Your Therapy Practice’s Online Reputation Matters

Is your practice a 5-star facility according to Google, Yelp, Facebook, and so on? If not, here are some ways to help improve your online reputation.

Have you Googled your practice lately? Logged in to Yelp? Dropped in on your Facebook page? You might want to.

Your practice’s online reputation matters now more than ever before. Increasingly, patients are putting their trust in online reviews when determining which healthcare facility and provider to use. In fact, the results of a recent survey by the Binary Fountain found 70% of Americans have been influenced by online ratings and review when selecting a healthcare provider, and 95% of respondents said they find online ratings and reviews “somewhat” to “very” reliable. In addition, according to BrightLocal’s most recent Local Consumer Review Survey, 91% of 18-34 year old consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

If your practice is anything less than a 5-star facility online, here are some ways to help improve your reputation.

Build and Own Your Brand: The more of a presence you have online, the more you can control perceptions of your practice. If you haven’t already, build an SEO-optimized website to make your practice easier to find online, and secure accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Yelp, YouTube, and so on. Include positive reviews or patient testimonials on your site, and be sure to interact with your patients and the public across social media on a regular basis to show you are a trusted, responsive brand. As the adage goes, the best defense is a good offense, and controlling your brand is a good way to control the conversation about your practice.

Ask for Reviews: We’re more connected than ever. According to Pew Research Center, 81% of Americans now own smartphones, meaning the internet is literally at their fingertips. While you have your patient in front of you, mention online ratings and ask if they’d be willing to write a review. They can even do so right there in the office, while sitting for an ice application or ESTIM. According to recent findings, 70% of consumers will leave a review for a business if asked, so it certainly does not hurt to mention it.

Use the Feedback: Negative reviews happen. Instead of letting them get under your skin, use them to your advantage. Publicly address any concerns made in reviews by responding in a professional manner and commit to improving on any issues you can, giving the public eye a candid look at how seriously you take patient satisfaction. While this won’t get rid of a negative review, it certainly allows people to see it, and your practice, in a different light.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Viral Photo of Exhausted Nurse Rallies Praise for Profession

A photo posted to Facebook of an RN, clad in blue scrubs and crying her eyes out, has awakened scores of praise for nurses and all they do.

Last week, Laura McIntyre, took to Facebook to share a photo of her twin sister, Caty Nixon, which she took back in July. This wasn’t a joyous photo of siblings smiling side-by-side or the like. No, it was of Caty, clad in her blue scrubs, in the midst of an emotional release. Sat in a brown leather armchair, with a plate of food in her lap, Caty cried. She had just finished a 53-hour, four-day workweek, which ended with her delivering a stillborn.

“She’s gonna kill me for this pic, but can we just give it up for nurses for a minute?” wrote McIntyre in the October 10th post. “Caty just wrapped up her fourth shift in a row. That’s around 53+ hours in four days. That’s not including the 1.5 hours she’s in the car each day. She usually doesn’t get a chance to eat lunch or even drink much water. (And she has to dress like a blueberry. I mean, come on.)”

McIntyre then explained, “This pic is from a night back in July where she came to my house after a particularly hard day. She delivered a stillborn.”

“Have you guys ever really thought about what a labor and delivery nurse sees?” she then asked. “They see great joy in smooth deliveries and healthy moms and babies. They see panic and anxiety when a new mom is scared. They see fear when a stat C-section is called. They see peace when the mom has support from her family—because not all new moms do. They see teenagers giving birth. They see an addicted mom give birth to a baby who is withdrawing. They see CPS come. They see funeral homes come. Did you know that they have to make arrangements for the funeral home to come pick up the baby? I didn’t either.”

Those words, coupled with the photo of Caty in tears, struck a chord with scores of people on social media—nurses and patients alike.

The post, which ends with McIntyre heaping praise and thanks on her sister and other nurses, has had nearly 100,000 shares and has generated more than 16,000 comments, most echoing her sentiment of admiration.

“Caty (and all other nurses) – you are SPECIAL,” wrote McIntyre. “You bless your patients and their families more than you will ever know. Thank you for all that you do.”

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Is The Nurse’s Glass Half Full?

Can the power of positivity really help nurses, when there is still so much wrong in both the world of nursing and healthcare as a whole?

From Nurse Keith’s Digital Doorway

It’s no secret that there’s a multitude of unhappy nurses out there in the world. From mandatory overtime to unhealthy nurse-patient ratios, I admit there are very valid reasons for this seeming epidemic of discontent. So, is the nursing glass half-full or half-empty? I guess it depends on who you’re drinking with (and perhaps what you’re drinking).

