Technology Calls for More Specialized Nurses

by Alex A. Kecskes

In the coming decade, advances in technology will impact how nurses perform their myriad of functions. As in most fields, some nurses will be reluctant to embrace every new technological advance, while others will gladly accept it.

The downside is that new technology often requires extensive training. The upside is that technological advancements in healthcare typically increase the number of jobs related to the field. Ultrasounds, MRIs, respiratory therapy, nuclear medicine and many other technologies have launched new jobs for specialists--often filled by nurses.

Advancements in technology have also improved healthcare and patient care. Before the development of electronic IV monitors and IV pump infusions, nurses had to remain by the patient's side to ensure the procedure's safety. Another simple but much appreciated time-saving tool is the electronic blood pressure cuff that also records the patient's heartbeat.

Technology has also vastly streamlined patient and hospital records. Computerized programs for medication dispensing, hospital occupancy and insurance and payment programs have taken a sizeable load off nurses. A patient's medical history can be pulled up and updated in seconds. Portable computing equipment and Internet access lets nurses even update this information while on the go.

As technology pushes nursing into more specialized areas, the need for nurses trained in these technologies will rise. And that's good news in these tough times.

For an additional perspective, check out this video:

Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients. Please see more of his blogs and view additional job postings on Beyond.com.

The Baby Boomers blaze another new trail

I was chatting with a friend over coffee the other day, talking about my own hunt for good jobs around here, my current situation and that of friends and acquaintances I knew. After finishing my rundown, the friend, a man considerably younger than me, replied, "So here you are. You Boomers are screwing each other out of jobs."

Upon further reflection (about .000001 seconds' worth), it struck me that the friend had a point. We Baby Boomers, the demographic pig in the American python, are at it again, reshaping society profoundly as we move through it. In the 1950s, we drove our parents out to brand-new suburbs where there were good schools and room to play. In the 1960s, we clashed with our parents over weighty issues like war, peace, free love and race relations. In the 1980s, our careers launched, we cashed in as the economy boomed under a president old enough to be our grandfather. Now we are parents, and in some cases grandparents too. Our careers are entering the coasting phase - or were, before the Great Disruption derailed a lot of them.

And, as my friend pointed out, the decision-makers doing the derailing are in many cases Boomers themselves. Our cohort, the first members of which reached the Social Security retirement age this year, has also put a bunch of us not-yet-ready-to-retire Boomers out of work and into lives of unanticipated leisure. Those of us who get work now find ourselves unexpectedly underemployed in many cases, a status we share, oddly enough, with the college Class of 2011.

While our share of the total labor market may be small, our huge numbers mean that we too have become a bulge in the statistics. A five percent unemployment rate among the college educated is unprecedented in postwar American history; add the underemployed to that number and you have a large population.

Back in the 1960s, our parents could not figure out why we were so rebellious. We aren't rebellious now. Instead, we are confused, puzzled, and anxious, and our parents, if they still live, are in no position to sort things out for us. This time, we are on our own, out there on the newest frontier of Boomerhood: the prematurely idle.

By Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is a veteran freelance writer, editor and public relations professional who lives in Philadelphia. Besides blogging for PhillyJobs.com, he has written for numerous publications and websites, would be happy to do your resume, and is himself actively seeking career opportunities on Beyond.com. Check out his LinkedIn profile and read his other posts on PhillyJobsBlog.com.

In The Hot Seat - Trade

Networking is important when you're looking for a job. Don't make this mistake when you're In The Hot Seat.

By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer with experience in web, film, photography and animation as well as traditional fine arts like painting and sculpting. In addition to writing for PhillyJobsBlog.com, she is co-founder of design and promotion company, BlackChip Solutions with fellow Beyond.com blogger, Staci Dennis. Heather’s spare time consists of making puppets, teaching Sunday School, building Legos and doing science experiments with her children.

Non-clinical Jobs for Nurses

by Alex A. Kecskes

There are a number of nurses who enter non-clinical career fields, either after working as a nurse in a busy hospital or immediately after graduation.



