Physical Therapy Schools|Benefits Of Massage Therapy Schools

Today there is a wealth of information available for nearly every profession, in terms of employment potential, job outlook, salary levels, and specific information about where individuals in the field work and what they do. All of this information is available for physical therapy as well, and it can help you gain a better understanding for what the field is all about, and why it has become so popular. Take a look at all of these facts and findings to learn about physical therapy as a career in today's world.

A great place to start is the job outlook and prospects for professionals in the field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, provides decade-long projections for every industry and field. For physical therapy from 2008 to 2018, there is a projected 30% uptick in jobs. That is obviously a very high rate of growth, and is much quicker than average. When you look at the number of jobs that translates you to, you see a total of more than 56,000 new jobs becoming available.

But it's not enough to know that there will be jobs coming available for these professionals. You also have to know what these jobs actually will be, and what you'll be doing. For physical therapists, 60% of jobs are located in hospitals or health practitioner offices, offering a majority of the employment for licensed, practicing physical therapists.

Even though that's a very high number, it still means that there is another 40% of physical therapists who are plying their trade in other environments. For example, physical therapists work in nursing facilities, outpatient and rehabilitation care centers, adult day care, schools, and of course, private practices, just to name a few other potential options.

Now that you know where you'll be working, in addition to knowing that finding a job should be pretty easy with the right education and full licensure, it's also time to take a look at salary levels. In 2008, the most recent data available as of this time, the median annual salary for physical therapists was $73,000. Taking a closer look, the top 10% earned at least $104,000, while the bottom 10% earned less than $50,000.

Those different environments and settings mentioned above translate to slightly different median salaries. Physical therapists working with home healthcare services average the highest wage, $77,500 annually, while nursing care facilities offered $76,500, and hospitals offered $73,000, for example.

Once you take a look at all of these statistics and facts for physical therapy, you can begin to understand why the field is emerging right now. There is a very high rate of job growth, a number of different environments and work settings, high salary levels, and much more. The time to become a physical therapist is now, and then you'll be able to take advantage of all of the above for yourself.

Find Massage Therapy Careers in the United States and Canada. Candidates seeking massage therapy careers discover that a great deal of training and education goes into becoming a professional massage therapist. Students drawn to this natural therapy should possess an outgoing personality, effective communication skills and an entrepreneurial desire for success.

Massage therapy careers are on the rise as more and more clients and patients are turning to alternative and complementary medicines to combat common health disorders and conditions. For example, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health, has ongoing clinical trials and studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of mind-body medicine as a complementary healing system (so often facilitated by those in massage therapy careers).

In addition to spas, salons, chiropractic clinics and medical facilities, massage therapy careers can be found in non-traditional healthcare settings - such as resorts, cruise ships, airports, convention centers, hotels, racetracks, and other sporting events.

Individuals must first, however, acquire appropriate training and education from one of several massage schools, colleges or universities to gain entry-level massage therapy careers. General training encompasses anatomy and physiology, kinesiology, deep tissue massage, Swedish massage and sometimes, sports massage. While standard training entails a minimum of 300-500 classroom hours, some programs well exceed 1,000 hours. In addition, a number of massage colleges provide degreed massage therapy courses.

Students seeking massage therapy careers can also apply to advanced training programs in myofascial release therapy, craniosacral therapy, lymph drainage therapy, Tuina, chair/corporate massage, medical massage, among other subject matter.

Overall, massage therapy careers are comprised of natural healers and massage practitioners who have a strong desire to help others. In addition to having a meaningful profession, persons who have successfully met all academic and training requirements can expect ample job opportunities – according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, massage therapy careers are on the rise and expected to grow throughout the coming decade. Furthermore, professional massage therapists can earn well over $30 an hour.

If you (or someone you know) are interested in finding massage therapy careers, let professional training within fast-growing industries like massage therapy, cosmetology, acupuncture, oriental medicine, Reiki, and others get you started! Explore career school programs [http://school.holisticjunction.com/clickcount.php?id=6634739&goto=http://www.holisticjunction.com/search.cfm] near you.

Massage Therapy Careers: Rewarding Professions in Natural Healing
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Everyone who drives is familiar with this situation: you're cruising along and all of a sudden, there's a noise coming from the engine that you haven't heard before, or maybe the feeling in the gas or brake pedal seems a bit off, or there's smoke, or a funny smell. There are many tell-tale signs that your car needs servicing and the best thing to do is to bring it in before the problem escalates. But what is equally important, is to bring your vehicle in for regular checkups and tune-ups even if everything seems to running smoothly. Similar to our own health, we don't always visit doctors when we feel ill, but have regular checkups to mark our physical development and watch for problems. Regularly-scheduled visits to the auto mechanic are just as important for maintaining a healthy engine and a safe ride.

