peoplemenders blog

Top 5 Interview No-Nos

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:09:00 +0000

1)    Arrive Late
As the old saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression and nothing makes a worse first impression than arriving for an interview late! Before your interview make sure that you know the exact location and how you will get there. Print out directions from google maps or anything else you might need. That being said, it’s not exactly a good idea to be too early either so try to time things so you will arrive no more or less than 10 minutes early.

2)    Look/Act Unprofessional
This should be a no-brainer but sadly people still get this wrong. As I said, first impressions are important so make sure you look presentable for your interview. Dress in professional, tidy clothing. Nothing too tight, short, loud or over-the-top. Keep it simple. This goes for hair and makeup as well.

Keeping it classy isn’t just for appearances, it’s for demeanour too. Don’t chew gum or fidget excessively. Try to make eye contact (but don’t stare). Definitely don’t swear and try to smile and be polite. People want to hire personable, friendly and well-mannered people. A little “please” and “thank-you” never hurts.

3)    Be Unprepared
Coming unprepared to an interview is bad form and could easily hurt your chances for getting hired. Here are a few to-do’s you should work through a day or two befoer your interview.

Research the company: check out the company website, get an understanding of the organization's structure, find out who important executives or board members are. Generally familiarize yourself with the company.
Research what types of questions might be asked and practice answering those questions. This is especially good for those “Tell me about a time when...” questions that can leave your memory suddenly blank.
Come prepared with your references and extra copies of your resume and cover letter.

4) Bad Mouth your previous employers/co-workers
This is a big no-no because employers are looking for employees with tact and they are also wondering what you might say about THEM if you were hired there and then left for whatever reason.

You don’t have to sugarcoat everything but be diplomatic about previous employers and show due respect to former colleagues as well. You certainly don’t want to be perceived as a problem-employee.

5) Lie
We shouldn’t have to say this because it’s so obvious but it still happens. People lie on their resume, their references and in their interview and frankly, it’s just not worth it.

If you are going to be hired, be hired on your own merit. If you’ve made mistakes, well who hasn’t? Be open and honest and be sure to share what you’ve learned from any mistakes. Everyone puts a little spin into their resume but lying is not only unethical it is also dangerous. If you get a position under false pretenses you could be in serious trouble if you are ever found out and what sort of a reference would you get then! In this case, as in so many others, honesty really is the best policy.

Another Day, Another Disorder

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:48:00 +0000

I just read an interesting piece on CNN about Bipolar Disorder. It was a Q&A session where a reader asked the expert, “Can a 9 or 10 year old be bipolar?”

In the article the author states that “Many studies now suggest that bipolar disorder, and in fact all mood disorders, are developing in younger and younger people”. This statement really got me thinking about the rise in these types of diagnoses. Are these studies right? Is bipolar disorder (and other types of disorders) really developing in younger and younger people? Do we just have better tools to help identify these disorders earlier or are we analyzing behavior to the point that all the minutiae of the human personality are given a label?

I wonder about the consequences of attaching such heavy labels to children so young. You know how people often live up to other people’s expectations of them, whether those expectations be high or low, good or bad? It makes me think that children, who might otherwise grow up to be in perfect mental health, might be adversely affected by being labeled “bipolar” or “ADHD”.

Of course recognizing the symptoms of serious disorders such as these is incredibly important. However, it would be interesting to see if healthcare professionals, particularly those in the field of mental health, feel that there is the potential to “over-diagnose” these types of disorders (especially in regards to children).

The expert in the article discusses how the non-specific nature of some of the symptoms and the fact that “lots of kids have a hard time controlling their moods and tempers” have led to the creation of yet another diagnosis called Dysregulation Disorder with Dysphoria. He asks his readers whether or not this is a good thing and I am doing the same. What are your thoughts?

Paying Homage to Medical Volunteers in Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:43:00 +0000

When disaster struck Haiti on January 12th, we were all affected by the devastating images being shown on TV and the internet. As is often the case when a tragedy of this scale occurs, people across the globe felt the need to reach out to those who were suffering. Some donated money, some plan to donate their time and energy when it comes time to rebuild and others brought their medical skills directly into the field.

As the situation in Haiti unfolds before our eyes, it has prompted us here at peoplemenders to think about the dedicated medical workers that are on the ground frantically trying to save lives while working in unimaginable conditions. It is hard to imagine their frustration as they bear witness to such incredible need and are unable to help everyone, or worse, if they have no choice but to leave the wounded unattended due to security and safety concerns, as was reported recently.

