If you’re interested in a high-paying career, there are plenty of options in healthcare in addition to becoming a physician.  For example, you could be a neonatal nurse practitioner who specializes in taking care of premature and sick babies in a hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).  A national salary report noted that neonatal nurse practitioners earned an average $99,810 annually in 2011.

Or you could become a cardio-pulmonary perfusionist who operates the life-support equipment needed during complex heart or lung surgery.  According to the American Society of Extra-Corporeal Technology, the average salary range for new perfusionists is $60,000 to $75,000, rising to six figures with several years of experience.

Pharmacists can also earn high salaries, especially when they receive specialized training in a field like compounding medications.  The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported the average pharmacist’s median pay in mid 2010 was $111,570 per year.  Another positive factor: demand for pharmacists is projected to increase by 25 percent from 2010 to 2020, according to the BLS.

While these types of clinical positions typically require you to earn a college degree, complete specialized training and obtain a state license, there are many high-paying non-clinical career options as well.  For instance, you could apply your education and experience in management, marketing, finance or information technology (IT) to a career in healthcare.  Almost every type of healthcare organization, from primary care clinics to physician groups to hospitals and healthcare systems needs skilled administrators, managers and support professionals with expertise in a wide range of disciplines.

Since the U.S. healthcare sector is projected to keep adding jobs for at least the next decade, an investment in your education and training – whether clinical or non-clinical – can deliver an excellent financial return over the long term. And once you complete your training and are ready to put your new skills to work, All Medical Personnel can help you gain the experience needed to keep your career on an upward path.

Learning a foreign language can be a great step to advance your healthcare career.  Whether you are a physician, PA, nurse, therapist or other professional, it’s important to be able to communicate clearly with patients and families from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. In many parts of the country, that means being able to carry on a conversation in Spanish.  According to U.S. Census statistics, Hispanics are the fastest growing minority group in the country. Today, Spanish-speaking communities can be found throughout the Midwest, New England and Pacific Northwest, and constitute a size-able percentage of the population in California, Arizona, Texas, New York and Florida.

However, healthcare professionals in California often treat patients who speak Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Korean or other languages from the Pacific basin.  In other parts of the U.S., knowing Portuguese, Hawaiian, French, German, Italian or even Russian can be a clear advantage.

If you decide to study a foreign language, there are plenty of options to consider, from online courses to audio CD’s and face-to-face classes with an instructor.  You could also use your next vacation for a language immersion experience in a foreign country.  The biggest considerations are your own learning style, as well as the time and money you want to invest in picking up this skill.  For example, if you would like to make a career change in the next 12 months, you might opt for an intense learning program designed to make you fluent well before you start applying for a new job.

If you live in an area with a large ethnic population, you know how difficult and confusing it can be to communicate with a non-English speaking patient and family.  Important information relating to the diagnosis, treatment or follow-up care can get lost in the translation, as well as the cultural nuances.  That’s why healthcare organizations place a high value on conversational language skills.  By taking the time to learn a foreign language, you can open the door to a new career opportunity.

Throughout the country, nurse practitioners (NPs) are playing a key role in delivering primary care services. NPs are registered nurses trained at the graduate level, with a specialization in primary care, acute care or psychiatric/mental health nursing, sometimes with a focus on pediatrics, adult/gerontology or women’s health.

With the Affordable Care Act expanding insurance coverage in 2014, NPs will continue to be in high demand in a variety of settings. However, state scope-of-practice laws are putting limits on practice opportunities for NPs and may influence payer policies, according to a recent report from the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) for the nonpartisan National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR).

According to the study, state scope-of-practice laws vary widely in the level of physician oversight required for nurse practitioners, with some of the eight states surveyed allowing NPs to practice independently, and others limiting their authority to diagnose, treat and prescribe medications to patients without supervision.  For example, Arizona allows NPs to practice independently, while Arkansas requires direct physician supervision of NP diagnoses, treatment and prescribing.

