Tuesday 23 May 2017

What is a pre-employment physical exam and how it is done?

A pre-employment physical exam is part of the employment screening process for companies. The purpose of physical exam is to ensure that the employee’s health is compliant with any job related requirements for the position they are applying for. The physical exam can be simple & quick or complex & lengthy, depending on the requirements of the job profile. For instance, a worker might be examined to confirm if he/she is good and can perform jobs that require rigorous physical activity.

Nowadays, more and more companies are requiring pre-employment exams in order to shortlist potential employees. This pre-employment exam not only prevents from work injury, but also prevents the company from work related lawsuits, that could have been prevented at the employment stage.

Pre-employment physical exams can only be legally requested after the job has been offered. This ensures that there is no discrimination issue at the workplace. This also shows up the potential worker to do that job.

Basic Checkup list
Pre-employment physical exam starts with a measurement of your vital signs.
The nurse will record your body-weight, blood-pressure, pulse-rate and body-temperature.
You are also requested to mention any medications or supplements you might be taking. Since, some drugs or nutritional supplements may cause drowsiness, nausea and other potential side-effects. If you are hired to handle some high-stress job profile, then the company might also want to know how you handle pressure. The examiner might ask you questions regarding depression symptoms, mood swings, behaviors and your stress dealing technique. People who smoke or have other mitigate habits may not be a good fit for certain jobs.

Alcohol and Drug Tests
Conducting alcohol and drug tests have become common in many corporates, and you may be asked to undergo one in order to get a job. It is important, especially in high-risk jobs, where employees are handling heavy equipment and being drunk can result not only in personal harm but also in harm to other employees and to property.
It is performed in a number of ways such as; breathalyzers, urine tests, blood tests, hair testing and even mouth swaps.

Physical Examination
Besides the basic checkup, your doctor will also check your reflexes, joint health, heart health and respiratory function, hearing issues and pupil dilation. All of these vital checks can help give your physician a more precise portrait of your physical condition.

The doctor will also note any uneasiness, discomfort, pain or swelling you might be experiencing and would want to know it’s caused and when it started.
While submitting, remember the tests performed might change based on:
Ø  Your age
Ø  Your sex
Ø  Accidents/injuries you reported during the interview
Ø  Current or past medical history

The Results
After the examination the doctor will issue a report showing your physical condition. He might add some recommendations or prescriptions, although this is not always required.


The primary goal of performing such pre-employment physical test ensure that the company is aware of any medical conditions or issues you might be dealing with, so you stay safe and work on getting back to optimal health.

Saturday 20 May 2017

Benefits of Using a Staffing Company to Hire

The healthcare sector is one of the booming industries of the recent times. Mainly due to its affordable healthcare solutions and increasing number of community based care and specialties in the industry like geriatrics, informatics and care coordinators. This has given rise to the number of people who can approach basic medical care.

With massive growth and development in the healthcare market, the demand for nurses has also improved. A staffing company performances, recruitment and selection process for organizations that don’t have the time, expertise or resources necessary to manage the staffing processes. Some staffing agencies offer temporary workers, and others give prospective candidates for temp-to-hire arrangements. Despite of the service type, there are certain benefit of using staffing agencies, this includes; expertise, cost, availability of workers and employee retention.

Due to the increasing demand and need to improve the quality of healthcare services, finding and retaining highly-qualified nurses with the right skill is becoming more difficult. In order to, maintain a competitive edge in the hiring process, many healthcare have already turned to staffing agencies. By allowing themselves, to enjoy benefits such as cost saving, scalable workforce, better access to talented employees, efficient hiring process and more engaged employees.

1. Experienced & Skilled Staffing Agency
A hiring manager or the internal staffing specialist may require a lengthy period to find a qualified nurse for the required facility.  However, hiring a staffing agency will provide you with services that will cut down the time & cost an internal HR team will require.

A staffing agency has a vast expertise about recruitment – trends, practices and standards for various industries and gives your hiring team valuable insights of what is currently happening in the nursing job market. They are well versed about where and how to look for exceptional talent, their salary rates and job prospect as well as existing complexities in hiring nurse.

2. Proven Access to Skilled Candidates
As the healthcare industry is booming day-by-day, it is getting difficult to find qualified nurse. Therefore, seeking help from a healthcare staffing agency will help you with better access to more skilled and talented nurses at a much lower cost than, if you do the hiring process in-house. A healthcare staffing agency has a wide range of networks with advanced recruiting process and technologies; they make the hiring process smoother and well-organized.

3. Flexibility       

Many healthcare staffing agencies have come up with the added benefit of having a variety of staffing options such as; contract-to-hire, direct hire, per-diem hire and temporary hire that enables your company to hire the best nurses based upon your staffing requirements.