How often you should bring your car in to the garage is based either on elapsed time, or the amount of kilometers driven since your last checkup. Not every aspect of the vehicle will be inspected on every checkup; but there are different recommended tune-up periods for different parts of the car. Knowing which order of priority to give to each part is an essential module in mechanic colleges.

Every Three Months or 8,000KM.

This is the basic checkup. The most important thing here is the engine oil. While one could read engine oil levels themselves and add more oil if needed, with this checkup it is recommended to change the oil and clean the oil filter. It used to be believed that the oil should be replaced twice as much, but today this is seen as unnecessary and wasteful.

Other parts of this checkup will include checking other fluid levels, like brake fluid, washer fluid, and coolant fluid.

Every Six Months or 16,000KM.

All of the previously mentioned checkup points are included here as well. One new aspect is the wheels and the tires. Fist, the alignment is checked and reset. Then, the tire pressure and the depth are checked. Related closely to the wheels is the braking system, which should be thoroughly inspected.

A basic cleaning of some of the engine's components is also done, like the battery and the spark plug wires.

Every Year or 25,000 KM.

This is considered the most important checkup, and it is recommended with new cars to bring the vehicle in to a licensed dealer service shop rather than any garage. The above aspects are checked again. Most parts that are often simply cleaned should be replaced at this point, like the spark plugs and the windshield wipers.

Further cleaning of the engine takes place, like the fuel filtration system, the brake pads, and the radiator. Basic nuts and bolts are checked and tightened as well.

Every car is different and every service shop or garage has varying methods for checking and maintaining a vehicle. Skilled auto technicians are graduating from mechanic programs all the time to work in a variety of shops to guarantee each car is given the service and attention it needs for a long life on the road.

How much to tip a massage therapist can be a confusing thing. On one hand you have the spa massage therapist that can be put in the same group as nail technicians and hair stylists. Another group is sports massage therapists and medical massage therapists. Typically people in the medical profession don't receive tips for their services. Lastly, what if you are not from the United States? Different countries have different customs. For example, Canada reimburses its citizens for massage, thus massage is seen more as medical service versus a pampering service.

Below are listed the basic rules of how to tip a massage therapist:

*If you do want to tip, ask what the establishment's guidelines are. Tipping may be against the company's policies or they might not mind. Each situation is different.

What if you don't want to tip?

An exception to all of the above is when a customer doesn't want to tip and it's not a reflection on the services they received. Customers have a right to not tip because tipping is a courtesy. Many massage therapists I know are grateful for tips and don't expect them. Tipping, and how much, is ultimately the decision of the customer.

Beware Hidden Tips

Lastly, a word of caution; in many tourist areas, a spa or salon will add a tip to the bill for the customer - without asking! This is an automatic process at many places. Then, because the customer is not aware of this, the customer will add a tip to the bill not realizing they're double tipping! This is an unfortunate reality that massage customers need to protect themselves from.

Hopefully this has answered all your massage tip questions. Remember, if in doubt; ask the massage therapist or company. They will be pleased that you care enough to want to tip.

Casino Massage & Poker Massage Programs Require Dedicated Management Personnel

Within the Casino Massage or Poker Room Massage industry we see many companies employ the "Lead Massage Therapist" position as an economical yet flawed approach to manage daily operations. Not only is the lead therapist position one of ineffective and limited managerial supervision, but both continuity of gaming experience and operational consistency are lost all too frequently due to this position's turnover rate. Ultimately, this absence of proper supervision and control is the main source of poor customer service.

Managing the daily front-line operations of a casino massage company for over 4+ years, I have come to realize and understand the importance of a dedicated, impartial and equitable managerial staff to maintain the highest standards of customer service.

In this first article we explore one topic: Limitations of dual role, lead therapists supervising while also performing massages services. Additional related topics and points will follow in subsequent articles.

Although highly unlikely, for the purpose of this article let us assume that the lead massage therapist in question has the proven ability to lead, is a formally educated and seasoned manager, is well-versed in the finer points of conflict resolution, is completely familiar with any and all emergency procedures, and has acquired years of casino/gaming-industry specific expertise.