Despite the logistical and security difficulties, medical volunteers from a variety of agencies are on the ground in Haiti doing what they can in the midst of what appears to be chaos and absolute ruin. We, at peoplemenders, wanted to take a moment to recognize the incredibly important work that these people do.

If the situation in Haiti has inspired you to look into volunteer opportunities, whether at home or abroad, please visit our Volunteer Opportunities page to see a list of agencies you may want to work with.

If you are interested in donating to disaster relief in Haiti here are some links to just a few of the major organizations that are sending relief.

Doctors Without Borders

Canadian Red Cross

International Medical Corps

UN: Central Emergency Response Fund

Partners in Health

Healing Hands for Haiti

CARE

Coolest Medical Inventions and Discoveries of 2009

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:52:00 +0000

In terms of discoveries and inventions, there have been many incredible strides made in the field of medicine and, as 2009 draws to a close, we thought it would be interesting to look back. Here are the ones that really stood out to us for one reason or another, either because they were incredible important or just incredibly cool.

1. Mapping the Genetic Code of Cancer
This year scientists mapped the code for two types of cancer (lung and skin) which allow for a greater understanding of these cancers and will help scientists develop better detection and treatment techniques. The International Cancer Genome Consortium is continuing to work on cracking the code for other types of cancer as well.

2.    Artificial Retina
A study in the United States of microchip technology implanted into the retina of vision impaired subjects is “the first step toward a really bionic eye". A person with impaired vision wears a pair of glasses that has a camera which transmits what the wearer is “seeing” to the microchip. The microchip then stimulates the retina electrically, which communicates that image to the brain.

3.    Tiny Bubbles for Detecting Cancer
This new microbubble technology allows doctors that are performing breast cancer surgeries to discover within minutes if patients have cancerous glands in their armpits that also need to be removed. Previously patients had to wait until a single node had been removed and tested before going in for a second operation, which can often be very traumatic for the patient.

4.    HIV Vaccine
The results of a three-year long clinical trial were published this year and showed promising results in the search for a viable vaccine. The results showed that rates of infection were reduced by more than 25% in the vaccinated group than in the placebo group. A great step forward.

5.    Bionic Arm
This bionic arm, which was completed in 2008 but unveiled this year is Terminator-esque to be sure but also represents how far this type of technology has come. In an experiment an amputee successfully used his mind to control the arm and perform complex tasks. Pretty cool stuff.

Don’t see the invention or discovery that you think is the most important of the year? Then let us know. Sign into the comment section below and tell us what you think should have made it on our list.

Finding the Right Healthcare Volunteer Opportunity

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:32:00 +0000

When a healthcare professional considers volunteering there are many questions that runs through their mind. Should I volunteer at home or abroad? What do I want to do exactly? How do I find the right organization?

Volunteering is an exciting opportunity on multiple levels and many nurses, doctors and allied health workers look for a chance to volunteer at some point during their careers.

For healthcare professionals, the world really is their oyster when it comes to volunteering. Skilled healthcare workers are always in demand because there are millions of people that don’t have access to the health services they so desperately need. Finding the right organization can be daunting but if you take the time to really think about what your passions are, what you hope to achieve from your volunteer work, and what your tolerance levels are then you should be able to find the right opportunity for you.

The first step in the process should be identifying what you are passionate about and where you feel your efforts would be best utilized. Take some time and think about what areas you care most about. It’s a good idea to make a ranked list to help you sort out your priorities. Are you passionate about pediatrics? The elderly? AIDS prevention and treatment? Women’s health? Community education? Training locals? There are limitless possibilities.

Finding something that you care deeply about is important and can make your volunteer experience that much more fulfilling but be careful of choosing something too personal. It can make your job very difficult if you are too emotionally involved in the area you choose to volunteer in. You don’t want to make the mistake of burning out emotionally and/or physically. Make sure to take care of yourself so that you can take care of others.

This second step should be taken in conjunction with the first and includes an analysis of your skills and abilities. What specifics areas do you have training in? Do you speak any other languages? How physically fit are you? (This is an important question for those people looking to work in remote areas where they may have to walk long distances or help transport supplies.) Do you have experience dealing with traumatized people from war-torn countries? Do you have experience training or educating others? The answers to these types of questions will leave you with a better understanding of where your skills would be best put to use.