Non-clinical jobs normally don't involve direct patient care. Nurses may often seek to enter the non-clinical side for a variety of reasons. Chief among these would be mental stress and simply the extensive physical demands of the clinical setting—including long periods of standing, moving patients and equipment, and the long hours. Some older nurses develop physical limitations like arthritis or allergies, which forces them to make the switch.



For these and other reasons, clinical nurses move to non-clinical careers. They decide to enter teaching, management, operations, consulting, health finance, healthcare IT, and process improvement. The point is, nurses have a number of options to segue into using their experience and training. These include:



Teacher/Trainer. Nursing school, science teacher, and medical certifications.

Medical Writer. Medical writers for pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, medical text publishers, and government healthcare institutions.

Patient Advocate. A nurse's clinical knowledge and experience in the healthcare system can be highly useful in patient advocacy.

Healthcare & Legal Consultant. Nurses are often contracted to consult with insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, law firms, or hospitals on a variety of areas.



For an additional perspective, check out this video:



Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients. Please see more of his blogs and view additional job postings on Beyond.com.

Feeling Rushed? 4 Ways to Streamline Your Morning Routine

Whether or not you are a morning person, getting ready for work in the morning can sometimes be a challenge. In fact, a rushed morning can include unhealthy eating, disorganization, stress and even conflict with family members or roommates. How can you make your morning routine more healthy and peaceful? Well, it is possible to actually enjoy your morning routine – read on to discover some tips that will help to streamline your mornings.

Consider Planning Your Week on the Weekend

In order to avoid unexpected surprises and delays, it may be a good idea to plan your week’s events prior to the actual workweek. You should also record this information in a day planner, Google calendar, your cell phone, your tablet, or other place that you refer to on a regular basis.

Organize Your Wardrobe

In order to make your morning routine more stress-free, it is a good idea to organize the clothes in your closet. For instance, you can group your work pants, tops, and jackets in one place – and even group your clothes by color. This type of organization will save you time in the morning as you will not waste time looking for a particular piece of clothing. Along similar lines, you can also pick out the clothes that you want to wear the evening before you actually have to go to work.

Choose a Hairstyle that Is Simple to Maintain

If you are looking to shave time off of your morning routine, it is vital then that you have an easy to maintain hairstyle. After all, a more high maintenance hairstyle will only slow you down in the mornings. Further, today, since there are many stylish hairstyles that are also remarkably simple to maintain, you do not have to worry about sacrificing style for substance.

Consider Going to Bed Earlier

As many times a lack of proper sleep the night before causes delays and unwanted stress in the morning, it may be wise to consider going to sleep earlier in the evening. Without a doubt, well-rested individuals are more likely to think more clearly than their poorly rested counterparts.

All in all, there are a few simple adjustments you can make to ensure that your morning routine is stress-free and efficient one.

Larisa Redins is a full time writer and editor with degrees in both Arts and Biological Science. She writes about career issues for PhillyJobsBlog.com - and creates/edits resumes for a wide net of clients. She additionally writes about other topics for a variety of international websites and magazines. Please visit her other blogs at PhillyJobsBlog.com and view job postings at Beyond.com.

But You Don’t Look Sick

People with Fibromyalgia don’t look sick. Although they appear to be healthy, they are in constant pain. There are things going on with them that you don’t see.

What is Fibromyalgia and what causes it? It’s a chronic condition that causes pain, stiffness and tenderness of the joints, muscles and tendons. The painful tissues are not inflamed, so there isn’t any body damage or deformity. It doesn’t cause any damage to internal organs. It is characterized by restless sleep, feeling tired all the time, chronic fatigue, anxiety and depression. It can also cause irritable bowel syndrome. The actual cause of fibromyalgia is not known. It seems that the people affected experience pain in response to stimuli that isn’t normally painful. Researchers have found elevated levels of a nerve chemical signal called substance P. in sufferers. Serotonin levels are also found to be lower in fibro patients.

