Celebrating the Holidays in an Interfaith Family

You grew up with memories of Santa Claus and Christmas trees, but your spouse spent the holidays lighting a menorah and playing dreidel. If yours is one of the thousands of interfaith families in the United States or elsewhere, chances are you've either tried to find ways to incorporate the best of both traditions into your own family or agreed as a family to choose one faith and follow its traditions.

The holidays tend to bring the religious choices you've made into sharp focus. As a result, some interfaith families find December especially stressful, while others have discovered ways to make it a joyous time. Even families with religious differences that are not exactly "interfaith" — a Catholic / Protestant couple, for example — find themselves dealing with thorny issues about what to do during holidays.


For the rest of this article.

Learn what it takes to be a restorative aide.

Safety Tips for Home Health Care Workers

Home nurses and aides are exposed to many of the dangers that hospital workers face -- from tuberculosis to needlestick injuries -- but are working in completely uncontrolled environments, Rhonda Berlin Jarrell, RN, a former home nurse who now works as an injury prevention consultant in Alexandria, Virginia says. As a result, nearly one in 20 home health workers has a job-related illness or injury every year -- a rate approaching that for construction workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

House calls
Back strain is by far the most common injury among home health workers. In 2007, among the 55,440 reported injuries that resulted in nurses, psychiatric and home health aides having to miss work, more than 21,000 involved back injuries. The risks are particularly high for health aides who have to lift patients from their beds, chairs, toilets, and bathtubs. Moving patients around in their home can be a challenge, and not just because of stairs and clutter, Jarrell says. Many patients don't have the equipment -- such as lifts and adjustable beds -- that can ease the burden on caregivers. And home workers, unlike hospital staff, can't just call a coworker down the hall for help with a particularly heavy load.

Home aides and nurses can protect their backs by encouraging patients and their family members to invest in lifts and adjustable beds. Even more important, Jarrell says, workers should learn the proper body mechanics for lifting, preferably through annual training sessions.

For more and original article

Learn what it takes to be a Home Health Aide.

Clever Christmas Party Ideas for Senior Living

12 Days of Christmas

Find clever ways to incorporate everything from a partridge in a pear tree to twelve drummers drumming. This may include displaying topiary trees with candy pears, serving three (roast) french hens, hanging five golden wreaths to represent the rings and dressing up your tables to look like giant drums.

Have an Aussie Christmas

Break away from the white Christmas and celebrate the season the way they do downunder - on a scorching summer's day.

Use an inflatable children's pool filled with ice to hold your drinks, and decorate a gum tree rather than the traditional evergreen. Put on a barbecue, meatpies or some freshly grilled fish, crack a few ginger ales and break out the ausse slang, mate. Decorations could include Australian flora and fauna, shells and white sand and sandals.


For more ideas and original article.

Know someone interested in becoming an Activity Director?

Avoiding Extra Pounds During the Holidays

This is a hectic time of year.  We are all very busy working a full time job, part time job, managing the household, chauffeuring the kids to everyplace under the sun. The fall sports season is about to end, the winter sports season is gearing up. Holiday shopping is on your mind and you are behind schedule.  Your friends and family are beckoning you for visits,  your laundry is overflowing and you have to still figure out what to cook for dinner.

Does this sound familiar?  The holidays can be a stressful time of year.   There is so much stuff to do and the days don’t grant you extra hours to get it all done. The daylight turns to a night time sky earlier than you desire and you feel sleepy at 5 pm because of it.

On top of all of the above, it becomes difficult for many of us to eat healthy during the holiday season because we are always on the go and sometimes we make bad choices. Not to mention, we are perpetually surrounded by baked goods and delicious treats . . .

For More.

Interested in a career as an Activity Director?

Laughter Reduces Blood Sugar Levels

Laughter, it's said, is the best medicine. And there's lots of evidence that laughter does lots of good things for us.

It reduces pain and allows us to tolerate discomfort.

It reduces blood sugar levels, increasing glucose tolerance in diabetics and nondiabetics alike.

It improves your job performance, especially if your work depends on creativity and solving complex problems. Its role in intimate relationships is vastly underestimated and it really is the glue of good marriages. It synchronizes the brains of speaker and listener so that they are emotionally attuned.

Laughter establishes -- or restores -- a positive emotional climate and a sense of connection between two people, In fact, some researchers believe that the major function of laughter is to bring people together. And all the health benefits of laughter may simply result from the social support that laughter stimulates.

For More.

Interested in becoming a Restorative Aide?

How About Some Spending Money For The Holidays?