The third step is to question your tolerance level for certain things. This will help you identify the different environments and situations you would be comfortable working in. Some questions you may want to think about include:

1. What risks to my personal safety am I willing to take? The level of risk you are willing to take should extend beyond just volunteering in war-torn or unstable regions but should include an evaluation of environmental risks, such as exposure to tropical disease, working in areas prone to natural disasters, etc.

2. Can I handle dealing with a language barrier? If the answer is no, then you have substantially narrowed your search parameters and your search should be that much easier. If yes, than you have a wealth of options available to you.
3. Am I am able to deal with dramatically different cultures? Be honest with yourself about your limits and, if you answer no, then you should only look to organizations that operate within your own country or countries with cultures similar to your own.

4. Am I able to handle extreme temperature and weather? If not, only look for opportunities in temperate climates.

5. Other things to consider: the hours an organization expects you to work, the costs associated with a particular organization, the conditions of the facilities you would be working in, rural vs. urban environments, food requirements and living arrangements.

The fourth thing you may want to consider is your reason for volunteering. This can greatly affect your choice of organization. Is this purely for altruistic reasons? For travel purposes? Are you looking for an adventure? To challenge yourself? To develop new skills? Meet new people?

Whatever your reason there are certainly organizations out there that will better help you realize your goals. Figuring out your purpose beforehand will only help you identify the right organization for you.

The final step, and probably the most important, is to DO YOUR RESEARCH. Narrow your search down to 5 organizations based on the criteria you’ve established after going through the steps above. Then, delve deep into each organization’s vision, past missions, requirements, costs, pros and cons, etc. Do your best to find testimonials, ratings and recommendations on the web so that you can hear what other people’s experiences have been with a particular organization. Also, if you volunteer with one organization and it isn’t the experience you were looking for, don’t give up, just re-evaluate and start the process again. You’ll find what you’re looking for.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
~Anne Frank

CHECK OUT:
peoplemenders' volunteer organization listings
Our YouTube video series on Healthcare Volunteer Experiences

The Devil's Advocate Makes the Case for Drug Legalization

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:06:00 +0000

There is always a lot of controversy surrounding the topic of drug legalization and recent events in California have stirred up the debate again as the movement to legalize marijuana gains momentum.

A lot of people are afraid of drugs. Stories of drug-related crime, overdoses, promising people who die too young and families torn apart by addiction are common and, let’s be honest, make for more compelling news and reality shows than people who dabble in drugs and are unaffected. This is not to say that these stories aren’t true, but one has to wonder how representative they are of what’s happening in the real world. So considering this media bias towards sensationalism and toeing the line when it comes to government policy and the USA’s “War on Drugs” this entry is going to serve as a platform for the devil’s advocate to look at the issue from the other side.

It’s important to recognize how our views of certain drugs change over time. For example, alcohol was once considered a virulent and evil drug that had the potential to instigate the breakdown of society. Now, of course, our views have changed. We know that alcohol is basically an unhealthy habit that, when taken in excess, causes people to make bad choices, potentially get violent and occasionally die from drinking too much. However, we also know that it causes people to relax in social situations, dance the night away and encourage normally stoic men to declare their love for one another. Moderation is the difference between having a great time and making a fool of yourself, or, worst case scenario, ending up in the hospital.

This is not to say that as time goes on our society becomes more and more permissive. The recent decline in the popularity of cigarettes demonstrates that, with continued education on the harmful effects of a drug, our attitudes can change and, as that drug becomes less socially acceptable, our habits change with them.

Marijuana too has received its fair share of unjust criticism. Who can forget the display of fear-mongering and unintentional hilarity in old American propaganda films like Reefer Madness? Click here to check out a classic scene from that particular movie.

These types of films were distributed to scare the public and it worked. These videos seem ridiculous to most of us now but some of the notions they propagated are still alive and well. Check out this blurb about “killer weed” on Fox News.

We all know that it’s possible to die from consuming too much alcohol but in all my research I was unable to find any evidence that there have been any deaths from an “overdose” of marijuana (this does not include accidents, whether in a vehicle or otherwise). Even the DEA or Drug Enforcement Administration’s 1988 report on the “Matter of Rescheduling Marijuana” concludes that, “Simply stated, researchers have been unable to give (test) animals enough marijuana to induce death …In practical terms, marijuana cannot induce a lethal response as a result of drug-related toxicity”.

