Soft skils

Soft vs Technical Skills, What Should Job Seekers Prioritise?

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The soft vs technical skills debate is as old as the Pepsi vs Coke discussion that has been around for as long as we can remember. Job seekers over the years have prioritised acquiring technical/professional skills, yes they have been told that soft skills matter. but academia has always emphasised the importance of technical skills. While there are some roles in different organisations that require the incumbent to be technically qualified, it is also true that in this digital era some people are being hired mainly because of their soft skills. So what are soft skills you may want to know, according to The Balance Career:

Soft skills relate to how you work. Soft skills include interpersonal (people) skills, communication skills, listening skills, time management, and empathy, among others.

While one needs a certificate to get the job, the truth is many are qualified, there is a technical skills oversubscription in many parts of the world spread over different disciplines. Some technical skills are even becoming obsolete as the world steps two feet deep into the 4th Industrial Revolution. There is a high possibility that whenever you apply for a job, there are tens if not hundreds of other applicants and of course, technical skills will get you an interview. However, your ability to interact with others and your time management skills and empathy which will be part of your interview one way or the other get you through the door.

But enough rhetoric about soft vs technical skills, many have been hired without enough technical skills, some were told to go and upgrade a few technical skills and come back and when they did, their jobs were there. Some were hired on spot without the recruiters even seeing their portfolios or resume. Why, because they impressed recruiters with their soft skills more than with their technical skills. According to Legal Jobs, you only have 7 seconds to make a first impression on the recruiter. It is important to know that given the fact that there is high demand for many jobs, soft skills are more important than technical skills. Some companies like Ernst and Young, Google, and IBM will hire someone in some fields who does not have a certificate in that field but can prove their aptitude to do the tasks at hand. Given how Generation Z has pressed a major reset of how things are done in more ways than one, it is not surprising that more companies will hire more people with less technical skills certificates but with major soft skills.

International Awareness Day

Do International Awareness Days Make A Difference?

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This week the world is celebrating international breastfeeding week one of many international awareness days celebrated throughout the year in the health industry. Days are set aside for different cancers, ailments, chronic and communicable diseases. Throughout the year people undertake different activities to try and raise awareness around the cause that the day has been dedicated to. Health workers are also celebrated and recognised for their hard work serving the human race. While many of these international awareness days are set by the World Health Organisation, the United Nations also sets some the days like World Autism Awareness Day.

Over the years different activities to commemorate these days have been planned and executed and up to this day, one wonders if the efforts placed in the campaigns are enough to help people manage and raise awareness of these diseases. Deep in rural Africa, on weeks like this, the breastfeeding week, community and village health workers would formulate jingles encouraging breastfeeding before people were attended to at local clinics. These jingles are still imbedded in the people that were made to listen to them’s minds upto this day. A few weeks ago on social media a lady was singing the jingle that she said she was made to sing back in the early 90s about breast feeding.

Social media has helped us spread the message we are supposed to spread to others on international awareness days on a broader spectrum, however not everone has access to social media. More effort is needed in reaching other communities that have no access to technology. However making jingles, posting about it on social media and forgetting about it till next year is not enough. More effort is needed in teaching people about how to manage these conditions, prevent them and to tell others about them. The campaigns we are doing need to be multi-tiered. They need to reach everyone, in all spheres this will need to include messages to be printed in different languages on media that can reach everyone. Community health stations also need to be the epicenters of spreading these awareness messages so that they reach everyone.

Check out our other blogs on various subjects.

Work ethic

Why We All Need Strong Work Ethics Today

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The ongoing recession hitting many parts of the world demands many things from us, among them better or relatively strong work ethics to wade through these murky waters, if we are to come out of it in a better state. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic plunged the world into a series of bad global outcomes. Families were gravely affected, dreams were shuttered, economies were hit hard and corporations were forced to revise their models to operate under difficult circumstances. Jobs were grossly affected and unemployment is at its all-time highest in some countries. Organisations are fighting to stay afloat and employees have found themselves in situations that demand them to work harder but receive very little to no reward. It is an open secret that today, even though there is little to no reward for the work employees are doing, they actually need to upgrade themselves and have stronger work ethics. According to career consultants Indeed:

