To Tweet or not to Tweet

The recent tragic death of Trayvon Martin has sparked an enormous amount of emotion, as it should. A few days ago, Spike Lee tweeted what he thought was George Zimmerman's address. It turned out to be an elderly couple with no relation at all to the Zimmerman's parents (he did apologized and offered to pay all the couple's expenses they incurred because they had to leave their home due to death threats). A few days later, Roseanne Bar tweeted George Zimmerman's parents actual address, but she promptly took it down. These 2 tweets (a comment 140 characters or less on Twitter) have sparked amazing news media blitz's about how celebrities should be using their immense influence for good instead of for vigilantism. But I thought it was time for a discussion of how caregiver's use social media.

1st and foremost - REMEMBER HIPPA

Social media has become a fast and quick way to share thoughts, but because it's become so fast (Jon Acuff says that 7 real days is equivalent to 43 Twitter-Years) people tend to not think about what they are putting out there. I'm here to remind you that HIPPA violations on social media sites are being watched carefully and prosecuted. Just get in the habit of NEVER EVER EVER sharing anything about work on Social Media sites if you are in healthcare. It's a slippery slope from putting photos of your new name tag to sharing photos of patients/client/residents, etc.

Few workplaces pay you to be on Social Media during your shift and supervisors ARE WATCHING. If you are doing something personal and are not on a break, you are stealing from the company. It is estimated that employers lose $10,000 a year per employee in lost productivity and they are looking for ways to get that money back. If they notice that you are on social Media sites (remember your posts are time stamped), your raise may not come this year.

A lot of employers are checking your account prior to hiring. If you post every frat boy party or Girls-only-dirty-trip to Vegas and that is the only thing on your site, you may not be hired anytime soon. If you have 30 tweets during the day about how much you hate your job. You probably won't get hired.

It is important to become vigilant about what you are putting onto your Digital Life. Your posts, shares, tweets, pins, etc say something about you. You should be sure that what you are putting into your digital world reflects the professional, caring, compassionate you that you must be because you decided to take care of others for a living.

Win a Kindle Fire and 1 year of Amazon Prime

I need to do some marketing. I need a new website and some new postcards and a new mailing campaign and new business cards... new new new.

Mostly, what I need is a new LOGO. I can't really start on all the other new stuff until I have a decent logo and my logo is very sad. I don't have the tools to properly design a good logo. I don't have anything better than WORD or Paint to design something. I designed my old logo in WORD, but it's sad and I'm definately not proud of it. Good logos are not easily reproducable and anything made is WORD can be reproduced in 2 seconds.

Also... I attended the QUITTER Conference a year ago and got a chance to listen to an amazing man named Ben Arnment. He explained that you should never design your own marketing materials. Even if you are a graphic designer (which I am), marketing design should be done by someone else. I saw his wisdom in this because when you design something, you fall in love with the work you put into it and your own artwork, that it's not easy to be objective about what is best for your business.

So I am offering a contest. Submit a logo and the winner will get a Kindle Fire and a year of Amazon Prime.

1) My colors are Purple and Orange. Any combination of 1 or both is fine
2) Contest goes from 2/27/2012 - 3/31/2012
3) The last week in March, I will put my favorite 3 designs on my website for folks to vote on
4) The winner will be announced 4/2/2012 (I can't post on April Fools, that would be weird)
HELP ME PLEASE!! Share the contest with your friends.

Submissions should be in JPEG form and emailed to essentialtraining@comcast.net with

Name – DOB – Mailing Address – Email Address – Phone Number – Favorite things in the world that are purple!

Be sure to email me at anytime with any questions or concerns. The only restriction is your imagination. Submit as many designs as you want. Encourage any number of friends to participate.

Th Buck Stops Here

The 1st 3 chapters of this book were the most powerful for me and the lesson from President Truman really hit home. It is both frustrating and freeing at the very same time. When I 1st read this book, I felt like my job was against me, my sister was against me and I was never going to be the same runner I was. This 1st lesson of "The Buck Stops Here" had me in absolute tears.

It was frustrating because I didn't want to take any responsibilty for the hard times I was going through. I wanted to hate my boss and loathe my sister. I wanted to feel sorry for myself because I thought that was the easiest way.

But once the tears ebbed and I started to absorb this truth, I started to become free. My job wasn't abusing me. Sure there are jobs with better benefits and different leadership styles, but it wasn't abusive. I had the choice to stay or leave. I was making the choice to stay and I was making the choice to fight my supervisors decisions every single step. And through that choice, I (not him) was making my job miserable. My sister and I have always been different. But I was chosing to ignore and make scathing comments just as much as she was. I had to let that go and once I did, my relationship with her healed almost immediately. I had made the choice to gain so much weight and quit running. Through that choice, I obtained several injuries that made it harder to get back into shape. I fell into the excuses and stopped caring for myself. This didn't just happen to me, it came out of a series of choices.

