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Repetitive Strain Injury and your Employment

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Repetitive Strain Injury is also known as cumulative trauma disorder (CTD), which is just one of many different names associated with Repetitive Strain Injury. The effect of Repetitive Strain Injury comes as the result of overusing a tool such as a computer, guitar or knife; basically any activity that requires repeated movements. Repetitive Strain Injury affects your muscles, tendons and nerves in your hands, arms and upper back.

Repetitive Strain Injury is a medically accepted condition, which occurs when muscles in your hands, arms and upper back are kept tense for long periods of time due to poor posture and repetitive motions. Some people also believe that stress is a main cause of Repetitive Strain Injury rather than it just being a contributing factor this is because of aspects such as job demands, poor support from colleagues and work dissatisfaction may cause an employee to work harder without realising the potential damage that they could be causing through Repetitive Strain Injury.

The effects of Repetitive Strain Injury may take months, even years to develop and in many cases starts with a slight ache that gradually gets worse. Once the problem of Repetitive Strain Injury has started the problem can get that bad that severe pain may be felt most of the time, even with only the slightest movement.

Anyone whose job involves repetitive movements is at risk of developing Repetitive Strain Injury. The risk is increased by spending long periods of time without a break or sitting on an uncomfortable chair. The symptoms of Repetitive Strain Injury can often vary from person to person but the most common three include pain, numbness and tingling; you also may find it difficult to hold objects. If you start to feel any of the following then it may be indicating the onset of Repetitive Strain Injury:

Recurring pain (myalgia) or soreness in neck, shoulders, upper back, wrists or hands. Tingling, numbness, coldness or loss of sensation. Loss of grip strength, lack of endurance, weakness. Muscles in the arms and shoulders feel hard and wiry when palpated. Pain or numbness while lying in bed. Often early stage RSI sufferers mistakenly think they are lying on their arms in an awkward position cutting off circulation

In many, if not all cases of Repetitive Strain Injury the treatment that you will receive will be given so that it targets all the major areas of your body that may be affected i.e. arms and upper back. So how exactly can Repetitive Strain Injury be prevented? When you are working in an environment that requires you to perform repetitive motions there are a few things that you can do that will reduce your risk of Repetitive Strain Injury such as warming up and cooling down your muscles, taking regular breaks throughout the day, having an appropriate workstation and a good seating position.

Pre-employment Screening Of Doctors

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Verification Of Professional Degrees

Among other things, doctors as a profession and Healthcare as an industry share a common need a good reputation. For doctors their good name is as important as their medical skills and abilities. For hospitals, an excellent reputation is as desirable as modern equipment and the best facilities.

A good name, like good will, is got by many actions and lost by one.. Lord Jeffery

When the good name is brought into disrepute it is the hardest of tasks to remedy. That is precisely the predicament in which Delhi hospitals find themselves.

Over the last few months there has been a spate of reports in various media about unscrupulous people practicing medicine and masquerading as doctors. They have been carrying on their wicked work without the education, training or qualifications to do so. These quacks have even infiltrated the sanctums of private hospitals and are no more confined to the narrow lanes and backstreets of crowded slums and unauthorized colonies.

Reports reveal that the problem is rather large and widespread. Large enough to be alarming. The, now dissolved, Medical Council of India had estimated that the number of quacks operating in the Delhi region would be about 40,000! Now compare that number with 45,000 (DMC database), which is the number of genuine registered doctors.

The erstwhile Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) have been working hard to get a grip on the problem and clean out the Augean stables. As a result of their efforts some 25 fake doctors were discovered working in respected private hospitals. These quacks have been suspended – with police cases filed against them – and are now enmeshed in the judicial process.

The lesson to be taken from these findings is that hospitals should wake up quickly to the vital necessity of verifying the educational and medical qualifications and antecedents of the medical staff they hire. They cannot afford being tarnished by the bad reputation that comes with hiring quacks and other unqualified medical personnel.

