Is A Career In Medicine Right For Me?

A career in medicine is a big decision to make. Working in medicine, whether as a doctor, surgeon, nurse, or any other medical career, is a demanding but ultimately very rewarding career choice. Before deciding on this path, you should do some careful research. Here’s how to make the best decision for you. 

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Make A List Of Options

If you’re considering a career in medicine, there’s a lot of different options. You could be a dentist, a doctor a nurse, a paramedic, or a physiotherapist. If you’re interested in science, you might prefer a career that involves a certain amount of research, such as diagnostics or developing medical treatment options. If you think you would be more interested in supporting people in the communities, a role in charity might be a good option for you. 

Make a big list of all the options and see if any of them jump out at you, either as a definite no or as something that really appeals to you. When you have a shortlist, you can research these options in more detail, with guides like this article on the difference between nursing and being a doctor. 

Create A Timeline

Think about other decisions you’ve made about your studies. How did you approach these decisions? What influenced you? What worked well about these decisions, and what didn’t work out? In hindsight, would you change anything about the way you made these decisions? Using this analysis, create a timeline to help you make this big decision. 

Think About Yourself

You need to think about the kind of person you are to make sure a career in medicine is for you. Start by thinking about how you like to spend your time. What do you like doing? Spend some time thinking about what will get the best out of you and bring you the most satisfaction. 

What are you good at? Are you naturally very organized? Do you have great skills in time management and teamwork? You’ll need those if you’re going to have a successful career in medicine. If you’re interested in dentistry, then you’ll need to be good at science and have a lot of manual dexterity. 

Think about the feedback you’ve got from others about what your skills and strengths are. What do friends, family, teachers, and former bosses say about you and what you’re good at? Having this kind of feedback can really help you to decide if you have a future in the world of medicine.

What matters to you most? Is it important to you have responsibility or variety? Is it important for you to work with others? Do you need a good work-life balance? You’ll need to know this if you’re going to pick the right path, in medicine or otherwise. 

Try and do some research into what a typical day in the role you’re considering might be like. Does this sound like a day you would enjoy? Would you be satisfied with a role like this? Would that typical day be good or bad for you? 

Research Your Options

When you have narrowed down a few options, do some more in-depth research. Find out what the entry requirements are the options you’re thinking about, and find out what training you will need. Don’t rely on these requirements to decide though, and be careful not to get stuck in a research rut. You could get overwhelmed with details and information! 

Try to attend events like career fairs and open days. Go to these events with questions prepared so you can get some answers to help you make the right decision about your career. You could also friends and family for the input if you value their opinion. What do they think about medicine as a career for you? 

Try and arrange some work experience or an opportunity to shadow someone in the medical path you’re thinking about. This can help you understand your potential future role better. Try to take any opportunity you can to understand what might be involved in the role you think you might like. 

Take Notes

After all this research, you’re going to have lots of information. This can get overwhelming, and there’ll be a lot of thoughts in your head that you need to get straight. You’re making an important decision, so you need to straighten all this information out. Jot down some notes on paper to help you get all the thoughts you have in an organized fashion. 

Make An Action Plan

Set some actions to help you make progress on your thoughts about your future career in medicine. 

Look at all the information you have, and organize it to help you make better sense of it. You can use this more organized information to help you decide. 

When you’ve made a choice, prioritize what you need to do and by when. This could include things like work experience, training courses, or application deadlines. Set reminders on your phone or add these dates in your calendar to keep your goals on track. You can use this to monitor the progress you make too. 

Tell people about your action plan. If your loved ones know about your goals, they can provide encouragement and support, as well as providing you with some accountability. If people know and are asking how you’re getting on, it’s harder to let your goals slide. Go over and amend your actions as you progress, so you can adjust your action plan to meet new goals. 

If you take a structured approach to decide on and plan for your future career, you can make a detailed plan to help you get there. You’ll also know that you did everything that you possibly could to make investing all that time worth-while. You’ll be able to make a properly informed decision and get the right steps in place to help you succeed. If you think medicine is for you, put the work in to get the career you want.

How Blogging Could Change Your Life

Blogging, if it is done in the right way, can go on to change your life. It is something that can be started from home, started cheaply, and started as a hobby. But if you want to take it to the next level, then it can go a long way to changing career prospects, as well as providing a solid income. Even if you stick to your ‘day job,’ it still has numerous benefits that can crossover and help that. A lot of people choose blogging as a hobby, which is great. But they can fail to see that there are plenty of ways that a blog can change their life, depending on what you want to do with it. No matter how you get started, and what you want to do with it, there will be some positive aspects that you will experience because of a blog. 