In terms of other illegal drugs, we really don’t know how addictive they actually are, though there are some studies that compare the addictive properties of different drugs (see graph below). As you can see Nicotine and Cocaine have equivalent ratings when each of their ratings are added up.

Source: Jack E. Henningfield, PhD, for the National Institute of Drug Abuse, Reported by Philip J. Hilts, New York Times, Aug. 2, 1994 "Is Nicotine Addictive? It Depends on Whose Criteria You Use." Source Website

Of course we all know that drugs are addictive on some level, whether it is physical, habitual or emotional, but it’s hard to know how the majority of people would respond to them. A commonly held belief is that most users become addicts. Now let’s say for a minute that that is actually true. Is that because of the incredibly addictive nature of the drug or is it because many habitual users have addictive tendencies and are most likely in negative personal situations that can push them towards excessive drug use? It is hard to say how well-adjusted, happy, healthy people would react to the same drugs. Would they become instantly addicted as we are often led to believe? Or would they be able to dabble in these drugs in moderation for social purposes on an occasional basis? There just isn’t enough information one way or another to make a definitive statement.

Now, with the question of addiction remaining just that, a question, let’s look at what some of the other possible outcomes of drug legalization could be. If drugs were legalized there would be little else for organized crime to do beyond arms deals and prostitution. All of the gang-related drug violence would cease to exist. There would be nothing to fight over. Of course opponents of legalization would point out that a black market for harder and cheaper drugs could still crop up after legalization. That may be true, for a while, but if you think about when prohibition ended and fast forward to today, is there a rampant black market for the sale of alcohol? Not really. Sure, some people buy for minors but people aren’t setting up distilleries in their basements and selling bottles of absinthe in alleys. What’s the reason? I imagine it is because the majority of people don’t actually want to break the law.If they can get it legally and for a reasonable price, most will.

Beyond the potential for reduced crime there could be huge benefits from regulating these substances. The first would be quality. The drugs could be processed to be less intense and without any of the unusual and dangerous “additives” that the current producers of illegal drugs have no scruples about mixing into their product. Furthermore, these drugs would be produced in a safe manner; no more homes exploding because of a meth lab in the attic. To quote Tom Ammiano, a California State Assemblyman, “prohibition is chaos and regulation is control”.

In the past many of the drugs that are now illegal were used for medicinal purposes and in some cases still are. Heroin can be used to control severe pain, while cocaine can be used as a local anaesthetic. Cocaine used to be sold over-the-counter in tonics, as a toothache medication and, of course, we all know that it was an ingredient in the original Coca-Cola. Legalization would allow the medical community to fully explore the potential benefits of these drugs.

Another bonus is the potential revenue source from taxing the heck out of these new products. Taxing makes it less appealing to make a habit out of using these drugs and the additional revenue could go towards prevention and education. Perhaps the additional money would be best spent on social services for the most vulnerable members of society, who are the most likely candidates for, not only drug use, but, more seriously, drug abuse.

On a global scale, the legalization of drugs would have a huge impact. Cross border drug crime would cease to be a problem and poorer countries would stop being penalized and pushed around on the global stage for their roles in the drug trade. In Afghanistan for example, how much easier would the war effort there be if all of the problems with poppy farming became a non-issue? Instead of inflicting our morality on people who have very few options for making a living, and subsequently driving them into the arms of the very people we hoped to “liberate” them from, we might actually gain their trust and support. America’s “War on Drugs” would be over and those precious resources could be put to better use. Not to mention the fact that resentment in South American countries over the intrusion and meddling of the DEA in their domestic affairs would finally have the chance to cool.

The DEA states that “legalization would result in an unacceptably high number of drug-addicted Americans”. That sort of statement leads many people to believe that making drugs legal will lead to mass addiction rates because everyone will try them, and, of course, be instantly hooked. To those people I have only one question, would you try them? Because I don’t really see myself stepping up to the counter at 7-Eleven and saying “You know what? I was just popping in for a Kit Kat but let’s throw in that package of heroin while you’re at it”. Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean everyone will try it and just because some people will try it doesn’t mean they will all like it. Furthermore, out of the ones that do like it, we really don’t know how many will become truly addicted.