Reasons To Be Cheerful—Or Not

This blog post isn’t really about the aforementioned multitude of reasons that explain nurses’ rampant unhappiness. A new study mentioned recently on Twitter states that a full one-third of nurses are unhappy with either their jobs or their careers. I get it.

There are also nurses who say, “I love my work, but I hate my job“. I get that too.

Sadly, it’s a given that too many nurses work in environments that are unhealthy, unsupportive, demanding and back-breaking, and that’s indeed a sad state of affairs.

It’s Who You Talk To

Taking into consideration the relative level of discontent in the nursing profession, your worldview can be significantly influenced by who you talk to and who you spend time with. The tenor of the conversation amongst your nursing colleagues will, of course, influence your perspective, so think about who your conversational partners are—and who they could be.

If your Thursday morning coffee klatch is regularly attended by jaded nurses who spend the hour railing against the hospital and gossiping about doctors and interns (and one another), there’s a definite downside to the time you spend at that particular table.

And if your idea of a good time is focusing on what’s wrong rather than what’s right (or how to fix what’s wrong), then there are plenty of nurses who’ll eagerly buy you another round in order to keep you waxing negative, thus justifying and solidifying their own negative bias.

Bartender, another round of ‘Negatinis‘, please.

Let’s Be Realistic

Like I said towards the beginning of this post, I get it. There’s a lot that’s wrong with the picture in both nursing and the wider world of healthcare. That’s a given. At the same time, there are nurses, doctors, administrators and theorists who really want to make it right. Fighting the good fight to make things better is a noble cause, and many are called to engage in that particular battle. Kudos to them.

Simultaneously, there are nurses who, tired of the mainstream game, have dipped their toes into entrepreneurship, carving out satisfying careers that defy the very notion of what it even means to be a nurse. Kudos to them, too.

Meanwhile, some nurses are creating new opportunities for themselves within the mainstream healthcare system, leveraging their skills as coaches, consultants, IT gurus and all manner of novel yet robust professional roles. Kudos all around.

There’s a place for everyone at the table. In fact, you can even build your own table if the current ones don’t quite match your vision of what your career could be.

Nurse’s Choice

So, you can talk to the jaded, cynical and burnt out nurses who just want to see the glass as perpetually half empty, or you can interact with the nurses who are the positive role models and forward thinkers of the profession who definitely view the glass as perpetually half full.

It’s tiring to hang out with the jaded and cynical complainers, but it can be energizing (and fun!) to hang out with the optimistic nurses who are actively making their careers the best that they can be.

Who are you talking to and spending time with? Are you drinking the bitter and cynical dregs of nursing station coffee? Are you pounding down “Negatinis” with unhappy abandon? Or are you drinking from the cup of optimism, sharing with your colleagues a vision of what’s possible, even as you acknowledge the stark realities of 21st-century healthcare?

The choice is yours, my friends, and I invite you to my table, where we serve Positive Punch and Optimism Smoothies.

Thirsty?


Keith Carlson, RN, BSN, NC-BC, is the Board Certified Nurse Coach behind NurseKeith.com and the well-known nursing blog, Digital Doorway. Please visit his online platforms and reach out for his support when you need it most.

Keith is the host of The Nurse Keith Show, his solo podcast focused on career advice and inspiration for nurses. From 2012 until its sunset in 2017, Keith co-hosted RNFMRadio, a groundbreaking nursing podcast.

A widely published nurse writer, Keith is the author of Savvy Networking For Nurses: Getting Connected and Staying Connected in the 21st Century and Aspire to be Inspired: Creating a Nursing Career That Matters. He has contributed chapters to a number of books related to the nursing profession. Keith has written for Nurse.com, Nurse.org, MultiBriefs News Service, LPNtoBSNOnline, StaffGarden, AUSMed, American Sentinel University, Black Doctor, Diabetes Lifestyle, the ANA blog, NursingCE.com, American Nurse Today, Working Nurse Magazine, and other online and print publications.

Mr. Carlson brings a plethora of experience as a nurse thought leader, keynote speaker, online nurse personality, social media influencer, podcaster, holistic career coach, writer, and well-known nurse entrepreneur. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his lovely and talented wife, Mary Rives, and his adorable and remarkably intelligent cat, George.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Healthcare Wastes up to $935 Billion Annually

Waste in the U.S. healthcare system accounts for nearly 25% of total spending, or $760 to $935 billion annually, according to a report published this week.