Blogging is something that is so popular these days. It can be used as a creative outlet, but it can also open up plenty of other doors for you. Because it gives you the chance to have a voice on things, those that agree and want to follow along, will also want to be part of it and what you say. So why not get started with a blog today?

It can be quite hard to believe that there was a time when blogs weren’t around. These days they have so much power, and there are over 100 million of them on the internet. It can be a really powerful tool for communication for businesses and individuals, and being a part of that, can definitely help your career prospects. For example, a career in PR might have seemed off the cards for you before. But with real experience with blogging and online marketing, and working with the PR teams of a variety of brands, you will have some real insight that someone else wouldn’t have. So team that up with some online studying, somewhere like George Washington University, and you could be able to boost your career in a way that you would have not imagined before. Definitely something to think about.

There aren’t many hobbies in the world that can change your life in the way that blogging can. But it can be something to enhance your life and make a positive impact. It can impact you in more ways than just career and financial, though. So here are some of those things, and how starting a blog could be the thing that you need to help you to transform your life. 

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Improve writing skills

There is no getting away from the fact that the longer you spend writing, and practicing doing that, the better writer that you will become. Writing is an important aspect of communication, and with the online world being accessible by so many, it is something important to think about. Blogging is all about writing and making your communicating clear, concise, and compelling enough for people to want to keep reading. The more you do it, the better you will become at it. You will see an improvement in your writing skills for sure, and you never know, that childhood dream of being an author may not be so far away after all. 

Boosting your confidence

Blogging is something that can give your life a boost in many ways, and one that you may not expect is how it can boost your confidence levels. It can be something that you build and start from scratch, which can be a confidence boost in itself. It can give you a confidence boost every time a reader tries one of your recipes or comments on your post telling you that they agree or that they loved the post. Building up a following on social media can give you a boost too. You can even get a confidence boost with your writing and communication skills, if that has been something that has been lacking before.

More organized thinker

Blogging is something that helps you to become better at thinking and organizing your thoughts, because that is what it is all about. It gives you the time to think about what you want to do and say, and how to do it in a clear and coherent manner. It could get you thinking about topics that you might not have thought about before, so you could challenge some of your existing beliefs, and grow it from there. These processes of organizing your thoughts and becoming a more organized thinker can be something that can impact your everyday life, with different thought processes that you will go through. 

Networking 

After you have been blogging for a little while, you will start to connect with other bloggers, as well as outreach and PR people for brands, looking to work with you. It is great as it can be a good way to meet new people, make friends, and get repeat work. This can be done alongside social media channels too, as you build up a following of like-minded people that are interested in what you do and say. 

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Making money

Even if your blog starts out as a hobby, there is the potential to earn money from it, which can be a big life changer, especially as it is something that you can do from home, with very little cash to get started. You may start out to make money, and that is fine too; there are a variety of options. You can work with brands on sponsored content, sell products or services on your blog, sell ad space, do social media promotion, as well as becoming a freelancer with your new skills and experience. Some people make a full-time wage from blogging, so there is no doubt that you could do that too, depending on the niche that you choose. 

Keeps your mind active

Blogging is something that can help your brain to keep active, as you learn the ins and outs of it all. Not only is there the techy side of things, such as learning about meta-data and HTML, but also the side of things where you learn about keywords and SEO. Not to mention the social media and photography aspect of things. And that is all before you’ve started to write! There are a bunch of things that blogging can help you with, and help to improve your skills in, all in a way to keep your mind more active. If you do it regularly, then it can be something that will change and grow, and likewise, your skills will also develop and grow. Our minds need to have stimulation, and something like blogging could be just what you need.

As you can see, there are plenty of positive reasons why starting a blog could be a good thing, for your career, your skills, and your life. You don’t need to have a blog to make money from it, but it is there to do that if you want to. It could just be about being a creative outlet, but similarly, could help you to get your dream job. It is a place to be creative and to show self-expression and to build your confidence, which can make it a very fulfilling hobby all on its own. 

So, the question is, what are you waiting for? Think about a niche that could work for you, and then you’ll be on the journey to blogging and changing your life, before you know it. 

Love Gold In All Its Forms For A Taste Of Luxury

Gold has been one of the most precious and expensive metals in the world since its discovery in Ancient Times. You’ve probably heard of Rhodium, Palladium, or Californium, which are more expensive than gold, but somehow they can’t beat the sense of luxury and joy you get from receiving a gold present. We all have days that call for a precious celebration, whether it’s a special birthday, an anniversary, or simply because you want to feel like a million bucks. On those unique occasions, investing in a gold present is, by far, the best way of indulging in a little self-appreciation. After all, there’s nothing wrong with self-love! How can you source gold in exciting and fun forms? Here are some tips to get you started for a unique luxury feeling. 