Background Screening and authentication of education qualifications should be rigorously carried out along with checks of professional degrees and references. These checks are especially crucial in an industry such as healthcare where the price of wrong hiring could be the loss of a life.
In a recent AuthBridge study, Background Screening Trends: October 08 July 09 it was found that 69% of discrepant cases relating to education were due to fake/forged documents. The bigger picture is even more disquieting. They show that 30% of all the cases we handled were discrepant – for a variety of reasons. Of these the majority pertained to false and fake qualifications. While these statistics do not directly relate to the medical profession, it is a pointer to what could be the magnitude of the problem facing it.

While hospitals of all hues and sizes need to be alive to the seriousness of the problem, it is also important for the various medical governing bodies to conduct checks of their own. They too have to retain their good name and integrity of their associations. The reconstituted Medical Council of India has to work, now and in its future avatar, to safeguard its international reputation too.

The following quotation is rather apt in the light of the problem. A good name is better than precious ointment (Ecclesiastes 7:1).

Read More: http://www.authbridge.com/resource-center/industry-updates.html

employment attorney Orange County California Whistleblowers

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Many California employees contact us to find out if they are entitled to “whistleblower” protection. Both state and federal laws protect persons who report illegal activity by their employers says employment attorney Orange County. To be protected, an employee usually only has to have a “reasonable but mistaken belief” that illegal activity is afoot. In California, whistleblowers are protected by Labor Code 1102.5 which prohibits retaliation against an employee who complains about illegal activity. This is a very tough law for employers to prevail on, since the very next code section (1102.6) provides that the burden of proof is on the employer to prove by clear and convincing evidence that the whistleblowing about illegal activities had nothing to do with the adverse employment action.

According to employment lawyer Orange County, an employee can claim retaliation under the federal qui tam laws, where it is shown that the whistleblower was discharged, demoted, or discriminated against because of lawful acts done in furtherance of a false claims investigation. If the relator basically violates confidentiality and removes tens of thousands of documents indiscriminately, in order to later prove a qui tam case, there will probably be a finding of non-protected activity and the loss of the right to bring a retaliation action under the federal law.

When a whistleblower actually sues his or her former employer on behalf of the government for monies lost by the government, it must be shown that the government was actually defrauded and lost money says employment attorney Oakland. The federal false claim act is found at 31 United State Code 3729. A recent case illustrates some of the differences in “reasonable but mistaken” (sufficient to support a wrongful termination claim) and actual false billings. In this case the plaintiff contended that her employer withheld disclosure of new inventions from the government, stating that the contract with the company provided that the government owned the inventions. As the government would have had the right to license and sell these new inventions, the theory of the employee went, the United States was defrauded by not having that right of sale. Unfortunately for the plaintiff, she was unable to allege that the employer ever sought payment from the government and had not submitted a “false claim”.

Employment attorney San Diego says that false claims take many forms such as fraudulent use of a receipt; unauthorized purchase of government property or use of a “false record or statement” to avoid payment to the government. Another recent case held that a request for reimbursement that falsely implied compliance with federal rules might constitute a false claim. “Reverse false claims” are also actionable. In one such case, the defendant company falsely represented the value of some aircraft metals as “scrap”, whereas in fact it was worth several million dollars. A false claim was properly stated. Finally, it’s important to determine if the false claim was in a “condition of participation” or a “condition of payment”. No false claim is usually stated if the defendant accused of defrauding the govenment is simply falsely certifying compliance (such as non-discrimination) with a federal program or is actually billing falsely.

Financial rewards for whistleblowers can be huge! Under California state laws, up to 30% can be awarded to the whistleblower. Routinely, about 15-20% is awarded in federal false claims actions.

As always, this blog is educational in nature and legal advise can only be given by an experienced attorney in your jurisdiction.