You may win a check for your tuition from We Care Online!

Wouldn't it be nice to sign up for a Nurse Aide course and get your money back?  We might just make that happen for you!  Beginning in December 2013, students registering for a Nurse Aide course will automatically be placed in a monthly drawing to win reimbursement of their course tuition. One student from Kansas and one student from South Dakota will win the drawing.

Yes, there are few rules that need to be met. But they are really simple rules.

• The student must be enrolled in a CNA class in Kansas or a NA class in South Dakota.
• The course must be PAID IN FULL.
• The student must have a passing grade for the course.

You will only be entered in the drawing when ALL OF THE
ABOVE apply.

And YES, facilities who register students could also be reimbursed.  Same rules apply.  

We are excited to start surprising some of our Nurse Aide students with this gift!  But remember, you can't get reimbursed unless you register and pay for your course.

Check out our website for more information on this great opportunity! Click Here

We also still have our Hardship Grant available for a few of our courses.  You can apply by Clicking Here.

We Care Online website: http://www.wecareonlineclasses.com/index.html

10 Ways to Make Yourself Indispensible to a Charge Nurse

Several factors can make a CNA or nurse aide truly valuable to the charge nurse.

1) BE AT WORK.
Really this can’t be repeated enough. Calling in at work does more damage to your reputation than most anything else short of abuse and/or neglect. In any industry, but particularly healthcare, nurses and aides are the single most important ingredient to continuity of good care. You know what happens when there are call ins- others have to pick up the slack. It’s not good. Be at work and call in only when you are TRULY so sick you cannot function as an aide. Let the nurses send you home if they so decide. The nurses will respect you so much more and keep you in high regard, if you come to work as scheduled.

2) BE AT WORK ON TIME.
Another issue that can’t be repeated enough. Nurses like having all the aides at work, ready to manage the units.

For More.

Know someone interested in becoming a CNA?

How to Balance School and Work as an Adult

Many health care workers work while taking classes at community colleges to try to get ahead. For community college students, more than a quarter work greater than 35 hours weekly. Additionally, nearly one-quarter of college students have dependent children.

In some cases, the rigors of juggling work and school prove to be too much. Given the choice between income and education, and faced with fewer dollars to go around in terms of student loans, many students leave college before attaining a degree, choosing the immediate reward of a paycheck over the expected reward of a higher-paying job upon graduation.


For these nontraditional students, it’s imperative to strategize about how to balance work and school. Using the tips outlined below, you can do both, without either one suffering.

1. Take assignments with you. While I advocate for keeping work and school separate, I do think you can fit in your schoolwork at other times during the day. For instance, if you’re sitting at your daughter’s soccer practice or folding laundry, use the time to study.

For more tips.

Interested in becoming a health unit coordinator?

How to Multitask as a Nurse Aide

What is Multitasking?

At some settings, nursing assistants are expected to take care of more than six patients in each shift. This is where your multitasking skills come in handy. Basically, multitasking is a talent to organize and execute two different types of tasks all at one time.

Yes! It is a Skill

There are no findings that nurse aides are provided with training on multitasking during the training classes. Accomplishing different tasks at one go is difficult. It totally depends on your mental and physical capacity to react to different things with equal control and panache. You will accumulate these skills as you spend some time in your occupation.

However, trying to finish two different types of works concurrently may slow you down. It will also restrict your brain to act to its fullest since you are trying to hit two birds with one stone. You will be more in stress and become exhausted very soon. Above all, it will lead to frustration if the outcome is not as expected.

For More.

Interested in starting your career in health care? Learn more about what it takes to become a Restorative Aide.

Home Health Named Best Partner in Reducing Hospital Readmissions

Partnering with home health care agencies is emerging as a new model of care and a core strategy in
preventing hospital readmissions, according to a new survey.

Home health partnerships were the number-one strategy that 73% of senior hospital leaders adopt to lower preventable readmissions, as noted in a survey conducted by HealthLeaders Media Intelligence Unit in collaboration with Amedisys.

Of the 106 senior leaders comprised of CEOs and physicians polled in the survey, 60% of hospitals said they already have selected home health care partners.

“Hospitals are seeing the benefit of collaborating with post-acute care partners in an effort to improve their patients’ health and prevent hospital readmissions  . . ."

For More.

Know someone interested in starting a career as a Home Health Aide?

CNA's: Staying Healthy at Work

The work we CNA’s do is HARD; some say brutal. The stress we put upon ourselves while performing our duties takes a high toll on our bodies. We have to take care of ourselves. And I mean that- especially at work.

