a pretty good job of beating me up. He was involved in wrestling and talked me into going out. Pretty soon, I could beat him,” Dailey said.
He likes wrestling because it is a “unique balance of the physical and art. It brings together technique, power and agility. It’s artistic in the way you combine moves to try to manipulate your opponent.”
And, he believes, his wrestling activity, combined with volunteer time at Willamette Falls Hospital and a medical mission through PSU to Honduras, has helped bring him to the attention of medical school admission officers.
Playing sports and carrying a near four-point gpa has been tough. “This was the first example of all that hard work paying off. When I got my first acceptance letter I was running through the park blocks just screaming with excitement,” he said. He also credits PSU’s strong pre-med program along with some important people in his life.
Dailey’s parents “have been very supportive and I really appreciate that. They go out of their way to let me know they’re pleased with what I’m doing. Not everyone has that kind of relationship with their parents.”
Molalla insurance executive Terry Holden, who provides a college scholarship for Molalla High graduates, and his wife Cheryl have been “guiding lights for me. I could not have done this without them and my parents.”
So, for the moment, Steven Dailey is a wrestler and an outstanding student who several medical schools think has the makings of a fine future doctor. In the meantime, though, he’s also a person who is enjoying the trip toward that future and who wants to appreciate a lot of the things that life has to offer along the way.source
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| posted by blogger @ 04:06
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| Other fastest-growing jobs in recession-proof fields.
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| Thursday
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fastest-growing jobs are network systems and data communications analysts, veterinary technologists and medical assistants.
People seek certain jobs for reasons that go beyond their interests or talents, the author says. “Income, leadership, independence, lifestyle and security matters to some people,” Shatkin said.
If you’re looking at pay, the national average earnings for a pharmacist is more than $94,000 a year. Economists make an average of $77,000 and veterinarians about $72,000, according to the book, which uses U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Barry Brown, president of Effective Resources, a Knoxville, Tenn., firm that tracks salary information, says if he was giving advice to a student or someone changing careers, it would be to pursue a medical-related job.
“If you’re a nurse, you’ll have a job for life in any country. The shortage of nurses is not going away,” he said.
A closer look shows there can be vast pay differences even in so-called recession-proof fields.
Dr. Andrew Turkell, owner of Calusa Veterinary Center in Boca Raton, Fla., says more graduates are going on to become veterinary specialists because that’s where the money is. “Instead of a $300 office visit, it’s $3,000 to $6,000 for a board-certified veterinary surgeon,” he said.
As for vets being insulated from the downturn, there are some vet expenses that are discretionary in tough financial times and some that are not.
Consumers may put off shots for their pet, but they don’t hesitate if the issue is more serious.
“For so many people their pet is a family member,” Turkell said. “If you have a dog that can’t walk, you’re taking it to the vet.”source
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LPN program, NY : Genesee Valley Boces
Practical Nursing Program, NY, GST BOCES Adult Education |
| posted by blogger @ 23:59
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| online resume posting services aren't always the best choice of job-finding strategies.
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Online resume posting services aren't always the best choice of job-finding strategies. "It's very tempting to put your resume on the Internet, on one of these giant job-listing places, and think, yes, I'm done. Because all that means is they are putting their resumes into the biggest pile possible."
Students have to get out and network.
Get in touch with the people who are doing the hiring in your field. Go see who is actually doing the hiring because it doesn't work the same for every career path.
Another strategy involves joining professional groups and associations.
Usually as a student you will get a discount rate when joining, and then get access to job listings and other resources. Regardless, that group is actively involved in your field and those are the people you want to get involved with.
Students have to read carefully and think twice before sending important job inquiries and other information via email or as text messages.
In the last five years, that method of communication has really grown, and there's a temptation to use it in the job market, but you still have to ask, 'Who is doing the hiring and how do they communicate?' Probably not by text message.
Besides, students must recognize that after graduation, they are considered adults, and must act accordingly. So before you push the button to send an email, read it carefully.
Students should also take a realistic look at their career aspirations and expectations. You may have to reconsider the ideal job, the one you see for yourself, at least at the start. You might have to re-frame that and come up with Plan B.
That isn't as compromising as it sounds; all job opportunities can be used to gain experience that leads to the ideal job.
Just be realistic about the current job market. All these things are cyclical. This is a tougher moment, but there are jobs and it will get better, so look at what you can do in this next opportunity so that when things do get better you will be in a position to pursue your ideal job. It will give you more options.
Currently, public accounting firms are still looking for new graduates, as are healthcare facilities in need of nurses.
Salem State College will graduate about 1,000 students in the spring. Most will enter the job market while some enroll in graduate school.source
Rensselaer Educational Center LPN Program, NY
Trocaire College,NY, Practical Nursing Program, LPN
Orange Ulster CTEC LPN program |
| posted by blogger @ 16:42
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| North Shore Community College:licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, occupational therapy assistants, medical assistants
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NSCC students with an interest in health care can pursue degrees as licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, occupational therapy assistants, medical assistants, or medical administrative assistants. Other choices include a respiratory care program and a physical therapy assistant degree.
