Category: News

Comprehensive, up-to-date news coverage, aggregated from sources all over the world by EduindexNews.

Vermont Eighth Graders Rank High Globally in Math, Science

A recent U.S. study shows that eighth graders in three states, including Vermont, outperformed most students across the world in math and science.
Vermont eighth graders placed fourth globally in science when ranked against the 49 states and 47 countries and jurisdictions. Only Singapore, Massachusetts and Taiwan ranked ahead of Vermont. In math, Vermont eighth graders came in at seventh, behind No. 1 South Korea and then, in order, Singapore, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), Hong Kong, Japan and Massachusetts.
The study was conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Education, and compared the 2011 test scores of eighth graders worldwide. American eighth graders take the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). Outside the U.S., students take the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). In 2011, students in only nine states took the TIMSS. In order to compare the scores of states and countries, the study used the NAEP scores to predict how well the American students would do on the TIMSS.
“This is an important study because it is one of the first studies that links federal NAEP test data by state to the TIMSS results,” said Dr. Cynthia Gerstl-Pepin, associate dean of the University of Vermont’s College of Education and Social Services. “It shows that national policy arguments suggesting that the U.S. education system is failing are unfounded. Instead it shows that some individual state education systems are incredibly successful while others are struggling.”
Gerstl-Pepin was “not surprised at all” by Vermont’s high ranking.
“Vermont consistently has set high standards for teacher preparation, what students should learn and how they show what they learn (in terms of assessment/testing),” she said.
It makes sense to use NAEP and TIMSS tests for comparison because both require high-level thinking, Gerstl-Pepin said, similar to Vermont’s New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) tests. Other states’ tests, however, are arguably much easier, she said.
“The fallacy of No Child Let Behind is that it allows states to have lower standards and to use state assessments/tests that cater to those low standards,” Gerstl-Pepin explained. “Vermont education leaders have consistently had high standards for teachers and students, and the NECAP tests used to assess students in Vermont consistently reflect those high standards.”
Going forward, comparisons among states should become even easier.
“The new Common Core Standards mean that state education systems are expected to use one of two national assessments: the Smarter Balanced Assessments or the Partnership of Readiness for College and Careers,” Gerstl-Pepin said. “Vermont has chosen the Smarter Balanced Assessments because the tests are more sophisticated. They do not just tell you whether a student is meeting standards but can also be used by educators to inform how they can help a student improve.”
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

DON’T BE AFRAID TO HIRE SOMEONE WHO’S CURRENTLY UNEMPLOYED

It’s easier to get a new job when you already have a job. We all intuitively know this to be true, but why is that the case?
If you ask recruiters and hiring managers why they don’t hire individuals who are unemployed when they apply for a role, it’s usually because they’re basing their decision on some preconceived notions and biases:
  • If you’ve been fired from one job, there must be something wrong with you.
  • If you quit without a new job lined up, you must not be a dedicated employee.
  • If you stayed at home with your kids, you’ll always be running out the door early.
  • If you were out for health reasons, you’ll get sick again.
In reality, most of these reasons are excuses for hiring managers to avoid critically evaluating all applicants and opting instead for the easy route. Ultimately, hiring managers prefer to recruit and hire employed versus unemployed candidates simply because they assume someone else already evaluated them, hired them and values their work enough to keep them.
But this is not a good reason to overlook the currently unemployed. This mentality can cause you to miss out on a great employee who could be unemployed for a number of completely valid and understandable reasons. Sure, some people lose their jobs because they’re bad workers, but more often than not it’s layoffs, medical problems or the need for child care that can cause someone to lose or leave their job.

Three Ways to Get More Open-Minded About How You Hire

What can you do to make sure your unconscious biases don’t keep you from hiring the best person for the job, even if he or she is currently unemployed?
1) Seek—Don’t Avoid—the Unemployed   
It’s a tight labor market right now with a relatively low unemployment rate. This is great for the economy, but tough for recruiters. Try adding a note to your job description that says, “People who are currently unemployed are encouraged to apply,” so you can reach people who were nervous about filling out the application. Then, if an unemployed individual applies, interview them! Don’t focus on why they are unemployed — but do ask. Chances are you’ll learn that their current situation is a result of an unfortunate circumstance or a personal choice, rather than previously poor job performance.
2) Consider the Value of Personal Experience
You may be tempted to exclude a stay-at-home-mom or dad for a job because they’ve been out of the workforce for ten years, but this is a missed opportunity. Rather than dwelling on skills they’ll need to catch up on or learn, ask instead about their strengths and what they’ve learned about themselves over the years. Someone with the right attitude and history of success will get up to speed quickly and could bring a passion or desire to learn that you might not find in a worker who hasn’t had any time away from a nine to five.
3) Have Some Compassion
You could be the next person to get laid off. Your mother could break her hip and not recover well, and you’ll need to take two years off to take care of her. You could have a baby and want to stay home. And someday, in each of these scenarios, you may want to return to work. Look at the candidate as a whole— not just the past few years.
Hiring is hard, but excluding a large group of qualified people because they are currently unemployed makes it even harder. Beat out your competitors by looking for the best candidate— not only the most obvious one.

Instructor Blog: Practicing Professional Communication

As instructors, we are here to help, and are happy to answer your questions and address your concerns. Many of my best students are the ones who email the most. They are quick to ask for clarification before an assignment is submitted, or for clarification on a graded assignment. Reaching out to instructors shows that you are taking responsibility for your learning. These kinds of professional communication skills and techniques can be acquired during a business communication class or any class. You just need practice.
While it can seem intimidating, think of your relationship with your instructor as practice for a relationship with a supervisor in your field. If you had a question about how to complete a project, would you email for clarification, or take a guess, submit the project and hope it is correct?
A professional tone is critical when contacting a supervisor. Maintaining a professional tone when emailing instructors will give you valuable practice. Here are some guidelines:
  • Avoid focusing on emotions. While phrases such as “I am frustrated” may be appropriate, stating much beyond that will detract from the issue.
  • Clearly state your question on concern. For example, saying “I am unclear about my grade on the week 3 activity” allows the instructor to address your concern more quickly.
  • Avoid making assumptions and focus on your question or concern.
  • Can the answer be found elsewhere? At Bryant & Stratton, you don’t need to contact your instructor to find out your grade. Similarly, there may be information in a work environment that could be found in a policy handbook.  Being proactive and finding what you can on your own will better prepare you in your course as well as your career.
  • When emailing, take advantage of the option to review your email. Ask yourself: Was I courteous and clear? Did I present myself in the most professional way possible?  Would I be embarrassed if anyone other than the instructor saw this?
Each of these guidelines will help you in a professional environment. In a work environment, an email may be forwarded without your knowledge. If you are professional and courteous, you will have nothing to worry about!
Another great option is to hop on Skype. Many instructors, myself included, have office hours on Skype, or similar platforms. This is a great way to create a more personal connection. Also, it is great practice in getting used to technology you might need for a job interview.
At Bryant & Stratton College, we pride ourselves on preparing students for their work environment. Learning how to reach out to an instructor, even if it feels uncomfortable, provides you valuable experience in professional communication whether your focus is on professional communication techniques or not. A proactive, professional attitude will help you stand out against the rest!
For more information on business communication classes and other programs designed to improve professional communication skills, contact the Admissions office at Bryant & Stratton college.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

