Just the other day I was talking with one of the nurses I work with, and we got into a discussion of wasted dollars in healthcare. One of the patients was upset because for three days in a row the lab nurse came to draw blood. Another patient was mad because they were being sent out to the hospital for a routine procedure that could have ...

  The baby boom generation, those born between 1946 and 1964, started reaching retirement age last January. As you may know, this is the generation born following World War II as the soldiers returned home and began families. For the next 28 years an average of  8,000 boomers will turn 65 daily, and I wonder what impact will that have ...

  I can only think of a few jobs where there is no risk of getting hurt while working. Some jobs definitely have a higher risk than others, but in healthcare we have two issues to worry about.   First is the exposure to all the diseases and germs our patients carry. Yes, universal precautions minimize this risk but the potential ...

  This is a topic I've covered before, but I've always wanted to show the emblem I was given after passing my national exam. It was actually enclosed in the envelope with my passing test results. My certification exam was completed under AOTCB (American Occupational Therapy Certification Board) which used to be a part of AOTA (American ...

  First I want to wish all the Advance readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This is always a nice time of the year to get together with friends and family to celebrate.   That is for the exception of some people in a Long Term Care facility. Many have no family or friends to visit them. Some may have family, but they live ...

Beginning in 2013 recipients of Social Security payments will see their first increase in three years. The increase is a mere 1.7%, or about $21 extra dollars per month for the majority of people.   At the same time the temporary Medicare income tax cut ends, which will raise every workers Medicare payroll tax deduction from 4.2% to 6.2%. ...

What a crazy week!  I started my final fieldwork placement in an acute care setting at a major hospital.  Talk about culture shock.  It is a whole different world there and I am scrambling to learn what I need to survive the next 7 weeks.  Everyone keeps telling me that I will see a lot there.  I have no doubt about ...