Job and career fairs are common ways for both employers and employees to get what they want. It is beneficial for both of them. That?s why it is not unusual to find lots of employers participating in these kinds of events as well as lots of career seekers attending them. A nursing career fair is no exception. In career fair for nurses, you?ll find a number of booths of various medical facilities from nursing homes, to hospitals, and even pharmaceutical companies.

Because the industry is always looking for qualified nurses, it seems there?s always a big demand for such health workers, employers will even hire both registered nurses and those that are nurse practitioners. This is potentially good news for those who seek a career in nursing. You just have to be exceptionally good to have a better chance of landing a position or having an offer. Remember that even though nurses are in demand, it doesn?t mean they?re just looking to hire anyone. The more qualified you are, the better the chance you will land a job.

Now, in these kinds of fair, you will absolutely need one piece of document: your updated resume. Make sure that your resume is updated and that you know it by heart. If interviewers asked something written in your resume, be sure to answer you will be able to answer the. Fail and it might be result to a bad impression with the interviewers

Another thing that you need to consider is your present skills and experience. Having worked for a hospital?s ER will definitely get you points there. This will help you choose specific employers and increase the chance of having something to show after a job fair, an offer or a job contract maybe.

These kinds of career fairs are usually announced well in advance. You need to check the local postings in bulletin boards in and around your community. Hospital news boards can contain a note or two of upcoming nursing fairs. Clinics, community drug store, and even the convenient store can have flyers and such.

Also, don?t limit yourself on community posters, go online. A number of job fairs are being distributed through mailing lists, online communities and forums. Check things out with your other nurses? friends just in cases they hear something happening.

Knowing in advance when and where a job fair will take place can help you prepare your credentials on paper and can help you prepare psychologically and emotionally as well. Your resume needs to be prepared, and a list of references would be ideal. In the field where you are involved in saving lives, a good set of references that will vouch for your dedication, honesty and motivation of your job will come a long way.

When you do bring your resume, be sure to have enough copies free of typographical and grammatical errors. What you write on your resume usually reflects the find of personality you have. When you write your resume, keep the most recent entries and the best entries on top. The best skills you have, the latest job you had, and the type of responsibilities you were given.

If it is possible, get a list of participating companies or employers. Organizers usually list them down and print them on posters to encourage people to go and attend the fairs.

Once you?ve given your resume to prospect employers, be sure to do some follow-ups later on. Hundreds if not thousands might have applied for the same position you did in the same nursing career fairs. It is best to show interest by giving them a call and asking or reminding them of your application. Not too much though, just in moderate amounts.

These people are fonts of knowledge with a lifetime’s worth of experiences built up to share with us. They are often treated as beloved burdens, however, foisted off into nursing homes and forgotten about until the news comes that they have been the victims of nursing home abuse.

These people are not criminals or terrorists, somehow to blame for their own actions. Instead, these people are victims of a vicious system that is designed to care for them and yet is one that is more likely to cause them harm than good. Nursing homes are for the people in our lives who are too sick or too old to take care of themselves anymore, and we rely on the staff of these facilities to take care of them for us.

Unfortunately, the staffs of nursing homes are often overworked and overburdened thanks to the negligent business practices of the owners and managers of the nursing homes.

No matter how well intentioned the nurses of these facilities start out, nerves become frayed, tempers flare at the frustration and unfairness of their situations, and accidents happen. These can lead to the harm of our beloved elderly relatives, and sometimes even lead to the deaths of the patients for which the nursing homes are supposed to be caring.

In cases like these, it is up to the families to stand up for their hurt or deceased loved ones and make the nursing home owners pay for the negligent actions that have caused that harm and others like it over the course of the years.

Many families do not feel the need to point fingers or blame someone for these tragic injuries or deaths, however without penalties of a kind that they understand “cutting into their profits” these nursing home owners will express condolences, punish a nurse or two who are just as much victims of the system as anyone, and continue to do business as usual.