Work ethics is an attitude of determination and dedication toward one’s job

While still trying to escape the pandemic-induced hardships organisations have started rebuilding. This phase will be a make or break season for many organisations which will separate organisations that will survive the post-COVID-19 era from organisations that will be obliterated into the abssy by the recession or other problems bedevilling many economies. In the midst of all that, employees need to work harder and have stronger work ethics for the following reasons:

  1. In some cases to retain and keep their jobs – Companies and organisations are fighting to improve productivity, efficiency and financial performance. This means many organisations will be ready to part ways with personnel that is reluctant to work and or fulfil their obligations. Many of us are expandable at our jobs right now and if we do not display strong work ethics, we might make it easy for our superiors to cut us loose.
  2. To rebuild after the pandemic – many jobs were affected by the pandemic, and many small businesses even big corporations found themselves downsizing or even closing because of the complications that were brought about by the pandemic. It’s only natural that since efforts have been made to control the pandemic, rebuilding has to start and for us to get to the pre-COVID-19 era in performance, we have to have stiffer work ethics.
  3. To survive – many organisations are fighting to survive given the ongoing recession ravaging many parts of the world. This means all hands have to be on deck if organisations are to survive the recession and live long enough to fight through it. This means more robust work ethics are needed now than before if we are interested in staying afloat or planning on making a comeback.

Self Care

3 Self-Care Tips That Will Blow Your Mind

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When we say self-care tips, we are opening an avenue that is too broad because different people have different definitions of the term self-care. However, for today we will use the World Health Organisation’s definition of self-care which states that:

The ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider

So, based on the WHO’s definition of self-care it could be right that those self-care tips we see on social media suggesting that we block our friends and relatives from nagging us and causing us anxiety are to an extent right. Because in the end, self-care is basically making decisions each minute that will better serve you on all fronts and maintaining your physical and mental health.

We have heard so much about eating a healthy diet to maintain a healthy body, trying to stay away from things that will trigger you emotionally or mentally and exercising among other self-care tips. However, for today we will talk about three things that will enhance your self-care in a way that will blow your mind.

  1. Socialising with others. A dynamically balanced human being does not live on an island. People who eat healthily, exercise, and get enough sleep but go about declaring themselves proud loners are not taking care of themselves perfectly. We all need a vibrant or at least a good amount of human interaction with others as they also help us see the world through their eyes which is good for our mental strength.
  2. Knowing when to draw the line. Many people have problems setting boundaries because they don’t want to offend others or they don’t want to be excommunicated or be branded bad names by family, friends or colleagues. As a result, many are offended and their egos are bruised in many ways but they swallow it up because they still want to appear as that nice relative, coworker or friend. Setting healthy boundaries and speaking up or letting people know you are not happy and going to bed with a smile is the most underrated self-care tip of all time.
  3. Leaving situations that are not ideal without looking back. Be it a friendship, a relationship, a home, a job, or a school, if it is causing you sleepless nights, costing you peace and making you unhappy on many levels learn to walk away and be prepared to start afresh. One sleepless night is too many to spend it anxiously looking for a solution to pacify non-ideal situations.

Remember not to mistake self-care for self-indulgence or being selfish, just like what WHO said, it is important to maintain a healthy body and mind but not by transferring it to someone else. Read more of our self-care tips on some of our previous blogs.

Nurse Aide Helping

I’m A Qualified Nurse Aide, I Can’t Find A UK Sponsor, What Else Can I Do?

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Over the last few months, the UK government has given many an opportunity to live and work in the UK. We have on this blog run a series of how you can migrate to the UK as a health worker. Health Care Assistants/Support Workers/Nurse Aides migrated in droves to the UK in 2021 and 2022 mainly because getting a Nurse Aide qualification is not a long tedious process. Given the recession that is blanketing many economies in the world, unemployment at its highest in most countries, many flocked to Nurse Aides training centres and obtained the qualifications.

However, after qualifying and meeting some of the requirements needed to obtain a UK Health and Care Work VISA many are still trying to find a sponsor to give them a job and a sponsorship certificate as per UK government requirements for one to obtain a VISA. Hundreds if not thousands are stuck on that stage and possibly despairing as weeks turn into months with no sponsor in sight.

