Senin, 15 Oktober 2012

Starting a Career With a Masters in Healthcare Administration


Getting a hospital management degree is one of the best things you can do if you would like a career in healthcare. Honestly, there are not many jobs out there right now, but this career path truly will help you gain a position in a hospital or other healthcare organization. How many people have been laid off during the recession and are curious about what they should do next? Look no further, a Masters in Healthcare Administration degree will help you find a new job quickly.

The first thing you need to do is research every MHA degree program. Many of these programs can be done online from your home. The advantage of doing an online degree is that you still have the ability to work if you need to. If you do not need to work, then most of these programs get you in contact with other people in the field to help you find a job while you are pursuing school. After doing your research you need to decide on what type of degree you want, whether it is a residential or online program. Most residential programs are fulltime and do not allow you to work. In addition, something you should think about is whether the degree requires a test. If it does, then you will need to prepare yourself for the test to gain admission.

Next you need to take the proper steps to get admitted into one of these programs. You should develop a list of maybe 5 or 10 schools that you are interested in attending. Request information from those schools and begin your application. Most of the time these programs admit students in both the spring and the fall so that way you will have the option once you begin looking into these programs. Once you have your list of schools, you need to make sure that you focus on the requirements for each application. Create different folders for each school and keep all of the information for each program in the individual folder. That way when you are going to send out your application you will have all of the information in one place.

The next thing you need to do is simply wait. Often times admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis which means that you will get the decision in the order it was received. This can be a tough time for students because normally you do not have a job and you are not sure what will happen in the future. For now, I would suggest looking into volunteer programs at hospitals to help you understand more about how a hospital works. You can also send a letter to the individual schools telling them that you have gained a position in a local hospital or healthcare organization.

Once you have waited for the admissions decision, you will now start to see some decisions being made. However, while you are waiting you need to decide what program you would like to attend if you are admitted to the program. This can be tough, but the biggest thing you need to do is really evaluate each program individually. You should look at the reputation of the school, where people work that graduated from the school, and the courses that you need to finish to graduate. You also need to decide whether you want to be in an online program or a residential program.

Once you get into a school, you will notice that it is much easier to look for jobs. Just being in a Masters in Healthcare Administration program helps you be able to apply to very different jobs that you normally could not have applied to. Many students in degree programs do work while they are attending them as long as they are not fulltime. Remember, these types of programs are giving you a skill that not many people have and there is a tremendous need for health care administrators.

Senin, 17 September 2012

Support Required From Your Employer When Pursuing Executive Education


The workforce of a company is undoubtedly the most important asset that it possesses. It therefore becomes necessary to invest in the workforce wisely. Whether the investments are of time, money, or trust, they pay off in the long run. Able and well talented employees will stick around if you give them ample support and opportunities to grow and better themselves. Growing professionally and intellectually gives an employee the motivation to do his best and perform well in his job. This also lends him the opportunity to apply innovative strategies and take his company to a higher pedestal. So, it is an established fact that supporting employees in their quest to improve their skills is bound to provide rich dividends to their employers.

There is a growing number of professionals who are going in for executive education today, in order to enhance their skills and improve their work ways as well as their associates and links in the their domain of work. This is a good move as it benefits employers in the long run. There are certain formalities that must be fulfilled in order for the employee to apply for the course successfully. These formalities generally relate to coming through on the application criteria. For this, the employee seeks the support of his employer.

Most executive programs require that the applicant solicit the approval of his / her employer and obtain an explicit statement of support from their company. This is an important condition levied by various institutes and admission is not approved unless this letter is received by the institute authorities. As simple as it sounds, this letter is more than just a letter recommending the applicant for a particular program. When signing off this letter, an employer is agreeing to release the employee for the given time in order for him to effectively participate in the classroom teaching, projects and other initiatives and travel (if need arises) to the location where the classes are held.

The employer might also be required to commit financial aid and support in the form of covering up the entire cost of the program. This, however, is not a mandatory condition and depends and varies from person to person and also from company to company. The extent of financial commitment is a matter that is left to the participant of the course and his / her employer. In some cases, tuition reimbursement is given to the student when he / she rejoin the company after finishing the course; in other cases, employers make special arrangements to cover all the costs as per the compensation package of the employee. In still other cases, the participants of the course assume the responsibility of covering up the education cost on their own.

In most cases, the employee is subject to be bound by a contract, so that after completing the course with set goals, he returns to his job and works for the company at a contract for a pre-decided period of time.