States with more restrictive scope-of-practice laws were associated with more challenging environments for NPs to bill public and private payers, order certain tests, and establish independent primary care practices, according to the study. “Scope-of-practice laws in and of themselves don’t appear to limit what primary care services patients can receive from nurse practitioners, but requirements for documented physician supervision do appear to impact where and how NPs can practice,” said Tracy Yee, Ph.D., coauthor of the study, “Primary Care Workforce Shortages: Nurse Practitioner Scope-of-Practice Laws and Payment Policies.”

Many NP respondents reported that payer policies had more of an impact than scope-of-practice laws on how and where they can practice. Payers determine what services NPs are paid for, their payment rates, whether NPs are designated as primary care providers and assigned their own patient panels, and whether NPs can be paid directly. Restrictive scope-of-practice laws, in conjunction with strict payer policies, reportedly limit NPs to working as employees of physician practices, hospitals or other entities rather than in their own independent practices.

From hospitals to offices, malls, hotels, schools, airports, sports stadiums and countless other venues, automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are preventing deaths from sudden cardiac arrest.  By automatically analyzing the heart’s rhythm and delivering an electrical shock if necessary, an AED can keep adults and children alive until paramedics or other emergency responders arrive on the scene.  With their simple directions, AEDs can be used by almost any adult, as well as by trained professionals.

To promote the dissemination and use of AEDs throughout the country, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy recently launched a grant program to pay for the purchase of AEDs, provide defibrillator and basic life support training and place AEDs in rural communities with local organizations.  Applications are due June 17, for the Rural Access to Emergency Devices (RAED) Grant Program, which is expected to fund approximately seven programs up to $200,000 per year for a three-year project period. (For more on this funding opportunity, click here.)

Sudden cardiac arrest affects more than 350,000 people annually in the United States, and an AED is an effective tool for restoring regular heart rhythm.  The American Red Cross believes that improved training and access to AEDs could save 50,000 lives each year, and that all Americans should be within four minutes of an AED and someone trained to use it.

Because of the life-saving importance of AEDs, physician groups, hospitals and other healthcare organizations should by sure to provide ongoing training to their internal personnel, as well as offer outreach programs to local civic and business groups.  After all, almost every office building, retail center, hotel or warehouse should have an AED available for use in a readily accessible location. Launching AED placement and training initiatives also creates opportunities for healthcare organizations to build broader, long-term relationships with local partners that benefit everyone in their communities.

Whether you’re seeking a job as a physician’s assistant, nurse, physical therapist, laboratory technician or other healthcare professional, it’s important to avoid making mistakes on your resume.  After all, recruiters use your resume as a quick screening tool, and you don’t want to be dropped into the “no” basket.

First of all, be sure to include your current contact information (phone, email, address) at the top of your resume.  That sounds simple, but it’s surprising how many job-seekers “recycle” older resumes after they’ve moved or changed cell phone numbers.

Be sure your resume highlights your career accomplishments, health-related skills and educational background.  Make it easy for the recruiter to check your credentials by including specific information on any state licenses or professional certifications.  Many candidates wonder whether or not to include personal or professional references on a resume.  Generally, the best approach is to say “references available on request,” unless you’ve earned the support of a Nobel Prize winner, dean of a medical school or CEO of a regional hospital system.

On the other hand, it’s usually a mistake to include a photo on your resume, and leave off any descriptive information (height, weight, eye color, etc.).  Those things don’t matter to a recruiter.  Other things to leave off your resume include your age, marital status and sexual orientation.  If you belong to a religious denomination, social organizations or political party, it’s best to omit that as well.  To reduce the risk of identity theft, never put your social security number on a resume.  There’s no way to tell who’ll have access to your resume after you send it off.

Always remember that the goal of your resume is to help you make it to the next round of the screening process.  Highlighting your professional accomplishments and experience while omitting any unnecessary personal information is the best way to capture the recruiter’s attention and be invited to interview for the position.  Good luck!

As positions for healthcare professionals open throughout the country, All Medical Personnel is looking for locum tenens physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners.  Now, our nationwide healthcare staffing firm is kicking off a new provider referral initiative at the Florida Medical Group Management Association (FMGMA)’s annual conference this week in Orlando.

