Welcome to 2016! With the New Year upon us, it becomes time to focus on improving your overall productivity over the next 12 months. Early January provides a great opportunity to take stock of where you stand in your healthcare industry career, and how to keep things on an upwards track.

With a successful 2016 in mind — both professionally and personally — here are four motivational quotes to help ensure you properly focus your efforts both this year and beyond. Let’s check them out!

Ralph Waldo Emerson wants you to look within Yourself

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

You need to truly look within yourself to find the focus you’ll need to improve your daily job performance. In addition to improving your focus, channeling your inner peace allows you to develop the empathy that is vital for anyone working in the healthcare industry. Keep referring to Emerson’s quote throughout the year whenever you need a reminder to look within.

Always give your Best no matter the Size of the Task

Don’t be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves. – Dale Carnegie

Make sure to give your best efforts everyday at work, whether you are assisting on a big project or dealing with comparatively mundane tasks. As Carnegie notes, a succession of smaller triumphs makes completing the larger efforts an easier process. Management will definitely take note of your growing success rate!

Don’t Let Job Difficulties hamper your Efforts

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. – Albert Einstein

Sometimes the most difficult projects are the ones giving you the best opportunity to shine. No matter how frustrating things get, always keep a positive attitude while focusing on the successful completion of the task. Your efforts won’t be for naught.

Failure gives you the Chance to Rise Again

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall. – Confucius

When failure happens on the job, don’t allow it to bring you down. In many cases, professionals are judged by how they bounce back from adversity. Brush yourself off and get back into the fray.

If you need any additional insight on building a lifelong career in the healthcare industry, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the top medical staffing agencies in the country, we can help grow your professional life. Meet with us as soon as possible.

The exit interview sometimes gets overlooked when it comes to analyzing your organization’s corporate culture, employee retention, and, ultimately, your operational efficiency. The opportunity to find out the reasons behind any employee’s desire to work somewhere else offers insight into your policies and procedures. Was it merely a case of a disgruntled worker wanting out, or do you need improve some things at your office?

With an eye towards building — and retaining — a top notch medical office staff, here is a closer look at improving your organization’s exit interviews.

Make Sure the Employee’s Manager does NOT conduct the Interview

To truly receive valuable feedback from your departing employee, it is vital to have someone else other than their direct manager conduct the exit interview. Consider using a member your human resources team for this task. If no one is available, someone from another department will have to suffice.

The relationship between supervisor and employee is too close for a meaningful exit interview. An outsider’s perspective is necessary.

Verbal Exit Interviews are Better than Paper or Online

Spend the extra resources to ensure exit interviews are conducted in person, on a one-to-one basis. This allows the interviewer to probe more deeply into an employee’s reason for leaving. Follow-up questions and interaction between both parties lead to a more rewarding and useful result for your company.

Emphasize the Confidential Nature of the Exit Interview

The employee in question needs to fully understand the purpose of an exit interview, as well as its confidentiality. They need to feel comfortable enough to answer the questions honestly and in sufficient detail. Reassure them that no attempts to get them to reconsider their decision are forthcoming.

Have the Employee summarize their Experience with your Company First

As the first step during an exit interview, have the employee provide a summary of their experience with your organization. This helps to trigger additional questions providing the meaningful information that offers the most value for the company. Additionally, you may receive answers to questions to be asked later, helping to save time for the most important topics.

While your organization doesn’t want its best employees to leave for another company, proper use of the exit interview hopefully helps to change the office culture — if necessary — to prevent further departures.

If your medical company needs additional assistance in building a winning team, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the top healthcare staffing agencies in the country, we offer the top notch candidates able to make a positive difference from the first day forward. Schedule a meeting with us soon!

During your career it is important to periodically take stock of the salary data related to your profession, and the nursing industry is no exception. If you feel you are being underpaid, maybe it is time to look for a more lucrative position somewhere else? For those new to the nursing profession, it serves as inspiration to see how much experienced nurses are making — maybe it is good idea to earn your RN certification?