THE 4 MOST IMPORTANT MINDSET SHIFTS TO MAKE IN 2020

My head is spinning. As someone consumed with workforce trends, January is my jackpot. Each day I probably receive 100 or more emails, newsletters and Google alerts about what thought leaders and experts suggest will be dominant 2020 workplace trends. Fortunately, there are some themes running through all the prognostications:
  1. Competition for skilled workers will intensify.
  2. Labor shortages for most workers will continue.
  3. Artificial intelligence will not displace masses of workers (this year) but will amplify disruption.
None of these forecasts are “breaking news.” But it’s not that past year forecasts were wrong— these trends simply continue unabated, and our challenges grow exponentially. To see how right or wrong these predictions are, we’ll need to wait another 12 months. But suffice it say, you shouldn’t—no, you can’t—wait one minute longer to start implementing solutions. The luxury of waiting and reacting to past events is long gone.
Solutions don’t lie in simply purchasing more technology, training based on corporate buzzwords or using more hashtags like #employeeexperience, #culturaltransformation, #wellbeing, or #diversityandinclusion, either.  Rather, change that works requires a series of mindset shifts. Here are what I feel are the four most important shifts needed to succeed and grow in 2020 and beyond. I came up with an acronym DICE to remember them: Disruptive, Infinite, Curious, and Empathetic. 
You might wonder which one is most important or which should come first. It doesn’t matter. You can’t disrupt and transform the status quo effectively without shifting all four. So let’s roll the DICE!

Disruptive Mindset

Many companies make the mistake of making disruption their goal. But that’s not what a disruptive mindset is all about. According to Charlene Li, author of The Disruption Mindset, “disruption doesn’t create growth, but growth creates disruption.” 
The disruptive mindset is more than a certain self-perception or an inclination. It’s consistent and persistent behavior that challenges the status quo. In her book, Li details four disruptive leadership mindsets: the Agent Provocateur, Realist Optimist, Worried Skeptic and Steadfast Manager. Which one best describes you—and is it allowing you to grow your organization or sustain the status quo?

Infinite Mindset

While we’re on the subject of disruption and challenging the status quo, the infinite mindset is a natural fit. Simon Sinek, the author of The Infinite Game, believes that the pursuit of being number one may be a losing strategy. Instead of taking on an attitude of winning, a person with an infinite mindset takes on an attitude of improvement. 
Sinek writes, “It takes unbelievable courage to completely change the way we see the world… If we can learn to embrace infinite mindsets, not only have we increased and enhanced innovation, seen trust and cooperation thrive, but we’ll actually love our jobs…” 

Curious Mindset

If there is one mindset that underpins the others, it’s curiosity. Disruption requires openness. The infinite mindset seeks continuous improvement. Empathy, which we’ll get into in a moment, requires stepping into the shoes of others. You can’t do any of these without a curious mind. 
Dr. Todd Kashdan suggests that unleashing curiosity requires being comfortable enough to make mistakes, share your anxiety and embrace your vulnerability. It’s time to restore the “mad-scientist” mindset of a 5-year-old. Is your company providing a safe haven for curiosity, an environment where people feel comfortable deviating from the norm and evolving? 

Empathetic Mindset

The importance of empathy continues to grow: It now rests high atop the list of desirable characteristics of exceptional leaders and skills for top talent even in highly technical fields like the UX industry. According to the Wall Street Journal, about 20% of U.S. employers now offer empathy training, up significantly from just a few years ago. (Whether you can actually train someone to be empathetic versus act like they are is a story for another day!) 
Empathy has been used to describe a variety of experiences, so a definition may be particularly helpful: Empathy is the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling. In other words, seeing the world through their eyes and experiencing their feelings. 
In building up this necessary soft skill, individuals will be better positioned to inspire other employees, build more communicative teams, and earn loyalty. Not to mention, since empathy is an exclusively human skill, anyone worried about saving their jobs from an automated future would be wise to develop it. 

THE CASE FOR ETHICAL HACKING

When it comes to addressing the threat of cyber attack, companies are starting to borrow from the playbook of their would-be enemies by hacking their own systems before others get the chance.
The practice is called “ethical hacking” and it’s an approach that recently gained worldwide attention when it was revealed that Edward Snowden, the American exile who is now hiding out in Russia after disclosing details about U.S. spy operations, received an official certification in ethical hacking while working as a contractor for the National Security Agency.
The reason for the interest in ethical hacking is clear: security concerns are on the rise — both in the public and private sector. To lessen the risk, companies are investing heavily in security services. A 2010 Gartner survey predicted that spending on worldwide security services would reach $49.1 billion by 2015, a 40 percent increase from 2011. 

The Case for Self-Inflicting Wounds 

While many companies wait until there is a security breach to fix the system, one way to proactively manage a cyber hack is to simply hack your own system before others do. Ethical hackers — the undercover cops of the IT world — are important investments for companies, especially government agencies, financial institutions or others that deal with highly sensitive information. Third-party companies employ these certified hackers to identify holes in a company’s IT infrastructure. 
Here is how Cornerstone uses ethical hackers to stay on top of digital security threats and assure our customers that our system is impenetrable.
  • We pay third-party professional hacking services to hack our system continuously for two weeks. This is called a penetration test and implements a combination of manual and automatic maneuvers.
  • We have conducted these tests four times a year — timed with new product releases — since 2010.
  • We publish results upon client request. This how we can prove the security of our system.
  • We make sure all red flags that are identified are addressed immediately.
As the spread of cloud-based and other technologies opens up more opportunities for cyber criminals to strike, it is crucial that IT departments be proactive about plugging any holes before they spring a leak.