Even presuming the above list of impressive credentials to be accurate, we still have to ask, how much time can a lead therapist devote to supervising up to six others while also performing tableside massages for the majority of his or her own work shift? From my own experience, individual massages last anywhere from 20-40 minutes each on average and in extreme cases, therapists have been retained for the entire duration of the work shift. I have, on few occasions, monitored poker massages that have continued for more than 8 hours! Suppose that this particular massage therapist was indeed designated as the manager or as the "lead therapist". The managerial faculty during those 8 hours would effectively be reduced to zero.

While the above example is an infrequent but not unrealistic occurrence, consider an ordinary shift where the average time spent performing casino massage services consists of approximately 70% of the therapist's total time on duty. The remaining time is readily taken up by the working therapist's individual advertising efforts, records keeping, preparation for pending services, and regular breaks. Yet again, any managerial duties would suffer due to the lack of time allocated for such responsibilities.

The non-stop nature of gaming industry compels casino massage companies to operate virtually around the clock, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. The massage profession by its very nature is especially physically demanding and therefore most casino massage therapists are scheduled to work no more than 18-20 hours per week. During a 168 hour work week the number of lead therapists needed to cover all shifts would be nearly 10. Designating that many therapists as lead and then strategically scheduling them in order to cover the entire work week would surely prove to be an ineffective solution if not a nearly impossible plan.

It should also be noted that most lead therapists are commendably making every effort to maximize their earnings and therefore desire to stay as busy as possible performing casino massage services in order to do so. It's no surprise that these dual role employees are more concerned with actually performing casino massage rather than managing casino massage.

It seems a simple enough concept to understand; one cannot be tied up doing the job and be expected to supervise others at the same time. Casino massage therapists will be occupied with their job duties during most, if not all of their scheduled shifts. Furthermore, the working therapist will be confined to one small area while performing services and are not able to patrol and observe the vast sprawling span which is characteristic of the typical gaming floor.

Expanding upon this topic, we must now ask how well the lead therapist can fairly distribute the workload of customer requests for poker massage services in a timely fashion while he or she is occupied and unable to complete the chain of communication between the casino resort, the guests, and the other active massage therapists.

To give some insight as to the aforementioned chain of communication, requests for casino massage services on a busy gaming floor originate almost entirely at the guest level but are also frequently initiated by casino hosts. The request is most often communicated via telephone to the massage company's on-duty manager. Information relayed is generally comprised of the guest's personal preference for a particular therapist, the exact location within the casino for the service to be performed, the time desired for the service to commence, the number of therapists needed, and whether the service will require casino comp approval.

The lead therapist (who we have already established will be performing hands-on services 70% of the time) would not even be able to answer the request call, let alone be privy to the information needed to satisfactorily fulfill the request.

Back to our question; how well is the lead therapist equipped to deal with customer requests for casino massage services? The rather troubling answer to this question is that without any accurate situational awareness of where co-worker therapists are located within the casino, a running tally of the time remaining for each therapist's service currently being performed and the individual guest's preferences, the lead therapist will not be able to deal with customer requests very well at all. It should be obvious that in these situations, customer service levels are diminished to an all time low, and the guest will quickly associate this poor service with his or her overall gaming experience and with the property itself.

Given the above examples, it stands to reason that when the most simple and basic fundamentals and functions of management can't be accomplished through this "lead" position, it's safe to conclude that more complicated matters would be completely out of the scope of the lead massage therapist's managerial capacity. Such matters include the fair distribution of the work load, employee behavioral and disciplinary issues, customer complaints, employee conflicts, scheduling, absenteeism, emergency procedures, and all facets of player development/relations. One could also go so far as to conclude that as it relates to the casino massage industry, the lead therapist position is essentially the equivalent of having no managerial presence at all.

At this point one might ask why any poker massage/casino massage company would ever utilize the lead therapist position. The answer is simple, cost is the main factor. It's far more expensive to hire, train and employ a qualified managerial staff than it is to assign a current employee additional responsibilities. Most massage company owners realize the deficiencies, issues and conflicts associated with lead therapist positions and gamble that they will go largely unnoticed or at least unreported by casino executives, managers and casino staff who are already fully involved with their own daily tasks and duties. A better question to ask would be why any casino resort would contract with a massage company that solely employs these poor alternatives for legitimate management solutions.

Luckily, not all casino massage companies are the same. Some understand the importance of a dedicated, impartial and equitable managerial staff. They know that it's more expensive to recruit, train and retain the right people, but they realize that their reputation and customers are just that important. Few are committed to the highest standards of customer value, professionalism and ethics. Few confidently invest in experienced, quality management and staff, and are guided by an unwavering belief in the true meaning of World-Class service.

