A Professional Career in Nursing
Why Become a Professional Nurse?
Nursing as a profession is a highly regarded career with some of the highest requirements of honesty and ethics among occupations. Nursing has emerged as the largest health care profession with over 2.7 million jobs. With over 100,000 uninhabited positions and a ever-growing requirement for healthcare employees, the career outlook is excellent for the nursing field. National Center for Workforce Analysis, a firm of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, predicts a deficit of 808,416 nurses by the year 2020. Such an analysis and forecast is backed by really strong reasoning and research.
Developments and innovation in medicine and technology has led to increased life spans. Elderly populations are living much longer. Many within this population will require increased care and nursing. As such, need continues to rise for the nursing staffing to meet this demand. The requirements for more educated and experienced nurses grows annually. With more insurance companies entering the medical arena to try to lower the cost of healthcare, demand for nurses, outside hospital settings has also risen. In addition, the current nursing labor force itself is aging, with many expected to retire within the next decade, exacerbating the demand for new nurses. Hence, nurses with BSN degrees can expect very good job prospects and relatively secure careers.
What Nurses Do in Practice
Nurses blend understanding of science and technology with the art of care and compassion. Nursing provides the opportunity to save and enhance lives, take care of the sick and physically disabled, educate patients and individuals towards attaining good health and, above all, the sensation of helping someone in their times of health problems and emotional need. There is no higher service than looking after the needy and infirmed. Nurses are needed to provide basic responsibilities, that includes but is not limited to providing treatment, health education, emotional support, record upkeep, operating medical devices in addition to counseling client and their family members about the management of their health issues. Registered Nurses (RNs) likewise supervise basic health screening and immunization clinics, organize public workshops, motivate blood donation drives, and other medically-related activities.
Three out of five nurses in the United States operate in health centers. Most of the others work in centers, home healthcare, extended care settings, schools, colleges, universities, the general public health services, and nonprofit agencies throughout the United States and other countries. Nursing can be a difficult job with constant exposure to despair and suffering, anxiety, work pressures, extreme or little patient contact and occupational threats including -- but not limited to -- transmittable diseases, radiation exposure, unexpected needle sticks, chemicals, anesthesia, back injury and psychological anxiety. Role autonomy and independence, innovation, technical knowledge, and team effort are attributes of this career, accompanying individual fulfillment and professional benefits.
Biology-related courses always seem to serve prospective students well.
Within the very recent past, the BSN has been proposed as the standard, entry-level educational requirement for the nursing profession.
Educational and Training Requirements for Nurses
Attendance at an accredited nursing school is an entrance requirement to this occupation, and practically all of them require a high school diploma with sound scholastic standing in English, Algebra, Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology with a GPA score of at least 3.0. Computer system experience is an asset. Leadership and organization abilities are important to this occupation. Many schools will still require applicants to clear the National League for Nursing (NLN) Pre-admission exam besides the SAT exam. Over 1,500 nursing programs in the US provide three different educational paths towards becoming a Registered Nurse (RN). Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is a four-year program offered at colleges and universities. An associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) is a two-year program offered at many 2-year junior and community colleges. Some healthcare facility schools of nursing and universities provide an ADN degrees. A Health Center Diploma is a 2 to 3 year program based in medical facility settings. Numerous diploma schools are associated with junior colleges where students take the fundamental science and English requirements.
The ATI TEAS Test (Test of Essential Academic Skills) is a multiple choice exam that measures entry level skills and abilities of nursing program applicants.
Opportunities are optimal with a BSN degree. BSN is a requirement for getting a master's degree or becoming an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN). The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) recognizes the BSN degree as the minimum academic requirement for an expert nursing practice. Even though graduates can start practice as a Registered Nurse with an ADN or diploma, the BSN degree is a minimum for those nurses looking for to assume functions as case-managers or supervisors or advance within health administration. Tuition cost depends on your college and state of residence, however financial aid and scholarships are offered to assist with such needs. There are professional and technical schools too. These provide one-year courses towards becoming a Practical Nurse or a Vocational Nurse.
Once graduated, the next vital thing is to get licensed for practice in the State of your preference. At present, twenty-five (25) states are signatories to the Nurse Licensure Compact Agreement (NLCA). The NLCA allows a nurse licensed in one of the twenty-five states to practice in any of the other twenty-four NLC member states. Licenses can be obtained by passing the national licensing examination NLCEX-RN to become a Registered Nurse, and the NLCEX-PN for becoming Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) as in Texas, California. LPNs and LCNs offer care for the sick, disabled and injured, under the direct supervision of RNs and MDs.