WHY THE 40-HOUR WORKWEEK IS BROKEN: Q&A WITH JODY THOMPSON

Unlimited vacation days, flextime and telecommuting are all policies aimed at making employees happier and more productive at work. Jody Thompson, co-founder of consulting group CultureRX, says these measures are short-sighted. What inspires employees to produce more, higher quality work, she says, is complete autonomy over their schedules and 100 percent accountability for the work they do — not formal policies that require management approval and oversight. Here, Thompson discusses a workplace management model she helped create, called Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE), that aims to turn the 40-hour workweek on its head.

How does ROWE change how managers and employees think about work?

It’s a big shift. Managers are used to managing schedules and the 40-hour workweek. They’re used to employees asking questions like “Can I work from home?” and “Can I leave early?” Work becomes secondary and less relevant in the conversation. It’s a big switch for managers to not have to manage that piece. Using ROWE, people shift to managing 100 percent of their own time and can no longer default to “I’ve put in my time, so I’m done regardless of deadlines.” It flips everybody’s mindset. We’re accountable for what we’ve been hired to do — the work.

And how does it change the way individuals and companies get work done?

It’s good for people because they know what they’re supposed to do, and they have control over their time. They know that if they do the right thing every day and produce what they’re accountable for, they’ll have a job. For the company what’s really great is that everybody has clarity about what they’re supposed to be doing. People aren’t just filling time, so there’s more planning, more direct communication, more productive meetings, and less wasted time.

What’s the learning curve like for employees working according to your ROWE model? 

Some employees have to experiment with different ways of working to find what works. In one example, an employee always wanted to work from home, and her work didn’t require her to be in the office. When she started working in another location, she didn’t do as well. Because her manager was now managing the work and not the person, she was having a different conversation with her. Instead of saying, “Well, you’re not getting your work done. You better get back in the office,” she said, “We have had a conversation about what you need to produce and you’re not producing that. Let’s talk about what you need to do because you need to produce what we agreed upon. You were producing at that level before. Is there anything you need from me?” This person said, “I’ve been trying to work some different ways, and it’s not working for me. I’m going to make some changes because I know what I need to produce.” This person decided she needed to come into the office, but the manager didn’t tell the person to do that because she was accountable and autonomous.

Can you describe how companies manage people instead of their work?

Often when business isn’t doing well, companies say, “Let’s get everyone on deck,” when what they should be doing is having conversations about getting everyone on point. How can we get everyone on the same page about what they need to produce and the results we need to see? Getting everyone on deck, or back in the office, doesn’t mean people are going to understand what they need to be doing. They, in effect, started managing the people instead of the work, and that’s the wrong way to go about it. 

What’s the difference between how accountability and autonomy are defined under ROWE as opposed to core values?

A lot of organizations say that accountability and autonomy are part of their core values. But here’s where it doesn’t play out. They’ll say, “Yes, we want our people to be accountable and autonomous, but not our receptionist and not our call center,” so they start to pick and choose because they’re still thinking in a flexibility mindset. They might say, “Well everybody can be autonomous, but if you’re going to work offsite you need to ask your manager’s permission.” That’s not autonomous.

What will it take for companies to embrace ROWE?

It will take decades. ROWE is a social change that is disrupting what we believe about work. The concept is simple, but beliefs can be hard to change. One belief is “I believe people at work are working,” and that belief in and of itself makes you think that people can’t be working anywhere but at work. Another deeply held belief: “I believe the best relationships are built face-to-face.” If you believe that, you’re going to want everyone in the office and collaborating around a conference table. That’s ridiculous — the next generation is collaborating using FaceTime and Skype. But if you believe the best way to do it is in a conference room, you’re going to force people to come to the office.
These beliefs are holding us hostage, and it’s going to take a long time to break them down. We’ll do it, one company at a time.

Overcoming Even the Most Difficult “Ands” In Life

Rosie Gourdine was building her home healthcare business. The mother of five, who children ranged in age from 23 to five, had just finished medical assisting school and was deciding her next step. Bryant & Stratton College recruiters called. And called. And called. and after six months, rosie decided this was the right move for her and her business. she enrolled in the associate degree in medical reimbursement and coding and set her sights on graduation. then, her mother died. and, her house burned down. and, she moved across country. but Rosie, was back in class the next day – after every single incident.
“I alerted my instructors and everyone was helpful, but that didn’t stop me,” Rosie said. “they told me i could push my work back but i made sure my homework was done on time. “life comes with all kinds of challenges. people kept telling me, ‘i can’t believe you are back in school, i would fall apart’. i said, ‘really? when you go to pieces and you are the leader in your household, what does that show your kids?’.”
Rosie was no stranger to managing difficult waters. Soon after her youngest son was born, her mother fell ill with cancer. then, her mother-in-law fell into a coma and lost the use of both of her arms and legs when she awoke. for two years Rosie shuffled between Massachusetts and new jersey, with a newborn in tow, to take care of the two ailing women. When her mother finally succumbed to the disease, she dismissed the sentiments of others that she needed to stop her own life too.
“She suffered for five years. She went through chemo but I’m going to cry now? That’s selfish,” she said.
When their home burned down, due to faulty wiring in the attic, rosie and her family spent time in hotels and at various relatives’ homes. she was constantly bouncing between internet connections and computers to complete her schoolwork. “It didn’t stop me, i kept going,” she said. Now, she has moved her family across country to Minnesota, where she grew up and where her parents operated their own construction and real estate firms. being a small business owner is the life Rosie knows.
She hopes to have her home healthcare business up and prospering there by the end of the year. “If you are determined you can make it happen,” she said. And after six months, Rosie decided this was the right move for her and her business. She enrolled in the associate degree in Medical Reimbursement and Coding and set her sights on graduation.
Then, her mother died.
And, her house burned down.
And, she moved across country.
But Rosie, was back in class the next day – after every single incident.