Well, optimists are all for looking for a silver lining on every dark cloud and today I will try and detail 2 options that you might sparingly call silver lining to the dark cloud that might be engulfing your horizons. If you are a qualified Nurse Aide who can’t find a sponsor in the UK, you can try and find Support Work In Canada and you can use the Nurse Aide qualification and English Test you have obtained to look for a job. All you need to do is go on social media and on Google to find agents and or recruiters who can hire you and try to figure out the rest by constantly checking with the Canadian Embassy in your country or via their website. According to an officer at a Canadian Immigration firm the author spoke to, here is a checklist of the requirements for one to obtain a Home Support Worker Pilot Permit (HSWPP):

  • Language proficiency – IELTS General Training (Band 5)
  • Academic assessment – WES
  • Certification in basic first aid/CPR
  • All degrees or professional certificates
  • CV tailored to show your experience as a caregiver
  • Reference letter from your service user to prove that you are working as their caregiver
  • Questionnaire to be filled
  • 2 Passport photographs – https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/new-immigrants/pr-card/apply-renew-replace/photo.html
  • Police certificate (Any country you have lived in for up to 6 months)
  • International Passport of the applicant and all dependents (Must have more than 6 months validity left
  • Birth certificate of applicant and all dependents
  • Marriage certificate, change of name and newspaper publication for all applicants (If married and changed name)

Perhaps Canada is not for you, you have another option, of finding work on the cruise ships which recruit many people in different roles especially those that speak many languages and have basic first aid training. Ask your friends to give you links to recruiters recruiting cruise ship workers. If you have none of those, Google is your friend.

Psychoactive Drugs

Psychoactive Drugs, A Blessing Or A Curse?

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Are Psychoactive Drugs a blessing or a curse? As Health workers, we are sometimes discouraged from expressing our opinions on most things medical because in most cases lives have been saved by those procedures, drugs etc, however, we have to discuss this paradox. Are psychoactive drugs a blessing or an ill to our society? The African country of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is endowered with rich minerals from Diamond to Gold to Chrome. However many scholars, investigators, and politicians just to name a few have agreed on one thing. Even though DRC is rich, the country is beleaguered by the plenty paradox or the resource curse. DRC is and has for years been facing political instability and most scholars have pinpointed the plenty plus resources( a very good thing) as the biggest reason for the political instability (a very bad thing). How can such a good thing lead to such a bad result is the paradox that has confused so many people who follow events in DRC. However, it can also point to one thing, in some cases, even the noblest ideas, even the purest of intentions can result in a very bad situation out of many people’s control. Could this be the case with Psychoactive Drugs?

Well, A Psychoactive Drug according to the National Cancer Institute Of America is:

A drug or other substance that affects how the brain works and causes changes in mood, awareness, thoughts, feelings, or behavior. Examples of psychoactive substances include alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, marijuana, and certain pain medicines. Many illegal drugs, such as heroin, LSD, cocaine, and amphetamines are also psychoactive substances. Also called psychotropic substance.

Given the increase in mental health matters globally, even in the UK, psychoactive drugs like Benzodiazepines which are usually prescribed for mental health conditions which include but are not limited to seizures, anxiety, insomnia, etc have helped many patients and saved many families from heartache and prolonged pain. Many psychoactive drugs have also helped people go through the infamous novel coronavirus pandemic that brought the world to a standstill. Without such modern medicines, there would have been a second epidemic if not another pandemic of people not coping with the measures put in place to fight the novel coronavirus. Mind.Org says 8% of the British population is suffering from mixed anxiety and depression, this means millions of people in the UK only need Psychoactive Drugs. Alcohol for instance is also used for recreational purposes and there are many people who are surviving and making a living because of alcohol, bearing in mind the global alcoholic drinks industry is worth a staggering US$1.49 trillion.

On another note, our societies are seeing an increase in drug abuse. While illicit drug abuse is on the rise, (1 in 11 adults in the UK takes or has taken illicit drugs) it’s also true that even some drugs like pain medication and drugs used to manage or cure mental health conditions are being abused. On The 11th of July, each year, the World Commemorates World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day to try and raise awareness over the dangers of the prolonged use of Benzodiazepine. Some people are chronically dependent on pain medication which is also a form of addiction. We will never have enough time to talk about alcohol addiction on this blog because the cases are plenty. Can we then say that these Psychoactive Drugs are our society’s curse given the likelihood of our people becoming addicts and abusing these drugs once they have taken them for one reason or another? No, as alluded to above, these drugs have done more harm than good. They have saved lives, prolonged lives and in some cases slowed down the progression of some diseases. This is a win mostly for some families who are still enjoying brunch together on Sundays. The fact that some families were robbed of their young ones or their family members due to drugs is sad but such incidences could have been avoided if society had taken the time to fight some of the problems they are facing because of those drugs