One of the many instances to illustrate the importance of dedicated managerial personnel happened when a woman playing Black Jack was overheard expressing to her dealer just how much "getting out" once a month on Friday night means to her. She sincerely confessed to him, "This is the highlight of my year. I work nearly 60 hours per week and don't have many friends in the area. Coming here for a drink and playing a few hands once a month is my little getaway. I thoroughly enjoy it!"

The empowered personnel (manager and massage therapist) made the perfect decision to politely offer a 20 minute of service free of charge. What better way to complete her overall experience than to offer a complimentary massage service? Pleasantly surprised she accepted and it goes without saying that she will not forget her gaming experience that night.

While this chance to delight the customer appears to have jumped out and presented itself, I believe it was only so clearly apparent because unlike the owners and lead therapists of many casino massage companies, this team of dedicated management personnel worked on the front-lines everyday and were accustomed to seeking and recognizing these types of opportunities.

It's only through time, experience and maintaining a constant presence on the front-lines that one can develop that 6th sense of "customer awareness". That is how to become truly in-tune with the energy of the casino resort and in-tune with its most valued resource: the resort's guests.

The Benefits of Massage Therapy can be applied from infants to the elderly. So, what is massage, and what are the benefits?

Massage is form of manual therapy, which manipulates the soft tissues of the body, primarily the muscles. It is used to relieve tension and reduce stress, while it promotes the relaxation, circulation and suppleness of the muscles of the body. It is also used for the treatment and rehabilitation of injured muscles.

The origins of massage date back to China around 3000 BC. The Ancient Chinese used a technique called "Amma". Other Countries such as Japan and India had similar techniques, while the Ancient Greeks used massage as part of their daily fitness routine. Hippocrates, who is known as the father of all medicine, wrote of the importance of massage for healing purposes.

A Swedish Physiologist and fencing master Per Henrik Ling (1776-1839), developed a system of massage after studying in China. It is this system that still forms much of modern massage to day, and due to the man that developed it, it became known as Swedish Massage.

The Main Benefits of Massage Therapy are as follows:

It promotes relaxation of the muscles of the body thereby reducing stress.

It reduces tension in the muscles of the body and therefore, promotes flexibility.

Relieves Back Pain caused by excessive tension in the muscles of the spine and back.

Relieves Neck Pain caused by excessive tension in the neck muscles.

It promotes circulation, and aids digestion and the removal of waste products.

It improves the body's skin tone and colour by removing dead skin cells.

By promoting flexibility of the muscles, it relieves tired, stiff joints.

By promoting relaxation of the muscles, it helps to encourage a deeper more relaxed breathing, and a more restful sleep.

It has a soothing, comforting affect on the body, thereby relaxing the recipients mind and reducing the effects of anxiety.

It promotes a general feeling of relaxation and well being.

First and foremost many may believe that barber school and beauty school are one in the same, however by definition this has become a sweeping statement to say the least. Barber schools are primarily concentrated on the study of hair and its many forms. Barbering is gaining the ability to understand the difference in hair types and its relevance to ethnicity. Most seasoned barbers or stylist will be able to identify the variations of hair and its infinite needs.

What is taught in Barber School?

While attending Barber school the student will be taught the fundamentals needed in order to provide total hair and skin care services to men in need of this service. Even though barbering is most often taught within a cosmetology or beauty school, there are also private barber schools which are solely designed to specifically provide education within this historic profession. The student's curriculum will consist of services such as steam facials face massage, foam shaves, modern razor styling, hair cutting, cutting, permanent waving and blow drying techniques. The courses provided are to train and prepare the student for their state board exam in order to acquire their state issued barber license. Barber school can also provide complete knowledge and courses in barber shop ownership and business management. The student will attain the knowledge needed to understand commonly used concepts, practices, and procedures within the barbering field.

The students typically train on mannequins in the beginning stages of their curriculum. The training is being provided by licensed barber instructors, and eventually with enough practice the student will then move on to actual clients in order to develop techniques as the courses advance. Learning how to properly manage all hair types is the essential part of course. All schools should include with in there courses the various hair and scalp conditions that come into play when trying to provide a service. A huge factor in proper barbering is to know that the health of the client's hair and scalp is the most important part when providing and attaining optimal service.

What Requirements are needed to become a Barber?

A high school diploma or its equivalent prior to enrollment is what most schools require. However checking with your states licensing requirements prior to your enrollment is a good idea. It is recommended you make contact with the licensing department within your state when inquiring about changes in programs or required hours.