LEARNING CORNER WITH JEFFREY PFEFFER: AS AI ENTERS THE WORKPLACE, ORGANIZATIONS HAVE TO GET ACTIVE

The general consensus is clear: automation is poised to transform (or disrupt, if you prefer) present work arrangements in profound ways. Where the jury\’s still out is just how many jobs will be lost to automation.
One artificial intelligence expert forecasted that 40 percent of the world\’s jobs could be replaced by robots in 15 years. Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum predicted that robots will displace 75 million jobs globally by 2022, simultaneously creating 133 million new ones. What seems clear is that all of the numbers, even the most optimistic, suggest that unemployment risks exist and extensive retraining, re-skilling and job movement will be required in a world of work where automation plays a key role.
I believe that current trends in training by both governments and employers are inadequate to cope with the coming labor market dislocations. Employers should focus on training, investing in human capital and taking responsibility for the changes coming our way in order to remain relevant and reap the benefits that both people and technology have to offer—together.

1) Increase Your Training Efforts—And Implore Buy-In From the Public Sector

A February 2019 Brookings report shows that while in 1996 employers paid for 19.4 percent of workers\’ formal training, a comparable figure in 2008 was 11.2 percent—a decline of 42 percent in just 12 years. If training is going to help with the transition to a more automated workplace, long-standing trends toward less training will need to change.
That same Brookings report also compared what the United States government spends on “active labor market policies\” that train people and match them to jobs to what other industrialized countries spend. The U.S. ranked 31 out of 32 total countries evaluated for public expenditure on labor market policies as a proportion of GDP. And between 1985 and 2015, U.S. government cut labor market spending in half. The implication? Our government needs to invest more in training, job matching and other efforts that help labor markets work more effectively.
An administration that relies on employees to acquire training and transition to new occupations on their own almost certainly will leave too many people in dire straits. Just as government has tried to mitigate the effects of jobs lost to foreign trade, public policy should seek to mute the economic effects of automation through training and other policies.

2) Focus on Human Sustainability

Employers should embrace the issue of human sustainability and stewardship of the work environment with the same vigor they\’ve brought to environmental sustainability—and for many of the same reasons. Just as companies today tout their physical environmental bona fides, in the future they may want (or need) to tout their human sustainability accomplishments. Things like high retention rates and internal growth are all things for companies to highlight. We see this already in competition for good ratings on sites like Glassdoor and in rankings like those put out by Great Place to Work.
Despite this, over the past decade I\’ve seen the relationship between companies and their employees become much more transactional. And that will need to change if companies are to embrace the task of getting their people ready for coming workplace transitions and dislocations.
Multi-year careers at one company have transitioned to jobs of shorter duration—“gigs.\” With limited attachment between employers and employees, neither party has an interest in investing in the relationship, which provides one explanation for why training has declined in the U.S. and is lower here than in countries with less “flexible\” labor markets. This is a good time for companies to recognize the trend and reinvest in their people through training.

3) Take Responsibility for AI and Employees

If employers don\’t accept some responsibility for helping their workforce adjust to a world with more automation and artificial intelligence, employees will likely falter, but many companies have no intention of providing them a lifeline. Technology columnist Kevin Roose\’s observations of discussions at the recent World Economic Forum meetings are instructive of the attitude of the moment: “In public, many executives wring their hands over the negative consequences that artificial intelligence and automation could have for workers. But in private meetings, these executives tell a different story: They are racing to automate their own work forces with little regard for the impact on workers.\”
Companies face the problem of collective action—few firms want to be the only ones to provide training while other firms free-ride on those efforts. Therefore, it may fall to industry associations, local associations of businesses and national organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers to promulgate and possibly enforce guidelines for retraining and upskilling employees.
It\’s almost impossible to predict what will happen as automation and artificial intelligence increasingly penetrate workplaces. But it seems fair to forecast that it will not be possible for companies—or governments—to simply continue on the same path. The labor market transformations and their economic consequences are simply too large to believe that continuing a relatively hands-off, laissez-faire approach will be politically or economically viable.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

3 WAYS L&D CAN HELP HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS ATTRACT AND RETAIN NURSES

If you are in charge of HR for a healthcare organization than you\’ve likely felt the pain of talent shortages.
According to the American Nurses Association (ANA) , there will be more registered nurse jobs available through 2022 than any other profession in the United States. And there doesn\’t seem to be an end in sight for the nursing talent shortage as universities struggle to increase their class sizes to meet the needs of the industry.
Because of the high demand, nurses have a lot of employment options. So if your organization is going to remain competitive, you need to do more than offer a good salary. In a recent Glassdoor article, HR professor Dr. John Sullivan explains, “It\’s not \’Will you pay me?\’ It\’s, \’Do you have the best equipment? Do you have the best doctors? Do the nurses get the opportunity to make decisions and try new things?\’\”
When it comes to recruiting and retaining talent, you can set your organization apart through learning and development opportunities that enable your nurses to feel challenged, provide the best possible patient care and spend less time on administrative tasks.

1) Provide Opportunities for Growth

There are more than 25 different types of nursing positions out there, with titles ranging from registered nurse (RN) to nurse assistant to specialist positions like neonatal intensive care unit nurse.
All of this variety means that even within the nursing profession there are lots of opportunities for nurses to grow and hone different skill sets. In fact, a survey at The Nursing Times Career Live! event hosted by the National Health Service (NHS) found that the top attribute nurses look for in a new employer is learning and development opportunities. Which makes sense considering that the skills needed to switch between these positions are different. For example, in order to become a charge nurse and manage the hospital floor you need leadership skills where as a floor nurse who primarily deals with patients might want more clinical skills training. Work with nurses to help them define their own career path. Then help them build the skills they need to make their career aspirations a reality. This can mean offering opportunities to learn leadership or technical skills through online learning courses, industry conferences or mentorship programs. The key is to provide them with a clear view and plan to determine their own career trajectory.

2) Put Learning Opportunities At Their Fingertips

At the end of the day, most nurses got into the profession because they like helping people. So anything that detracts from that experience—such as spending time at a computer clicking through tutorials—can seem like a bit of a nuisance. Not to mention, since nurses are already short staffed, the chances that they actually find time to sit down for a couple of hours to digest learning material on the job is unrealistic. By providing mobile learning, you bring learning to a nurses fingertips. This enables them to learn anywhere and anytime—whether they have a few minutes before entering a patient\’s room or are waiting for some test results back. Short 3-5 minutes videos and tutorials can give nurses the skills they need, in digestible chunks that make sense for their already hectic schedules.