Specialties Within the Nursing Profession
Nursing profession is complete of opportunities for those who want to specialize and pursue greater education. A few popular specialties are
- AIDS Care Nursing
- Cardiac Rehabilitation Nursing
- Correctional Nursing
- Enterostomal Therapy Nursing
- Gastroenterology/Endoscopy Nursing
- Infection Control Nursing
- Intravenous Therapy Nursing
- Long-Term Care Nursing
- Managed Care Nursing
Of course, there are several other specialties. The majority of the specializations are open to RNs with a BSN degree. In addition, there is increasing demand for APNs. APNs are main health care professionals, working separately or in collaboration with doctors. In most U.S. states, they are allowed to prescribe medications. The four specializations for APNs are
- Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
- Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
- Nurse Midwives (CNM)
- Nurse Practitioners (NP)
CNSs supply expert assessment in any of the above referenced specializations. A CRNA administers anesthesia and monitors patients' important signs during surgical treatment. They also provide post-anesthesia care. CNMs offer medical care to women such as family planning, prenatal and neonatal care, and assist with labor and delivery. NPs provide fundamental preventive health care to patients. NPs are important for specialty care service providers in medically under-served locations. In most cases, APNs are qualified, but lower-cost medical care alternatives to physicians.
Executive, Management and Research Careers in Nursing
Advanced degrees available to nurses are masters (MSN), doctoral degree (PhD, EdD, DNS) and post-doctoral programs. Doctoral degrees can qualify a graduate for placements as a senior policy analyst, medical researcher, health system executive and as a nursing school professor or dean.
RNs might work as staff nurses or eventually become APNs. A few positions involve little or no direct patient contact. Such positions include Case Managers, Forensic Managers (applying understanding of nursing for legal enforcement, like dealing with and examining a victim of attack or abuse), Infection Control Nurses, Legal Nurse Consultants (help lawyers in medical cases by speaking with client, arranging records, and informing attorneys about medical conditions), Nurse Administrators, Nurse Informatics, Health Care Consultants, Public Policy Advisors, Medical authors and editors.
Do you have a good pair of shades? Professional career prospects are bright as mentioned earlier, and with enhancing demand, and the need to keep enough nurses in healthcare facilities, companies and lots of health care facilities have started providing rewards like signing incentives, subsidized training, and open-shift bidding. Shift bidding is an nascent, online auction-style method where employees can bid on uninhabited shifts at hourly rates higher than normal daily rate and (usually) less than agency rates, benefiting hospitals and nurses.
Nursing Profession Salaries & Benefits
Registered nurses are earning anywhere from $37,300 to in excess of $74,760 depending upon qualifications and experience, and job specialty. Average income can be approximated as $52,330 per year. Entry level RN can earn from $30,000 to $45,000 per year. This includes benefits typically of medical insurance, vacation pay, college tuition repayment, child care, pension strategies and more. Anticipated shortages of nurses in the intermediate future is going to tilt the circumstance more in the favor of nurses; thus, a person entering the profession in 2016 can look forward to a secure future with good prospects and benefits.
Entering the nursing field is not simply a way to make cash, but it's also about dedicating your life to service mankind, looking after the ill and helping to support them and their families in difficult times. The potential is huge and field of expertise choices aplenty. Nursing is a profession which abounds with personal satisfaction and excellent rewards.
For some getting-hired advice to new nursing grads, read Ten Tips to Getting Hired for Nursing Graduates at www.nursingexplorer.com.
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Selling to Executives Primer for Call Center Managers
Most call center managers use advanced analytics and reporting tools to ensure, not only that the center is meeting its goals, but also that their agents are achieving their full potential. Despite the performance measures management uses to assess the efficiency of call center operations, most of them don't know how to interpret and utilize performance data sufficiently to take sales staff to the next level: selling to executives.
Why would anyone want to sell to the C-Suite? The reason is that these executives form a new, unexplored market which provides sales managers with a wide range of business opportunities. Unfortunately, selling to C-level executives isn't that easy.
Solving Executive Sales Problems
If performance data shows that call center agents are unable to sell to executive decision makers, sales managers should analyze sales staff's skills and the sales training programs, giving careful consideration to whether or not the products and services being offered address the issues which executives are facing.
Of course, most executives are exceptionally busy, arriving early in the morning, staying late into the evening, receiving dozens of calls and emails, and attending too many meetings to track. Thus, making a couple of calls followed by an email is almost never going to be enough to close a deal. Call center agents need to be more persistent and use different, more creative approaches to capture attention.
But even if salespeople capture executives' attention, very few of them actually close a deal. Why? Most of the time, it's the sales agent. It seems that these days, many call center agents do not address customer needs; instead, they address their own "needs" focusing only on selling a certain product or service. Call center managers can solve this issue by analyzing performance data and paying close attention to certain things, such as: missed targets, closing rate and the number of "exception" deals.
When managers are unable to identify closing problems based on call center performance data, call centers face a high risk of losing business to competitors. As a rule of thumb, the inability of a sales team to penetrate through the "executive wall" points out the need for more training.