4. Avoid Bad Hires

A Healthcare staffing agency lessens the risk of recruiting a wrong candidate. A staffing agency ensures, each nurse that they provide are of quality, have the right skill and personality for the job. Healthcare staffing agencies give you the opportunity to discover employee performance, qualifications and work practice over a trial period, by allowing you to estimate if you will give the temporary hire a permanent post in your facility.
This benefit you with a major savings in employment cost such as; investment in time, training and support needs.

5. Saves Time


A healthcare staffing agency can help you to retain much of your time when it comes to using their services. Many a times, a hiring process can consume a lot of time and effort, particularly if you belong in a niche industry where it is difficult to find a specific qualified candidate.

Friday 12 May 2017

Different pain management techniques

Pain management plays an important role if you are suffering from ongoing pain control, particularly if it is a long-term or chronic pain. After getting proper pain assessment, your physician will prescribe you pain medicines, treatment or physiotherapy to help with pain relief.  Patients are advised to check with with their physician regarding any questions about a specific program.

Chronic pain can be caused due to a number of reasons. Some of the commonly occurring conditions due to ageing may affect bones and joints in a way that it leads to cause chronic pain. Other common causes are nerve damage and injuries that fail to heal properly. Other common causes include nerve damage and injuries that fail to heal properly. Certain kind of chronic pain have numerous causes, however it may be caused due to a single factor or due to a combination of factors.

Whether your pain has just come on or you’ve lived with it for years, these following are some of the easy to follow pain management techniques that can bring you relief. Continuous clinical research has be conducted to help determine, which pain management therapies are the most effective in treating back pain and neck pain.

The pain management techniques can be classified in terms of their invasiveness.

1. Some of the non-invasive technique for pain management are exercise, manual technique, behavioral management, physiotherapy, massage, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, hot & Cold therapy, biofeedback therapy, etc.    

2. Other pain management techniques, that includes medications, are purely pharmacologic in nature
·         NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), including ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin
·         Anti-seizure medications, which can be effective in treating pain related to nerve damage or injury
·         Antidepressants, which can improve sleep and alleviate pain
·         Steroids, like dexamethasone and prednisone, to alleviate inflammation and pain
·         Acetaminophen (Tylenol)

3. Pain management techniques that involve invasive techniques, such as injections or operations.


As you are trying out these techniques, it is important to be patient with yourself. If you try them, but if it fails to help you relive the pain, do not be dishearten or lose hope in medical science. Inform you doctor about the same as he may suggest you some alternative medication or treatment to help you overcome this distressful condition. With the right treatment and little lifestyle modification, the pain will get better and you will be able to lead a healthy and pain free life again.

Saturday 6 May 2017

Common symptoms of osteoarthritis of hip, knees and hands

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis in the United State and other parts of the world. It is a condition that causes joints to become painful and stiff by causing difficulty to do daily activities. It commonly occurs when a protective layer of cartilage on the ends of bones wears down eventually.

Although, osteoarthritis can damage any joint bone in your body, but the disorder is most common in your hands, hips, knees and spine.  However, osteoarthritis symptoms can be managed effectively by following a healthy lifestyle, staying active, and following the recommended treatment can help you improve pain and joint function.

At some instances, these symptoms may come and go, which can be related to things such as your daily activity level and even weather conditions. In some serious conditions, these symptoms can be continuous and unbearable. You should see your primary care physician if you have persistent symptoms of osteoarthritis, so that they can verify, diagnosis and prescribe the necessary treatment.

Here are some commonly noticed symptoms of osteoarthritis;
·         increased pain and stiffness when no moment for a while
·         joint tenderness
·         swelling - joints appearing slightly larger than usual
·         constant grating or crackling sound or sensation in your joints during slightest moment
·         prolonged pain and limited range of movement due joints pain
·         weakness and loss of muscle bulk

Osteoarthritis of the hip

Osteoarthritis in your hip joints often causes difficulty in doing activities such as putting on or removing your shoes or get in & out of a car or bed, etc. At times, it may even cause stiffness in
hips when you’re sitting or standing for a long period of time.

Patients with osteoarthritis in the hip often find it difficult to walk due to the stabbing pains. The condition usually develops slowly over the course of many years.