Well, The Buck Stops Here. I chose to stay at my job and because of this choice, I get the best benefit I could possibly get... a check that allows me to pay the mortgage, put food on the table and take my oldest son to see Mythbusters on Tour in Spokane. I chose to work on my relationship with my sister and treat her with kindness and because of that, I get to have a relationship with her. I chose to start following a diet and do exercise and through that I am able to get back to running again.

This principle when put together with Anne Franks' princple (to come later in the book) completely changed my life for the better and I have seen amazing changes that have led to many successes.

The Buck Stops Here.

Read chapters 4 and 5 and comment below on the following questions:

1) King Solomon says, “We, as humans, are always in a process of change. Therefore, we

might as well guide the direction in which we change.” How will the decision to “seek wisdom”

help you guide the direction in which you change?


2) What point is King Solomon making when he directs David to understand that “serving is

a way we can place value on one another”? He says, “A wise man is a server.” Why?


3) The book opens with a quotation by Joshua Chamberlain, an obscure figure in American

history. How does this quote set the stage for the book?

4) Why do you think Andrews chose to begin with a quote by Chamberlain instead of one by

the other historical characters in the book?

Let the READIN' Begin!

Hello to all the Book Clubbers. I'm so excited about having you all read this book. I really feel like you will find as you read through it, your mind set and life will be changed. Mine was. So let's get going!!! It's never too late to join so if you have friends who want to join us, I still have a few books left.

This week, I want you all to read chapters 1, 2 and 3 and comment on the following questions. This is an introduction to David Ponder and the absolute desperation he feels in his life. Just when he is about to give up on everything, he finds he's face to face with none other than Harry S. Truman.

1) In what ways is David an "everyman" who is experiencing a journey applicable to all humans.

2) What is David’s attitude toward the past? Toward the future?

3) President Harry Truman tells David, “You have chosen the pathway to your present destination.

The responsibility for your situation is yours.” Do you believe that an individual’s

present state is solely determined by personal choice and responsibility? Why or why not?

4) Tuman says, “Our thinking creates a pathway to success or failure.” Can you remember a

particular instance when your thinking created success? Can you remember a particular

instance when your thinking led to failure? Have you seen evidence of this truism in the

lives of others? 

5) Why does Andrews consider challenges a gift?

Caregiver Rankings

This weekend, my oldest son tested for and received his Yellow Belt in Karate. We are all so proud of him. I was listening to his sensei tell the class "put your old belt behind you because we never go back. We only go forward."

This weekend was also the Army:Navy Football Game. Being part of a family with 2 West Point Football player graduates means that the Army Navy Football game is a mandatory watch even if you could care less about Football. I was looking at my cousin Tom's Facebook page and noticed that he has Major posted as his rank in the Army. Yep, Navy won again, but we never give up hope.

These ranking systems got me thinking. Ranking systems are really cool things.
1) It lets everyone know what your skills are
2) It lets everyone how much training you've had
3) It gives you humility (there's always someone above you)
4) It gives you something to work towards
5) It reminds you where you came from

So as I read Facebook and see several of my work-mates complain about caregivers who have called in sick, I wonder if a Caregiver Ranking would help caregivers understand the professional nature of our job. I wonder if it would help me to hire higher quality caregivers. So, what ranking system do we use?

Lord of the Rings Ranking
Start with ranking of Hobbit and move up towards Wizard? I would so be working to being known as Mack the Wizard.

Harry Potter Ranking
Start at Muggle. Then each new ranking is a different Spell. Once you learn a little bit, you can become Wingardium Leviosa. The higher ranks would be spells that are 3 sentences long and take longer to pronounce than your name.

Twilight Ranking
This would be a short ranking series. Human - HTKAC (Humans That Know About Creatures) - Werewolves - Vampires - VV (Vegetarian Vampires) - Dhampir - Volturi. There can only be 3 Volturi at a time, so to become a Volturi, you have to wait for 1 to retire?

What rankings would you use for caregivers? Would a ranking system work?

If You're Happy and You Know It

I have observed caregivers for 8 years now. Before then I was a caregiver and I have decided that caregivers are just a little bit psychotic. Not is a 'climb-a-tower-and-take-people-out' way, but in a rather moody way. We are psychotically happy in front of our clients and then we separate to the lunch room or staff room and turn into such crazily unhappy people where nothing goes right.

In the words of the great Seinfield -- What is up with that?

And it's not at work either. We take it home and act the same way at home. We walk around at church or in front of our in-laws with what I call that all teeth smile (I often think "I really need to go to the denist" when I have that smile on) and as soon as we are home, we instantly start complaining (sometimes cry).

You know, I think there may be a bit of inbetween, but our brains get in the way. Nursing as a profession is so racked with negativity that I think we put on an act in front of the clients and then think that "normal" is being grumpy and rude to those we are comfortable with.