3) Make Time for Learning

Burnout is a huge problem facing the nursing industry: A survey by RNnetwork found the number one reason nurses consider leaving the field is due to feeling overworked, followed by \”not enjoying the job\” and \”too much paperwork.\” It\’s hard to imagine a nurse focusing on learning and development on top of a 16-hour shift. Look into tools that can automate and standardize some administrative tasks that nurses have to complete—such as hand-offs between shifts—to help save time. Then work to build designated time into their schedule to focus on learning and development. This could mean allowing them to shadow healthcare workers in different departments to learn new skills, schedule coffee meetings with a mentor or take a more in-depth online courses that aligns with their career aspirations.
At the end of the day, nurses have an abundance of choice when selecting their employer. By offering them the learning and development opportunities they need to advance their careers and improve the care they can provide to patients, you make your organization a place that not only attracts, but also retains qualified candidates.
Want to discover more best practices and solutions to attract and retain your healthcare staff? Visit Cornerstone for Healthcare!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Don’t Let Social Media Kill Your Career

Social media can kill your career. That’s not surprising, nor is it new. But right now, with recent college graduates out there job hunting and since it is an election year, this is a great time to be warned again. People are overlooked for job interviews and promotions and they get fired, all for making inappropriate posts on social media. 
“People need to be reminded,” said Deborah Brown-Volkman, professional certified coach at SurpassYourDreams.com, “just like every year at Christmas time, we remind them not to drink too much at the office party or tell the boss what they think of him.”
Because people use social media 24/7, saving your career means more than just deleting those Friday night photos. Here’s what you need to know to avoid committing social media career killers.
Employers are going to explore online and they will find you
“Present and future employers look at and monitor your social media sites,” said Brown-Volkman. “Some companies have compliance departments that monitor them and go so far as to ask for LinkedIn passwords to monitor your mail,” she added.
social-media blockEveryone has a different sense of humor
What’s funny to you may deeply offend another. No employer wants to be insulted nor do they want to risk other employees or potential customers being offended. And, just because you’re simply sharing or reposting, that doesn’t mean you will be off the hook. People’s perceptions of you as a professional can change dramatically if they see you rant and rave about provocative topics.
“Don’t share or talk about anything controversial,” said Brown-Volkman. “You can be a republican or a democrat, but the point of view stuff that makes you or others respond angrily or start blaming, will get you in trouble too,” she added.
There is such a thing as over-exposure
Ever get sick and tired of hearing the same song everywhere you go or every time you get in the car? Or, what about seeing the same celebrity interview on every morning, noon and nighttime show? That’s exactly the reason you shouldn’t over share on social media. People will not only get sick of ‘seeing’ you, but they may question your credibility if all they see are things you posted all day long. When would you have had time to actually do some work?
Nothing is private! 
“People are going to look at your profile and anything you post is fair game,” said Brown-Volkman. “Even if you adjust your privacy settings, they somehow see it.” When you think you’re venting to only your closest one hundred friends, there could be one hundred more who take it out of context or share with their one hundred closest friends. And remember, there is no privacy setting for preventing someone from taking screenshots of your posts and sending them to someone else.
“Post G-rated stuff like pictures of you smiling, with your family and friends, or being active, like climbing a mountain or running a race,” said Brown-Volkman. Also, differentiate between personal and professional accounts. Use LinkedIn to connect with colleagues, clients and potential employers and to share career or business news. Reserve Facebook to give family and real friends, fun updates and information. When all is said and done, the best advice for professionals is to keep social media posts clean and upbeat at all times.

WHY YOU MIGHT JUST NEED A GREAT \’TWESUME

At a time when our digital and social lives play out in all kinds of new forms and platforms (and at all hours) I suppose no one should be surprised that the Twesume — yes, a 140-character attempt compacting a CV into a tweet — has arrived on the scene. What\’s a hiring manager to do with a new \”stack\” — or stream? — of Twesumes? Some are are taking it pretty seriously while others chalk them up as just more social-networking ephemera.
Gerritt Hall — CEO of New Jersey-based RezScore, an online service for job seekers (and a contributor to the startup advice site Bootstrapper) — is unsurprisingly bullish on the concept, but offers some compelling data to back that up. With more than 500,000 users — 20 percent of whom are considered \”power users\” because they upload their resume constantly, RezScore has to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to Twesumes and other cutting-edge job hunting tactics.
\”The Twesume is a cool concept,\” he says. Why? Too many candidates, he says, oversell themselves with bloated resumes; Twitter\’s forced brevity can be a blessing for job seekers and hiring managers scanning for the basic, quick essentials. Want to get the attention of a recruiter who\’s got 200 unopened resumes in his or her inbox? \”If you can get your resume down to 140 characters, that’s all you really need,\” says Hall.
Not everyone agrees, of course. Skeptics argue that offloading job history to Twitter can actually create more work for HR and that Twitter isn\’t the right channel with which to be presenting yourself as a professional. Regardless, Hall suggests some simple best practices to at least avoid embarrassing yourself. A decent Twesume, he says, needs a few key ingredients:
  • The job title you’re seeking
  • A shorthand description of your current role and skills
  • A few hashtags that will help you show up in a recruiter’s search results
  • A link to your LinkedIn profile
“As you see,” says Hall, “it should be very short. Ideally, you would also actually tweet your Twesume at the company you want to get hired at. The goal is to really make it easy for the hiring manager or the recruiter to find you.”