What are the symptoms of fibromyalgia? The key symptoms are the following:

1. Pain all over: The muscles feel as if they have been overworked and sometimes twitch and cramp. It’s usually widespread on both sides of the body. It tends to affect the neck, buttocks, shoulders, arms and upper back and chest. There are “tender points” that are tender to light touch. The tender points are found on the elbows, shoulders, knees, hips, back of the head and the sides of the breastbone.

2.Fatigue: Sufferers have an overwhelming feeling of fatigue. Even when getting enough sleep, they never feel rested. People with fibro lack the level of sleep called “non-rapid eye movement”. They often don’t reach the level of sleep needed to feel rested and refreshed.

3. Brain fog: Poor concentration, forgetfulness and irritability are symptoms of “brain fog”. The person never quite feels as if they’re “all there”.

4. Headaches: Constant headaches which can include migraine and tension headaches.

5. Irritable bowel syndrome: This causes abdominal pain and discomfort and other bowel disturbances without detectable inflammation of the stomach and intestines. It can also cause painful and frequent bladder infections.

6.Multiple sensitivities: People have increased sensitivity to many different sensory stimuli and can have a low pain threshold. Body pain can be aggravated by noise, weather changes and emotional stress.

Who’s affected? Fibromyalgia affects mostly women between the ages of 35 and 55. Less often it can affect men, children and the elderly. It can show up independently or with another disease such as lupus.

How is it diagnosed? There aren’t any blood test or X-rays that can confirm a diagnosis. There are tests to exclude other diseases and diagnoses. In patients with chronic widespread body pain, there are identifying point tenderness areas that can point to fibromyalgia, patients may have 11 out of 18 tender points. By excluding other medical conditions that can mimic Fibromyalgia, it leaves the doctor with the diagnosis.

What are the treatments? The person can receive injections of cortisone medicines into the tender point area to try to relieve pain. The pain reliever Ultram and Ultracet may be helpful. The muscle relaxant Flexeril has been used for improving sleep and reducing pain. Anti-depressants, such as, Elavil, Sinequan, Prozac, and Ativan have been used to help treat patients. Biofeedback has been used with some success as well as acupuncture and massage therapy. Also education about the disease, stress reduction and exercise is helpful. Avoiding alcohol and caffeine before bedtime can promote better sleep.

A lot of diseases you can’t see but that doesn’t mean the person isn’t sick or “faking” it. Educate yourself on the “unseen” diseases and then you can be supportive of a person or loved one that has one.

By Linda Lee Ruzicka

Linda Lee Ruzicka lives in the mountains of Western PA , happily married and with her 8 cats and three dogs. She has been published in Twilight Times, Dark Krypt, Fables, Writing Village, June Cotner anthology, The Grit, Reminisce , the book, Haunted Encounters: Friends and Family. She also does freelances work for Beyond and. You can read Healthcarejobsite more of her blogs on Healthcarejobsite blog.

5 Jobs For People Who Aren't Team Players

Many job advertisements are looking for people who are team players and enjoy working with others. So, what jobs are out there for people who don't like people?

Not everyone is a team player. It's just a fact that some people just don't really like people much, and would prefer to not have to struggle daily with socializing or being concerned about the feelings of others. And there is nothing wrong with that. But, hey, haters have got to earn a living too.

When you are looking for a job or thinking about switching careers, it can seem as though every ad you look at asks for people who have excellent communication skills and they are specifically looking for team players. So, what do you do if you don't have great social skills and prefer to be an “army of one”? The good news is that there are many careers that don't require working with others, however many of them require advanced degrees. If you really don't like working with others, most of the training could be completed through an online degree program.

Here are 5 growing careers that are perfect for people who aren't team players:

1. Actuary- Actuaries analyze people and companies in order to find out their habits. The goal is to assess risk and they spend most of their days working with statistics. Actuaries work in the larger field of finance and accounting and have very little interaction with other people. According to the U.S Department of Labor, this career is expected in grow 21 percent over the next eight years.
   