The only way to change the system is to punish those who are getting away with abusing it, and that means taking legal action against the owners of the nursing homes who cause such grievous harm to our loved ones. A nursing home abuse attorney can help you take that step toward justice and righting the wrongs of the system.

Accountability will not be reached without legal and financial consequences for these companies. A nursing home abuse attorney knows this, and will help you and your family along the road to seeking justice and to help you punish the owners for the corporate mentality that leads to understaffed nursing homes and costly mistakes.

Choosing the best lawyer for your nursing home abuse case starts with finding a lawyer in your area who practices that kind of law. One who specializes in the field of nursing home abuse is best since they will already have the knowledge that they need to guide you through the system and lead you to the favorable conclusion.

The next step is to ensure that the lawyer you have chosen is sympathetic to your cause and is someone that you feel comfortable working with. He or she will be helping you along every step of the way, so it is important to find someone that you are comfortable with. Interview more than one attorney if you need to, but make sure that they understand your case and are willing to help you meet your goals in court.

Going to court can be a difficult and trying time for a family that is still recovering from the aftermath of dealing with nursing home abuse, but it is the only way to put a stop to the neglectful and negligent activities of the owners of these homes. Your family will be one of the many that hopefully will stand together against the cruel ways of these companies and fight for the rights of our elderly relatives.

No matter how difficult the road ahead becomes, remember that you are doing the right thing, and that you are taking action for the right reasons. These negligent nursing homes need to change, and we have to become the agents of that change. Only then will our loved ones be safe in the places that are supposed to care for them.

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

LPNs work in all areas of the healthcare field: nursing homes, sub acute rehabilitations, hospitals and doctor’s offices. In long and short term nursing facilities LPNs pass medications, evaluate residents upon admission. During routine follow-ups, LPNs determine the patient’s needs and develop care plans. They also oversee nurse’s aides. LPNs in a doctor’s office duties include making appointments, taking vital signs when a patient arrives for an appointment, being responsible for keeping medical records up to date, and additional office duties. Some LPNs work as visiting nurses for those families who chose to keep their family member at home but cannot provide necessary care that a trained medical professional can. They visit patients at their home to take vital signs and look for any changes that would need to be reported to a doctor. LPNs also teach family members how to administer medicines, prepare foods if there is a specialty diet required, and perform care on the patient when there is not a caregiver a the home.

Education for an LPN would include a one-year program with a state approved training program. This would include classroom study and clinical education. After finishing the program, students would be required to pass a licensing exam known as the NCLEX-PN.

LPN Salary for LPNs range from $28,000 to $50,000 and are determined by factors such as setting, region, and experience. Prior experience as a Certified Nurse’s Assistant (CNA) or patient care associate in a hospital and/or skilled nursing facility can increase the starting salary and provide experience in the field giving that extra foot in the door when when searching for an LPN position.

Job Outlook for LPNs is high as in all phases of nursing. Over the next ten years it is predicted that job opportunities will increase by at least 15%. The majority of these will be in home healthcare settings and skilled nursing facilities. Due to the growing elderly population and hospitals discharging patients before they can thrive at home, the population of people entering a skilled nursing facility, whether for short term or long term care, continues to grow. This requires the need for more licensed professionals to care for them.

Hospitals, in ancient times were a community residing centre. The concept has now changed drastically. With the rapid development in medicine, the hospitals and care centres are now planned by expert nursing home architects. Nursing home architects are behind huge hospitals where convenience meets functionality. Justice can be done on health centres and such buildings by trained and qualified unit architects and nursing home architects.  The trained unit architects and nursing home architects have the requisite expertise that is required to carry out a massive project like hospitals and nursing homes.

Nursing home architects, like their contemporaries face the challenge of customising their client specifications according to the specialisation of the nursing home. So is the case with unit architects. The field and scope of architecture has moved beyond the convention parameters and is reaching out to cater the needs of new times. Unit architects provide solutions in a centralised and consistent manner which simplifies and organises work progress greatly.