When you introduce your colleagues to All Medical Personnel, you can now make up to $500 per introduction.  With the new program, “The Buck Starts with a Great Referral,” you simply complete a referral form available on our new microsite, – www.locumreferrals.com.  All Medical Personnel will pay you $500 for each introduction to a physician and $250 for each introduction to physician assistants and nurse practitioners who work 20 or more days with our firm or take a permanent position with one of our clients.

Once you make a referral, we will contact the candidate and discuss open locum tenens positions and career opportunities.  When the candidate completes at least 20 days (160 hours) worked with All Medical (within one year of the date of introduction), you will be eligible for your bonus.  We will keep you informed of the candidate’s eligibility status. We reserve the right to cancel the referral program at any time.

For physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners, locum tenens assignments offer variety, providing opportunities to practice skills in a new clinical setting and serve a different patient population.  Many locum tenens physicians also enjoy a change of pace in their lifestyle, such as spending a month or two in a vacation-oriented community.

Other advantages include flexibility in scheduling. That might mean working a new shift, taking a temporary assignment for several weeks or moving to a new location for several months or longer.  A locum tenens assignment can also help professionals find a healthy balance between work and family responsibilities.

If you know a professional interested in locum tenens opportunities, contact All Medical Personnel today, and remember, “The Buck Starts with a Great Referral!”

As a growing niche in the U.S. market, corporate healthcare offers new business opportunities for physicians, hospitals and other providers.  Many organizations – particularly Fortune 500 companies and other large employers – are opening their own healthcare clinics and expanding their on-site wellness programs in order to reduce costs, improve productivity and attract new talent.

In the past two years, corporate giants like Intel, HP and Michelin have invested millions of dollars into setting up employee clinics on their main campuses.  Other regional and local employers are also expanding their on-site healthcare programs in order to stake out a competitive advantage.  In many cases, these employers find it easier to partner with well-established hospitals or healthcare systems that can provide “brand-name” care to their employees.

However, some large companies are taking a different approach, expanding their human resource divisions and hiring physicians, nurses, nutritionists, and other professionals directly. In many cases, these employers turn to staffing firms like All Medical Personnel for assistance in planning their programs and for providing temporary staffing to get them underway.

When developing corporate healthcare programs, it’s important to survey employees and their families to determine what services are most likely to be utilized.  For instance, a recent study by the Center for Studying Health System Change in Washington, D.C., found that users of corporate clinic services most commonly sought vaccinations and other minor, routine services instead of care for chronic conditions.  When asked the primary purpose of their clinic visits, 63.7 percent of survey respondents in 2010 cited vaccinations.

Employers should also take a careful look at their insurance premiums and other financial outlays to build programs that offer the “biggest bang for the buck.”  For instance, corporate clinics and wellness programs could provide employees with incentives to address obesity, one of the nation’s most serious and costly health problems.  In any case, corporate healthcare is likely to grow in importance in the next decade, opening the doors to new partnerships, alliances and career opportunities.

It’s not easy for physician groups, hospitals, laboratories and other healthcare organizations to find well-qualified job candidates.  That’s why a growing number of employers are turning to outside staffing services that understand today’s complex recruiting process.

Today, there are three key challenges for employers who use their in-house human resource (HR) departments to fill open positions.  The first issue is time.  It can take weeks or months to sift through hundreds of online resumes to identify potential candidates – especially if the HR professional must also juggle other, more pressing tasks.  Second, those candidates must be carefully screened to be sure they have the appropriate educational background, adequate experience and right certifications and credentials.  Finally, the HR professional must also be able to attract and engage the candidate by articulating the reasons for joining the practice, hospital, company or system.

Since all these steps must be taken before the first interview occurs, it’s not uncommon for a vacant position to remain open for an extended period, while other employees pick up the slack.  The HR professional must dedicate considerable time to the identification, screening, and pre-interview process, rather than focus on other organizational priorities.  Finally, there’s always the risk that a new candidate won’t be a good match for the employer, regardless of how good those credentials looked on paper.