   
   Average salary - $84,810
   
   
2. Medical Transcription – Some transcriptionists work in medical offices and many work from home. Either way, most of the time when they are working, they are wearing headphones so engaging in office chit chat isn't easy. For the most part, they type out recorded dictation from doctors to create medical reports. Because this information is very important and will become a part of a patient's permanent record, it's crucial that the information is typed without any grammar or punctuation errors. People working in this field don't deal with patients at all and answer to a supervisor or the doctor.
   
   
   Average salary - $15.00/hour
   
   
3. Forensic Science Technician – While detectives and crime scene investigators may have to deal with victims and other people, the people who work in Forensic Science only have to work with evidence. Some of them collect evidence from crime scenes, others work in a laboratory and run tests on the collected evidence. Although they work under pressure and their jobs require precision and an eye for detail, having people skills or working as a group isn't important in order to succeed. This field is expected to grow 20 percent over the next eight years.
   
   
   Average salary - $23.00/hour
   
   
4. Budget Analyst – The key to job success in this career is efficiency. Budget analysts work with companies to help them find places where they can save money and increase profits. Although they have to work with clients sometimes, most analysts work for larger companies and deal primarily with numbers. This career is also expected to grown 15 percent over the next eight years.
   
   
   Average salary - $65,320/ year
   
   
5. Writer – Most writers work from home and have very little face to face contact with their editors or publishers. They often work long hours and have to be able to stay focused for long periods of time. Online publishing has created new avenues for aspiring writers, and many copywriters are employed in the marketing industry as well.
   
   
   Average salary - $53,070

For people who don't enjoy working with others, there are still many careers that can be a perfect fit. Not everyone is a team player, but everyone can find a job where they can still shine.

Are you a people person? What other jobs do you think would be great for those who don't like to socialize? Let me know in the comments.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for PhillyJobsBlog, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.

New Molecular Imaging Biomarker to Fight Alzheimer's Disease

by Alex A. Kecskes

Doctors admit that Alzheimer's disease has no cure. It remains the most common cause of dementia. Estimates project that the dreaded disease will spread from its current five million cases to an anticipated 20 million within four decades. In that time, the cost of Alzheimer's care is expected to skyrocket from $172 billion to well over $1 trillion.

Present methods of accurate diagnoses are only possible after a patient dies, when microscopic examinations of brain tissue reveal the distinctive plaques and tangles associated with the disease.

Researchers hope to alter this scenario. They're working to detect dementia at its very earliest stages, which may allow doctors to protect the brain before excessive damage occurs. The tool showing promise for early detection is a brain-imaging compound called AV-45. Once the new radioactive molecular imaging compound is injected into the patient, it crosses the blood-brain barrier and binds to any beta-amyloid plaques--the tell-tale Alzheimer's "signature."

Follow-up imaging by Positron Emission computed Tomography (PET) then lets doctors view a patient's brain and evaluate it for dyed amyloid plaques. Researchers believe that AV-45 can also be used as a biomarker for monitoring the disease's progress and drug efficacy.

AV-45 is expected to gain FDA approval this year. The novel compound could provide doctors with an effective method of tracking the progression of disease from mild cognitive impairment to late Alzheimer's. It could also be used in the development and testing of the more than 150 Alzheimer's drugs presently under evaluation.

For an additional perspective, check out this video:

Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients. Please see more of his blogs and view additional job postings on Beyond.com.

Studies Show That People Are Twice as Likely To Help as You Think

Studies show that people are almost twice as likely to be willing to help you out than you think. Here's why.

When you are working in the medical profession, it might seem as though you are always asking people for help. Asking them to give you information, to fill out forms, to help you with a test you need to run or to wait until you are ready. For the most part, people will be fairly co-operative to your requests and are mostly very patient.

Of course, you are helping them out, so there is some reward for them. However, it really isn't always necessary for them to do so. Even if they didn't co-operate, you would try to find another way to accomplish the tasks. But, still they are typically more than willing to do what they can to make things easier for you.

When it comes to our personal lives though, we are much less likely to ask for help. Even when it would make things much easier for us, we still hesitate to ask strangers for assistance. Which made me wonder why it is that we can ask for all kinds of help at work, but away from work, we don't think that anyone would be willing to help us.