Just like in DRC, the minerals are not a problem. It is the powerful politicians who are abusing their custodial rights to govern the land which are causing political instability leading to the plenty paradox we spoke about. Psychoactive Drugs are by far a blessing to society as they offer relief to patients in dire need and in some cases deliver that occasional recreational flair we all need to keep a balanced life. We should however fight as societies to keep members of our societies from abusing them and bringing social ills and crimes into our neighbourhoods. Awareness Campaigns and Rehabilitation Centers should be every society’s priority to ensure that drug abuse of any sort is dealt with and or managed and individuals rehabilitated. Pressure groups, churches, and civil society organisation should intensify their daily message against drug abuse because one person lost to drug abuse of any sort is one too many if we have something to do about it.

Health workers should lead from the front in raising awareness over the abuse of legal and illegal psychoactive drugs because they know first-hand how people are unnecessarily losing their lives to drug misuse.

What do you think, are psychoactive drugs a blessing or a curse? While at it check out our other blogs

Must Have Technoloy In Healthcare

3 Must-Haves Technologies In Healthcare

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Technology has brought us so many conveniences, before we dive right into the must-have technologies in healthcare, let me take you back a bit. Imagine how we can now video chat with our loved ones on another continent. Long back if you needed to reach someone on another continent you had to go to them through a ship which would sometimes capsize and not reach its destinations. Nowadays tasks that usually take hours are now being done by robotic arms in minutes if not seconds. The technology wave has engulfed many if not all industries in the world and the healthcare industry has not been spared.

in the year 2022, these are must-have technologies in healthcare for a hospital, a health worker’s smartphone, a clinic, a surgery just to name a few:

  1. e-Consullting Systems – since the advent of email, and e-money, one way or the other, e-consultations were not supposed to be far behind. e-Consulting is usually used not only for consultation services but for patient remote monitoring in some cases, and we must admit, the use of such systems was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic Hospitals, surgeries, and clinics can and will benefit immensely from such systems.
  2. Artificial Intelligence-Based Medical devices – the advent of x-rays and other medical devices gave birth to so many advanced technologies that are being used in healthcare. Many devices that are connected to the internet, and are smart in terms of making use of artificial intelligence technology are being invented and they have become trailblazers in modern medicine. For example, imagine systems and those heart attack probability predicting devices have saved lives and if possible should be mass-produced and accessible in many parts of the globe
  3. Wearable Devices – Fitness trackers, wearable ECG monitors, wearable blood pressure monitors, and wearable biosensors even in their infancy have become a must-have technology as millions of these devices are being manufactured in many parts of the globe. Both health workers and patients benefit greatly from these devices which also improve the quality or frequency of patient remote monitoring and help patients know their statistics in some cases, in real-time.

Technology is however without any problems and even though it will make patient management, diagnostic and other things better, we can not deny that it has also brought some unwanted results even in healthcare.

Poor Time Management

5 Effective Workplace Time Management Strategies

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If you are like me you probably struggle to keep time, be on time and in some instances finish something on time. I am one of those students that would struggle to research or do preliminary work on an assignment at university till the day before it’s due. I’m that one person that in most cases arrive five minutes after the time we agreed to meet or start has already lapsed. I will probably do that important project under pressure because I will either miscalculate my time, overestimate my capacity or underestimate the task at hand up until the time to complete it is a few hours, minutes or days away. Sound familiar? Are you also one of those chronic latecomers to any function?

According to behavioural expert Somia Zaman, people are always late because of a number of reasons which include:

  1. Over scheduling their days. 
  2. Setting up unrealistic plans for the day
  3. Chronic procrastination
  4. Some form of anxiety which makes the transition from one place to another difficult
  5. Poor time keeping in general.

Some experts believe that some people developed the problem of chronic lateness from their parents at a young age. While Zaman also explains that time management for people with Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a bit difficult.

We have to admit that sometimes lateness and poor time management affect our work and of course, this will, in turn, affect our bottom line. In case you want to be better at time keeping, these 5 tools and strategies will help you manage your time.