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The gold rush has not ended

It’s hard to think of the history of the US without mentioning the terms Gold Rush and Wild West. Of course, nowadays, gold rushes are a thing of the past. However, we all have dreams of finding a precious nugget during a walk by the river. If you can’t afford to look for precious metal during your spare time – and let’s be honest, who can? – you can order your very own nugget from www.nuggetsbygrant.com. With authentic gold nuggets coming from all around the world, you’re sure to find a golden piece to carry as a good luck talisman. Besides, protected by a glass cover, it’s a great addition to a minimalist decor.  

Gold collectibles are a must

Gold jewelry might sound old-fashioned, but if you know where to look, you can find exquisite collectibles, such as antique coins or vintage watches. You can find beautiful vintage pieces that are still in working condition and made out of gold. If you prefer an exciting trip through history, you can get in touch with local antique shops and professional antiquity sellers online to find period coins and jewelry. Imagine owning a gold medal from Roman Times? 

Golden beauty

Gold has fantastic antioxidant properties, which makes it a surprisingly useful addition to your skincare cabinet. Investing in gold beauty products comes at a higher price than most people would spend on a beauty lotion. However, you do get the double benefits of luxury feel and amazing properties. Not sure where to start? If you’re worried about avoiding gold scams and fake luxury products, take a look at the list of Midas-inspired serums and masks on www.stylecaster.com. You could brighten up your skin and give it a glorious glow in no time! 

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My 24-karat snack 

You’ve probably come across gold-infused champagne. But the luxury bubbly drink is not the only gourmet food that comes with a golden content. For a whopping $666, you could buy yourself an expensive burger with gold leaf finish. To add to the luxury feel, the burger also contains caviar, foie gras, truffles, and lobster on top of the beef patty. Make sure to finish the meal with Serendipity 3 dessert, which comes with an edible gold leaf and a non-edible keepsake diamond bracelet. It’s yours for £25,000. 

Making gold part of your everyday routine can be a tricky and challenging hobby. However, you can invest in timeless pieces, such as a nugget or a vintage piece of jewelry. Not to your liking? Try a 24-karat gold snack instead! 

Getting Furloughed Is Actually A Chance To Relaunch Your Career

Very few people in the West saw the coronavirus pandemic coming. Even fewer had any idea of the toll that it would take on the economy. Shutting down an entire civilization to control the spread of a disease seemed pretty far-fetched. That, however, is the world that we inhabit today. And it is affecting each of us on a personal level. 

This current crisis, though, isn’t just bad news. It is also an opportunity to do something different. If you’re on furlough, you have a lot of time to think and reflect on your situation. Do you really want to be stuck in the same job forever? Or is there something else that you’d like to do? 

The Importance Of Evaluating Your Career

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Careers are funny things. Before we start them, we dream about what our lives might be like with a stable, secure income. We think about all the things that we could do if we had more money in our lives. 

The first few weeks are usually pretty good. But as they drag on and the office politics escalate, we start to become disenchanted. We start wondering whether there’s a better life out there for us somewhere else. It’s a natural human emotion. 

It is essential, therefore, to periodically evaluate your career. You want to be brutally honest with yourself about whether it is fulfilling your ambitions. Is it something that gets you going in the morning? Or would you prefer to be doing something else? 

It is easy to get stuck in a career routine. You do the same thing every day, earn your money, and then enjoy the rest of your life as best you can. But stasis isn’t healthy. You always need growth. Life is a quest. 

Research Your Options

Furlough gives you plenty of time to research your options too. You can find out which of your skills are in demand and what career moves make sense. Sometimes, you’ll just want to switch to a better company. Other times, you may want to move to an entirely different industry. 

Check out the available jobs online. Write down a shortlist that fits your CV and start approaching potential employers. If they’re advertising for people, it means that they want to hire, even if the economy appears to be doing poorly. 

Pick A New Direction That Challenges You

People tend to be at their best when something is challenging them. They need that pressure to perform and get things right. Without it, they can stagnate and take the easy route - and that’s rarely a good thing!

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Pick a direction that will challenge you. If you’ve always had a desk job, try something more physical. 

If you’ve always worked as an employee, try going for a managerial or leadership position. These new directions will provide you with a genuine challenge and help to build your character. It’s not just about the money. Change itself can help you feel as though you’re living a more fulfilling life. 