Unit architects and nursing home architects are trained to monitor the difficulties they face as unit architects and nursing home architects when trying to control and order the complexity of volume of information that flows into and out of any practise. Unit architects and nursing home architects, both in their field of operation can be characterised as myriad of small increments that benefit business in long run.

With specialists like nursing home architects and unit architects, there is considerable improvement in service delivery and it reduces the risk of incurring deep losses due to lack of knowledge or any other lapse. The expertise and knowledge not only lessens the burden of project execution, but this also enhances the work relation and understanding between the client and unit architects and nursing home architects.

Have you taken a road-trip lately? Almost every highway is graced with large bill-boards providing the locations of new planned communities where couples can spend their retirement years dedicated to recreational pursuits. I doubt you will find a local newspaper that doesn’t have at least one ad promoting the amenities found at a local assisted living facility. Try to search for “nursing homes in Virginia” on the Internet and thousands of web pages will appear. Each and every day new facilities offering different programs are being built and marketed across the state.

Is such a facility right for you and your family? If so, which facility? We often hear the terms “retirement community,” “nursing home,” and “assisted living facility” but rarely consider what these terms actually mean. The differences however, are striking and it is imperative to understand these differences when making choices for yourself or your loved ones.

NURSING HOMES

In Virginia, a nursing home means any facility with the primary function of providing long-term nursing care, nursing services and health-related services on a continuing basis, for the treatment and inpatient care of two or more non-related individuals**. Put simply, a nursing home is a facility designed for someone who needs less care than a hospital, but requires daily health care assistance.

The Virginia Department of Health licenses such facilities and has established guidelines regulating various aspects of their operations, programs, and staffing needs, etc***. For example, a nursing home must: (a) have written policies and procedures regarding the treatment of residents and the management of resident care which are available to residents and their families (12VAC5-360-20); (b) provide emergency medical services within 15 minutes, under normal conditions (12VAC5-360-50); (c) be subject to unannounced on-site inspections of the nursing facility by State employees (12VAC5-371-60); (d) have a written agreement with one or more physicians licensed by the Virginia Board of Medicine to serve as medical director (12VAC5-371-230); and (e) each resident shall be under the care of a physician licensed by the Virginia Board of Medicine (12VAC5-371-240).

In addition, residents of nursing homes are also given certain rights as defined by Virginia Code §32.1-138. See http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+32.1-138. Nursing homes are the most regulated and structured residential options for our Seniors requiring some level of daily health care. If the facility provides care through Medicare and Medicaid programs, it is deemed a “Certified nursing facility” (Virginia Code §32.1-123; Virginia Code §32.1-127) and must be in compliance with both federal and state laws.

Of course, the more rules and regulations that define and control the daily operations of a nursing home, the greater the responsibility of the staff. These are the people who will be charged with the daily task of caring for your loved one, and making sure they are in compliance with state and federal laws. No matter how nice and or attractive the facility might be, the staff will make the difference between your loved one being cared for and encouraged, or not.

A nursing home is best suited for someone:

Who requires daily health care – such as assistance getting in and out of bed; taking medicine; or using the restroom.

Who may have dementia or Alzheimer’s and as a result, is unable to eat and or bathe daily without reminder or assistance;

Who is recovering from a fall or accident and is therefore unable to walk, dress and or eat without assistance

ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY

“Assisted living facility” means an adult care residence which has been licensed by the Virginia Department of Social Services to provide a level of service for adults who may have physical or mental impairments and require at least moderate assistance with the activities of daily living. Within assisted living, there are two types: regular assisted living for those seniors (typically) who need assistance with one or more daily activity; and intensive assisted living for someone who may be incapable of performing activities due to mental and/or severe physical impairment (12VAC30-120-450).

The Virginia Department of Social Services licenses assisted living facilities but does not regulate in the way the Department of Health regulates nursing homes. While there are Virginia guidelines regulating aspects of assisted living facilities, they are limited: An assisted living facility must: (a) provide or coordinate personal and health care services; and (b) provide 24-hour supervision.