Finding the Right School for You

Explore the different schools available and ask all the questions may have in order to make a valid choice. The right barber school for you may not be the right school for others. Building your strengths and technique will be what makes you stand out over other barbers, especially when you begin to attain a following. Barber school will educate you in cultivating your unique strengths and how to maintain a professional demeanor. These are necessary beginning steps in attaining gainful employment anywhere you might choice to take your career.
What is the Cost of Barber School?

The majority of schools offer full-time or part-time course loads, and the tuitions will vary, based on the nature of the courses, the hours needed, and where the school is located.

What Career Opportunities are offered to a Barber School Graduate?

Countless students that graduate from barber school go on to work for an already established shop, or ultimately open up their own.

How Much Do Barbers Earn?

Based on a search at salary.com, as of March 2010 the salary of a barber in New York City can range anywhere from a little as $20,211 up to $44,777. Salaries will vary based on your location, experience and clientele.

If you're looking for a first career or considering a career change, massage therapy could very well be a promising choice. On the upside it can be financially rewarding for some, work schedules can be quite flexible and the possibilities of meeting interesting and entertaining people is perhaps near endless. It's important to note that employment options are the result of several factors, which include one's own hard work, professionalism, experience, work attitude and local market conditions.

Like any other career possibility in life, you should go through a process of inner reflection that allows you to discover the massage therapy discipline's true appeal for you. You will also need to be honest in a personal assessment of your own skills and physical abilities. You may often have to stand and maintain physical rigor for long periods of time when working with clients.

Massage therapists should have a good degree of dexterity and physical endurance. However, one of the most important skills you will need are people skills, which are quite often over looked in a personal assessment.

You will need to develop a good feel for people to approach them in ways that never threaten their comfort zone. The ability to do this is quite often an innate talent that may not necessarily develop in a classroom or hands-on training environment. Some talents are simply expressed best through an inner knowing.

Another thing to consider in being able to realize a massage therapy career is the respect and accreditation status of the school you hope to attend for training. Does the curriculum prepare you for what you will encounter in the real-world? Is the teaching staff knowledgeable and experienced? Is there a sound system in place that will help you find placement when it comes time to launch your career?

Perhaps the best and most reliable source of information is from the learning institution you are interested in attending. Schools that maintain a solid accreditation status will have a qualified staff of personnel that can walk you through the steps of training, how to enroll, and the financial assistance programs available for those who qualify.

There are a lot of questions that will need to be answered before you can arrive at a decision that allows you to pursue massage therapy as a career. Training in this field, with respect to required hours and curriculum may vary depending on where you hope to find employment.

There are many massage therapy courses offered that can give you the necessary training for an entry-level position.

Physical therapy benefits for back pain are many, the chief among them being that the patients improve their mobility and are assured a greatly improved quality of life. Complete cure from back pain is a slow process and systematic physical therapy is the best option to achieve total relief from this debilitating condition.

Physical therapy benefits for this common musculoskeletal disorder depends to a great extent on the treatment methods the therapists utilize. For curing this musculoskeletal disorder condition, therapists make use of both passive and active therapies. The workouts in active therapies include stretching and strengthening exercises under strict monitoring and the therapists also make use of therapeutic exercises. The passive physical therapy modalities include heat and cold therapy, ultrasound, usage of electrical stimulation, massages and joint mobilization. These forms of therapies are far more advanced and more scientific than the ordinary massages.

Physical therapy benefits for back pain can be many, if the patients adopt correct postures when walking, sitting, driving, lifting weights and doing other activities. To obtain the real benefits, the therapist will assist the patient in doing a number of exercises which will help to reduce the disorder caused by incorrect postures.

The role of the patient is also important as regards securing maximum physical therapy benefits. The patient should strictly follow the instructions given by the therapists. The supervision of a trained therapist is a must. These programs require time to show its benefits, and equally important is the fact that the patient has to approach the treatment in a perfectly positive way. In general, the objective of exercises and these techniques are to reduce back pain, increase function, and provide awareness to patients regarding the importance of maintaining effective care after the therapy process so as to prevent further occurrence of back pain.

To conclude, physical therapy benefits for back pain are great, but to get effective results, care must be taken to follow the treatment in the proper way and strictly under the supervision of an able therapist.