In fact, a new study shows that most of us underestimate how willing someone would be to help us by almost 100 percent. That means that on average, people are twice as likely to provide assistance than we think they would. That is a huge difference.

So, why are our expectations so far off?

One theory is that when we try to anticipate how our request will be received, we only consider what is going on in our own heads. We routinely underestimate the social pressure to say “yes” and to be helpful. Let's face it, if someone came up to you on the street and asked you to do something simple like give them directions or hold their bag for a moment, it would be extremely uncomfortable to say “no” and refuse to provide them assistance. Even if you were in a hurry, you would still try to help.

In fact, in the study they had groups who first had to ask others for help, and then later, they were asked for help. When they were in the position of asking others for help, almost all of them expected it to be easy for their request to be turned down. When the tables were turned and they were the ones who were asked, they quickly saw how hard it is to refuse to help.

So, what can we learn from all of this research? The main things are that if you need help, just ask someone. Asking strangers for help can cause a lot of anxiety, but they are much more likely to help you out than you'd think.

The other thing is, make it easy for someone to say no. Keeping in mind that we all seem to underestimate how hard it is to say “no”, even when we really, really want to, leave an opening for someone to decline without feeling bad. Especially if you are asking for a lot of assistance or need help with something difficult, give people an out.

Have you ever had to ask a stranger for help? Did they surprise you by agreeing? Let me know in the comments.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for HealthcareJobsiteBlog. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.

Pneumatic Drill Could Clear Blocked Arteries

by Alex A. Kecskes



Blocked arteries in the legs, often referred to by medical experts as Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), affect one in five men and one in eight women aged over 50. PAD results in hundreds of amputations a week, mostly in diabetics with poor blood circulation.



Surgeons are keeping an eye on one promising solution in breaking up arterial deposits: a miniature vibrating pneumatic drill known as the Crosser Catheter System.

The new system uses a wire to reach the blockage. Once there, the tip of the wire is activated to vibrate at 20,000 times per second. This essentially drills a hole through the center of the deposit, allowing surgeons to inflate a tiny balloon to displace the blockage.

One root cause of PAD is hard deposits in arteries, which usually develops first in the legs and feet. The arteries become less elastic, narrow, and hard due to calcium deposits on the wall of the artery. In some cases, the artery may completely close, preventing blood flow; or it may lose its ability to dilate to carry more blood, especially during exercise.



Until now, breaking up arterial deposits involved inserting a thin tube (a catheter), into the main artery in the thigh and feeding a wire through it to break up the blockage. In many cases, however, calcified or hardened deposits prevented the wire from penetrating the blockage. Patients then faced the alternative of surgery for a graft to bypasses the blockage. If that didn't work, the patient would face the grim prospect of amputation.



For an additional perspective, check out this video:



Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients. Please see more of his blogs and view additional job postings on Beyond.com.

The visitors love us even more

As it enters its 15th year of promoting Philadelphia and its environs as a tourist destination, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation deserves kudos not only for getting more people to visit the region and stay awhile but for helping boost Greater Philadelphia's tourism and hospitality industry.

The agency released its 2011 annual report to the public on May 11, with figures for 2010.Those figures show that tourism has not only held its own but continued to grow as an economic engine for the region even in a weak economy. The total number of visitors to the region increased 4%, from 36 million in 2009 to 37.4 million in 2010. Overnight visitors rose even more, climbing 10% from 13.1 million to 14.4 million. More than 80% of these visitors, moreover, came here for leisure purposes.

More to the point, these visitors brought their money with them. The GPTMC calculates that visitor spending in the region had an economic impact of $24 million a day, or $8.7 billion for the year.

All that money supports a lot of jobs in the region, and not just in the hospitality industry. According to the GPTMC, nearly 85,000 jobs in Greater Philadelphia depend either directly or indirectly on visitors to the area. That figure (actual number: 84,807 in 2010) also rose from last year, by 1.4%. Among the indirect beneficiaries of visitor spending are the education and health care sector, finance, insurance and real estate, and personal services, which together accounted for 7,361 jobs indirectly attributable to tourism.