I did this just today. My 3 year old is a bit of a handful. He's cute and kind, but has no focus or listening skills. I picked him up from daycare today and was told that he won't take a nap and he' won't listen. I'm still realing from him being kicked out of Sunday School and I am remembering the 2 babysitters that told me he is too hard to handle. I show up to his karate class very near tears. At the end of the class, the Sensei (he's very kind outside of class, but he's kinda scary in class, so I never know how to react to him) comes and sits on a chair right in front of me. I brace myself for the "your child is terrible and we just can't handle him" talk when he smiles and tells me "he did great." I went on to tell him something to the effect of 'I'm glad you can deal with him because noone else can'.

I got out to the car and realized "what a terrible place I went to." I don't understand why we as a Nursing Profession have to be all or nothing. Why do we have to be psychotically happy or bitterly angry?

I think it comes down to CONFIDENCE. I have incredible insecurities about the kind of Nurse I am and that bleeds over to my overall jobs as a caregiver (wife, mother, daughter, etc).

So this week, I am going to read Tim Sanders' book, Today We Are Rich. It's a book about gaining self-confidence through gratitude and self-confidence and see if that helps. Feel free to read it too and come back and comment on what your thoughts are.

 

Want to know what's GREAT?

Books are ordered for the Book Club: The Traveler's Gift. And want to know what's GREAT!! They are AUTOGRAPHED by Mr. Andy Andrews himself. No additional charge, but definately an added bonus. I love Autographed Books.

Sign up NOW! https://sites.google.com/site/essentialtrain/tests

Cost: $20 – For an AUTOGRAPHED Book and a certificate for up to 10 hours of continuing Education

How it works: Read The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews. Follow the chat on my blog once a week for questions to discuss every week for 5 weeks.

This is an amazing book and you definately won't want to miss it!

Book Club

I read this book about 6 months ago and it has completely rocked my world. It's an amazing fun story about David Ponder and how he goes from complete despair to complete success. I read it in 1 night and have read it twice since.

"Forty-six-year-old David Ponder feels like a total failure. Once a high-flying executive in a Fortune 500 company, he now works a part-time, minimum wage job and struggles to support his family. Then, an even greater crisis hits: his daughter becomes ill, and he can’t afford to get her the medical help she needs. When his car skids on an icy road, he wonders if he even cares to survive the crash.

But an extraordinary experience awaits David Ponder. He finds himself traveling back in time, meeting leaders and heroes at crucial moments in their lives—from Abraham Lincoln to Anne Frank. By the time his journey is over, he has received seven secrets for success—and a second chance. The Traveler's Gift offers a modern day parable of one man's choices—and the attitudes that make the difference between failure and success."

Cost: $20 - For the Book and a certificate for up to 10 hours of continuing Education

How it works: Read The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews. Follow the chat on my blog once a week for questions to discuss every week for 5 weeks.

This is an amazing book and you definitely won't want to miss it!

REGISTER here to join the club.

Be sure to email me with any questions or concerns!!

Initiative 1163

So Initiative 1163 has passed. I1163 is the initiative put forth by the SEIU for more Caregiver Training. It was aggressively advertised to the public as an initiative that would give more training to caregivers working in private homes. I avoided giving my opinion about it before it passed because my opinion is very complicated, but now I would like to try and share it with you.

I am in agreement that caregivers need more training. Everyone in healthcare needs more training. Healthcare is constantly changing as we get new information about illness and quality of life through research, so all of us need to be constantly learning an be open to change. I have a book that my grandmother gave me that was printed 1905. It's the medical textbook used at that time. Half of it is on veternary medicine. I have read it cover to cover (over 1000 pages). The 1st time I read it, I was astonished and thought it was hillarious how much they did not know. Now I think it is sad. Basic hygiene and handwashing was just starting to be understood. Vaccines had not been discovered. Antibiotics were just starting to be researched. So in 105 years, what ill those medical professionals think of what we are doing? Leaches for limb reattachment? Electrocomvulsant Therapy for Deperession? Poison for Cancer? These are real treatments we use now that are very effective. But in 100 years, will we be thought stupid and naive? We need to be constantly learning because healthcare is constantly changing.

I am not at all in agreement with forcing caregivers to do 75 hours of training. SEIU advertised this as a measure for Home Health caregivers, but in the very end of the initiative on page 27 (out of 29), it includes Boarding Home Caregivers and Adult Family Home caregivers.

Adult learners do not lear by being forced into a class that is going to cost them more money and take time off of work where they earn their money. They are not going to be better caregivers this way.

3 or 4 years ago, SEIU wanted an almost identical measure passed called I1029. It passed with one of the largest voter margains. As a teacher when I was trying to write curriculum for the new extended hours, I was told over & over again "Caregivers don't need all this information. Just extend what is already there."