The profession of therapy demands personal interaction with people on a day-to-day basis and therapists face situations daily where you are open to the possibility of charges of wrongdoing. Your clients could hold you responsible for damages they have received, resulting from an alleged negligent act, error, omission or malpractice arising out of your professional capacity as a therapist.

In the unfortunate event that such an allegation is made, a Professional Liability policy will provide coverage for defense costs and expenses and any subsequent damages awards making this type of insurance essential for all healthcare professionals.

For those therapists that are employed by a Healthcare Service provider, the Professional Liability coverage placed by their employers will provide coverage for those incidents arising while the therapist is acting within the scope of their duties performed on behalf of the employing entity.

In addition to the coverage provided by an employers Professional Liability policy, it is also advisable for Therapists to consider purchasing an individual Professional Liability policy for the following reasons:

Do I have enough coverage?

Today's astronomical malpractice awards can quickly exceed coverage limits. If you, as an individual, are named in a malpractice lawsuit and your legal costs and settlement or judgment exceeds the limits under your employer's policy, you may be required to make up the difference. An individual policy will provide additional coverage up to the limits selected (typically $1,000,000 per claim / $3,000,000 annual aggregate).

Am I covered when I am off-duty?

Many policies cover you only when you're working. That means you could be financially liable for contract work performed after hours, Good Samaritan assistance, volunteer activities or even casual advice to a friend or neighbor. Individual policies usually provide protection to you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Is my coverage shared with others?

If you're covered by an employer's policy, your liability limits may be shared by other defendants. Shared limits decrease your individual protection and increase your personal financial liability. Even worse, in some states you could be found liable for the financial responsibility of others. An individual Professional Liability policy provides 100% personal protection with no shared limits.

Does your employer-provided insurance include license protection?

In addition to being named in a malpractice lawsuit, one of the most serious risks that healthcare professionals face is the suspension or withdrawal of their license - without which you lose your ability to work. Employers rarely provide license protection, and in fact, may even be the source of the complaint. An individual policy will usually provide coverage for your defense of disciplinary charges arising out of covered medical or non-medical incidents.

To illustrate how therapists can be vulnerable to Professional Liability claims, the following is a summary of a recent claim filed alleging a negligent act, error or omission against a physical therapist:

Richey v. Turocy

The lawsuit was brought against the hospital, defendant orthopedic surgeon and the physical therapist. The plaintiff alleged that the defendant's physical therapy treatment caused a subsequent heart attack. The defendant hospital maintained that the defendant physical therapist was experienced, properly trained and should not be expected to make a referral outside the scope of the therapy. The verdict was rendered in favor of all defendants.

Reduce Your Risk with this Liability Checklist

As you begin each workday, your main goal is to provide the best possible care to your patients. But in this litigious society, you also have to make sure that none of your actions leave you vulnerable to a lawsuit. A quick reference of basic risk management guidelines may help to ease your concerns and no matter what field you work in, these basic tips can go a long way toward keeping you from being sued.

Know your job

Always ask yourself if the care you're about to give is within your scope of practice. If you have any doubts, consult your employer. Your employer has written standards of practice, based on your State practice act, your professional organization's guidelines, and your facility's policies and procedures.

Stay up-to-date.

Be sure you're competent to perform your job. Keep your certification current. Make sure you receive timely, adequate training on new equipment and never use equipment you haven't been trained on. If you feel your skills are insufficient in a particular area, ask about additional training.

Maintain your professionalism.

A patient is less likely to sue a healthcare provider she likes, so be sure to act professionally. Always treat the patient with respect. If possible, speak to her directly and maintain eye contact. Listen attentively and don't interrupt. Ask the patient if she has any questions: If her concerns fall outside of your scope of practice, contact the appropriate healthcare provider to come and see the patient.

Document, document, document.

It's become a risk management cliche, but it's true: If you didn't document it, you didn't do it. If you fail to write down that you did a thorough assessment or provided the patient with a particular treatment, it could become your word against hers in a lawsuit. Be sure to document the status of the patient before and after treatment, how receptive she was to patient education, and your response to any concerns she had.

Chart any telephone conversations you have with the patient, family, or other healthcare professionals about the case. Document, too, any time the patient cancels treatment or fails to keep an appointment. If she repeatedly misses appointments, make a notation of your attempts to contact her to discuss the problem. Make sure all of your entries in the patient's chart are legible and easy to comprehend.

Protect patient confidentiality.

Discuss the patient's care only with the appropriate personnel. Never talk about a patient in a public place, such as an elevator or cafeteria. If you have to fax patient information, make sure the recipient is standing by to receive the transmission so no one else reads it.