The devil’s advocate rests. Defenders of the status quo are now called to make their case.

Intersex in a Two Sex World

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:11:00 +0000

Amidst the recent media firestorm surrounding Caster Semenya, the South African runner who won gold in the 800m World Championships in Berlin, new discussions about intersexuality have been cropping up, shedding light on a topic that has seldom been in the public eye.

The intersex issue goes beyond the arena of international sports and this recent gender controversy, though it comes at the expense of a teenage girl, is illuminating in a number of ways. First, it highlights the fact that most people are only vaguely aware of what intersex means and the numerous variations that the term encompasses. Second, it shows that few people are able to separate gender, which is cultural, from sex, which is biological. The situation with Semenya, not only presents intersexuality as a concern for sports authorities but for the medical community and the general public as well.

In Western societies, indeed in most societies, gender is a binary condition. You are either one or the other. On official forms there is a very rarely, if ever, a third box to check beyond male and female. This approach to gender/sex is not the case in all societies however. There are examples of a so-called “third sex” in a number of cultures, the Hijra in India being the most commonly known.

However, most cultures divide the world into two sexes and, since humans tend to make sense of the world by categorizing and labeling things, it becomes very difficult for people to make sense of anyone who falls outside of those well-defined parameters.

The desire to push people into one of those two categories led to the general acceptance of sex-assignment surgeries for intersex infants, that is, until recently. The decision to operate on children is very controversial and has been the topic of much discussion in recent years. Advocacy groups have been arguing for the rights of intersex people in the hopes that they will have a say in what permanent changes are made to their bodies, as those changes can have lasting social, psychological, emotional and physical repercussions.

The upside of Caster Semenya’s global “outing” from the intersex closet is that it highlights an issue that has too rarely been discussed, or even thought about, by the general public (the one exception might be the attention Jeffrey Eugenides’ Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Middlesex, brought to the subject). This new awareness will undoubtedly contribute to a better understanding of the struggles intersex people face and, with time, that awareness may ultimately lead to greater acceptance.

Links of interest:

Two Sexes are Not Enough by Anne Fausto-Sterling, Professor at Brown University

Intersex Society of North America

CNN Article: "IAAF Urges Caution Over Semenya Intersex Claims"

Synopsis of HBO Documentary "Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She"

American Healthcare Debate Hits Close to Home for Many Canadians

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:01:00 +0000

As the healthcare debate rages on in the United States and Canada’s healthcare system continues to be dragged into the fray, one can see that our system has become a major player in propaganda for both sides of the argument. It is remarkable how, depending on the spin that is put on it, Canadian Medicare can be a utopian model or a socialist nightmare led by penny-pinching bureaucrats that are rationing care and sending Canadians to their graves by the thousands. Neither is true of course.

Canada’s system has many flaws and Canadians are well aware of those issues. Despite that, the majority of Canadians would not trade our system for an American one. Indeed, Universal Healthcare is a defining feature of the cultural landscape in Canada and it would mean certain political death if a political party or politician were to suggest abandoning it. In fact, in 2008 a national survey asked participants to name the things that they felt defined Canada and Universal Healthcare ranked in the top ten. That demonstrates how important Universal Healthcare is to us. The fact that Canadians recently voted Tommy Douglas, the father of Medicare, the Greatest Canadian only illustrates this further.

Americans, bombarded by the fear tactics of those who oppose healthcare reform, might want to look at the fact that, although Canadians love to participate in our proud, long-standing tradition of whining about our healthcare system, we have a deep sense of pride in the fact that we provide healthcare to everyone, regardless of socio-economic status. Sure, people are irritated by the high taxes our public system requires but in the end most Canadians wouldn’t trade it for a private system. In fact, a recent Canadian Press Harris-Decima poll shows that 82% of Canadians believe our system is better than the American one. That’s a pretty high percentage and it should be an indication to those Americans that fear a single-payer system (which isn’t even actually being proposed) that their fears may be misplaced.

So, if Canadians are peevish because our system is getting dragged through the mud for the purposes of scaring the dickens out of the American public, understand that, for Canadians, this is an attack on a source of national pride and, while we can criticize it until we’re blue in the face, it’s just not okay for our neighbours to the south to do the same.