With more informed medical professionals in mind, here is a look at what nurses are making at the end of 2015. This data — from PayScale.com — is based on nursing positions and not location, so understand an area’s overall cost of living does affect the average salary.

RN Salary by Years of Experience

Registered Nurses enjoy a good starting salary right out of the gate, with an average yearly pay a shade under $50,000 at $49,910. These average earnings stay around the same for the first few years of a nurse’s career. Once five years of experience is attained, the average salary rises to a shade higher than $60,000, with veteran nurses with over 20 years of experience enjoying an average salary of $67,753 per year.

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Salaries

Certified Nursing Assistants obviously make less than other nursing disciplines, with an initial starting salary of around $24,000 per year. More notably, their average salary barely rises based on experience, as CNAs with 20 years of experience only average $25,808 per year. Once again, it pays to earn your RN or LPN certification!

LPN Salaries by Experience

While Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) don’t make as much as RNs, their overall salaries do increase by experience level, unlike with CNAs. New LPNs average $34,747 per year and those with over 20 years of experience average $41,499 on an annual basis. If nurses want to maximize their earning potential, moving into one of the other more lucrative nursing disciplines is a must.

Other Nursing Disciplines that Pay the Best

The PayScale survey noted the other nursing disciplines offering the highest earning potential in the profession. Staff nurses, charge nurses, as well as emergency and operating room nurses with over 20 years of experience all command yearly salaries in the mid-70s. License Nurse Practitioners boast the highest salaries of all nurses, with yearly pay ranging from the low-80s to nearly six-figures, based on their experience level.

If seeing the earning potential of other nurses inspired you to take your career to a higher level, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the top medical staffing agencies in the industry, we can help you maximize your potential. Schedule a meeting with us today!

The fact that more states are legalizing (or getting ready to legalize) medical and even recreational marijuana is playing havoc with HR managers worried about otherwise qualified candidates failing a pre-employment drug screening. In the medical industry, the hiring of nurses is obviously affected by this growing trend.

Some pundits predict the federal government will legalize or fully decriminalize cannabis by the end of the decade. What should your medical organization do to mitigate the impact of increased marijuana use on your hiring practices? Let’s take a closer look at the situation.

Employers have the Right to forbid their Employees from using Tobacco and Alcohol

Considering employers currently enjoy the right to restrict their workers from smoking and drinking, let alone illicit drug use, marijuana becoming legal won’t impact a company’s ability to drug test nursing candidates or members of their current staff. In fact, one of the most respected hospitals in the country — The Cleveland Clinic — recently added nicotine testing to their pre-employment screening.

If your healthcare organization is located in a state with legal medical or recreational marijuana, it is important your hiring policy clearly states that the legal status of cannabis doesn’t affect its prohibition among your staff. Remind them that all new employees still need to pass a drug test, and marijuana is included on the screen.

Quality patient care remains an overwhelming reason your nursing staff needs to be at their highest efficiency level when on the job. Considering the fact marijuana stays in your system for up to a month after its effects have worn off, a blood or urine test does a relatively poor job of truly measuring cannabis intoxication. Until better blood level standards are developed, however, healthcare employers need to err on the side of caution.

Expect Medical Organizations’ Anti-Drug Policies to remain Legally Enforceable

Recent court decisions have upheld the rights of companies to terminate employees due to failing a random drug test — even in states with some form of legal marijuana. Pay attention to the laws in your state in case they change, as Arizona and Minnesota are current exceptions to this rule as it concerns medical marijuana. Rest assured that as long as companies are allowed to pre-screen candidates for tobacco and alcohol, the same rule applies to marijuana if or when it becomes fully legal in United States.

If your healthcare organization needs assistance in building a top notch team, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. One of the top medical staffing agencies in the country, we offer the top candidates able to make a difference for your firm. Contact us today!

