Even in our slowing economy, the greatest demand for jobs is found in the health care industry.   Health careers are readily available to those who put the time in to get a proper education.  Unfortunately, the supply of health professionals has not bee enough to keep up with demand.  So nurses and other health professionals tend get stretched to their full capacity.

The good news is that all over the country there are programs in place to encourage high school students to consider a career in health.   Once such program to encourage students is at the North Louisiana Area Health Education Center where students are able to get hands on experience with a health occupation in exchange for high school credit.

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Nurses continue to be in high demand.  A career in nursing is about the best protection you can have against any economic downturn, especially since health is one of the fundamental things that people need.

Over the last decade, salaries for nurses have gone up much faster than most other jobs at about 48% - this growth is not only better than inflation but also better than the majority of other jobs which have either remained steady with inflation or lost ground.

Below, we include the starting salaries and averages salaries for some of the more common nursing positions: [Read more →]

People who work in mental health understand that a glamorous salary doesn’t usually come with the job. Highly educated individuals with years of experience have the best chance of landing a job paying more than $100,000 a year. However, most workers will earn more modest salaries. This article takes a brief look at eight mental health careers. Read on to learn what some people in mental health do to earn their paychecks.

Mental health counselors provide therapy for groups and individuals. Counselors must complete a master’s degree and licensing requirements before they are allowed to practice. Many counselors report to a high-level therapist or psychologist.
Average annual salary range - $23,500-$38,000

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Outpatient mental health counselors help many people every day. They calm people with anxiety, help families communicate, and listen to people with emotional pain. This article looks at several aspects of this fulfilling career. Review information about a mental health counselor’s average income, responsibilities, practice specialties, and more.

The therapeutic relationship is at the heart of good counseling work. Working face-to-face with another human being is how change begins. Mental health counselors work with individuals, families, and sometimes groups of clients. Counselors use therapy sessions to learn about their clients, listen to them, teach them new things, and help decrease their symptoms. These sessions are done on an outpatient basis.

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As a nurse one of our principal responsibilities is to educate our patients. Our teaching reaches across a broad gamut: medications (old and new), procedures, wound care, signs and symptoms to be aware of, health habits, how to continue caring for themselves once their home and more. The teaching can occur as spontaneous answers to questions from our patients or more formal educating including a plan and resource materials.

Patients are held in-house for increasingly shorter stays and are going home sicker, precipitating a greater need for instruction and information than ever before. The information you provide them during their hospital stay will hopefully help them gain a full recovery and decrease the risk of readmission. So how do we educate our patients effectively? Taking these factors into consideration will help you to successfully convey the information needed.

Provide a hospitable learning environment: With all the distractions of the hospital it may be difficult to find somewhere that is free from excess noise, disruption, is private and conducive to learning. While we can’t always choose the physical location where the learning will take place, we can try to provide planned learning at a time of day when those disruptions would be minimal; possibly mid-morning after breakfast, morning hygiene, assessments and rounds. Each floor has a different rhythm, choose what will work best for you and your patient.

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