Training the Sales Staff
Before asking new agents to approach clients, call centers need to teach the sales agents different key phrases necessary to move deals toward closing while helping them develop a variety of skills and training them to handle obstacles professionally.
Unfortunately, many sales managers don't realize that these abilities form the foundation upon which they must build further in order to help salespeople make the most of each interaction with C-level executives. In this context, "building further" actually means re-training and re-tooling staff that may have been previously trained, even changing the entire culture of the organization, in order to conquer new markets.
If a sales team is unable to make successful requests for proposals (RFPs), close advantageous deals, attract and retain high-value customers and build strong relationships with them, call center managers need to look for additional training programs that focus on more advanced sales techniques.
How Important is Training?
Regardless of the performance measurements call center managers use to gauge overall efficiency along with individual performance, business priority remains revenue growth through new customer acquisition and retention. However, meeting revenue goals in a call center environment is more difficult than many people realize. Further, selling to executives requires determination, hard work and a lot of effort.
Thus, it's not only about training inexperienced agents, but also about developing the skills of experienced salespeople through continuous training. By training staff to deal expertly with C-level executives, a call center can acquire a large number of new customers, consequently associating its name with respectable public figures, gaining good reputation and even more high-quality business opportunities.
If an organization provides appropriate training and encourages relevant skill development, call center managers allow salespeople to strengthen their competencies and keep up with the latest sales techniques so that the best possible outcomes are achieved for everyone involved.
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Dunkin’ Donuts Scholarship
In many parts of America, Dunkin' Donuts is as ubiquitous as the spotlights. Students should consider getting free money for college from every organization that operates in their area. Scholarship money enables economically disadvantaged students to pursue their dream of educational opportunity. Because the pursuit of an American degree for many students has proven so difficult, several Dunkin' Donuts franchises offer scholarships to qualified local residents.
A college experience can offer a chance to exchange life experiences, cross-culture ideas, and expand horizons academically, socially and physically. Dunkin' Donuts franchisees play a great role in building the immediate community by helping students acquire quality education through scholarship. Being part of a Community Partnership Program and because of their strong commitment to the local community, the franchisees award scholarships to the eligible high school seniors.
In the past two decades, Dunkin Donuts has sponsored in excess of $2M in tuition assistance grants. In 2015, Dunkin Donuts will provide one hundred (100) $1,000 scholarships to college-bound high school seniors. One additional student will be surprised with a $20,000 tuition scholarship.
The scholarship recipients are selected from those qualified high school seniors who demonstrate well-rounded characters. These scholarships target average students who have made the most out of their high school lives and not necessarily those who are at the top of their class. Once the scholarship is open, the application forms are made available in the high school guidance offices and in Dunkin' Donuts stores.
Dunkin' Donuts works in collaboration with New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and Scholarship America to evaluate all applicants and pick the most qualified ones to receive the awards. The Scholarship program is open to all the American students especially those in New Hampshire. Franchisees prefer students pursuing or interested in business careers, food service, and hospitality industries for the reason that they offer jobs to interested candidates upon graduation.
Dunkin' Scholarship Eligibility
As noted, the scholarship applications are evaluated and reviewed by New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
The recipients are chosen based on financial need - those students who need the scholarship most are those who face financial challenges but excel academically. The applicant must demonstrate good leadership to be considered eligible for the scholarship. The candidates must have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.25.
The geographic areas of eligibility are Rhode Island, Massachusettes, Connecticut, and Greater Philadelphia, PA. Students can visit http://www.dunkindonuts.com/content/dunkindonuts/en/scholarship.html and enter their residential zip codes to determine if they are eligible.
The merit factors include involvement of the candidates in paid work, community service, and school activities. Scholarship candidates must have plans to enroll in a full-time or part-time associate degree, bachelor's degree, or certificate program at an accredited institution of higher learning. It is much to the applicant's advantage to have some real-world work experience.
Every dollar counts when you are trying to fund your education. Don't miss the deadline to apply for this scholarship. Visit the Dunkin Scholarship link above for dates and eligibility or contact us with questions.
If you have Twitter followers attending college next semester, then please do them a favor and 
Tweet This.
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Executives and Second Careers
The Secret to Job Security After 50
If you are over 50 and have left a job at a big organization, you already know you face a bigger challenge finding another high-paying a job at a new firm.
But that doesn't mean you won't be able to earn as much, or even more than you have up to now. You may simply have to "reassemble" your income in a new, creative way. In fact, this could be the perfect time to take control over your income and become the owner of your skills and services.
As a self-employed contract worker, consultant or freelancer, you may be able to earn a more secure living. The first reason is because companies will not have to pay for your benefits package. They are buying a portion of your time. This reduces the cost of your services, while enabling them to benefit from your years of experience. The second reason is because companies do not have to make a big commitment to hire you. They can take a tiny nibble of your services and see how well you do the job.