Waste in the U.S. healthcare system accounts for nearly 25% of total spending, or $760 to $935 billion annually, according to a report published this week in JAMA Open Network.

For the report, researchers broke the U.S. healthcare system’s waste into six categories, including failure of care delivery, failure of care coordination, over treatment or low-value care, pricing failure, fraud and waste, and administrative complexity. Administrative complexity accounted for the most waste, equaling $265.6 billion annually. The second most costly category was pricing failure, totaling up to $240.5 billion.

“The estimated total costs of waste and potential savings from interventions that address waste are as high as $760 billion to $935 billion and $191 billion to $282 billion, respectively,” Dr. William Shrank, Chief Medical Officer at Humana, and his colleagues wrote in the report, which was published on Monday. “These estimates represent approximately 25% of total health care expenditures in the United States, which have been projected to be $3.82 trillion for 2019.”

The report also noted that the United States currently spends more on healthcare than any other country, with costs nearing $3.6 trillion, or 18% of the gross domestic product.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

3 Ways to Celebrate During PT Month

Though you may be a PT or PTA year-round, October is your month to celebrate. Here are three ways to salute the profession and give back.

Though you may be a Physical Therapist or Physical Therapy Assistant year-round, October is your month to celebrate. As established by the American Physical Therapy Association in 1981, this month serves as a time to recognize the wide-reaching impact PTs and PTAs have on their patients’ lives and in their communities, as well as to raise awareness of the benefits of physical therapy.

Here are three ways to celebrate the physical therapy profession, while also raising awareness and giving back.

Get Social

Talk about the benefits of physical therapy, hold a question and answer session, or share patient success stories across social media with the hashtag #ChoosePT and #PTMonth. You can also use social platforms to engage with other healthcare professionals, payers, and the public about the importance of collaborative care.

Take Action

Advocate for the physical therapy profession and the patients it serves by writing a letter or an email to your legislators. To locate your state’s elected officials, click here or make use of the APTA’s rewritten letters regarding pending legislation and hot button issues impacting PTs and their patients here.

Give Back

Global PT Day of Service is a tradition celebrated by PTs and PTAs in October, bringing together thousands of volunteers from more than 50 countries to help better communities across the globe. This year, PT Day of Service will be celebrated on October 12th. Pledge to participate by clicking here.

No matter how you choose celebrate PT Month, know that all of us at HealthJobsNationwide.com are celebrating with you and we are so thankful for all you do to improve lives every day.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

PA Week: 3 Ways to Celebrate

Happy PA Week from all of us at HealthJobsNationwide.com. Here are three ways to celebrate the PA profession, while also raising awareness.

National PA Week, which takes place annually from October 6th through the 12th, aims to not only celebrate Physician Assistants, but to also educate the public on the value PAs add to our nation’s health.

Here are three ways to celebrate the profession, while also raising awareness.

Get Social

Raise awareness for PAs by using the hashtag #PAWeek on social media while you celebrate your profession and peers. One idea is to share the AAPA produced “Your PA Can Handle It” video with your network. Or give the public an idea of all being a PA entails by doing a day-in-the-life series of posts.

Be Political

Advocate for PAs on Capitol Hill by joining the only federal healthcare Political Action Committee (PA PAC) dedicated to advancing the profession. To learn more about or to join the PA PAC, please click here.

Give Back

A great way to create a tangible difference for PAs nationwide is to make a small monetary donation to programs that empower PAs to improve patient care in the communities they serve. Donate during PA Week to the PA Foundation by clicking here.

No matter how you celebrate this PA Week, know that all of us at HealthJobsNationwide.com are celebrating with you and we are so thankful for all you do to improve the health of our nation, not only this week, but throughout the year.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Physician Burnout on the Decline?

Recent research indicates that physician burnout improved since 2014 and is now even lower than levels not seen since 2011.

Recent research indicates that physician burnout improved since 2014 and is now even lower than levels not seen since 2011, suggesting progress to combat this widespread problem is not only possible, but well underway.

The findings, which were published last month in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, come as a result of researchers surveying more than 5,000 physicians in the U.S. on burnout and work-life integration. According to the findings, 43.9% of respondents indicated that they experienced at least one symptom of burnout, down significantly from 54.4% in 2014, and less than the 45.5% who self-reported burnout in 2011. Satisfaction with work-life balance has also improved, up from 40.9% in 2014 to 42.7%.

The news isn’t entirely rosy, however. According to the findings, 41.7% of physicians who responded screened positive for depression, a steady increase from 2014 (39.8%) and 2011 (38.2%). The findings also indicated that more than 20% of physicians would not choose the same profession, if they could go back and do it again.