Bullying belongs in no workplace, especially in the medical industry where patient care needs to be the focus. Unfortunately, coworker harassment can be a problem in hospitals and medical offices. The American Nursing Association (ANA) remains acutely aware of the problem and is taking steps to mitigate the issue.

Let’s take a closer look at how the ANA is solving this issue affecting medical offices across the country. Is your workplace one of them?

Safe Work Environments are a Must in the Healthcare Industry

The prime directive of the ANA’s fight against workplace violence in the medical industry is straightforward. They feel the ultimate goal of both RNs and their management is:

“…to create and sustain a culture of respect, which is free of incivility, bullying, and workplace violence. RNs and employers across the health care continuum, including academia, have an ethical, moral, and legal responsibility to create a healthy and safe work environment for RNs and all members of the health care team, health care consumers, families, and communities.”

In fact, the ANA’s own Code of Ethics requires all nurses to “create an ethical environment and culture of civility and kindness, treating colleagues, coworkers, employees, students, and others with dignity and respect.” Those same nurses can expect to be treated in the same manner.

In short, the ANA tolerates no violence of any kind in the nursing profession.

Employers need to implement Best Practices to mitigate Workplace Violence

If your company doesn’t already have a set of policies and procedures to prevent bullying and other forms of workplace violence, they must be implemented as soon as possible. Your operational efficiency, corporate finances, and — most importantly — the quality of patient care will suffer without them. Nurses themselves experience many adverse effects from workplace violence, including: decreased job satisfaction, reduced organizational commitment, decreased personal health, and, in some cases, ultimately leaving the profession itself.

In addition, OSHA’s General Duty Clause requires all employers to provide a workplace free of any hazards that could cause physical harm. Any failure to have an anti-bullying policy in place puts your organization at risk of being cited under that OSHA clause.

ANA Recommended Resources for handling Workplace Violence

The ANA recommends a variety of resources to mitigate workplace bullying. A selection of these resources follows:

The ANA Leadership Institute’s™ “Diversity Matters: Create an Inclusive Nursing Culture that Leads to Better Outcomes” webinar (ANA, 2015b).

“Civility Tool-kit: Resources to Empower Healthcare Leaders to Identify, Intervene, and Prevent Workplace Bullying” (Adeniran et al., 2015).

Ending Nurse-to-Nurse Hostility: Why Nurses Eat Their Young and Each Other (2nd ed.) (Bartholomew, 2014).

Employers should provide these and any other resources to help their staff stamp out bullying at the office. The ANA provides many other excellent resources to mitigate this issue.

If your organization needs additional input on building a top notch staff, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. One of the top medical employment agencies in the country, we offer quality candidates able to make a positive difference for your firm. Schedule a meeting with us today!

A positive company culture makes going into work a bit easier each morning, especially in the stressful healthcare industry. Friendly management plays a large role in nurturing this kind of welcoming environment. But does this mean it’s a good thing to become friends with your boss outside of the office?

A fine line exists between friendship and a positive boss-employee relationship. Let’s take a closer look at this issue with an eye towards keeping your career on an upwards trend.

There isn’t a Magic Formula for the Relationship with your Boss

Since there really isn’t a certified manual for handling the relationship with your work superiors, it is important to treat things in a natural, friendly manner while focusing on being productive in your role. If the relationship with your boss develops into a true friendship outside work, don’t let it become a distraction. Your on-the-job performance is the most important factor — by far — especially if direct patient care is part of your daily responsibilities.

Don’t feel you can slack off because the boss has got your back, so to speak. A false sense of security in this situation can be damaging to both your career and your friendship. It is vital you keep things professional at all times when at work.

Pay Attention to your Coworkers

Once the other employees in the office realize you are becoming good friends with the boss, you’ll need to keep an eye out to ensure an envious coworker doesn’t try to sabotage your position in the office. Maintain a friendly and positive air, while never engaging in the gossiping typical of some workplaces. Foster a sense of teamwork and cooperation to ensure the relationship with your coworkers doesn’t change.