The following are the symptoms of hip osteoarthritis,
Ø  Joint stiffness that occurs as you are getting out of bed
Ø  A sound or feeling ("crunching") of bone rubbing against bone
Ø  Pain, swelling, or tenderness in the hip joint
Ø  Joint inflexibility after you sit for a long time
Ø  Inability to move the hip to carry out daily routine activities

Osteoarthritis of the knee

While ageing is among the top factors causing osteoarthritis of the knee, however young people can get it too. In some cases, it may be hereditary, for others it may be due to some injury or infection or due to excessive weight. This pain can become chronic while walking or using stairs.
Common symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee are:
Ø  Pain and stiffness in knee joints
Ø  Creaking, crunching, & grinding sensation when you move the joint
Ø  Hard or Soft swellings
Ø  Knee muscles become weak or the joint structure is less stable
Ø  Knee movement is not normal or as it would be
Ø  Knees becoming bent and bowed
Ø  Muscles around your knee joint look thin or wasted.

Osteoarthritis of the hand 
Symptoms of Osteoarthritis of the hands may differ from person to person. Many a times it depends upon a specific joint affected. It can be painful and difficult to perform certain manual tasks, such as writing, opening jars or turning keys.

Common symptoms of osteoarthritis of the hand are,
·         Joints pain and stiffness
·         the base of your thumb
·         the joints closest to your fingertips
·         the middle joints of your fingers
·         grinding, grating feeling or a crunchy sound when joints move
·         Fingers become stiff, painful- and swollen
·         Development of bumps on your finger joints
·         Your fingers may bend sideways slightly at your affected joints
·         Development of painful cysts (fluid-filled lumps) on the backs of your fingers

·         A bump at the base of your thumb where it joins your wrist

Friday 5 May 2017

Benefits of hiring a health care staffing firm

Staffing agencies are benefitting many industries, but they are most benefited by the healthcare industry. Health care facilities often need to fill positions quickly with qualified staff, and many times, they don’t have the time or resources to dedicate to a systematic search.

Need for highly skilled health care professional will always continue to escalate and you need a reliable partner to deliver the most qualified healthcare staffing solutions. There are numerous healthcare staffing agencies providing quality-focused healthcare workforce solutions with wide experience in a variety of health care disciplines. Staffing companies can help you find expertise and optimum workforce solutions, giving you access to talented employees when you need them.
A healthcare staffing company can help you in numerous ways, read on to find out reasons that a medical staffing agency benefits both employers and job seekers.

Ø  Expertise - Employees of staffing agencies usually have a higher level of expertise related to job knowledge, employment trends and recruitment practices due to continuous placement. They also have industry expertise if they work for staffing agencies that focuses in certain fields, such health care.
Ø  Cost or Financial benefits - Staffing agencies can result in lower costs associated with hiring adequate staff. As the staffing agency manages the entire hiring process, they also ease employers of costs related to pre-employment testing, background investigations and drug screening.
Ø  Network - The staffing agencies have a large network from which they can tap a potential candidate who can fill any position an employer might have or anticipate. On the other hand, staffing agencies can spot dependable, reliable and conscientious candidates who can fill a vacancy in a matter of days, or even hours.
Ø  Retention – Employers engaging in temperate staffing service get the opportunity to monitor employee performance, qualification and work routine, before offering them a permanent position. This cut downs the turnover period as both employee and employer are satisfied with the job fit. 
Ø  Quality Staffing & Expert Interview Process – Health care staffing candidates often undergo rigorous questioning and assessment before they are admitted into a staffing agency’s database. Hence, it becomes easy to evaluate better qualified and experienced candidates for the required position.
Ø  Access to a Wide Network – You can choose from a wide network of a staffing agency providing candidates looking for seasonal workers, part-time workers, and those who only want temporary positions.
Ø  Time-saving benefits - Staffing agency will do the hunting for you, delivering numerous quality positions, based on the location, the roles & responsibilities and the length of the contract. This allows you to save time on your search and control other contractual assessment.


These are the reasons; why employers prefer healthcare staffing agencies to save their time and money in the long run. Choosing a healthcare staffing agency is the most appropriate and unique way to get quality and consistent employees to the team.

Friday 28 April 2017

Things you need to know about Labiaplasty

Labiaplasty isn’t something most people would comfortably prefer discussing, but the undeniable fact is that many women are uncomfortable with the size and shape of their labia.

Labiaplasty is a surgery performed for cosmetic reasons; it basically includes reduction of the labia minora, the inner lips on the outside the vagina and to a lesser extent reduction of larger labia majora and clitoral hood.

Labiaplasty can increase a women’s comfort, leading to a more enjoyable experience both physically and sexually and enhancing the quality of life.  Labiaplasty offers you a genuine opportunity and solution to take control of your body. No one, not even your spouse, sexual partner or physician can take away your right to reshape these body structures if you wish to do so.

Who should consider Labiaplasty?

Labiaplasty is becoming increasingly popular among women who seek to resize or reshape the size of their vaginal lips. However, here are some of the reasons why or who should consider labiaplasty. You can consider a labiaplasty if you experience discomfort or are unhappy with the shape and size of your vaginal lips that are painful or make you feel self-conscious.