As reflected in the table below, assisted living facilities have no obligation to provide health care and/or have health care staff available to assist your loved one. In addition, with no obligation to provide such services, there is the question as to whether or not they owe a duty to warn or treat residents with illnesses or diseases that could be transmitted from other residents.

While a nursing home will have many nurses on staff and doctors hired to monitor the residents, assisted living is more analogous to an apartment building or college dorm where laundry and food services are provided and residents are on their own for the rest of the day.

An assisted living Facility is best suited for someone:

Who is basically independent but may not be able or willing to prepare their own food or drive to doctors’ appointments;

Someone who wants to scale back and anticipates needing assistance with laundry, cooking, etc. in the near future.

A couple where one spouse is independent but may need assistance in feeding and or providing for needs of other spouse.

CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

In Virginia you may also see advertisements for a retirement community. They are popping up all around our favorite College Towns and Tourist destinations.

A Continuing Care Retirement Community provides care depending on your current needs. Like an insurance policy, the resident pays an entrance fee and periodic adjustable payments, which in turn gives the resident a package of residential and healthcare services that the CCRC is obligated to provide at the time these residential and health care services are required. For example, if upon entering, all you want is help with your meals, that is the only service which will be provided. If you require intensive physical therapy or God forbid, daily assistance for a Dementia patient, the CCRC has assisted living services or nursing home services available under your contract. Continuing care contracts are regulated by the Virginia Bureau of Insurance of the Virginia State Corporation Commission.

Many CCRCs can have nursing home services available either on-site, or at licensed facilities off-site (12VAC5-360-10). While you may be entering the Retirement Community as a very healthy independent and capable resident, as your needs change, so will your contract with the Community and in turn, the facility’s obligations to you.

A Continuing Care Retirement Community Facility is best suited for someone:

Who is basically independent but anticipates the need for daily health care for themselves or a spouse in the near future;

Someone who is physically disabled and would be unable to care for themselves or a spouse if the disability grew worse.

With at least three very different choices, it is very important to do your research:

To research assisted living facilities in Virginia, go to Department of Social Services website: http://www.dss.state.va.us/facility/search/alf.cgi.

To research nursing homes, go to Medicare’s website: www.medicare.gov.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

It is always best to speak to a family member of a current resident and spend time getting to know the staff, no matter what type of facility you are looking into. If looking and researching is not enough, then consider the chart below – a comparison of the legal duties of a nursing home compared to the legal duties of an assisted living facility in Virginia.

DUTY or REQUIREMENT

NURSING HOME

ASSISTED LIVING

Duty to provide nursing care and or monitor resident’s health?

YES

NO

Doctor required to supervise residents?

YES

NO

Each resident shall be under the care of a physician licensed by the Virginia Board of Medicine?

YES

NO

Must have nurses on staff?

YES

NO

Must offer rehabilitative services?

YES

NO

Must have ongoing consultation from a registered dietitian or dietitian on staff?

YES

NO

24 Hour Supervision required?

YES

YES

Must develop a written plan upon admission of resident?

YES

YES

Staff must undergo criminal background check?

YES

YES

Monitored by Virginia Center for Quality Health Care Services and Consumer Protection

YES

NO

Monitored by Department of Social Services

NO

YES

*Life expectancy increased dramatically during the past century, from 47 years for Americans born in 1900 to 77 years for those born in 2001. These same factors—improved medical care and prevention efforts— that are partly responsible for the dramatic increases in life expectancy have also produced a major shift in the leading causes of death in the United States in the past century, from infectious diseases and acute illnesses to chronic diseases and degenerative illnesses.” The State of Aging and Health in America 2004, published by the Center for Disease Control, available at http://www.cdc.gov/aging/pdf/State_of_Aging_and_Health_in_America_2004.pdf.

**See generally, Virginia Code §32.1-123, as amended and Virginia Administrative Code § 12VAC5-360-10.

***It is a Felony under Virginia law to operate a nursing facility without a license. See generally, 12VAC5-371-30.