As a result, your 20-30 years of experience becomes a bonus instead of a liability. They can hire you for a fixed fee, often using funds from another budget outside of their personnel or staff funds, and get the benefit of your experience.
5 Tips for Launching Your Self-Employed Career
Of course, leaving the security of a regular pay check and benefits package is filled with uncertainty and fear. So here are a few tips that can give you a quick start to generating a solid income and keeping your expenses low.
- Your first and best client may very well be the organization you just left. You know their business. You know many people within that business. And you know the gaps in what they could or should be doing, versus what they actually are. So you are in a position to pitch ideas to the right people on ways to solve their most pressing problems.
- If you have not yet left your old employer, you may be able to negotiate a project or retainer before you leave. Many companies that are going through belt-tightening or downsizing need to cut back on staff. But they still need certain functions done. This could be the perfect opportunity for you to negotiate a deal that provides 30-50% of your first year's income for your new self-employed career.
- Prepare your 25-word "elevator pitch" that summarizes the value you can bring to a company. Prepare a short cover letter of introduction, and a succinct summary of your key skills (not necessarily in resume form). Have these ready the moment you leave your organization.
- Save money on benefits and insurance by tapping into group plans through associations. If you are a member of any large associations, whether it's an automobile club, industry group, even a sports association, you will likely be able to replace insurance policies and possibly health coverage at lower group rates.
- Establish a web presence through a simple, template-oriented free web service. Today, such online resources as Blogger.com or WordPress.com are free, and in a manner of minutes, you can upload your photo, background, value proposition and more. Having this "online business card" builds your credibility as a self-employed professional. Later, you can promote yourself by adding articles and samples of your successes.
The bottom line is that the work world is changing. The economy is rebounding very slowly from the recession and not adding enough high-paying middle and senior management jobs quickly enough. But by being creative, proactive, and marketing your expertise and services as a self-employed, independent professional, you can replace your income in a matter of months, and never run the risk of losing your "job" again.
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Bachelor of Business Administration Degree
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a four-year college degree that focuses on commerce and business management. The core subjects of the Bachelor of Business Administration include accounting, finance, business management, economics, business law, and human resource management.
Bachelor of Business Administration involves the study of local and international markets, and the ethics of business. Today, Bachelor of Business Administration degree concentrates on technology-enabled business and communication, which is known as E-business. Students studying for this degree develop a wide range of skills including strategic business, presentation, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Eligibility Criteria:
The eligibility criteria for Bachelor of Business Administration degree program depends on the country and university in which the degree is being pursued. In the US, a high school degree is a prerequisite for applying in BBA degree program. Other requirements, such as scores in SAT, depend on the school in which the student is applying.
Course Outline and Core Subjects:
In most universities, the four year-degree program in Business Administration is divided into 8 semesters. According to a general course outline for Bachelor of Business Management degree program, the first semester is designed to give an orientation of business management to the students. In the second semester, the students are introduced to the general idea and traits of business. In the third and fourth semesters, the students study the theoretical approach to the principles of business, economics, accounting, business law, statistics, algebra, calculus, and business ethics and communication. Over the remaining four semesters, the students deal with the practical implementation of the above mentioned core subjects. The subjects taught to the students during the four years of the program include:
First Year (Semester 1 and 2):
The subjects taught during the first year of the program include:
- Principles of Microeconomics
- Intermediate Macroeconomics
- Introduction to Business Communication
- Basic Calculus
- Principles of Accounting I
- Introduction to E-Business
- Introduction to Statistics
- Principles of Management
- Social Science Elective
- Human Behavior
Second Year (Semester 3 and 4):
The subjects taught during the second year of the program include:
- Ethics of Business
- Introduction to Business and Finance
- Principles of Accounting II
- Organizational Behavior
- Statistics Conjecture
- Principles of Marketing
- Financial Management
- Business Communication
- Introduction to Markets
- Social Science Elective
- Business Mathematics
- Basic Algebra
Third Year (Semester 5 and 6):
The subjects taught during the third year of the program include:
- Human Resource Management
- Introduction to Business Law
- Introduction to Business Research
- Production and Operational Management
- Small Business Management
- Management Problems
- Managerial Accounting
- Advanced Economics
- Language (Module 1)
Fourth Year (Semester 7 and 8):
The subjects taught during the fourth year of the program include:
- Policies of Management
- Practical Approach to Business
- International Business
- Language (Module 2)
After acquiring a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, further study in business administration gives the students an opportunity to achieve a two-year master’s degree, which is known as Master of Business Administration (MBA). A Bachelors degree in Business Administration helps students understand the principles of dynamic industries and businesses. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bachelor of Business Administration is an in-demand degree with a steady job-growth. Furthermore, the increasing popularity of E-commerce will increase the demand and job opportunities in business administration.
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