For all these reasons, healthcare employers rely on staffing firms like All Medical Personnel to find, screen and present appropriate candidates for open positions.  Today, effective recruiting requires specialized expertise and a distinct set of skills that may not be readily available in a small HR department.  Experienced recruiting firms know where to find suitable candidates and narrow the list to a small and manageable group.  Perhaps equally important, they understand how to appeal to the candidate by conveying both tangible benefits of working for the employer, and the intangibles like mission, values and culture.  For healthcare organizations seeking to fill open positions quickly and efficiently, hiring an outside recruiting firm can be a key step to filling vacant positions quickly and efficiently.

Providing workers with healthcare coverage still makes economic sense for large employers.  However, there are fewer incentives for smaller employers to offer coverage in the new era of healthcare reform.  That was the key message in a new national study for the nonpartisan National Institute for Health Care Reform.

The study, led by University of Minnesota researcher Jean Abraham, who worked with the Center for Studying Health System Change, calculated the economic incentives for employers offering coverage to active workers before and after health reform implementation in 2014.   The analysis used data from the 2008-2010 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

“The findings indicate that the economic incentives to offer coverage will remain strong under health reform for many businesses, especially larger, higher-wage firms,” Abraham said. “But they will weaken for small and low-wage employers – the very establishments that already were most likely to drop coverage because of rising costs.”

For the nation’s healthcare providers, the study points to the importance of regular verification of current insurance coverage, particularly for patients working for smaller businesses that might decide to drop this benefit. If so, there could well be a significant time lag before the patient purchases coverage from another source.

The institute’s study found that pre-reform, all businesses had an economic incentive to offer health insurance because the U.S. government gave preferential tax treatment for both employer and employee premium contributions.  Post-reform, employer premium contributions remain tax exempt.  In addition, two new policies take effect in 2014: a penalty on larger employers that do not offer affordable health insurance, and premium tax credits for lower-income people to purchase insurance in new state exchanges if they lack access to affordable employer coverage.

In the pre-reform period, the economic incentives of employers to offer health insurance were all positive and increased with firm size.  After reform implementation in 2014, the largest firms with 500 or more workers will continue to have a strong economic incentive, with an average incentive of $2,503 per employee, according to the analysis.  However, the smallest firms with fewer than 50 workers will face lower economic incentives – an average of $990  – in the post-reform period, in large part because these smaller employers will be exempt from the penalty.

Whether you are a job candidate or a recruiter for a healthcare organization, your skill set should include being able to ask questions, talk about yourself and present your ideas in an interview setting.  Having strong verbal skills will help you achieve your immediate objectives and provide a solid foundation for your long-term career.

Most healthcare professionals and executives in their 50s and 60s grew up with the telephone – a key technology for dating and other social interactions – and spent many hours in lengthy face-to-face meetings.  Those personal interactions helped to hone their verbal skills, and many Baby Boomers still feel most comfortable when they are talking to others.

But it’s a different world for the Millennials, now in their 20s and early 30s, who largely communicate by texting, Facebook chats and emails to their older family members.  A younger healthcare employee may send dozens of texts from her mobile phone for every voice call.  That can result in a dramatic decline in conversational skills.  Even in an office meeting, many people find it easier to text each other than to raise their hands and discuss an issue out loud.

However, those often-neglected verbal skills move to the forefront in job screening and interview situations.  Therefore, both job candidates and recruiters should take a moment to assess how well they can handle the following types of situations:

• Setting a friendly and open conversational tone at the start of an interview
• Presenting the key points you want to emphasize
• Asking questions and listening carefully for the answers
• Clarifying statements when necessary
• Closing the interview on a positive note and discussing the next steps

If you’re not sure of your verbal skills in an interview setting, the best solution is to practice with someone else in advance.  Find a family member, friend, neighbor or associate who is willing to listen, and start honing those verbal skills that will last you a lifetime.