Americans can learn a lot from the Canadian system but this is not to say that a Canadian-style system should be adopted in the States. It just means that there are lessons to be learned and the US is currently in the enviable position of being able to cherry-pick which aspects of other systems they would like to model their own, unique system on. My only fear is that fear itself will hold a great nation back from becoming even greater by preventing them from making badly needed changes to a system that does not work for a large portion of their population.

By the same token, Canadians would do well to take a hard look at our own system, since it has been thrust involuntarily into the spotlight. While it is important to defend our system’s merits we can also take the time to analyze its faults and, in doing so, hopefully we will find creative solutions to the problems we face.

I’d like to end with this quote from a speech Tommy Douglas gave in 1983:

“ I remind you in this movement, we pledged ourselves 50 years ago…we would provide healthcare for every man, woman and child, irrespective of their colour, their race or their financial status and by God we are going to do it!”

So long as this remains our goal and we move forward and make changes with this sentiment in mind Medicare will continue to be a source of national pride and maintain its position in our hearts as a defining characteristic of our country.

The Best “How to Write a Medical Job Resume” Websites

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:43:00 +0000

Writing a resume is not a ‘snap of the finger’ operation. Hopefully it’s not something you have to bang out every week.
If you're like most and are usually employed, then writing resumes is not exactly a skill you've honed with practice. Generally people dust off and update their resume only when they are looking for a job. You show me someone who just left their job after 10 years of service and I'll show you someone with a 10 year old resume.

I was gearing up to blog a "how to write a medical resume" thinking it would be helpful to our many candidates. In preparing to lay out what the HR managers want to see in a resume, my online research uncovered a ton of really helpful resume writing sites. The following list is not me reinventing the wheel. There is some quality resume assistance on the interwebz and this is a collection of my favorites.

The advice contained within the pages on the list, paired with your critical thinking, will have you crafting a resume you can be proud of and eager to get it in the hands of as many hiring managers as possible. This is not a review of paid resume writing services, although some of listed sites will offer that service, rather it is a review of various tips that can really add a professional edge to your resume creation. They are staffed by professional recruiters and people that have been dealing with hiring managers for years. If you look around you will find a lot of resume writing services and if that's the way you decide to go be sure to check them out before you send them your money.

Check a lot of different sites and take the best advice and go for it.

Resume Resource
One of my favorites. Contains fantastic advice as well as some great examples of well done nursing resumes. You will also find some quality examples specific to your field. Follow the tips link for some tidbits that'll help

Resume for jobs
I found the resume examples to be poorly written, however the medical resume tips offer some helpful insight and is a great starting point. The following link takes you to a pretty comically bad resume example. The advice was good, the example, not so much.

Best Sample Resume dot com
This site offered little in the way of tips but I liked it because it had over 50 healthcare specific resume samples that covered many specialties, such as many of the nursing specialties, from ones for medical administrative jobs to the many allied health positions. I even found a Cardiologist sample and a lot of great choices for hospital management opportunities and loads in-between.

Eresumes.com
A great job-specific website with decent collection of medical job resumes. Of the specialties covered, there are nicely detailed write-ups. An excellent place to get some good thinking points to help get you over the hump and started.

Successful Medical Resume
Fantastic Blog. Well worth the read. Flip through some of the older blog entries for some golden tidbits. Like the other sites, this one offers a primer to getting your resume off the ground. Also offers some pretty good examples for a few specialties. There is a lot of quality information in the archives, I would recommend digging in for a while before you start writing. They offer additional information on covering letters, interview advice and solid job hunting tips.

Resume Boutique Blog
I enjoyed her stuff and got caught up reading some of the old posts. The author runs a resume writing service and is doing a great job promoting it. It's more general and not specific to the healthcare industry but her advice is solid and quite applicable. Be prepared to dig into her blog a little bit, some valuable reading awaits on topics, such as Job Search Etiquette,

Squawkfox.com
A fun blog by an accomplished, writer. I was attracted to the “6 words that make your resume suck”, which is part of a meaty series on "how to write a resume that gets interviews". Any jobseeker would find her entire blog useful. Here is the link to the whole series. She is an enjoyable read so it's hard not to get caught up in her other excellent articles.

The Rockport Institute - How to write a Masterpiece of a Resume
This is a very deep study in resume writing. It has a great section about presentation and goes into a lot of detail about how to present work history, education and every section of your resume. It even includes a fantastic list of power words you can use.