Hot in Some Industries, Cold in Others

Currently, according the RezScore\’s statistics, the top industries tweeting their Twesumes are web engineering (accounting for 16.6 percent of all Twesumes submitted) and marketing and public relations (who follow in second place at 12.7 percent). At the opposite end of the spectrum, not surprisingly, are security (0.2 percent) and finance (0.8 percent). 
Hall\’s confidence comes from practicing a little of what he preaches: He has used Twesumes to successfully recruit and hire graphic designers. \”We found them to be very high quality. The graphic designers included a link to their portfolio in their tweet making it very easy to find their work and browse through it to see if there was a style match.”
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

WHY YOU MIGHT JUST NEED A GREAT \’TWESUME

At a time when our digital and social lives play out in all kinds of new forms and platforms (and at all hours) I suppose no one should be surprised that the Twesume — yes, a 140-character attempt compacting a CV into a tweet — has arrived on the scene. What\’s a hiring manager to do with a new \”stack\” — or stream? — of Twesumes? Some are are taking it pretty seriously while others chalk them up as just more social-networking ephemera.
Gerritt Hall — CEO of New Jersey-based RezScore, an online service for job seekers (and a contributor to the startup advice site Bootstrapper) — is unsurprisingly bullish on the concept, but offers some compelling data to back that up. With more than 500,000 users — 20 percent of whom are considered \”power users\” because they upload their resume constantly, RezScore has to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to Twesumes and other cutting-edge job hunting tactics.
\”The Twesume is a cool concept,\” he says. Why? Too many candidates, he says, oversell themselves with bloated resumes; Twitter\’s forced brevity can be a blessing for job seekers and hiring managers scanning for the basic, quick essentials. Want to get the attention of a recruiter who\’s got 200 unopened resumes in his or her inbox? \”If you can get your resume down to 140 characters, that’s all you really need,\” says Hall.
Not everyone agrees, of course. Skeptics argue that offloading job history to Twitter can actually create more work for HR and that Twitter isn\’t the right channel with which to be presenting yourself as a professional. Regardless, Hall suggests some simple best practices to at least avoid embarrassing yourself. A decent Twesume, he says, needs a few key ingredients:
  • The job title you’re seeking
  • A shorthand description of your current role and skills
  • A few hashtags that will help you show up in a recruiter’s search results
  • A link to your LinkedIn profile
“As you see,” says Hall, “it should be very short. Ideally, you would also actually tweet your Twesume at the company you want to get hired at. The goal is to really make it easy for the hiring manager or the recruiter to find you.”

Hot in Some Industries, Cold in Others

Currently, according the RezScore\’s statistics, the top industries tweeting their Twesumes are web engineering (accounting for 16.6 percent of all Twesumes submitted) and marketing and public relations (who follow in second place at 12.7 percent). At the opposite end of the spectrum, not surprisingly, are security (0.2 percent) and finance (0.8 percent). 
Hall\’s confidence comes from practicing a little of what he preaches: He has used Twesumes to successfully recruit and hire graphic designers. \”We found them to be very high quality. The graphic designers included a link to their portfolio in their tweet making it very easy to find their work and browse through it to see if there was a style match.”
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Save Our Children from Sitting Disease

You might wonder whether to pursue a master’s degree. Why do it? Not only is there the satisfaction of gaining additional knowledge, skills and credibility, but you also may become more financially secure.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), people with master’s degrees earn a median annual salary of nearly $70,000 compared with $57,600 for those with bachelor’s degrees and $40,400 for those with associate’s degrees. They have lower unemployment as well: 3.4 percent for master’s-degree holders versus 4 percent (bachelor’s) and 5.4 percent (associate’s).
Even more, jobs typically requiring a master’s degree are projected to grow the fastest over the next decade — 18.4 percent — compared with jobs requiring doctoral, professional, bachelor’s or associate’s degrees, the BLS notes. The slowest growth will be for jobs requiring a high school diploma or equivalent.

But what can you do with a master’s degree? Who gets master’s degrees? What are the trends?

Years ago, postgraduate education was reserved for those who wanted to teach at the college level or to practice medicine or law. But nowadays, many employers, including those in business, education, government, engineering and health sciences, may desire or even require master’s degrees.
Increasingly, health sciences professions have emulated medicine in requiring a doctorate as the terminal degree, although the number of years required is less than that for a medical degree.
Physical therapy once required only a bachelor’s degree. Now, physical therapists need a doctorate to get hired out of school, something that is not without controversy, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Occupational therapy seems not far behind in promoting professional doctorates, sometimes called clinical doctorates.
“Many professional associations, representing such disciplines as pharmacy, physical therapy and audiology, advocate raising entry-level programs — those that prepare graduates to enter a profession — to the doctoral level,” The Chronicle reports.

Master’s: The Degree of Choice for Advanced Study

But most people who decide to attend graduate school end up graduating with master’s degrees. Eighty-three percent of the 627,000 graduate degrees and certificates awarded in the most recent year surveyed were master’s degrees, according to the Council of Graduate Studies (CGS) and Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Board. Of the more than 1.7 million students currently enrolled in graduate school in the United States, 72.8 percent are pursuing master’s degrees or graduate certificates.
Sydnee Viray, M.Ed., director of admissions and enrollment management at the University of Vermont, has watched this increased interest in master’s-level programs not only in her current role with the university’s Graduate College but also previously as a counselor in the UVM Career Center.
“Many fields are seeing the need for master’s-level studies at some point in the career progression,” Viray says. “If someone wants to advance, the master’s degree is used as a tool to highlight. We’re even hearing anecdotally that some entry-level positions are requiring master’s degrees.”
For instance, in past years, some K-12 school districts would cut salary costs by hiring only graduates with a bachelor’s degree, she explains. Down the road, those districts would pay teachers to obtain their master’s degrees. Now, many districts want teachers with a Master of Education (M.Ed.). This serves two purposes: It ensures teachers have master-level knowledge right out of the gate. And it also places the additional tuition burden on the teacher, not the district.

Master’s Degrees Required for Professional Training

When Mary Beth Barritt, assistant director of the UVM Career Center, talks to undergraduate students and alumni who are considering returning to school, especially those focused on working in industry and not academia, she describes two types of master’s degree programs.
“One is professional training, where you need specific training to enter that profession,” Barritt says. “To be a physician’s assistant, you need that degree; to be an occupational therapist, you need that degree; to be a counselor, you need a master’s degree of some type, whether it’s psychology or an M.S.W. (master’s degree in social work).”
The BLS lists other professions requiring a master’s degree upon entry to the field, including:
  • Education administrators
  • Mathematicians and statisticians
  • Epidemiologists
  • Hydrologists
  • Economists
  • Survey researchers
  • Urban and regional planners
  • Health care social workers and community and social service specialists
  • Librarians, archivists and curators
  • Speech-language pathologists
  • Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners

Master’s Degrees to Make You More Marketable

The other type of master’s program, Barritt says, “is where you will get a better job in a field because you have the additional study of a master’s.”
Examples, she says, include:
  • Business administration: “Some people are working quite well with a bachelor’s degree, but having an M.B.A. may add a credential that brings another level of credibility, knowledge and skills,” Barritt says. Programs such as UVM’s one-year Sustainable Entrepreneurship MBA (SEMBA) can give students a focus that makes them attractive to more innovative companies.
  • Public administration: “The M.P.A. program brings in many practicing professionals in the community who want to enhance their skills and maybe gaining a different kind of experience,” she says. “There also are folks recently out of school who want to enter public service and want targeted professional competencies that are a focus on UVM’s program.”
  • Public health: “The master’s in public health might attract people who don’t necessarily want to practice medicine but are interested in systemic issues or broad-based international or community issues,” Barritt says.
  • Health care management
  • Engineering
  • Computer science
  • Accounting

Why Do You Want to Pursue a Master’s Degree?