Making The Most Of Your Retirement: The Things You Can Do Now For The Future

Heading into retirement can be a daunting prospect. Maybe part of you is secretly looking forward to it. The fact you won’t have to get up to work each day for a start. Perhaps the thought scares you a little. What would you do with all that free time? How will you feel when you finally hit retirement age? Happy or sad. We don’t know for sure how we are going to feel when the time comes. But what we can do is prepare for it. You may not have even thought about it. But the sooner you do, the better you will be in the future. Meaning that the questions you face will be what to do with yourself, and not how am I going to survive? I thought I would share with you the options you have when you reach retirement age.    

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The sooner you think about your finances, the better

It’s a big thing to think about. Your future finances. But it is something that you have to take seriously. The sooner you think about how you will finance your retirement the happier you will be. Both now and of course in the future. There are many options open to you. Workplace pensions, personal pensions, property and equity release. Pensions and property all take planning in the early stages. So now is the time to think about them. Getting yourself on the property ladder as soon as you can is vital for your investment into your future. Once you know where you stand with your finances get a will in place and then regularly update it. Websites like bopprelawfirm.com can prove extremely useful during this time. The more you think about the finance side of things, the better off you will be. 

Use retirement as a chance to see the world

Once you know about your finances the world is your oyster. You could use retirement as a chance to see the world with your partner or loved ones. There is no better time to experience all the things you wanted to do but holiday restrictions stopped you. Keeping your mind engaged and active will only help you in the long run. What better way to enrich your life in your golden years than through travel and experiences new cultures. It’s an exciting time. 

Take up a new hobby to occupy your time

If traveling isn’t your thing, then you could use your retirement as an opportunity to take up a new hobby. You have the time to invest yourself into something new so it could be the perfect thing for you. You could do something with your loved ones or decide to take something up for yourself. There are many options, and it could keep you active within your community. 

Enjoy a slower paced life for possibly the first time 

Or why not enjoy a slower paced life for a change. All those years spent committed to a job or the workplace. Now is the time to invest that time in you and your family. It’s a time to take things easier, notice everything that passed you by before. There is no harm in slowing down and enjoying each day. 

At the end of the day we all work hard, so retirement should be something to look forward to and enjoy. Not to be worried and stressed over.

These Tips Will Help You to Get Paid More For Your Job

Are you sick and tired of not being able to earn enough for the work that you do? Maybe you just want to get more recognition but don’t quite know how to go about getting it. Either way, you can find out everything you want to know, right here.

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Make a Case

There may be no budget for you to get a 10% rise to your salary, but if you have really knocked it out of the park this month, or even this year then make a case for yourself and talk to your manager. It may be that they are able to throw you a one-time bonus or even that they are willing to raise your salary. If you can prove yourself then your company may be willing to compensate you for your hard work. If you are getting pushback then ask your supervisor if the company has some kind of rewards scheme. You can then find out how you apply, or if you are able to get nominated.

Seek Overtime

Another thing that you can do is try and seek overtime. Asking if you can do overtime is one of the best ways for you to boost your paycheck. Depending on your position though, you may not be able to get overtime or it may not exist within the company. If this is the case, then you need to try and ask your employer if they have another variation. Overload payments are very different to overtime and they are used to pay you for any work that falls out of your job description. If you don’t have the right training to do overtime, then consider doing a course. You could even become a licensed contractor if you want.

Referral Bonus

When a business hires a new person, there will be a lot riding on the overall success of the company. Think about it, it takes a lot of resources to train a new employee and you also have to lose out on productivity if the new worker is not up to the task. If you want to try and gain a bonus then try and find out if your company has a referral bonus. If they do, then you may be able to find someone for an upcoming job and then get paid for it. If your company do not offer this right now, then there is no reason why you can’t suggest it for them.

Ask for Paid Time Off

You can also try and ask for paid time off. When you do ask for paid time off, you can easily earn money and you can earn more by going to work for someone else during that time too. Little things like this can make all the difference to your wage and you would be surprised at what a difference it can make to your pay overall. If you want to find out more about that then talk to your company and also see if there are any freelancing jobs out there.

4 Steps to Consider Before Taking a Home Loan

The housing downturn has shown that getting yourself on the property ladder is the just the start. More than simply getting a mortgage, you have to be able to keep your home over the long-term. Making sure you are ready to take the step to owning your own home is of the up most importance. Consider the following four points carefully and you’ll be on your way to affordable financing and a bright future as a home-owner:

Sort Out Your Finances

These days, lenders are more reluctant than ever to issue mortgages, thus lending guidelines have become more restrictive. So it pays to do as much as possible to get your finances into shape before making an application. The first step should always be to order a credit report so that you can check your credit rating. Many credit reporting bureaus offer a free credit report and others offer low-price yearly costs so you can continue to keep an eye on it. Lenders will typically look for consistent on-time bill payment so any missed payments can harm you as well as defaulting on previous loans. If your score is low, work at improving it as a better score can give you a lower rate on your loan.  

