When you’ve worked so hard to get that first job after college, the last thing you want is to screw it up. Sadly, new grads do it all the time. The problem rarely stems from lack of knowledge or poor technical skills. It often goes back to something simpler: Your persona in the workplace, particularly during your first few weeks on ...

Interviewing can be a gut-wrenching process. Most books on how to interview list hundreds of questions you need to be ready to answer, but few talk about the questions you need to ask. Take more control at your next interview by asking some pointed questions of your own. Here are six must-ask questions and why you should know the answers. 1. ...

We've all heard about how more people are losing their jobs more than ever before, but there is one industry that has remained untouchable: nursing. While thousands of people lost their jobs this past November, the nursing industry actually added over 50,000 positions. As the population ages and new developments emerge, the nursing industry will continue to grow. This is great ...

One of the worst things you can do when you start your new job is to make your supervisor look bad for hiring you. After all, your boss is key to your current on-the-job satisfaction and to your future success in the organization -- and perhaps even beyond. If there ever were a relationship for you to invest in, this is ...

1. Why do you want to work in this industry? Bad answer: “I love to talk medical jargon. Even as a kid, I spent hours flipping through medical dictionaries and pretending I was a nurse.” Don’t just say you like it. Anyone can do that. Focus instead on your history with that particular industry, and if you can, tell a success ...

Whether you're looking for a job or trying to advance your career, networking is very important (in a recent HotJobs poll, 57 percent of respondents said that networking was a factor in landing their most recent job). And networking shouldn't end when you log off of LinkedIn or head home from a conference. Valuable contacts are on the perimeter of your ...

You hear it all the time from career experts: "Research the company before you go into a job interview." But what does that mean, exactly? Here are some tips on using the Internet and tapping your network to gain information and insight that'll improve your answers--and help you ask the right questions. The company's mission Your prospective employer's Web site is ...

Now more than ever, it’s important to get the best bang for your buck. And there’s no question about it — when it comes to value, not every U.S. city is created equally. Why chase a great salary if your rent swallows most of it, unemployment is skyrocketing and you spend two hours a day just to get to and from ...

When you’re looking for a new nursing position, the quality of the work environment will play a big role in determining whether you’ll be happy or miserable on the job. Fortunately, you can get an indication of that intangible but important element while you’re interviewing -- if you know what to ask and what to look for. Before Your Interview: Do ...

If you ask 10 people to describe pain, you will get 10 different responses. Pain is a very individual sensation and it is interpreted differently depending on so many variables. For nurses, this means that not only do we need to understand the mechanisms of pain, we need to understand how pain is interpreted by others. Stub Your Toe, Do You ...

As a new nurse with a (very small amount) of experience under my belt, I’m about to start a new job and once again I have the orientation-willies. Since I’ve already undergone a lengthy orientation as a brand-spanking-new nurse, I have a healthy fear and respect for orientation and also have in place a good set of coping skills (read someone ...

There are several factors which need to be considered in choosing the size of a needle to use for an injection or “shot”. They include such issues as: • the type and viscosity of the medication • the size and age of the patient • the mobility status of the patient • the desired absorption rate for the medication In general ...

When we asked Monster readers what they’d be most likely to splurge on if they got a big salary bump -- a new car, wardrobe or home entertainment technology -- the car topped the list with 51 percent of the votes, followed by the wardrobe with 30 percent and the home entertainment center at 18 percent. But quite a few readers ...

You've probably already read the articles about the top interview questions for nursing job seekers and the 7 things you should do in an interview, but do you know what you shouldn't do? Sure, you know you shouldn't where your shortest mini skirt, your oldest shoes or that "I'm with Stupid" t-shirt you thought was so funny 15 years ago, but ...

We all know that the economy is shaky. People are getting laid off left and right. Luckily, nursing is a pretty solid industry to be in. However, this may not apply to every job, every facility, or every region. Your job might be at risk. If your employer is considering laying employees off, here are some things you can do avoid ...

Despite a wealth of technological advances, we all still spend more time charting than we'd like. But what if you looked at charting as something other than a chore? Instead of seeing it as one more thing to cross off your to-do list, what if you considered it a vital means of communication? After all, isn't that the original purpose of ...

A number of provisions to help the unemployed are included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and here’s a list of some of the major benefits. Offerings vary greatly by state, so check with your local unemployment office to find out what exactly is available to you. Increased Unemployment Benefits The ARRA funds a new temporary Federal Additional Compensation ...

We don't mean to do it. We don't mean to stop seeing the people behind the patient facade. We know our patients have lives outside of the hospital, beyond their illness or disability. They have interests, hobbies, work, and love. They have friends and family. They may have had a charmed life, or they may have had a tough one. There ...

It begins even before you say your first word in an interview. As the interviewer walks toward you to shake hands, an opinion is already being formed. And as you sit waiting to spew out your answers to questions you've prepared for, you are already being judged by your appearance, posture, smile or your nervous look. Look back at speakers or ...

Not all managers are like me. Some are mean, arrogant and don’t care about their staff. That is not me…..I am better than that. There will come a time, at least once, in your career where you will hit a wall when you are trying to deal with your manager. They don’t listen to what you have to say, they don’t ...