If there is a need to address swelling of the labia and uneasiness that arises during a work-out and sports activity, the inability to wear fitting clothes or bathing suits, interruption during sexual activity, awkwardness, embarrassment and sometimes even trouble in maintaining basic hygiene regimen. One can also think of labiaplasty if you have gone through a genital reconstructive procedure.
  
How to prepare for Labiaplasty
Before your labiaplasty surgeon will share a number of instructions with you. These may slightly vary between surgeons, but it is important that you follow them exactly to avoid any complications.
·         Stop smoking
·         No alcohol
·         Avoid Sexual Activity
·         Keep healthy
·         Protect Against Infection
·         Wear Loose Clothing during Recovery
·         Avoid certain medications or supplements (As suggested by your doctor)
·         Plan your recovery.  (Have someone around to help you throughout these few days)
·         Talk about Pain Medications with the Surgeon
·         Plan Adequate Time for Rest

Labiaplasty Procedure
During the treatment, you will be given a local anesthetic and the surgery can last up to 2hrs. Large or uneven vaginal lips are reduced or cut using a specialized scissors or a laser. The location of the surgery will depend on factors such as the texture, size and configuration of the vaginal lips. Your surgeon will finally stitch up the handled area. You may have to spend a day under the scrutiny of your surgeon before being released to go and recover at home.

Recovery period & precaution

You may experience some mild pain after the surgery. Swelling and Bruising near the operated area is normal. You should also consider taking extra precaution when it comes to maintaining feminine hygiene and abstain from sex.  

Tuesday 25 April 2017

How to become an international nurse?

An international nurse is the booming future of the nursing industry. One of the most exciting parts about a career in nursing is that with the right education, experience and career strategy, a registered nurse can go nearly to any part of the world. Some nurses enjoy travelling locally, while the other nurse simply enjoy a diversity of work settings and desire to travel to a multiple locations for the experience of forming ongoing professional associations, which they grow over the longevity of their career.

For some, the call for international nurse is the sense if exciting activity and unlimited opportunities, many registered nurses choose the international path. If international nursing is of interest in your career, there are numerous important points that you must study.

Learn more by reading the blog below on how to begin your international nursing career in the United States of America.

Commission on Graduated of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGNFS)

According to the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGNFS), is a “non-profit, internationally recognized leader in the education, registration and licensure of healthcare professionals worldwide.” It assists the public in relation to developing health care policies and standards of professional practices of migrating healthcare professionals. CGNFS is federally-approved to certify nurses and other health care professionals.

The CGFNS program is intended for the registered nurses who have been skilled in other national and wish to work as qualified nurses in the US. Most boards of nursing require foreign nurses to complete the certification program and credentials evaluation.

This certification program is divided into 3 parts: a credentials review, the CGFNS Qualifying Exam and an English language proficiency exam. In addition, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) involves all health care professionals who look for permanent occupational visas to obtain VisaScreen certificates.

Credentials Review
The credentials review clinical practice in 5 major areas of nursing: adult medical nursing, adult surgical nursing, neonatal nursing, pediatric nursing, and psychiatric nursing.

CGFNS Qualifying Exam

The test is intended to see if the nurses with international educations are certified to practice in the US. To be entitled for this test, foreign nurses must have significant experience in the nursing fields. It also requires a minimum number of hours in classroom instruction and clinical practice in the above mentioned 5 major areas of nursing.

The CGFNS Qualifying Exam are conducted thrice in a year in over 40 locations worldwide, contact CGFNS Customer Service Department or consults the CGFNS Certification Program Handbook or visit CGFNS website.

English Language Proficiency Exam

You need to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). TOEFL scores are valid for two years.

The basic necessities are the same for all international nurses; however, this may vary depending upon geographical location, placement location, specific requirement, program opportunity, additional immunization, training and documents may be required.

While some international travel may utilize to build new skills, other opportunities can involve promoting a certain health care issue, for e.g. women’s health or working in an educational facility to promote certain vaccinations or disease.

The processing may take up 6 to 8 months. Depending upon the location the payment may vary, hence it is of utmost importance to have specific details in writing before agreeing to final contract. Not all international location pay well, but there are some exceptions. Some opportunities may have other demands such as speaking the language or adapting local dressing restrictions.


Lastly, being an international nurse you get a limitless opportunity to help communities that are in need of gifted nurses, ability to travel to new geographical locations, chance to meet new people and gain a well-formed nursing experience. With the right amount of preparation and career supervising, the life of an international nurse can be rewarding and exciting with adequate variety and specialized growth opportunities to last a lifetime.