  1. Establish a routine if possible, this will be embedded in your brain, making tasks easy to carry out as you settle into your routine.
  2. Avoid multitasking. This will divide your attention and energy which might affect your time management
  3. Have a daily or weekly planner with reminders and if possible set an alarm to prompt you to remember the tasks.
  4. If possible find a way to automate repetitive tasks. For example, find a tool that will schedule all your appointments for the week and always schedule those repetitive appointments first so that you will be notified on time to attend to them
  5. Using time management tools like Trello, Dropbox, Scoro, Wanderlust, Harvest and many free tools available on the internet can help you manage your time and be productive in more ways than one.

Productivity

5 Ways To Improve Productivity At Your Workplace

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Management has from time immemorial have oftentimes struggled to develop effective ways to improve productivity in their workplaces. The problem was then exacerbated by the pandemic and the advent of remote working. Remote working contributed to decreased productivity in some organisations as people took time to do other things during working hours. not to discredit the fact that in some organisations people still take time off their work to do other things unrelated to their work. Productivity is still a problem in many workplaces and managers and supervisors are still cracking their heads over this problem even when the world is now moving into the fourth industrial revolution. Productivity is defined as the effectiveness of productive effort. The amount of labour, capital and time being put into production measured against the output or the outcome.

In many cases, especially in the service industry, it is hard to measure productivity because the organisation’s output is measured as a whole and there is no room or method that can be used to measure productive individual effort. However, there are other things that just affect an individual’s productivity these include but are not limited to:

  • Distractions,
  • Low employee morale
  • Poor management
  • Poor time management
  • Poor communication

Hard as it might be to motivate people to stay efficient, effective and productive at all times, something has to be done in order to help organisations maintain standards at all costs. There are a few things management can implement to improve productivity, these include:

  • According to Indeed a career development platform, it’s always advisable to set smaller objectives. this will not put too much pressure on the employees in a bid to fulfil them and retain or keep their jobs.
  • Implement effective time management strategies for example setting reminders, setting personal deadlines for some tasks and establishing a routine where applicable and using time management tools like the Pomodoro strategy among other tools.
  • Find a way whenever possible to limit or reduce interruptions and disruptions in a workplace. Some organisations discourage the use of phones during working hours to limit disruptions.
  • Whenever possible delegate tasks, separate your work life and your personal life and always make sure that you have a reasonable workload. Even superhumans need to rest too.
  • Do your heavy work, or the heavy lifting when you are at your best. This means if you know you are most energetic in the morning, then do the hard work then so that you will not be tired and timid when it’s time to do some heavy work later on.
New Perspective

Why It’s Imperative To Foster New Perspectives In Health Care

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Over the past two decades, the world has seen so much change, infact, according to unofficial reports, the world will see a technological change between 2020 and 2025 that is equivalent to the change the world experienced between 1900 and 2000. Some, if not many of us are having a hard time coping with the ever-changing world. Policymakers, decision-makers, professionals, and researchers alike are also trying to catch up with the swift changes happening around them. In some cases, decisions that affect other people take time to be implemented. This has adversely affected people who heavily rely on policymakers to implement changes one way or the other.

Change is overtaking the world, it’s a fact, with that view in mind, there is a need to foster new perspectives in health care. Regulations in the Health Care Industry have to be constantly reviewed. Organising and constantly reviewing methods, tactics, strategies and decisions must be done at regular intervals. Reforming the health care industry in line with the ever-changing needs, cultural norms and environment is imperative.

The ever-changing landscape in the UK healthcare system characterised by changes in technology and technologies that could improve patient care needs to be examined and solutions that will benefit patients and professionals implemented. Because technology adoption in healthcare is a bit slow, healthcare policymakers and decision-makers need to have an open mind about the following technologies and if possible seek the adoption.

  1. Multifaceted medical devices for patient monitoring
  2. Diagnostics devices
  3. Communication technology between patients and carers and other professionals
  4. Administration and transactions systems.

These will help in patient management, lessening the burdensome administrative work health care professionals have to sort out and deliver cut-edge service to the people who need Healthcare the most in the UK because of its efficiency, thereby driving new perspectives in health care. Technology has become the new norm in this new industrial revolution, and it shall intensify in the next four years, the only new perspective in this scenario is to adopt it swiftly or be overtaken by the technology wave.