What all this means is that the GPTMC's marketing efforts have paid off big time for the Philadelphia region. (That success also sends another message: When things get tough, keep up the marketing effort.) We should all thank every visitor we meet for coming to Philly. After all, our jobs may well depend on that visitor - and our taxes would be even higher were that visitor not here.

By Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is a veteran freelance writer, editor and public relations professional who lives in Philadelphia. Besides blogging for PhillyJobs.com, he has written for numerous publications and websites, would be happy to do your resume, and is himself actively seeking career opportunities on Beyond.com. Check out his LinkedIn profile and read his other posts on PhillyJobsBlog.com.

Digging up the Dirt on Where You Want to Work

If you can cyber-stalk all of your old exes, friends and frenemies you are perfectly capable of digging up dirt on any company you’re considering. Learning the good, the bad and the ugly truth about the business before your interview will help your chances of getting the job if you even want to take it. Don’t rely on common knowledge, word of mouth, or company produced materials as your sole sources, really dig deep. Even if it takes some time, think of the investigation an investment and the payoff is the position.

Don’t know where to start? Try these tips…

Google, Bing, and beyond – You’ve probably thought to scan your favorite search engine for information but make sure you look past the top 5 results returned. Usually the sponsored link and the first few listed are produced by the company itself so you’re only getting their side of the story. Scroll through a few pages and see what else turns up. Add keywords like “community”, “charity”, “lawsuit”, or the name of the C.E.O. to focus your search.

Socialize yourself – Check out what their social media sites say about them. Read through the comments and also looks for groups that were created to voice a negative opinion of the place you’re considering working. It’s a great way to find out about upcoming events and even intramural activities. If company has a dodge ball team you might want to play up your playground skills when you meet with the manager.

Cold hard facts – Check the Better Business Bureau to find out the company’s rating and read reviews. Fortune is also a good resource for researching financial aspects and corporate stability. If you’re thinking of working for a non-profit Charity, Navigator lists organization facts and statistics.

The horse’s mouth – Find out what people who have worked there have to say at sites like glassdoor.com that lists “company salaries, reviews, and interviews – all posted
anonymously by employees.” If you can’t find info that way try posting a topic on craigslist.org where people love to give their opinion.

Knowing about the place you’re applying to is one of the most important things you can do to prepare for any job interview. Human resources managers across the board will tell you that applicants who haven’t done their homework are hardly ever considered. To set yourself apart from other candidates, know more about the company than just what’s listed on their website. With deeper understanding of the business’ goals and infrastructure you can answer and ask questions that are intelligent and insightful and that will help get you hired.


By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer with experience in web, film, photography and animation as well as traditional fine arts like painting and sculpting. In addition to writing for PhillyJobsBlog.com, she is co-founder of design and promotion company, BlackChip Solutions with fellow Beyond.com blogger, Staci Dennis. Heather’s spare time consists of making puppets, teaching Sunday School, building Legos and doing science experiments with her children.

Making Friends With The Sandman

You’re sitting down on the couch, relaxing and reading the newspaper. Your eyelids start to drift shut and you snap them back open. Really, a nap? you think. Will a nap only make you more tired? Is it a healthy thing to do? You might be surprised at the answer.

A nap that’s less than 20 minutes really does perk you up. It will improve your alertness, your performance and your mood. If you take a power nap of 15 to 20 minutes, your brain will move into slow wave sleep, which is the deep phase of sleep. If you nap too long then you wake up feeling disorientated and groggy. If you nap too late in the day then that can lead to insomnia. So the best bet is a short nap between 1-4 pm of 20 minutes to feel refreshed.

Do I really need 8 hours of sleep? It’s true that some people can require less than 6 hours of sleep at night. If you wake up regularly without an alarm clock at the same time every day after 6 hours, then you’re one of the lucky ones. Most of us require 7-8 hours of sleep, some even require 12. If you don’t feel fully awake during the day, then you need more sleep.