Some of the things I do to make sure I’m ready and physically able to do my job are pretty mainstream, or so I thought. Lately I’ve noticed newer aides not bothering to do simple things that can make such a difference.

1) The usual items we hear about are par for the course: Eat right, exercise and get plenty of sleep! Easier said then done in today’s busy world. Family, friends, commitments, kids’ games and activities all keep us, at times, TOO busy to care for ourselves.

2) We use our legs, arms and backs for the vast majority of the tasks we perform. It makes sense to stretch these muscles before we use them.

For More. 

For More about how to become a CNA.

Job Outlook for Home Health Aides

As the baby boomer generation age, a need for healthcare services, and workers to adequately weather this increasing demand will rise.

One such career is that of a home health aide, an individual who has the capacity to assist and aide and individual with a medical condition within the comfort of their own home. Any career that can exceed a growth rate of over 25% in a 10 year period can be said to be growing faster than the national average. With regards to the job outlook for home health aide careers, the numbers are closer to 50% in a 10 year period. Personal assistant and home aide careers are expected to see tremendous growth as well through to 2018, showing the increasing need for in home services.

For More.

Know someone interested in starting a career as a Home Health Aide?

Like your health care career, but want a change of scenery?

No one will argue that the health care field is a challenging career. But even with the challenge, there are sometimes when we get tired of doing the same thing day in and day out. The monotony of a demanding routine can become too much for us and we need a change.

Unfortunately, for many nurses and CNAs this is the time when they decide to leave the bedside and pursue different careers. However, there are so many diverse specialties in this field that you can get a breath of fresh air in your career while still practicing what you love. One of the more exciting career changes you can pursue is flight nursing.

What do flight nurses do?

Flight nurses (also known as aero-medical nurses) play a critical role in patient care in some of the most emergent situations possible. They provide life supporting care while a patient is transported from medical facility to medical facility or in some cases, from the scene of an accident to a trauma center.

A flight nurse will work alongside a flight paramedic to deliver advanced critical care.

For More and the Original Article.

Starting a Career in Healthcare? Why not take an easy online Medical Terminology Course?

13 Ways to be a Better Co-Worker

1. Say a cheery “Hello!” in the morning. Do you plod into the office, eyes down, shoulders slumped, and immediately start work? If so, you’re likely to find that co-workers ignore you (at best) or avoid you (at worst). Get into the habit of smiling and greeting everyone as you arrive in the morning or begin your shift. It’s amazing how fast this little courtesy can thaw chilly workplace relations.


2. Learn the art of small talk. Ask your co-workers about their interests – their favorite music, films, books, hobbies. Showing a genuine interest in them will make them feel comfortable around you. Talk about your life outside the office when it’s appropriate. This will remind the people you work with that you’re a person first, not just an employee or employer.


3. Ask what they think. People love to be asked their opinion, so go out of your way to ask, “What do you think is missing from this report?” or “How do you think I should handle this situation with X?” Then give the advice-giver a sincere thank you, even if the ideas are less than helpful.

4. Avoid gossip. You don’t want anyone talking about you behind your back, so return the favor.

Read more: HERE.

Would you like to learn more about becoming a Mental Health Aide?

How to Pack a Great Lunch for Work

Packing a lunch isn't just for school kids. As adults, making sure we have healthy meals throughout
the day can help improve our health and save money.

Top 5 Reasons to Pack Your Lunch

1) It's cheaper than eating out

2) You'll have extra time to enjoy your lunch break. Driving to a restaurant or going to the cafeteria (if your workplace has one) takes time.

3) Well packed lunches will have fewer calories and fat

4) You'll curb impulsive eating. Hungry decisions are often directed toward higher calorie, sugar and fat choices.

5) Your lunch will have a variety of delicious foods

What to Pack?

Planning and packing meals ahead of time will ensure you get the proper nutrition for your body. There are several strategies you can use to make lunch preparations a little easier.

• Pack your dinner leftovers from the night before
• Purchase or prepare pre-cut fruit and vegetables and put them in containers at the beginning of the week to save time
• Reserve a drawer at your workpalce to keep lunch supplies such as reusable containers, baggies, drinking bottles and utensils in easy reach

For More Ideas.

Now that you have some ideas about eating healthier, why not advance your career as a Restorative Aide?

Secrets of Organized Families

In this increasingly hectic world, the phrase "organized families" can seem like a contradiction in terms. But you know they exist: They're the ones who show up at school on time each day, remember the Little League coach's birthday, and file their taxes in January. And though they make everyone else look bad, you secretly wish you were more like them, together and in control.