Don’t be Afraid to Say “No”

Don’t let your boss’s status as friend force you into being overworked or anything else that makes you feel uncomfortable. All aspects of your friendship should remain outside of the office. Say no when you have to; the strength of your relationship is hopefully strong enough to handle any minor work disagreements.

If you need any additional insight in navigating the waters of a long career in the medical industry, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the top healthcare staffing agencies in the country, we can help you take things to the next level. Schedule time with us as soon as possible!

Trying to find the best healthcare talent in today’s market remains a challenge for many companies. Sure, you may receive up to a hundred résumés for an open position, but probably two or three candidates are truly qualified, and you’ll face stiff competition trying to get them to accept a job offer. It’s a situation that makes many HR managers pull their hair out.

Offering meaningful incentives to promising candidates boosts your chances of attracting the best medical workers. With hiring the best possible employees in mind, let’s take a closer look at how to spice up your organization’s job offers.

A Signing Bonus helps to clinch the Deal

Consider offering a signing bonus to ensure your company is able to convince the best candidates to sign on the dotted line. If you are worried a new employee will end up leaving after a few months, pay some of the bonus up front, while paying the rest on the employee’s one-year anniversary. The most important thing is turning a quality candidate into a contributing team member.

While signing bonuses add a short-term expense to your company, you may actually save dollars in the long run when considering the costs of onboarding new employees — a task you’ll need to repeat after hiring an inadequate worker that quickly needs replaced.

Offering extra vacation or personal days upon hire is another incentive option worth considering in lieu of a cash signing bonus. If your company’s budget is currently tight, this provides another means for incenting the top industry talent to consider your organization. You are also able to stagger the PTO offer over a longer period, giving the new hire another good reason to stay with your firm.

A Robust Benefits Package and Welcoming Culture helps to attract Top Talent

If you regularly encounter difficulty in getting the best medical industry talent to join your company, you need to ensure you provide a competitive benefits package. Talk with your staffing agency partner about where your compensation and benefits rank among other medical companies in your city.

Additionally, remember to foster a positive company culture, as this provides another good reason for quality candidates to choose your firm. Word about corporate culture — both good and bad — spreads quickly in the employment market.

If your organization needs additional insight on building a winning healthcare team, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. One of the country’s top medical staffing agencies, we offer the top candidates able to make a positive difference for your firm. Schedule some with us today!

With everything involved in the hiring process, sometimes checking a candidate’s references gets the short shrift. This isn’t good for your company, because when a decision comes down to two quality candidates with similar skill sets and medical industry experience, reference checking plays a large role in making the correct final choice. When performing reference checks, it is important to follow a thorough, mistake free process.

Let’s look more closely at some reference checking mistakes your HR team needs to avoid to make the best possible hiring decision.

Considering References who never worked with the Candidate

It is vital to only consider references who directly worked with a candidate. This is especially important when considering the stressful nature of work within the healthcare industry. A first-person perspective on how the candidate performs when under pressure offers better predictive insight to their on-the-job performance with your organization.

In short, don’t consider references from a candidate’s high school teacher or Boy or Girl Scout troop leader.

Not Reference Checking Every Candidate

Your HR team needs to follow a consistent hiring process. This includes performing thorough reference checks on at least every candidate you bring in for an interview. Skimping on this part of the process might lead to a costly hiring mistake.

Your interviewing team benefits from having any additional information weaned from a reference check when talking with a candidate. If the time doesn’t allow reference checks before an initial interview, definitely perform them before any follow-up interviews take place.

Insufficient Questioning of a Candidate’s References

The members of your HR team doing the reference checks need to channel their “inner Mike Wallace” — the legendary 60 Minutes reporter known for tough questioning. In short, don’t ask leading questions and leverage meaningful follow-up queries to gain additional insight into a candidate’s previous work performance. If your reference checkers are only receiving “yes” or “no” answers, their questions probably aren’t good enough.

