It’s Time To Check That Resume!

As noted in a previous blog, January-February is often a top hiring period for organizations. Although healthcare is somewhat immune to recruitment peaks and valleys, there is a tendency for families to take advantage of school winter breaks, and make career moves. Even if you are not contemplating a change at this time, the New Year is a great time to review and update your interview techniques, your business wardrobe, and more importantly, your resume. Despite all the advances in technology, and all the social media options out there, putting good old ink to paper or keystrokes to a Word document, is still essential to any successful employment process. A well-written resume is your first introduction to potential employers, and the importance of getting it right can not be overstated ...especially in this era of keywords and Google searches.

Here are a 4 tips to help you get started:

• Consider using a resume profile instead of a resume objective. A profile is essentially a condensed cover letter stating what you have to offer an employer in the way of experience and skills. A resume objective tends to state the type of job you are seeking.
• Remember the 15 seconds rule. Surprisingly, most resumes are given a 15 seconds once over before being rejected or set aside for further consideration. As a rule, that brief time is spent on just the first third of the document. Therefore, your personal information and resume profile, at the top of the page, must be clear, concise and visually catching.
• Don't keyword pack your resume. Avoid the mechanical sounding, overused language and sometimes depersonalized world of keywords. Remember, not every company uses software programs to sift through applicants, and not every software program is the same.
• When in doubt use professional services. If you are unsure of your writing skills, or just need a second pair of eyes to review your documents, explore the resources of your recruitment/staffing firm or a professional resume writer. Once formatted, a professional resume is easier to regularly update.

Centra Healthcare is a full service concierge staffing company. We are committed to finding your ideal job opportunity, be it a contract or permanent position. We assist you in every way possible throughout the process, including reviewing your resume and providing interview tips. Your success is our success. Call us at 800 535 0076 and see what makes us different.

Things to Consider Before a Healthcare Career Change

Many factors come into play when making a career change or landing your first job.  Obviously increased satisfaction and financial advantages play major roles in that decision-making process, but so do your personal circumstances, such as marital status and family dynamics.  Changing jobs sometimes has to take a backseat to a developing relationship, allowing children to finish out a school year, or the need to care for elderly relatives. You may consider other issues as well, such as current/future skill sets, employment benefits and job location.  In some cases, even employers’ general recruitment cycles can affect the outcome of your search.

What are recruitment cycles?  These are the peak times for employment in a particular field.  For many industries, these tend to be the months of September-October and January-February. Contacting potential employers during these cycles may be the key to a successful hire.  During those months demand generally outweighs supply; something to take advantage of, especially when you are more mobile. If you are reentering the workforce, slow recruitment months like December or July can actually work in your favor.  Employers and staffing companies then have the “breathing room” to consider those with nontraditional career paths.

Although healthcare has been somewhat immune to the hiring fluctuations of other industries, a unique trend is the upswing in seasonal employment.  In a recent article in the “Naples News”, Victoria Macchi noted a tendency for some hospitals to add to their permanent staff during the winter months.  Warm weather states, such as Florida and Arizona, must find solutions for an increase in the demand for services when “snowbirds” swell the ranks of their populations.  These longer term contract positions offer the benefits of permanent placement ,with the flexibility to return to your home base once the season is over.

Whether you are a CHT, PT, PTA, OT, COTA, RN, SLP, or Rehabilitation Manager, the team at Centra can help you find your next contract or permanent position.  Call us at  800 535 0076 and we will make your employment process a smooth and rewarding experience from start to finish.

Thanksgiving 2012

Note:  On November 22, 2012, most Americans will gather round the family dining table to give thanks for the blessings in their lives.  This Thanksgiving will be particularly poignant for the residents of the Eastern Coast and the Northeast in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.  Centra Healthcare joins with all Americans in expressing our sorrow at the loss of life and property. Our first responders, doctors, nurses and therapists all deserve high praise for their heroic efforts in the face of such overwhelming natural forces, and as they assist in the recovery.

Looking for new places and ways to celebrate “Turkey Day” with your family? There is still time to make plans to participate in these events and even contemplate the great employment opportunities that Centra has in these cities:

• Philadelphia, PA:  The oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in America dates back to 1920.  It runs about a mile and a half ending at the Philadelphia Museum of Art made famous by the movie “Rocky”.  Watch the extravagant display of floats, huge balloon characters, dance teams and bands... and then enjoy a unique Thanksgiving dinner on the world’s largest floating four-masted ship, Moshulu.
• Chicago, IL:  The McDonald’s Thanksgiving parade was originally a Depression era Christmas celebration designed to stimulate economic development and raise the spirits of citizens of the city. The parade includes equestrian, sports and international dance teams, along with marching bands, balloon characters and this year, the Ringling Bros. circus!
• San Antonio, TX:  Enjoy the Riverwalk restaurants on Thanksgiving Day and then return on Friday night for dinner at Luke while enjoying the canopy of lights and parade of boats floating by, filled with bands, costumed performers and celebrities.
• Williamsburg, VA:  Experience Thanksgiving as in colonial times at one of the historic taverns of  Williamsburg.  Continue celebrating the colonial foods and feasts at nearby Jamestown and Yorktown.
• Phoenix, AZ:  Thanksgiving was a celebration between two cultures, and Phoenix cherishes its Native American traditions.  Attend the “Harvest Feast: An Edible Gallery at the Heard Museum. Taste traditional dishes fused with Native American flavors, considered one of the top five American Thanksgiving culinary experiences.