Rabu, 22 Agustus 2012

How Blended Delivery Can Work for Nursing Students


There have been significant developments and advancements in the field of education worldwide, and today there are multiple methods to develop and present courseware in ways that will capture the attention of students.

Blended delivery combines both the advantages of conventional classroom learning, as well as new-age methods of computer mediated activities. This strategy creates more integrated methods for both instructors and students to gain comprehensive knowledge on the topics of learning. Such courses blend face-to-face methodology of course delivery, such as in-class discussions, active group work, and live lectures with web-based educational technologies such as online course modules, online assignments, discussion boards, e-learning involving videos, audios and applets and other web-assisted learning tools.

It has been proven that where a student's interest is kindled, education automatically happens. These blended learning methods work to awaken the students' interest in a particular topic, through innovative delivery methods that capture student interest and therefore increase memory retention. Online and web-based designs can be developed using crystal clear imagery, visuals and graphics that elucidate all the principles being taught.

More practical advantages stem from the fact that online courses can be played back and reviewed any number of times till the student understands all the concepts; besides this the classes can be done at the students' own convenience of time and place. Online assessments and evaluations are instantaneous and can be reviewed by teachers and parents as well to judge the level of interest and performance of the students.

Combine this with the advantages of traditional classroom based courses as well, and you have an education system that has only positive applications. There may be students who prefer the one-on-one individual attention that is afforded through face-to-face learning methods, and they can be benefited equally through the blended learning methodology.

Today, more and more institutions of higher education are opting for blended course delivery methods for various reasons, including the following:

1. Such courses appeal to the market of busy senior students who choose to complete their college-level education while they are working in a fulltime regular job. Online courses allow them the convenience of fitting in face-to-face class time into their busy work schedules once or twice a week, while simultaneously working on the remainder of the course work over the internet.

2. Such courses reduce pressure on university classrooms, reducing their running costs of maintaining the university. Virtual classrooms reduce the space constraints on campus.

3. Students are brought together only when needed, as they can employ self study methods through recorded classes online. Nursing students may read up on the course content online and attend physical classes only for practical sessions.

4. Even in classrooms, teachers can benefit by playing videos from the internet or showing slides that can elucidate the learning matter, saving time and at the same time making concepts much clearer.

5. Students who may not want to go to regular school due to allergies or severe medical conditions, or fears of school violence or bullying can opt for the blended learning methodology where their time on campus is minimized.

A lot of institutes are offering specially designed nursing programs for nurses at the campuses, but they will get more enrolments if they provide the same course online and this is one of the major reasons every college or institute should start delivering online nursing courses. The students also love to go for online courses rather than the regular campus courses due to the wide range of flexibility and time saving aspects.


Selasa, 10 Juli 2012

Regulators and Mandatory Ongoing Education - A Learning Experience


The other day I was talking to a professional business woman about her continuing education courses. She indicated to me that she needed to study for one of these upcoming tests which went along with her continuing professional and ongoing education requirements. If she doesn't study, and fails the test, she could be out of a job. She would have to shut down her entire business, and she would lose her license, and her livelihood. Okay so let's talk shall we?

Now then, this gal I met works in California, and the California regulators, along with the federal regulators do require mandatory ongoing education. And they make no bones about it, if you fail to pass the tests, you are history. Nevertheless, they try to soften it up with wording such as; "you should treat this ongoing education and testing as a learning experience." Well that's really great, because if they fail the test they lose everything they've ever worked for - so, how convenient for a regulator to make it sound all warm and fuzzy when they are putting maximum stress on these individuals under the penalty of taking away their livelihood.

You see, I thought that we wanted to increase the number of people who have jobs the United States, not put people out of business, or take away their income. The only learning experience that one could get out of that whole procedure is to realize and learn that the government is out to make your life miserable, that they don't care, and that they hold the power over you and your future. That's what we are teaching our professionals in our society by all this mandatory ongoing testing. It's gotten totally out of control, but then again the continuing education testing industry is a $2.5 billion industry in the US.

The industry is able to do this because they lobby our government to solve the problem that the government has with regulating industry. The government can't regulate morality, and it just looks bad every time something goes wrong. Therefore they make more rules and regulations on top of other rules and regulations to the point of absurdity. Then the government says they are doing everything they can because they have ongoing education to help educate the professionals.