What about catching up on sleep during the weekend? It will work but often weekends are filled with family obligations or going out with friends. You stay out late and then sleep in which throws off your sleep cycle. You sleep in on Sunday and then try to go to bed at your regular time Sunday night and can’t sleep. Don’t skip sleep during the week thinking that you’ll catch up on the weekend. It doesn’t always happen.

How about exercise before bed? Won’t that help you sleep? It actually depends on the person. If you exercise at night and find you can’t sleep, reschedule it for earlier in the day. Some exercises elevate the body temperature which interferes with falling asleep. However, for people with insomnia it may help them sleep. It depends on what works for you.

Is skipping a little sleep that bad for you? Surprisingly, it is. Just missing 90 minutes of sleep can impair your daytime alertness by 32%. It can affect your memory, your thinking, safety on the job and driving. Six hours past your bedtime on a single day gives you the same reactions as if you were legally drunk. When you’re sleep deprived, you don’t realize that you’re judgment is impaired. The National Sleep Foundation’s 2009 poll showed that as many 1.9 million drivers had a car crash or a near miss due to drowsiness in that year.

So if you make friends with the Sandman and get enough sleep not to be sleep deprived, you’ll feel better. You’ll also perform better and function at the top of your capabilities…isn’t that worth a few extra winks?

By Linda Lee Ruzicka

Linda Lee Ruzicka lives in the mountains of Western PA , happily married and with her 8 cats and three dogs. She has been published in Twilight Times, Dark Krypt, Fables, Writing Village, June Cotner anthology, The Grit, Reminisce , the book, Haunted Encounters: Friends and Family. She also does freelances work for Beyond and Healthcarejobsite. You can read more of her blogs on Healthcarejobsite blog.

Online Disinhibition, and Why We Still Say Things We Shouldn't Online

Oversharing on social networking is reaching epic proportions, let's take a look at why.

I know you have heard it before, but no matter how many times it's said, people still keep oversharing on social networking sites. One of the things that have hurt many job seekers and have cost people jobs and even their careers and reputations is saying things online that have come back to haunt them.

If we all know how damning a careless tweet is, why do so many people keep doing it?

It's a really good question. To answer it, we have to look at the psychology of social networking and how it can cause even the best of us to turn off our filters and say things we later regret. The root cause of this phenomena is called the online disinhibition effect; which is basically why, when we log on to the internet, we loosen our ideas about social restrictions and do things that wouldn't be appropriate in a face-to-face interaction.

I'm sure you've seen this in action, on Facebook, Twitter and even comments on websites. People who would never behave in an anti-social manner have no problem making threatening comments on blogs or bullying others through social media. On the flip side, people can also become more emotional, more affectionate and less guarded in their interactions with others. This is why some people say that they have fallen in love with someone based on internet communication.

So, why do we do this? Here are 4 reasons why we behave differently online:

1. We feel anonymous – This isn't always true when it comes to social media, but when commenting on blogs and other websites, people often think that no one will be able to find out who they are. It's easy to forget that even elementary school kids can use Google.
   
   
2. Delayed reactions – When we are talking to people face-to-face we get instant feedback about how our message is being received by the listeners facial expressions or responses. This sort of feedback will cause us to edit our comments or not say something because we are afraid of their judgment. This why we can say things and not realize that they are offensive. Sometimes this can be a benefit, because people who have social anxiety or trouble communicating can find online communication easier.
   
   
3. There are no internet police – The internet is a strange world and there are no cyber-cops to punish bad behavior. For some people, this can make them feel that normal rules don't apply and that they can do whatever they like without consequence. Of course, this is just an illusion because our actions have a real effect on others and we all have an inner-policeman that regulates our behavior, even online.
   
   
4. Assumed intimacy – When we read, we tend to forge emotional bonds with the author, even though we don't know them. This happens when we read novels and even when we read blogs and comments. If you read someones blog (this one, I hope), status updates and/or tweets, it's easy to think that you know them and that you are friends. This can cause you to behave in a much more casual manner than you would otherwise.