Why get organized? Because you can't afford not to, especially when you're juggling work, school, and competing schedules. To get you on the road to efficiency, we asked families and professional organizers to share their secrets, room by room.

First, a few ground rules:

Commit to change. "Deciding to get organized is like resolving to lose weight," says Lisa Sarasohn of the Los Angeles-based organizing service Hire Order. "Both require discipline, and neither happens overnight." Rather than searching for a quick fix – the equivalent of a fad diet – organized families commit to a lifestyle change. They see organization as a means to an end: a more fulfilling, less stressful family life.

Take it slow. Be realistic in your organizing efforts. After all, you can't tame years of household chaos in a single day.

For the rest of this original article.

Ready to make time to advance your healthcare career? Check out our schedule of classes at WeCareOnline.

10 Traits of Well Respected CNAs

Becoming a certified nurse aide or CNA takes a special person. Employers are looking for the following qualities and having them can help you be very successful in your career:

1 Compassion: A compassionate CNA is valuable. She respects what her residents/patients are experiencing; she has a knack for knowing what to say, just when to say it too! She advocates for her patients/residents- she gives detailed reports and updates to the nurses on changes in condition.

2 Patience: This CNA does not allow her job demands to get in the way of resident care. She does not **do** the tasks for the residents in order to get it done quicker; she encourages her residents to take their time with tasks. This CNA does not rush her residents thru meals and toileting.


3  Work-oriented: The CNA who loves his job is evident to all. This aide rarely uses her cell phone while working; when this aide arrives at work, she is ready to work; she focuses on her assignment and residents; she has little time for small talk.


4 Enthusiasm: The CNA who is upbeat and positive is rare. He will have a “Let’s get this done” attitude with a smile. He will not let others’ emotions and negativity affect his day.


For the rest of this original article.

Interested in becoming a certified nurse aide?

Why More Employers are Hiring CMAs

Even before the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) adjusted the eligibility requirements for the CMA (AAMA) Certification/Recertification Examination to better meet the human resource needs of the health care environment, more employers of allied health personnel were preferring or even insisting that their medical assistants have the CMA (AAMA) credential. 

The CMA (AAMA) represents a medical assistant who has been credentialed by the Certifying Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants. Understanding why employers are aggressively recruiting CMAs (AAMA) is of the utmost importance for a medical assistant’s entry into and advancement within the allied health work force.

First of all, the United States continues to be one of the most litigious nations in the world. Disputes that used to be settled by discussion and mediation are now being referred to attorneys and are ending up in courts of law.

For the original article.

Interested in becoming a CMA?

5 Things Employers Don't Want You to do at Work

Here are five strategies for you to implement today so you can stand out at work and be the best health care employee your employer wants to keep.

Don’t skip breaks. How often do you hear yourself or others boast, “I worked straight through lunch again today!” or, “I’ve worked here twenty years and I never have taken a break!” Often we are so busy taking care of others that we neglect to take care of ourselves. I still remember working with a bulging bladder, without breaks or meals. In spite of our demanding work schedules, our managers and leaders do not want us to neglect caring for our own bodies, minds and spirits. Take 15 minutes two to three times a shift to get away, sit down, breathe deeply, relax a bit, read something inspirational or whisper a prayer. I know your commitment to your patients makes this difficult but it’s important to your survival. Ask a teammate to back you up while you take a break, then return the favor.

For More Tips and the Original Article

Interested in a career as a Health Unit Coordinator?

Pharmacy Techs Can be Leaders is Crime Preparedness

Pharmacy technicians work alongside pharmacists every day, and are often the team members who interact first with patients and customers. Located on the front lines of a pharmacy, technicians are likely to encounter a pharmacy theft or crime situation before anyone else on the pharmacy team.

Response to a crisis requires a team effort, and pharmacy technicians can take the lead to create action plans and promote safe environments in their workplaces. To prepare for pharmacy crime situations, technicians benefit from working with pharmacy managers, understanding their own roles in crisis response, making sure their pharmacy’s safety plan is clearly communicated to the pharmacy team, and connecting with local law enforcement agencies to develop procedures.

“Considering the prominent positions of pharmacy technicians on the front lines of pharmacies, PTCB recognizes the critical importance of preparation and training for the possible incident of a robbery,” said PTCB Executive Director and CEO Everett McAllister, MPA, RPh. “Communication and collaboration among pharmacists and technicians are the keys to maintaining safety in the pharmacy.” 

For More.

Know someone interested in becoming a Pharmacy Technician?