Trust me when I tell you, they aren't educating anyone, they playing an old CYA trick, while trying to put the fear of God into the professionals out there, and keep them under threat of losing their livelihood, and it is a very mean-spirited theoretical strategy that they use. There is no honor in that. Indeed, this is abuse of power by the government, and crony capitalism for those that create the tests and continuing education programs.

I'd say we need the government employees and regulators to go through mandatory ongoing education classes, and if they fail the test, they lose their pension, their pay, their seniority, and their healthcare. That's what we should do, because that is the threat that they make every time they give one of these tests to a hard-working independent professional in the free-market.

I would like you think about that good and hard because this is insane, and what we are doing is wrong. It's a dishonest and a mean-spirited practice, it is akin to bullying. It needs to stop. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Selasa, 26 Juni 2012

Trick Questions On Ongoing Education Tests - Why, What's the Purpose for That?


Over the years I've become quite the opponent of ongoing education certification testing. You see, I am concerned because many of these ongoing education tests are required for people in business to keep their professional licenses and certifications. If they fail these tests they lose their license, their livelihood, and the way they make their living. On one hand we are worried that people may default on their mortgages, ruin their credit rating, or end up on the unemployment lines, and then on the other hand we are doing everything we can to trick them with these tests question so that they fail the test.

Why does this happen you ask? Well, there are a number of reasons, some of them quite insidious actually. You see, the companies that administer these tests lobby the government to certify their courses and tests as the professional license standard. Then these companies make money off individuals in the industry which are required to take these ongoing education courses, and then take the test when they are completed. If the test is too easy and too many people pass, then the regulators think the test is hard enough, and if everyone passes the first time, the companies can't charge people to retake the tests.

Rather than asking for more information, these companies try to make the test hard by using trick questions. This is totally unfair to someone who does not have a good use of the English language. That happens all the time. Many professionals may speak a foreign language, but their clientele also speaks a foreign language, and they are serving a niche just by having that certification and servicing those customers. We make ballots for voting in multiple languages and make it very easy for these people to vote in their own language, but not when it comes to professional testing.

When people's livelihoods are at stake, the last thing we should do is treat it like a big joke, and make trick questions in an attempt to make the test harder than it needs to be. You see, either we want the people to know the information, or we don't. If we really care that they learn the information, then we can ask the questions without using double negatives, or grammatically incorrect sentences. You see my point yet? It is a travesty that we've let this go on so long. Some of the test questions do not have a correct answer if you read them in a grammatically correct way; that is if you actually could in many cases.

Other questions don't even make sense, and they have no business being on the test at all. If we can't trust the people who are creating the tests, then how can we even trust the concept of continuing or ongoing education? Something needs to change, we need to reduce regulation with fewer of these requirements so people can actually work and make money, rather than spending 25% of their time studying for tests which are carefully engineered to try to get them to fail based on trick questions. There is no honor in that. Please consider all this and think on it.

Kamis, 24 Mei 2012

Choosing the Best Culinary Schools - Factors to Consider


Culinary schools are those learning institutions that are known for offering education in the art and science of preparing food for various occasions. Many people aspire to become good cooks or chefs, but not all find the best training schools where they can get the essential education that they need. Besides, becoming a chef, you will also get the opportunity to know how to manage a hotel or restaurant. Culinary skills will never fade or go out of style and thus you need to find the best schools that will satisfy your wants. You need to be serious when finding the best culinary school. This is mainly because the institution that you will enroll in will have immense impact in your cooking career.

When looking for the best culinary schools, there are a number of factors that you need to put into consideration and they include the following.

• Accreditation and reputation 
Accreditation and reputation of the institution that you want to enroll in are the most imperative factors to look at. You need to choose an institution that has been accredited by a highly reputed organization. This means that you are choosing a school that has been approved to offer standard and quality culinary education. If you are choosing you learning institution online, you need to make sure that it has a good reputation as cases of online scams have been increasing on daily basis. The image portrayed by the culinary schools should the best. Additionally, the school should also be known for better performance and for offering the best learning facilities and experienced tutors.

• Cost of tuition 
Every course that you enroll in a school has its price. You need to look at the cost of the culinary tuition per course and make sure that it will fit in your education budget. It is always a great idea to manage all your education expenses as you don't need to enroll in a school that you will not be able to afford.

• Location 
The location of the cooking school that you want to choose is another vital thing to look at. Due to the requirements of the course, you need to choose a school that will allow you to study without any complications. You can go for a school that is near your residence as attending your classes will be easier and you will end up saving more money on transport and accommodation.