While the research indicates that progress has been made, it is very clear there is still much work to be done in terms of improving the lives of the nation’s physicians.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Write Your Best Healthcare Résumé Yet

Even if you’re not actively seeking, it’s always a good idea to have an impressive résumé at the ready, just in case an ideal job happens to pop up on your radar.

Hiring in healthcare is pretty much always booming, but it can be particularly active at the end and beginning of any given year. So, as October begins, it may be time to reevaluate your résumé. Even if you are not actively seeking a position, it is always a good idea to have an impressive résumé at the ready, just in case an ideal job happens to pop up on your radar. Follow the tips below to make sure your résumé is the best it can be.

Ditch the Old Format

Times change and things evolve, and résumés are no exception. The age-old format of an objective, a chronological list of experience, education, and then “references available upon request” slapped at the bottom is no longer going to impress anyone. It’s like whipping out a flip phone from the year 2000 in the middle of the Apple store on the release day of the new iPhone. Get with the times and restructure your résumé to the more current format of:

  • Name & Contact Info: Your full name, address, phone number, professional email address, and optional social links, right at that top and easy to locate.
  • Summary: A dynamic keyword-infused paragraph, that illustrates your experience, accomplishments, most desirable characteristics, and career goals.
  • Skills & Qualifications: A bulleted or otherwise easy-to-follow section containing your most valuable and important job-related abilities, including specialties, settings, and even the languages you speak.
  • Experience: Listed in clearly defined sections by position, in chronological order, with the most recent at the top, including impressive or noteworthy achievements and specialized skills, not just your day-to-day duties.
  • Education: Your scholastic accomplishments, including degrees, licensures, and/or certifications, and the dates they are valid through, if applicable, as well as when and where you obtained them from. If you are early on in your career, it is perfectly acceptable to swap the order of the Education and Experience sections.

Tailor Your Résumé for Each Application

It may take a bit more time and effort, but altering your résumé to match the description of the job you are applying for can make all the difference when it comes to standing out from the competition. Make sure the keywords in your résumé match the duties and requirements used in the job posting to demonstrate what a seamless match you would be. The more your résumé aligns with what the employer is looking for, the better your odds of making it to the next step in the hiring process.

Include a Cover Letter

A cover letter is the peanut butter to a résumé’s jelly. 22% of Hiring Managers consider it a red flag, if an applicant does not include a cover letter, and while that means 88% are unbothered by it, you have no way of knowing which type of Hiring Manager your résumé is being submitted to. Including a thoughtful cover letter, which is equally tailored to the job and hiring company as your résumé, is a best practice to follow. The body of your cover letter should be used to detail why you would be the right fit for the position and the company you are applying to, and done so in a way that the Hiring Manager will want to move on to your résumé and learn more about you and your qualifications.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Combat Burnout and Stress with Yoga for Nurses

Yoga has been proven to be a stress reliever for those who practice it, and nurses are some of the most stressed out employees around. Give it a try.

Yoga, a mind-body practice that combines physical poses, controlled breathing, and meditation, has been proven time and again to be a stress reliever for those who practice it. In fact, a recent study has shown that yoga can be particularly helpful in preventing and managing stress levels and burnout in healthcare workers. And we all know that nurses are some of the most stressed out and burnt out healthcare workers out there.

If you don’t already practice yoga, or if you haven’t had time to go to a studio lately, grab a mat and some bolsters and straps, and give these yoga sequences for nurses a try right in your home.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Is Your Therapy Job a Literal Pain?

Physical Therapists, who typically help those struggling with pain, seem to be experiencing it themselves, and their jobs may be to blame.

A recent study has found a relationship between Physical Therapists who experience musculoskeletal pain and their career, namely those with larger patient loads, more hours worked per week, and performing more manual therapy interventions.

The study, which polled Physical Therapists in Spain, revealed that 49.4% of respondents reported moderate-to-significant levels of low back pain in the last 30 days, and nearly 60% had also experienced neck pain in the same timeframe. Upper back pain was the third most commonly reported issue, with 36.1% of respondents indicating they had recently experienced it.

The data revealed a correlation between low back pain and treating more than one patient at a time, working more than 45 hours per week, and working in a seated position. However, the study also found that Physical Therapists with more experience, namely more than six years of experience, were less likely to experience shoulder, low back, and elbow/forearm pain, and that those with 15+ years of experience were found to have lower odds of pain in those areas, as well as lower instances of neck pain.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.