The choice to attend and pursue advanced study is so personal, Viray says, that it’s difficult to make a blanket statement on why it’s worth it.
“What are we measuring as the benefits of attending graduate school?” is really the question, Viray points out. “If it’s an intrinsic reward because it’s such a fascinating topic, and the benefit is to have advanced doctoral work, then you’ll have one answer. If the benefit is to have more pay, it’s going to be a different answer.”
Undergraduates sometimes have the hardest time sorting out whether they should attend graduate school primarily because they have not yet entered the workforce or been there long enough to refine their interests.
“Probably one of the most common conversations we have with undergraduate students about graduate school is whether to go,” Barritt says. “When there is a recession, and it’s going to be hard to find a job, some students think they might as well go on to school. Or in high school, they’ve heard about graduate school as the final phase of their schooling, and even though they’re ready to be out of school, they think, ‘Well, I might as well go and get this finished.’ Those are some of the students for whom graduate school, at this point, doesn’t necessarily make sense.”
Undergraduates often benefit from working a few years before pursuing graduate school. “Sometimes you need to be out of school for a little bit to start thinking out of the box,” she says. “Sometimes working a little shows you that there is something different out there that is of interest, or questions you want to explore in graduate study.”
Most master’s-level programs take one year of intensive study or two to five years, depending on how much you need to balance work, school and other responsibilities – and how much time your college allows you for degree completion. With the time and money it takes to pursue a graduate program, you need to be ready for the commitment.
“Some good reasons for attending graduate school would be if you are thinking about a profession that requires it,” Barritt explains, “or a profession where it’s advantageous to obtain additional schooling to give you a deeper skill set and make you a better job candidate.”
She recently worked with a student who had a bachelor’s in public communications. “He had done internships in health care, and he was really interested in the administrative side of health care,” she recalls. “He believed he would be a much stronger candidate if he had a master’s in health care management. He knew he wanted to add those skills to the strong skill set from his undergraduate education.”

Graduate School for Career Changers

While undergraduates lack job experience and may not have necessarily thought through their reasons for attending graduate school, working professionals in their 30s, 40s and 50s may be crystal-clear about their goals.
“There are infinite reasons as to why someone might want to pursue a master’s degree,” Viray says. “It might be personal or tied to a career goal. On the one hand, there is the whole idea about being fresh or innovative, having a particular knowledge in a particular industry, an intellectual curiosity. Then there are the career changers. We’re seeing a lot of that nowadays. It can be global or local, like if IBM is releasing people, we’ll see interest in graduate programs from those individuals looking to freshen up on the latest theories and skills.”
The recession of 2007-08 and the sputtering economy have played a fairly significant role in people’s decisions about graduate school.
“The economy plays a more active part in the graduate college conversation than it has before,” she explains. “On one side, it’s ‘where can I get a job that fits my interest area?’ On the other side, it’s ‘how can I pay back my loans and make a financially responsible decision? How does that play into what I can pursue?’ ”

Trends in Master’s-Level Programs

Viray sees a number of trends in master’s-level programs. In academia, including at UVM, programs are becoming more interdisciplinary. Of course, this was always the case; for instance, a biology major studied chemistry and the environment. But now the walls are coming down, and there are more degree programs that straddle several disciplinary areas.
She sees this trend across the board in:
  • Health/social sciences:“All of the interdisciplinary health sciences also are becoming more specialized,” she says. “So instead of only offering a doctorate in psychology, UVM now offers doctoral programs in experimental and in clinical psychology.”
  • STEM (science, technology, engineering math) programs: They are becoming more interdisciplinary “out of a desire to solve the world’s problems, so you see programs in complex data systems, which combines mathematics, computer science and public policy. We’re seeing more master’s programs that are being created because of the pressures and challenges in the industry. They don’t have the people they need. There’s a skill set needed in those industries.”
  • Food systems: UVM started a master’s degree program in this area, a reflection of the growing needs of industry, government and non-profit organizations. The program integrates social science, humanities and natural science.
Another trend is the increase in online education, allowing professionals to work on master’s degrees while still working in the field.
“With a lot of the programs, there is the flexibility of part-time participation,” Viray says.
Over 59 percent of first-time enrolled graduate students in the United States attend full time and some 41 percent part time, according to the CGS-GRE survey. However, the percentage of part-timers is higher at institutions granting only master’s degrees: 60 percent.
This flexibility, coupled with more professions requiring advanced study, has led to an increase in the number of Americans holding master’s degrees, according to Viray.
“Maybe 15 or 20 years ago, if you asked about the percentage of Americans holding master’s degrees, it was maybe a little over 5 percent,” she says. “Now that’s around 11 percent. It’s a real difference, and it will tell you about the trend line.”

Where Do Recent College Graduates with Advanced Degrees Work?

The BLS tracks recent college graduates ages 20 to 29, their degrees and the industries that hire them. It compares graduates with bachelor’s degrees and those with advanced degrees, but does not break out master’s degrees.
However, if you remember that most advanced-degree holders pursued master’s degrees and certificates, not doctorates, then you can get a good idea of (1) where recent college grads with master’s degrees end up working and, if you compare where advanced-degree versus bachelor’s-degree holders work, (2) which industries seem to prefer hiring advanced-degree holders.
Here’s a breakdown of where those with advanced degrees work (versus those with bachelor’s degrees):
  • Educational services: 30.4 percent (while only 20.2 percent of bachelor’s-degree holders choose this field)
  • Health care and social assistance: 24.6 percent (18.3 percent of bachelor’s-degree holders)
  • Professional and business services: 23.7 percent (14.1 percent of bachelor’s-degree holders)
  • Wholesale and retail trade: 11.7 percent (10 percent of bachelor’s-degree holders)
  • Public administration: 4 percent percent (3.2 percent of bachelor’s-degree holders)
  • Goods-producing: 1.1 percent (7.8 percent of bachelor’s-degree holders)
  • Financial activities: 3.7 percent (6.7 of bachelor’s-degree holders)
  • Leisure and hospitality: 0.3 percent (11.2 of bachelor’s-degree holders)

What Type of Master’s Degrees are Students Pursuing?

