Everyone makes mistakes in their personal life and in their professional life. This is true for all people in all professions. However, it is more important when a mistake is made in the field of medicine because it can result in the death of a patient. It can be scary to admit to someone that you have made a mistake, and terrifying if that mistake may have negatively affected their health. However, it is one of the most important parts of a nurse’s job. [continue reading…]
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Congress was in the news quite a bit in December because of the many extensions that were set to expire the first of January if they were not extended. The therapy cap provision was especially concerning for those in speech, physical, and occupational therapy positions. Fortunately, it has been extended until February. However, it could still be eliminated unless Congress makes a more permanent decision. Had the legislation not been extended there would have been a 27.4% reduction in the fee schedule and exceptions for the early $1,880 therapy cap would have been removed. Just how important is it that these measures not be removed? [continue reading…]
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Working in industries such as health care and education takes a great commitment to helping others. One way to have an even greater impact on our community is to become a mentor or to support a mentoring organization. National Mentoring Month began in 2002 as a joint effort between the Harvard School of Public Health and the National Mentoring Partnership. Since 2006 the Corporation of National and Community Service has been working on the project as well. There are numerous ways for you to become involved in the mentoring initiative. [continue reading…]
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There are several reasons why many schools have begun to adopt a co-teaching model in their classrooms. Class size laws in many states require a lower student to teacher ratio as do many individualized education plans. Co-teaching can even result in a better teaching experience for the teachers and the students, as long as the teachers get along. [continue reading…]
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Postpartum depression (PPD) is not just a little bit of sadness after a baby is born that is the result of hormone levels returning to normal, although that can certainly be the case for some women. For some women, though, it is a debilitating depression that can last for months or years after the birth of the baby, putting both mother and baby in danger. There are three different levels, all of which are related to postpartum depression: baby blues, postpartum depression, and postpartum psychosis. [continue reading…]
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Physical therapists are heroes and villains in the story of recovery. At first, they are the villains of the story because they make the patient hurt more. The patient has dutifully been “taking it easy” for a bit after their surgery or accident and they have begun to feel a smidge better. Then they are suddenly being asked to bend, stretch, and move in ways that make the pain come back tenfold. This is, of course, a necessary component in healing and regaining full motion – but it still hurts. Usually it isn’t too terribly hard to motivate a patient to come back for their therapy appointments during this initial stage because it is all too obvious that they desperately need help to get back to their pre-injury state. However, motivating the patient to complete their exercises at home can be quite the challenge. The task of motivation becomes even more challenging once the initial phase of therapy is over and the time for maintenance begins. [continue reading…]
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Seasonal affective disorder is aptly referred to as SAD, because the people suffering from the disorder often diagnose themselves as being simply sad at first. While there are variations of seasonal affective disorder that affect people during the spring and summer, most cases begin sometime in the fall and last throughout the winter with symptoms finally subsiding in the spring. [continue reading…]
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