"That means students interested in health care can come to North Shore Community College and leave with a career in health care," Dyke said. "I think some of them are fearful, but others are determined to find jobs and go out there with a positive attitude and a willingness to look very hard."
"Students should also ask themselves, what are the skills employers are looking for so that they can target themselves to communicate with the employer? Given the economic climate, this isn't the time when employers are going to think, 'How can I use this student?' This is the time when students have got to market themselves."source
LPN Certificate Program in NY, Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing
LPN program in NY, Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES
SUNY Delhi, NY, Licensed Practical Nursing - Certificate |
| posted by blogger @ 12:14
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| Top 5 Medical Jobs for Job Security in a Recession
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Registered Nurses are in short supply throughout the United States. Faster than average job growth for registered nurses is projected by the U.S. Department of Labor through 2016.
Licensed Vocational Nurse It's a career that offers opportunities with high demand for qualified nurses in hospitals, doctors' offices, clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, and emergency medical centers, schools, colleges, home health agencies and convalescent homes
Nursing assistants, sometimes called nurse aides and geriatric aides, assist licensed nursing personnel in providing nursing care. They work under the direction and supervision of registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and other medical staff.
Medical Assistant. Employed by hospitals, insurance companies, and private practices, medical assistants help their workplaces operate efficiently.
Dental Assistant. Smooth function in the operatories can be attributed to the conscientious planning and preparation by the dental assistant. Her training typically involves a six-month to two-year program, extensive on the job training, and continuing education. |
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| Nursing/Allied Health Scholarship Program.
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The Charles County Commissioners are pleased to announce that scholarships totaling $3,000 have been awarded to three county residents for the 2009 Nursing/Allied Health Scholarship Program.
The awards were granted to deserving students studying Nursing and Radiology. At the completion of their coursework, they will be required to practice in their chosen field of study for at least two years in the county at either the Civista Medial Center, the Charles County Health Department, Charles County Public Schools, Hospice of Charles County, any of the Charles County Long Term Care facilities, Charles County Community social service agencies, home health care, or with a private health practitioner. source
Benefits of Vocational Nursing
How do I find the job?
LPNs and RNs-similarities and differences
LVN vs RN What is the difference?
Vocational Nursing schools in California 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
Licensed Vocational Nurse LVN program prerequisites
LVN Program Fees
Vocational Nursing schools in Texas
Vocational Nursing schools in Florida
Tips for choosing a vocational school |
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| The number of scholarships for nursing students would be equal to 5 percent of the number of graduate nursing students in Alabama
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An Alabama legislator wants to pour more money into state-funded scholarships to recruit nursing teachers.
Rep. Robert Bentley, R-Tuscaloosa, has prefiled a bill that would boost annual graduate nursing program scholarships to $10,000. Bentley hopes increased financial incentives will expand nursing faculties at the state’s colleges. Priority for the scholarships would go to those seeking careers in nursing education and a two-year commitment to teach in Alabama is a prerequisite.
Current law caps state-sponsored scholarships at $3,800. Bentley hopes cash incentives will entice more trained nurses into graduate programs. The state annually turns away as many as 4,000 qualified nursing school applicants in Alabama because of class size limitations, Bentley said.
“We’re going to have to encourage – with financial means – students that will give back to the state of Alabama,” Bentley said.
Bentley’s bill has been filed but won’t receive its first read in the legislature until the body reconvenes on Feb. 3.
The number of scholarships would be equal to 5 percent of the number of graduate nursing students in Alabama. The Alabama Board of Nursing would award the scholarships and would determine how much to offer each student with a maximum of $10,000, according to Bentley’s bill.
Boosting faculty rolls is paramount to eliminating nursing shortages, Alabama State Nurses Association Executive Director Joe Decker said. He said Bentley’s bill goes to the crux of the state’s nursing shortage.
Financial assistance for those seeking to become nursing teachers is critical, Decker said, because most nursing faculty members leave clinical settings to teach. They often take a pay cut – sometimes in the $30,000 range – when leaving a hospital for a classroom, he said.
A $10,000 scholarship can help absorb the financial strain of someone who needs to cut or eliminate their hours working to enter a graduate program, Decker said. Only by adding teachers can Alabama’s nursing school open more classrooms and clinical training opportunities. State law mandates a 10-to-1 student-teacher ratio for clinical training, he said.
“We tried to bite that off as the first starting point,” Decker said of the bill. “There is no shortage of fully qualified candidates who apply for nursing programs. The pipeline needs to get bigger. We need to be able to produce nurses and we need more faculty to do it.”
The current law, passed in 1978, limited statewide scholarship appropriations to $57,000 a yea | | |
