Is Nursing Your Calling?

CareerBuilder.com — 8/18/2010 6:32:55 PM

With the aging of the baby boomers, better technology and an emphasis on preventative care bringing Americans to their doctors in droves, patients may soon start noticing they have fewer nurses caring for them. It's not their imagination. In fact, a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association predicted that 40 percent of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States will top age 50 by 2010. The retirement of these nurses - combined with the aging general population - is expected produce a shortage of 434,000 nurses by 2020. Interested in filling the gap? Here's an overview of the industry, based on information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Overview
Nursing is the largest healthcare occupation today, with 2.3 million jobs. A passion for healthcare and a compassionate nature are crucial for this field. Registered nurses work to promote health, prevent disease and care for ill or injured patients. Man....

How Working as a Public Health Nurses Helps the Community

CareerBuilder — 5/11/2010 4:52:38 PM

Public health nursing and community health nursing are interchangeable terms because what a public health nurse does directly impacts whole communities, not just one family or an individual. They work on every level of government -- local, state and national -- to protect the public at large against the spread of disease and provide nursing services related to widespread medical issues.

Public health nursing dates back to the mid-1800s in England when Florence Nightingale organized public health districts in London. The concept spread to the United States in the late 1800s with the establishment of the Henry Street Settlement in New York City, and it evolved into the development of visiting nurses associations. Eventually, the focus shifted from patient care at home to nursing in clinics for local and county agencies to control communicable diseases.

Today, public health nurses work in tandem with other public health professionals including doctors, nutritionists, enviro....

A Nurse's Communication Skills Must Be Conveyed in the Interview

Careerbuilder — 5/11/2010 4:58:27 PM

It's safe to say a nurse never wants to be accused of not listening. Patients need to feel they are being listened to when they're explaining something as personal as a health problem; they're experiencing a range of emotions that are tied to their physical well-being and communication between patients and their health-care providers, particularly at the outset of a medical relationship, may determine how well the patient responds to health advice and treatment.

Communication skills are extremely important in nursing, not just with patients but with all members of the health-care team. Those skills can help bridge the gap between medical jargon and making the patient feel comfortable. When looking for a ne....

Nursing Offers Worldwide Job Opportunities

Careerbuilder — 8/3/2010 2:50:58 PM

When a natural disaster hits -- like the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Indonesia's 2004 tsunami -- doctors, nurses and other health care workers have some of the most important roles of those who are sent into disaster-stricken areas.

For many years, health organizations have called upon volunteers from the medical community for immediate service in war-torn countries, following natural disasters and other circumstances where the need for emergency care arose. Some organizations, such as Partners in Health, base their programs on training local citizens to become health-care workers in their own communities. Since it began in 1961, the Peace Corps has done its share of sendin....

Hundreds of Applications and Still No Job?

Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer — 2/26/2009 12:35:39 PM

Here's how every job seeker secretly hopes his or her search will go:

8:00 a.m. You see an ad for the job of your dreams: close to home, makes use of your skills, offers the right pay.

8:05 a.m. You apply for the job.

8:07 a.m. The hiring manager, out of breath, calls you. "We must have you. The CEO said to pay whatever you ask for -- we need you on our team ASAP!"

8:10 a.m. After you give your demands (a high salary and access to the company jet), you're faxed the job offer.

8:15 a.m. You head out the door to your first day of work.

In reality, the process takes a few weeks or months longer, and yo....

20 Jobs that Pay America's Average Salary

Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer — 8/12/2009 4:17:01 PM

Salaries are always a hot topic in the office -- most often, as an area of complaint. In today's economy, most are simply grateful to earn a salary of any size, but you still hear things like, "I don't earn enough to survive or pay the bills" or "So-and-so is making X amount, I should be, too." Or -- my personal favorite -- "I deserve more."

Well, we all deserve more, but the reality is that right now, not many of us will get it. And, in looking at the national average salary, some of you may be surprised how you compare.

In 2008, the U.S. median wage was $32,390 per year, according to the most recent data from the Occupational Employment Statistics* of the U.S. Department of Labor. That's not a bad chunk of change, right?

Wouldn't it be nice to know what jobs paid this salary, or better yet, what jobs pay that salary where you live and work?

Jobs by Salary, a new salary tool provided by

For many workers, finding a balance between personal and professional commitments is a constant battle. In a March 2009 CareerBuilder survey of more than 8,000 workers, only 13 percent said they were very satisfied with their work/life balance. Fifteen percent said they were dissatisfied.

Between work, family, friends and all of life's little extras, it often seems there are just not enough hours in the day. So what happens when you add to going to school in the equation? Today's economy has many people returning to school in lieu of working full time, while others have chosen to enhance their education to make themselves more marketable to employers.

In the sam....

Success Stories: I Changed Careers

Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer — 8/27/2009 11:03:42 PM

Today's economy has compelled job seekers to do some crazy things: standing on street corners wearing billboards advertising their unemployment, sending gifts to hiring managers, applying down for entry-level positions, or even switching careers entirely.

But you know what's really crazy? None of those things are that crazy at all. In fact, each of those things is a pretty smart move -- especially the latter.

Although people switch careers for many reasons and at different times, the economy is a strong factor in why millions of people are currently opting to do so. We asked our readers to share their career-changing ....

10 Certification Paths to a Better Job

Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer — 8/13/2009 5:16:24 PM

Everyone is interested in bettering their careers. Whether it's becoming an expert in your field, gaining respect from your colleagues, earning a higher salary or standing out among other professionals, a certification in your industry can be the simlest path to all of these things.

The problem is that many workers think they don't have the time, money or resources to invest in getting certified. Plus, there are hundreds of official recognitions in every industry, so where should one even start the process?

In this economy especially, job seekers and workers should do whatever they can to stand out among the masses; getting certified is one way to do so. Earning a specialization in your field doesn't have to be as time-consuming or expensive as you think. It will be challenging and require a little bit of your time, of course, but the payoff will be worth it.

Here are 10 certifications that require less experience than others, broken down by industry and the jobs ....

HD Résumé: Making Things Crystal Clear

Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer — 7/28/2009 12:38:10 PM

By now you've heard several times that the job market is competitive and it's more important than ever that you stand out to employers through your cover letter and résumé.

Well, you're about to hear it again.

"While it is always important to have a remarkable résumé, a bad economy makes it even more important," says Kathy Sweeney, a certified professional résumé writer for The Write Résumé. "With this situation in mind, it is more important than ever to communicate the value you bring to a potential employer."

Here are a few pearls of wisdom: Communicating your value to an employer is not done by crowding your résumé with phrases like "results driven" or "motivated." It won't be done by listi....

Top 10 Most Recent EDU Articles