Do Your Homework

A solid knowledge of the mortgage market can only help you in getting a better mortgage rate. Look into the loan process including what lenders look for and the criteria you have to meet. You’ll want look at different loan types – from fixed-rate to adjustable-rate mortgages – and check out all the various mortgage provides. You aren't committed to using a bank; you can go for a non bank lender instead. Some will be more willing to lend to first-time buyers and you can use a mortgage broker to get free advice.

Start Saving

To afford the up-front costs of a home ownership  you’ll need a decent amount of savings. Costs include: the down payment, which can range from around 3% to 20% of the purchase price; the deposit, which is typically 2% of the purchase price and will contribute towards the down payment if your offer is accepted; closing costs, which are usually the agents fees for executing the sale, legal fees, appraisals and so on. The lower the amount of down payment you can afford the larger your mortgage and the monthly repayments will be.

Establish a Budget

This is an important thing to do in all aspects of life, but more so when it comes to buying a house. Work out how expensive a property you can afford and make sure you can make any repayments on your current income and if rates increase substantially. As a rough guideline, makes sure your mortgage repayments are no more than a third of your monthly gross income; and that all debt including credit card payments, car financing does not exceed 40%  of your monthly income. Create a budget which takes into account all outgoings so you can work out how much mortgage repayment you would potentially be able to afford. 

2018/2019 Baby Shower Gift Guide

We've found some great gift ideas to welcome new babies into this world. 

Baby showers will begin popping up for Spring soon and we're offering some great ideas for you to gift. Here are some great baby stuff moms and babies both will love. 

Sposie-

Diaper booster pads. Made in the USA from chemical and cruelty free material,Sposie booster pads are the only super absorbent diaper inserts guaranteed to stop overnight leaks!
Perfect for helping baby sleep better!


Just Born -

All available from the Just Born website, these beautifully packaged items from Just Born, a chic and stylish infant soft goods brand, are so gift-able for any new mom or baby. Just born baby products are made with the highest quality materials, designed for your baby to sleep safely and you to sleep soundly. From soft nursery bedding and safe sleepwear to bath time basics, we make sure every baby is a happy baby. Sleep is safer and bath time is better with Just Born. Featuring nursery bedding, bath, accessories and décor, the Sparkle Collection – including the on-trend Sparkle Collection rose gold 4-pack washcloth sets – will add extra shimmer to baby’s beautiful moments

·       Just Born Sparkle Washcloths- 4 pack in pink-

o   Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Your baby will glisten and giggle while washing up with Just Born Sparkle Washcloths in Pink. This 4-pack of super soft washcloths comes in coordinating white and blush pink colors with touches of gold shimmer. Soft woven cotton washcloths allow you and your little one to be prepared for Valentine’s Day in style.

·       Just Born Sparkle Fitted Crib Sheet-

o   You and your little dreamer will love the pretty shimmer and shine of Just Born's Sparkle Fitted Crib Sheet. With heart shaped glimmer designs all over, the soft cotton sheet will add a touch of Valentine’s spark to your nursery.

Yookidoo Gymotion Lay to Sit-Up Play-

A 3 stage extra padded play gym that easily transforms into a supportive, upright, portable seat enabling baby to sit, play, and interact with the world while sitting upright.

·         More than 20 developmental activities and plenty of toys to move around:

·         A battery operated motion activated musical plane.

·         A large double sided tummy time pillow with loops for easy toy attachment.

·         A large baby safe mirror for hanging on arch or standing on mat.

·         A royal teething rattle.

·         An easy to grasp dog rattle with colorful sliding beads.

·         Easily folds for convenient storage or travel.

 Tiny Princess Tales Take Along Mobile-

• The Tiny Princess Tales Take Along Mobile is an adorable toy that gives baby a sense of familiarity while on the go, soothing baby with relaxing tunes and slow motion that encourage EQ. It offers 30 mins of continuous music featuring 5 different tunes.
• The Take Along Mobile features sweet characters from the Tiny Princess Tales™ collection that inspire and engage babies’ imagination at home and outside.
• The Take Along Mobile has a designated connector for each mode of use: universal attachment clip lets you hang the mobile on cribs, strollers, bassinets, or nightstands.
• The Take Along Mobile makes for a great baby shower gift as its super versatile and helps keep baby entertained, including for those on-the-go moments when babies might get fussy, while also stimulating their development and growth.

**Watch this spot for upcoming baby gift ideas for Spring 2019 coming soon.