Employment and the Job Interview

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If you are seeking employment then at some point in time you will have to have a job interview. How you are perceived at this job interview is what may get you hired so a job interview is very important for future employment. Another important factor included in this employment process is your resume. When you go in offer a job interview you have to be prepared. Just remember that Boy Scout motto of Be Prepared and do your preparation thoroughly so you can’t look back and blame your own actions and preparation for not getting the job.

The Preparation:

When you are looking for a position in just about any organization whether it be public or private or even non-profit you will need to do your homework before you apply. This should include researching the company so you know something about its history or background. Also you should find out how it is doing financially if it is publically traded or has that information available to the public. Of course if it is a private family owned company that information will not be available to you. Although you might be able to do some research if it is a licensed company or has to have a city business license.

The second step is your own preparation which includes preparing a resume that you probably will have to send along with some form of application and cover letter. If you have found the potential job online such as a government position the website will have exactly what you will need to complete and send in before you will be granted an interview. Follow these instructions exactly if you have any expectations as to getting an interview. Some of the requirements may seem strange for example a city position may ask that you hand write an outline or your thoughts on a separate piece of paper and include that with your application. If they as for it, just do it. They have their reasons which may be that they want to see if you can follow directions.

The Job Interview:

If all of your paperwork passes scrutiny you may receive a telephone call asking you to come in for an interview. If you get to this stage you really must be prepared and know something about the company or agency and also about yourself. You will have to present yourself as confident and knowledgeable. And you will have to make sure what you tell them in the interview corresponds with your resume. You may be asked to play act such as what would you do if- If this is the case just think quickly and describe your response to the best of your ability. They expect you to be nervous and would probably be surprised if you were not a bit nervous. You may also have to take some sort of written test so keep that in mind also. This is a long process which requires you to be at your very best.

Job Search aggregates job postings from major Job Boards, newspapers and company websites in the US. Jobseekers can easily find their dream jobs in one simple click.

Make Employee Write Up, Employment Letter Of Recommendation, And Offer Letters Manageable

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If you are a supervisor, there are parts of your job that you love. You may like the responsibility, or perhaps you enjoy bringing out the strengths in your employees. Unfortunately, there is likely one area of your job you dislike: employee paperwork.

With supervision of employees brings what feels like a mountain of administrative paperwork. From an employee write up to an employment letter of recommendation to employment offer letters, forms can feel overwhelming.
The a href=”http://www.theofficepress.com/employee-write-up.htm”>Employee Write Up pile can be especially daunting, as the employee write up brings with it many negative emotions. Not only do subordinates feel embarrassment or anger at the site of an employee write up, but many supervisors are uncomfortable discussing one. An employee write up can easily turn into a confrontation instead of the learning tool it was meant to be.

For an employee write up to be beneficial, not just for the individual, but for the company, it must be handled appropriately by the supervisor. The language of the employee write up must be extremely clear and come across as attempting to help the employee get back on track, not as an effort to sabotage a career.
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is an employment letter of recommendation. If a subordinate is in good standing, an employment letter of recommendation is a good experience for everyone involved. An employment letter of recommendation is a perfect opportunity for positive affirmation.

An employment letter of recommendation can be for a transfer, or an employment letter of recommendation can help a former employee start a new job. When you seek to hire, employment offer letters make your intent official. Employment offer letters must be very clear and well-written.
Because a href=”http://www.theofficepress.com/employment-offer-letters.htm”>Employment Offer Letters are not frequently used in small business, as employment offer letters are only needed if a company expands or replaces a position, they are sometimes over-looked. Employment offer letters are important, however, as employment offer letters may impact the decision of your top recruits.

Even though paperwork may not be your favorite part of the job, these forms serve an essential function. From happy occasions like an a href=”http://www.theofficepress.com/employment-letter-of-recommendation.htm”>Employment Letter Of Recommendation to the often- dreaded employee discipline papers, paperwork is inevitable.
Services do exist to help save time and increase positive outcomes of all the forms discussed here, and more. With these services, your paperwork tasks can be a very manageable part of the day.