AllHealthcare

Ah, Thanksgiving — a time for family, friends, tradition, and most importantly, deliciously indulgent comfort food. From dinner rolls to stuffing to mashed potatoes and gravy, Americans look forward to this holiday as the quintessential day to feast with no remorse and certainly no counting calories! But did you know that the average Thanksgiving meal will set you back anywhere ...

With the downturn in the US economy, workplaces are becoming more and more diverse age-wise. Older workers are working alongside younger workers as people at every stage in their health care career are getting laid off. With this generational gap among health care workers widening, there’s a lot of potential for miscommunication or differing perspectives. Though many people will absolutely ...

If you're ready to take control of your health, start by washing your hands for 15 to 20 seconds, about as long as it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice. Doing this simple act, while avoiding certain behaviors -- smoking, excessive drinking and eating too much -- can dramatically improve your health, said internist William Meller, who specializes in evolutionary ...

Hospitals can be crazy places. From ambulances rushing in patients and nurses shouting vitals to security having to deal with frantic family members, you may blink and find you miss an important moment. But for many healthcare professionals, hospitals are their second home. With all the different departments and types of healthcare workers in hospitals, it’s not uncommon for newbies ...

Those who succeed in health care and gain the most fulfillment from it will start their careers with certain qualities. Do you have what it takes to be a great health care professional? See Quality #2 [page] 2. Emotional Stability A great health care professional is very stable emotionally. Health care can be a stressful career and professionals can encounter ...

The first year on the job is often the toughest for new nursing graduates, especially those who work in hospitals. In fact, new nurse graduates account for more than half of the turnover rate in some hospitals, according to a study published in 2007 by Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing researchers. “There really are multiple reasons for [the first-year ...

Every healthcare professional encounters patients who are short-tempered, belligerent or just plain rude from time to time. But the frequency of these encounters may increase as the stress level rises among patients and providers. Experienced physicians and nurse practitioners offer five tips on keeping your cool when tempers flare: Give Patients the Benefit of the Doubt >> [page] Give Patients the ...

Celebrities. We love to hate them. We also love to watch their every move, laugh at their mistakes and scrutinize their decisions. Like them or not, their celebrity status means not only have they achieved career success, they’ve also got a hell of a lot to lose. And sometimes, whatever actions have helped catapult them to fame or rendered them ...

Someone you know just lost their job. Yikes. You want to be supportive. You want to help them see the positive side of their misfortune. You want to buy them a drink. And you should! But please, tread carefully. The time directly following a layoff is a delicate one. Your friend will want your help, but they may not be ...

One late night while working Boston’s needle exchange van I realized the early stage of drug addiction is no different than the sugar or coffee cycle many of us fall prey to in our daily lives. This particular evening a young man walked into the van, and we talked about his drug use and life in the gay community. He had ...

Time flies when you're wasting it These days, no one can afford to waste time at work. Thanks to widespread downsizing, workloads are piling up. Unfortunately, extra hours in the day are not. Maximizing your time at work can mean the difference between leaving at a reasonable hour (i.e. holding onto your sanity) and staying late unnecessarily. You’ve got a ...

We've all been there. It's a beautiful day, and you can't bear the thought of going into work. So you call in with some excuse about feeling ill, but you know in your bones that your boss doesn't buy it. The feeling ill excuse is a short-term solution that won't win you any fans at the office - someone else ...

Nurses hear it all: The good, the bad, and the (very, very!) ugly. From pushy patients to bossy doctors, nurses handle it all with grace. But there are some things that can get under the most tolerant nurse’s skin. AllHealthcare staff members talked to healthcare professionals, one another and (of course!) nurses to find out what phrases or questions were ...

You don’t get to choose your patients. So your relationship with them can range anywhere from “match made in heaven” to “your worst nightmare.” Any appointment can be a potentially difficult situation, mainly because when patients come to see you, they’re probably already anxious. They may be concerned about what’s ailing them, be uncomfortable with the sterile atmosphere, or have a ...

Along with paychecks, deadlines, and overtime, bosses are one of the things you just can’t avoid in the workplace. But how to identify these strange characters and deal with them? Don’t go it alone — it’s a jungle out there. We show you how! [page] The Robot Distinguishing characteristics: An empty work space, no family pictures. What they do: All business, ...

Some of us are night owls. Others, early birds. Apparently, based on your chronotype, you will be more naturally alert earlier or later in the day. And your type may dictate when and for how long you sleep. But while a natural variance in sleep patterns is natural, it appears that the early bird is indeed the more coveted of ...

On one of the last episodes of “Seinfeld,” the main characters are stuck in traffic on a Sunday night. Galpal Elaine, who desperately wants to get home, wails, “All I know is that it's Sunday night, and I have got to unwind! Now, who's with me?” If perpetually single Elaine felt that way, you can imagine how the rest of us ...

Kim Danger, nationally-recognized savings expert and founder of www.mommysavers.com, has teamed up with Uniroyal Tire to release a series of e-books for the frugal-minded. The team’s e-books and videos can be found here, and they are available for free. My latest e-book, Pamper Yourself for Less, is all about making yourself a priority and creating some “me time.” The best place ...

Did you know that anyone – your employer, a co-worker, a patient, even a jilted lover – can file a complaint against your practice? Handle it well, and you could turn it into a valuable learning experience. Handle it poorly, and you could lose your license. AllHealthcare spoke to a Sheryl Oakes Caddy, a nurse, nursing faculty instructor and an attorney ...

Whether you’re an EMT dealing with life-or-death situations, or a home health aide caring for difficult patients, any job in healthcare can be overwhelming and stressful. Learning how to manage stress and channel it through positive means is vital, not just for a successful career, but for your happiness and well-being too. If you don’t take time to unwind, constant ...