So if we are not going to teach 75 hours worth of material, but only extend the 28 hours of material we already have, what is the point? I absolutely hate this attitude that feels like 'caregivers aren't smart enough for all that.'

I am of the opinion that caregivers are desperate for information and more training. They just want it in different ways and they want it to be their decision. I would much rather see something that rewards ongoing education rather than force it. I would much rather see a focus on Continuing Education with a lot of different options for different subjects rather than 1 big boring basic class. I would rather see a focus on innovative ways to teach and learn rather than constantly forcing a bunch of adults into a classroom to learn information they don't care about.

I want more education, but not at all the way that the SEIU wants education in this law.

Of note: on November, 10, 2010, the Govenor of Washington issued an executive order that there will be no Non-Critical Rule Development and Adoption due to our state's budget crisis. The order does read that there is an exception to public health and quality of life. I think under this executive order may make this whole thing go away altogether. This initiative is expected to cost $80 million over the next 2 years and the state is expecting a $2 billion dollar shortage over the next 2 years.

My suggestion: If you are a caregiver, get all your credentials done before the end of the year. If this goes onto law, all caregivers with all their credentials done will be grandfathered in. If even 1 credential is off, you will have to go through the entire 75 hours of new training.

You can find what trainings are required at my website. Trainings are different for Adult Family Homes and Boarding Homes, so just click on the one that is right for you.

I'm going to be a Quitter

My husband and I went to The Quitter Conference last weekend. I've been playing with my business of caregiver training for awhile. I never really considered it a dream to run a training business full time. I just know that I come alive, shed my shy label and truly feel invigorated when I teach a class of students. Day to day, I have near panic attacks if it is time to meet new people and have a terrible time in crowds (Christmas shopping in our house is always done before Thanksgiving because I can't handle Christmas crowds). But when I get up in front of a class of 10-15 students or sometimes more, I shed all that anxiety and become the person I love being. I can't explain it, but teaching invigorates me in a way I just can't describe.

I never really thought I could make a full time job of this business. In fact I opened it as a fundraiser when I was running for Team in Training and kept it going because so many students said they preferred to come to my classes than go to the big cooperation alternative.

We went to Nashville because I really wanted to meet my favorite author, Jon Acuff. I flew across the country and then refused to go up and meet him until my hubby threatened to go get him and bring him to me. I didn't want to look like I was back in Jr. High and asking my girlfriend to go talk to the other person, so I went up and introduced myself. He's awesome, hilarious and so easy to talk with. BUT that was not what ended up being the highlight of the trip like I thought it would be.

The Quitter Conference was really an amazing experience. I've read Quitter the book, but this was different! This was a practical guide to following my dream. And I do have a dream. Actually I have 2.

1) To grow my small training business from Essential Training giving state required classes to Essential Wellness with a focus on overall wellness for the health care worker.

I started to realize that owning and growing this business was indeed a passion of mine, but was held back by tremendous fear. Fear of failure (poor Pastor Chuck, my counselor, must be rolling his eyes, because we've been through this one so many times). Fear of Starting. Fear of Accounting (I have a learning disorder similar to dyslexia, but with numbers called dyscalculia). Fear of success (I have actually told other small business owners "I need to slow down, because I don't want to grow"). This was the greatest lesson. I don't have to be perfect. I don't have to worry about my shortcomings. I'm not going to do anything unless I do something! So in this last 5 days since we've been home, I've been getting up earlier, doing marketing and I put together my 1st Profit & Loss worksheet since I opened the business in six years!

2) To place in a distance race for my age.

I used to be a phenomenal runner. I often placed in distance races like marathons & half marathons. It was easy and almost boring. Then I had kids and what followed were so many life changes and a pretty brutal depression. I stopped running, gained weight and lost muscle tone. I've tried to run a few marathons in the last two years, but I am so slow. Fear caught up to me again. I quit because I wanted to be the runner I used to be. But I'm not that runner any longer. I didn't really want to try because I knew I couldn't be 1st or 2nd or 3rd. It was easier to quit than to fail.

But The Quitter Conference pointed out the epic failure in this plan as well. How could I ever be good again unless I start again? I am now able to "recover" this dream (as Mr. Acuff would say) and start working on it anew. I'm not going to be 1st at the Seattle Marathon this November. That's ridiculous. I have 80 pounds to lose. I have muscle tone to regain. I need to rebuild my endurance and lung capacity. BUT... I've been for a run with this new attitude and I think the muscle memory from my younger running days is still there. I think this is a talent I can get back. If I put in the hard work, I think it is completely possible to place in a race for my age. It may be a 3-5 year plan, but I have a goal in mind now and I think it's possible.

If you haven't heard of Jon Acuff, you really should check out his blog www.jonacuff.com and read his newest book QUITTER.

What's your dream? GO be a QUITTER!