Of the 522,350 students graduating with master’s degrees in the United States in the most recent year, what did they study?
Here is a breakdown from the CGS-GRE survey:
  • Education, 21.7 percent
  • Business, 22.3 percent
  • Health sciences, 11.3 percent
  • Engineering, 8.4 percent
  • Social and behavioral sciences, 7.5 percent
  • Public administration and services, 6.2 percent
  • Arts and humanities, 5.8 percent
  • Math and computer science, 4.9 percent
  • Biological and agricultural sciences, 3.3 percent
  • Physical and earth sciences, 1.6 percent
  • Other fields, 6.9 percent

What’s Gender Have to Do With It?

These days, more women than men are pursing higher education, including advanced study.
In the latest year reported by the CGS-GRE survey, women earned 59.2 percent of the 522,350 master’s degrees. The areas that saw the highest percentage of female graduates included:
  • Health sciences, 80.5 percent
  • Public administration and services, 77.5 percent
  • Education, 76.6 percent
On the other hand, the areas that saw the most male graduates included:
  • Engineering, 76.1 percent
  • Mathematics and computer sciences, 70.2 percent
  • Physical and earth sciences, 58.6 percent
  • Business, 57.2 percent

3 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR CAMPUS RECRUITING EFFORTS COUNT

This piece is the first in our “Campus Recruiting 101” series covering how HR professionals can make the most of their campus recruiting efforts this year.
With the school year right around the corner, it’s time to get serious about your campus recruiting strategy. Colleges are full of talented and ambitious students—a 2016 AfterCollege Career Insights Survey found 78 percent of college seniors had their job lined up before graduating. To make sure you engage the best talent, your efforts need to be deliberate, attract a diverse set of students and convince them that your company is an ideal place to start their careers.
Here are a few tips that should get you on the right track come fall semester.

1) Communicate Company Culture and Purpose

A Collegefeed poll of 15,000 college students and recent graduates found that millennials favor people and culture fit above all else when comparing employers. In order to appeal to millenials, build messaging channels—both online and offline—that clearly and consistently communicate your company culture and why people like to work there.
For example, an applicant may first learn about your company through a job description on their school’s job board. If you make it easy for them to watch a short, entertaining video that profiles a few employees, you’ll give them a window into your company’s work environment. A few days later, when the job fair or information session rolls around, you can cap off your messaging with a memorable face-to-face interaction.

2) Sponsor a Hackathon

Seventy-seven percent of CEOs see the availability of key skills as the biggest threat to their business. What better way to find highly skilled students than hosting a competition as part of your campus recruiting program that puts their skills to the test?
When you sponsor a hackathon like MHacks, you not only identify top talent, but also teach applicants skills that can help them succeed at your company, such as collaboration or a new programming language. Competitions create a platform for on-the-spot interviews, removing steps from the hiring process, and attract students who are bold, creative, and hard-working. After a few years, you’ll develop a reputation as a fun and challenging employer, and solidify your brand on campus.

3) Build Relationships

Strong relationships are key to improving your campus recruiting program and building your talent pipeline.
Bring your top-performing local school grads to campus events to help bridge the gap between your company and current students. Recent grads have existing networks that you can scout for talent, and as successful employees, they give applicants a sense of what they can accomplish if they come to work for you.
Extend your outreach beyond the career fair booths as well. Get to know a professor from, say, the computer science department, then have that department host an information session. Or, if you identify a student group whose purpose aligns with your company goals, have its members spread the word about your visit. Students and professors love to see their efforts play out in the real world, so they’ll appreciate the chance to contribute to your hiring process.
While efforts across social media and mobile platforms certainly improve the campus recruiting process, real conversations leave the deepest impressions. By forming human connections, you’ll be well on your way to building a sturdy and productive campus talent pipeline.

How Electronic Health Records Enhance Patient Care

By Julie Jones
I was born during the Generation X years when personal computers first came out. We had Atari growing up and learned on Apple computers before they became mainstream. In college, we had “instant messaging” but it was only between two college campuses. When I graduated nursing school in 1997, some of the hospitals where I did my clinical work were just starting to use electronic health records as well as new technology to manage patient medications.
When I began my health care career, I never once thought I would end up working in the technology field. During my clinical for the Adult Nurse Practitioner program, I trained at the VA Outpatient Center at Fort Ethan Allen. They had an electronic health care record system that listed the patient’s allergies and current medication list. It also gave the provider a reminder about health topics to review with patients. At the time, I thought how great it would be if my doctor could review my record and send a prescription to my pharmacy by simply pushing a button on his computer.
In 2007, I had the opportunity to work on a project that brought a new electronic health record system to the UVM Medical Center. The project went live on June 6, 2009. Now, not only can my provider send my prescription to the pharmacy, but I can access my chart to review my health record and request a prescription refill.
You may have heard a lot of talk about Electronic Health Records (EHR) and how hospitals and physicians are using them more and more. In 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was signed by President Obama to give a financial incentive to hospitals and physicians who demonstrate “meaningful use” of EHRs.
Meaningful use was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. What this has meant for me was a new job, which was perfect for a girl who loved technology. The HITECH Act created many jobs in the field of informatics, which helped promote the growing field of nursing informatics and bridged the world of nursing, health care, technology, computers, and information science.
Some of my friends think that I am no longer helping with patient care because I’m working at a computer. Nothing could be further from the truth.
My friends don’t realize how much I use my nursing skills every day to take care of patients. While I don’t see patients face-to-face, I am evaluating the nursing workflow, helping a doctor on the phone place critical orders for a patient in the emergency room, or making sure that doctors’ instructions are clear and concise for patients.
The EHR is improves the quality of care for patients and their delivery of care. It also helps patients be more engaged with their health care since they now have access to their medical records to review their health information. I am thrilled to have a job that I love in the dynamic and rewarding field of nursing