Prepare a worksheet for your HR staff that covers these questioning strategies. This helps to ensure consistency between those checking references, and that you have all the information you need to make an enlightened final decision on which candidate is best for your company.

If your organization needs additional input on how to build a winning team in the healthcare industry, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the top medical staffing agencies in the country, we offer top notch candidates able to make a difference in your office. Schedule some time with us as soon as possible!

Cultural fit plays a large role in the overall happiness with your job, both in the medical industry and other business sectors. If you aren’t professionally compatible with your employer and coworkers, your work performance may suffer, adversely impacting your chances at a better position elsewhere. It is important to understand the corporate culture at any healthcare establishment before you accept a job offer.

Let’s take a look at some ideas on finding a compatible company culture at your next position in the world of healthcare.

You must Research the Company Beforehand

Researching the company in question before any job interview is vital for a myriad of reasons, especially so you sound knowledgeable during the interview. This research also potentially offers you a look at their company culture. The company’s website as well as their LinkedIn and Facebook pages, if present, are other great sources for cultural information.

Additionally, you can check out their listing on Glassdoor for insight from current and former employees.

Leverage your Professional Network

Talk to any contacts within your professional network to see if they know any current or former employees of the company in question. Maybe you already network with a current worker? This “inside” information is invaluable when trying to figure out whether or not you would fit in at any organization.

Find out what everything you are able from as many sources as possible (either online or inside information), and then keep your eyes open when arriving for your interview. Check out the office and watch how people are interacting with each other. Ultimately, once you have all the information you need, trusting your own judgment is the best call.

Personal Information on your Résumé

While you want to limit the amount of personal information you put on your résumé, mentioning some — like any volunteer activities — helps to give your potential employer an idea of what makes you tick. It lets them decide whether or not you would make a good fit with the other workers at their company. Any smart company in the medical industry knows happy employees perform better and are probably more empathic with patients.

Also, work with your recruiter to go over your personal attributes, so they have a better idea of which of their clients makes a better cultural fit.

If you need further assistance on your job search in the healthcare industry, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the nation’s top medical staffing agencies, we can help both you and your career. Schedule some time with us today!

The interview remains the most important aspect of any hiring process. A prospective employer gets to see candidates in person and watch how they react during a stressful situation — a vital trait for any healthcare professional. If you are a generally shy person, performing well during an interview becomes a challenge, making your prospects for a successful job search more daunting compared to other candidates.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Here are some ideas to help you stand out during an interview if you are shy. Let’s take a closer look.

Focus on your Nonverbal Behavior

Making a good first impression plays a big role in your ultimate interview success. Interviewers pay close attention to your nonverbal actions during an interview. Greet your interviewers with a firm handshake when being introduced, and make (and maintain) natural eye contact throughout the interview — without staring.

In addition to eye contact, focus on keeping an upright posture and use natural body language when speaking. Practice these techniques with a friend before your interview day; this is especially vital when you are shy, since your non-verbal actions need to be perceived as natural.

Considering hiring a career coach that specializes in interview preparation if you can’t find anyone to help you practice.

Bring a One-page Document of Professional Accomplishments

Being extra nervous sometimes makes it difficult to remember everything you want to discuss during an interview. Prepare a one-page document containing a bullet point list of your professional or educational successes you want to highlight when talking with the interviewer.

This extra “security blanket” helps to give you a clear head when asked a difficult question. It also ensures you don’t forget any significant achievements that ultimately could earn you a job offer.

Make a Mental Picture of your Interview Success

When in the waiting room before the interview, focus your mind on a successful performance. If you are confident you will be a valued member of the healthcare company in question, those positive feelings will come out during the interview. A good attitude overcomes any shyness when it matters.

If you want any additional advice on interview preparation, or anything else with the hiring process, talk to the knowledgeable recruiters at Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the nation’s top medical industry staffing agencies, we can take your career to new levels — even if you are shy. Schedule some time with us today!