Lastly I thought I would include a fun one. I truly hope these are common sense but I had to include them because I couldn’t stop laughing. 25 Things You Should Never Include on a Resume. The author takes a sound beating for the obviousness of her post in the storm of comments that follow it. It is kind of a fun read.

There are a large number of sites and I would love to expand this list and would appreciate any and all assistance. If you have a favorite site I missed, post a comment and share it so it may be included in a future list.

Good luck and happy hunting.

Healthcare Career Outlooks - United States

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:27:00 +0000

Check out this SlideShare Presentation about healthcare career futures. It provides employment and earnings statistics for a variety of healthcare professional, doctors, nurses, allied health, dentists, pharmacists and more.

Healthcare Career Outlooks - United States

View more presentations from Peoplemenders.

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:11:00 +0000

u5gkhtd3ze

HIV Vaccine on the Horizon

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:05:00 +0000

Canada has been working for over twenty years to develop a vaccine for HIV. The animal safety trials have been completed and now they are just waiting for permission to try it on humans. The entire process may still take up to another ten years until it is publicly distributed, but what a concept well on its way to snuffing out a disease that has already killed over 25 million people since 1981.

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/07/01/health-canadian-aids-hiv-vaccine-kang.html?ref=rss

Imagine a process of this scale that could virtually saves thousand if not millions of lives worldwide. Thinking back to the innovations that have created life as we know it, it is mind-boggling to consider that most of these life-changing ideas were derived from a single thought, often from a single person.

I am intrigued by the human mind. Moving through history bookmarking just a few of the discoveries and inventions. The invention of the light-bulb by Thomas Edison in 1879, the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell also in the 1870’s, the first freely programmable computer by Konrad Zuse in 1936. The list goes on and on – and of course each one of these inventions has been modified and corrected year after year. It really would take months and possibly years of research and compilation to appreciate the inventions that have brought us to our modern state.

I really can’t even begin to touch this subject and it really is overwhelming to consider the possibilities that have not yet been realized. It certainly makes me pause and consider how wonderfully we are made.

A Quiet Place for Healing

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:49:00 +0000

A quiet hospital...what a novel idea!

When spending time in the hospital after delivering my children, I used to wonder, “How can anyone ever get any sleep here?” I couldn't wait to get home so I could sleep - even with a newborn baby or babies (after my twins).

It is nearly impossible to recover from whatever malady brought you to the hospital when there are phones ringing, doors slamming, carts rolling, lights glaring, babies crying, the list goes on.
I have heard this complaint many times

Stanford has one good idea here. http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12670944 In this article, “Research shows that noise doesn't merely impair sleep, but boosts stress and exacerbates agitation. In rat experiments, wounds healed more slowly if the room was noisy. Noise also raises the risk of medical errors, according to the Hopkins study.”

I’m all for rest and relaxation but the place where you really need it, doesn't usually offer this all-important component. It is a well-known fact that we repair while we are sleeping and loud noises constantly jolting you out of your sleep can’t be healthy.

Next time you have to visit the hospital be sure and arrive there with your earplugs, night-mask and rainforest sounds CD. Your stay may be shortened and your health may be restored a little bit quicker.

H1N1 Anyone?

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:44:00 +0000

I just arrived back from Las Vegas last night. Being away from the safety and comfort of my Swine Free zone, I didn’t miss an opportunity to slap on the all important “hand sanitizer”.

I have often been gently chided by friends because of my “germ concerns”. While there are no guarantees I still take all the precautions available. I carry a bottle of sanitizer in my purse, suitcase, coat pocket, car and office. I use my shirt sleeve stretched over my hand when opening doors, flush the toilet with my foot, push buttons with my keys, sterilize my utensils with hot water in the restaurants and have a myriad of other ideas just waiting to be implemented should the need arise.

Does this bottle of germ killer really work and will it prevent the spreading of the virus? In a press release put out by Purell, the makers of a popular hand sanitizer, unfortunately there is no guarantee. They recommend that it is important to wash your hands with soap and water for approximately 15-20 seconds. If you have no soap and water near, use enough sanitizer to make your hands wet and then rub them together briskly until they are dry. This will break down the germ cell walls causing them to die. Does using a hand sanitizer lead to resistant bacteria? Apparently there is no proof of this either.