Know of any other unique ways to celebrate Thanksgiving?  Post them to our Facebook page.  Looking for exciting new healthcare employment opportunities?  Call the Centra team at :  800 535 0076.

One More Reason To Quit?

In 1971 the  “Great American Smokeout”  began when Arthur P. Mullaney, a Massachusetts high school guidance counselor, asked townspeople to stop smoking for a day and donate that money to a scholarship fund instead.  Six years later, the American Cancer Society took the idea nationwide. Not insignificantly, the November 15th “Smokeout” coincides with both Lung Cancer Awareness and National Stomach Cancer Awareness Month.  While it is true that this event has spearheaded major attitude changes regarding smoking and secondhand smoke, tobacco use is still the largest contributor to premature death in the U.S.  The good news is that smoking is declining among 18-29 year olds; falling from 34% in 2001-5 to 25% in 2011-2012. The bad news is, that quitting remains a difficult if not unsustainable goal for many smokers of all ages. Most of us know someone who is struggling and in need of sustained support to overcome their addiction.  Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants are an essential part of that support team.

Much of this input is educational, about the ever-expanding list of diseases associated with the behavior.  Two recent studies link smoking with increases in the incidence of lower back pain and psoriatic arthritis (PA).  The Harvard University study  found that long-term heavy smokers developed more severe cases of PA. The underlying assumption being that there is a molecular/ biological link between smoking and this disease, possibly due to oxidative stress or immunological/inflammatory effects.  A second study, at Paris-Descartes University, linked smoking to early onset inflammatory back pain and reduced functionality from pelvic/spinal joint damage.  Such links should give one pause, however not everyone can be “scared” into quitting. Nonetheless, OTs and COTAs must not be deterred from advising smokers of such results.  Better to temper the news with other means of support, such as:  devising quit smoking plans; recommending tobacco cessation programs; and working closely with the rest of the support team.

Centra applauds all those who participate in this event:  those who quit that day... those who will try to quit... and those who are part of the support team.  We are on your side in the effort! We are also on your side if you are looking for new opportunities to use your skills.  Call us at 800 535 0076!

Alzheimer’s at the Movies

Among the health observances in November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month.  Approximately 5.4 million individuals are living with this devastating disorder, the sixth leading cause of death among Americans.  To date, It is the only leading fatal disease with no means of prevention or cure. Total care costs for Alzheimer’s stands at $200 billion, $140 billion of that being shouldered by Medicare and Medicaid.  The latter figure is expected to reach a staggering $1.1  trillion in 2050 without intervention. As we celebrate “National Family Caregivers Month”, we are reminded that there are more than 15 million unpaid workers caring for these patients, at an additional immeasurable expense.

It is probably true that Nancy and Ronald Reagan brought the face of Alzheimer’s forward into the public consciousness.  Since that time, Hollywood has sought to shine a light on how Alzheimer’s affects both the patient and their families.  Here are a few of those films worth viewing:

• “Safe House” (1998):  Patrick Stewart plays Mace Sowell, an ex-intelligence agent, with early Alzheimer’s who is convinced his former boss is intent on killing him.  He has to convince others that his assumptions are true and not paranoia brought on by his disease. With Kimberly Williams as his caregiver and Hector Elizondo as his doctor.
• “Iris” (2001):  The lifelong love story of novelist Iris Murdoch and her husband, John Bayley, based on his book.  Their love endured throughout her battle with Alzheimer’s. Jim Broadbent, as Bayley, gives a remarkable portrayal of all that caregiving entails.  With Judi Dench and Kate Winslet.
• “The Notebook” (2004):  Noah (James Garner) attempts to spark his wife’s (Gena Rowlands) memories.  Suffering from Alzheimer’s and in a nursing home, he visits every day reading from his own notebook/diary about their love and life together.
• “Away From Her” (2006):  Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent star in this moving Canadian film about the sacrifices families make when Alzheimer’s enters their lives.  The Andersons make a mutual decision to admit Fiona (Julie) into a nursing facility where she ultimately forms an emotional attachment to another patient as her disease progresses.
• “Poetry” (2010):  This South Korean film, with English subtitles, follows the a suburban woman in her 60’s who enrolls in a poetry class despite the onset of Alzheimer’s.  She discovers a horrible family secret, but grows as a poet and as a seeker of justice.

Enjoy these films!  Want to recommend others?  If you are an OT,  COTA , PT ,PTA or    SLP who works with Alzheimer patients we applaud you... and if you are looking for exciting new job opportunities in this field call us at 800 535 0076 and we will enable you to make a difference in these patient's lives.