It seems that there are many reasons why even good people can sometimes behave badly or overshare online. Hopefully by understanding why this happens, we can prevent ourselves and others from falling into this trap.

Do you have friends that overshare online? Have you ever posted something that you later regretted? I would love to hear your experiences in the comments.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for PhillyJobsBlog, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.

$5,000 Scholarships Available to Nurses Interested in Pediatric Lung and Respiratory Diseases

by Alex A. Kecskes



Want to advance your nursing career, but lack the funds to continue school? Why not apply for the Eight and Forty Lung and Respiratory Disease Nursing Scholarship?



The $5,000 scholarships are awarded annually to nurses who want to enhance their training in pediatric lung and respiratory diseases or to prepare for positions in clinical practice and management. Nurses must have prospects for full-time employment related to pediatric lung and respiratory disease nursing to qualify.



The Eight and Forty was organized in June, 1922 and originally founded to provide its members with fun and fellowship. In 1924, the organizational plan was amended to include "such service to be particularly concerned with child welfare.” At that point, the National Child Welfare Committee of the American Legion charged the Eight and Forty with that the task of “Preventive tuberculosis service" along educational lines to provide assistance and care and treatment of children. This assignment was later expanded beyond tuberculosis to “lung and respiratory diseases in children.”

When the need for nurses educated in the special area of lung and respiratory disease patients became evident, the Eight and Forty established a scholarship to help RNs expand their knowledge in lung and respiratory diseases. Since the scholarships began in 1957, over $1.4 million have been awarded.



Applications must be postmarked no later than May 15, and scholarship recipients will be announced July 1. The scholarship's complete requirements are available in .PDF format on the American Legion website.



For an additional perspective, check out this video:



Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients. Please see more of his blogs and view additional job postings on Beyond.com.

In The Hot Seat - Ropes

Don't get get tied up In The Hot Seat searching for jobs that aren't a good fit. Find your next career in Philadelphia at PhillyJobs.com.

By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer with experience in web, film, photography and animation as well as traditional fine arts like painting and sculpting. In addition to writing for PhillyJobsBlog.com she is co-founder of design and promotion company, BlackChip Solutions with fellow Beyond.com blogger, Staci Dennis. Heather’s spare time consists of making puppets, teaching Sunday School, building Legos and doing science experiments with her children.

When You Want To Make Your Temporary Job Your Permanent Job

Considering temp work can be a bit unsettling when you are looking for a full time job. However, for many people, a temporary assignment can become a full time position. Temporary positions are a great way to maintain a paycheck during the search for a permanent job. Temp jobs also allow you to experience various companies to get a clearer idea of the work you may desire.

There are few tips to consider if you are working in a temporary position and wish for it to become a permanent career.

• Every day is an interview- Since some employers consider hiring temps as a way to see how potential employees fit with the company, make sure to show up on time every day and do the job to the best of your ability.
  
  
• Study the office culture- Part of making a temporary position into a new career is overcoming the separateness that seems to surround temporary employees. They are often easy to spot because they don’t look and feel like they really work there. If you want to make this your new career, study the office culture and do what you can to fit in.
  
  
• Always be prepared- Keep a resume with you at all times. You never know when a supervisor might approach you about becoming part of their team for good.
  
  
• Keep them aware of your capabilities- Look for ways that you can stand out. It can be hard to let people see your true talents, education, and previous experience when you are doing a temporary assignment that is specialized or not fully using your skills.
  
  
• Professional mingling- Spending a little time socializing and meeting people in the office is a way to familiarize yourself with the company and their role in the corporate universe. If you keep in mind that this is an extended job interview, maintaining a professional and polite attitude is a must.
  
  
• Expressing your true intention- An employer is only going to assume that you are happy with your temporary position unless you find ways to tell them that you would be interested in working with their company on a full time basis.

Temporary positions are a feasible means of finding that full time career. Just keep these suggestions in mind and the transition could be easier than you thought possible.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for HealthcareJobsiteBlog. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.