Living a full life doesn’t come without its risks. I’m not about to shut myself up in my house because of a few curiously named viruses. As a matter of fact, I’m just about to head out to do some shopping –mask, gloves and spray all at the ready.

The Facts About Obesity

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 02:26:00 +0000

It makes a person pause when you read the headline: “No scars: New obesity surgery goes through mouth”. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hffo5VV4Igi6L-Z71py5Edc93V-QD98JDF582

What a concept. No scars, less pain, quicker healing – like my Dad used to say, “What will they come up with next?”

After reading this article, I had to think: while there are many obese people that have serious physical ailments causing their weighted state, there are no doubt many who are suffering from an avoidable condition.

What has changed in North America? Why is this procedure even required? While the statistics are not quite so alarming in other places, the numbers are quickly moving up in the United States. The main reason is the increased reliance on fast-food today.
· 58 million overweight *
· 40 million obese
· 3 million morbidly obese
· Eight out of 10 over 25's overweight
· 78% of American's not meeting basic activity level recommendations
· 25% completely sedentary
· 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs old since 1990

While shocking, these overweight and obesity statistics bring to light some of the very real problems affecting people today - again making us wonder as to why do people get fat?While the tendency to be overweight is generally inherited, obesity can also occur when a person consumes more calories than they are capable of burning. Some of the other causes of why people get fat are as follows:

Age

As one gets older, the body's ability to metabolize food is lowered, as is the amount of calories required by the body to maintain weight. Therefore, while people continue to have the same diet as they when they were 20-years-old, their body, however, just can’t copy the same way.

Gender

It is no great secret that women generally tend to struggle with their weight more men. This is because men have a higher resting metabolic rate than females, and thus they require more calories in order to maintain their body weight. Also note that with the onset of menopause in women, the body's metabolic rate slows down, thus leading to weight gain.

Physical Activity

Until and unless an individual exercises regularly, the fat in the body keeps building up, thus adding to the person's weight. Active individuals require more calories than less active ones to maintain their weight and physical activity also tends to decrease appetite in obese individuals while increasing the body's ability to metabolize fat.

*(slimmingbasics.com)

Why a Healthcare Specific Job Board?

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:53:00 +0000

Why use a health-specific job board when searching for a career in health?

The advice that first comes to mind, after being a recruiter for 14 years, would be that a focused “one-stop” shop can provide more serious opportunities and be a real time-saver for both potential employees and employers.

Gone are the days of printing off a resume, sealing an envelope, licking a stamp and strolling to the mailbox. Online job search is the way to go and busy career seekers have fully embraced this cyber stage of profiling themselves to potential employers.

Employers want the assurance that they will be approached by serious, qualified candidates. The last thing they want is to scroll through pages of online resumes where applicants may have been seeking local eatery positions. Many of these employers have made it well know that their preference is to have their open positions posted on health-only boards, ensuring health-only site visitors are applying.

Employees are able to search multiple opportunities in the areas in which they are trained - all from one location. We all know how time can slip by when we are surfing the net. A precious resource it is, however these potential employees are short of time and would prefer to go to one place rather than hundreds of various sites picking through the jobs.

A career in health is not just a job, it’s a lifestyle. The monster job boards that are all-encompassing may not understand that. Health care professionals many times prefer to surround themselves with “like-minded” people. It’s a long road to get to where they are and there is a culture that becomes an important part of it all. There is a place to go for them, an online resource community.

Peoplemenders.com is not only a health specific board, but it is also the community I just spoke of. Participation in the forum can provide peer contact. There are health care facilities profiles, jobs, health related articles, news, current events, job fairs and many other opportunities tailored to health.

At the end of the day, a recent graduate embarking on a fresh career in health or a seasoned professional seeking a change, will be glad they created a profile, posted their resume and became an involved member of this fresh and innovative health-specific job board.

Welcome to the peoplemenders blog!

noreply@blogger.com (peoplemenders) — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:57:00 +0000

You are reading a blog that will soon contain information about healthcare jobs, human resource issues, employment stats, immigration, travel opportunities and commentaries on the latest news affecting site members, visitors and contributors in the healthcare realm.

We welcome all readers to challenge our viewpoints by commenting whenever you feel compelled. You are right where you belong and what a career you have chosen!

Keeping connected with the issues of the day, our intent is to spice up the lives of peoplemenders wanting a fresh perspective on healthcare employment, education and news. So, lets get started.