Tag Archives: Medical Jobs

CAO points for Medicine are up again

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Leaving Cert Students

Leaving Cert Students

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to the Irish Medical Times, the points requirement for undergraduate medicine is up again, following the recent initial round of Central Applications Office offers for third-level courses.

 Trinity is up 10 to 741, the RCSI is also up 10 to 733, UCD is up 13 to 738 and NUI Galway and UCC are up nine points to 729 and 734 respectively.

A big change in course preference has emerged among students. CAO points required for entry to courses in science, technology and agriculture have increased dramatically, as students opt for programmes with better job prospects.

The points needed for courses in arts and business, meanwhile, are in decline, as are places on courses associated with the construction industry.

In contrast, science and computer courses, which have traditionally struggled to attract students, are booming.

The requirement for entry to science at UCD is up again this year to 455.

Five years ago, school-leavers could secure a place on the course with fewer than 300 points.

Jackie Brown becomes a Fellow

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Jackie Brown becomes a Fellow

Jackie Brown becomes a Fellow

We are delighted to congratulate Jackie Brown on being awarded Fellowship of the National Recruitment Federation (NRF)

She has also recently successfully completed the only Recruitment Practice qualification in Ireland – The NRF Cert in Recruitment Practice.

She is currently one of the only people in Ireland with these 2 Accolades.

Speaking about her recent Award and Certificate, Jackie says – ‘I am thrilled with becoming a Fellow of The National Recruitment Federation. It is essential as Recruiters in Ireland, we are encouraged to always be proud of what we do and to become better at what we do. The more the NRF do to keep the Recruitment Practice in Ireland as a Profession to be proud of and one to be commended, the better.

We take our job seekers careers in our hands every day and it is so important to represent them as professionally and to the best of our ability.

It is not only their career, more often these days, it is their livelihood and life balance and we can make a difference to them. That is both an honour and a priviledge and we must have confidence and capability for our job seekers to be able to trust their future in our hands.

The NRF have been brilliant for our Industry in Ireland in terms of bringing it forward to a profession to be proud of and recognised.

The Code of Conduct and now the recent Certificate Course they have commenced will go a long way in ensuring that Recruiters takes this Profession seriously and our job seekers can be assured of a Legal and Professional Practice when they hand their career and future in to their Recruiters hands.

I am personally and professionally thrilled to now represent my Job Seekers and Client Companies with 11 years experience in Medical Recruitment, Fellowship of the NRF and now the Certificate in Recruitment Practice.

In my own Business @ Jackie Brown Medical, it is standard practice that we are Members of the NRF and Recruit at the highest possible standard and we use the NRF Code of Practice in all we do.

When I won the’ Recruiter of the Year’  Award in 2008, this was of benefit to my Business to ensure Best Practice at all times. Now with this Fellowship and Certificate in Recruitment Practice, this will now ensure we continue to work at the highest possible standard of Recruitment for our Job Seekers and our Client Companies.

It has been a long time coming, but the NRF are to be commended for their continued effort to reward and encourage this Best Practice in Recruitment Industry in Ireland’.

Late nights are a ticking time bomb for Health

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Late nights bad for our healthAccording to Irishhealth.com,  people who are often deprived of sleep or have disrupted sleep patterns may be at an increased risk of suffering serious health problems, including heart attacks and stroke, new evidence suggests.

Today’s economy has significant stress, loss of jobs, financial difficulty and this will have an effect on our sleep.

In a new job or in current times, people want to prove themselves and this can lead to working long hours.

Stress and worry for our job searchers can also reduce sleep drastically and leave our job seekers feeling exhausted which can be reflected at interview.

UK researchers looked at studies involving 470,000 people in eight countries, including the UK, Sweden and the US. They found that poor sleep can have serious, long-term health implications.

“If you sleep less than six hours per night and have disturbed sleep, you stand a 48% greater chance of developing or dying from heart disease and a 15% greater chance of developing or dying of a stroke,” explained lead researcher, Prof Francesco Cappuccio, of the University of Warwick.

He said that the current trend for late nights and early mornings ‘is actually a ticking time bomb for our health’ and advised people to ‘act now to reduce the risk of developing these life-threatening conditions’.

“There is an expectation in today’s society to fit more into our lives. The whole work/life balance struggle is causing too many of us to trade in precious sleeping time to ensure we complete all the jobs we believe are expected of us.

“But in doing so, we are significantly increasing the risk of suffering a stroke or developing cardiovascular disease resulting in, for example, heart attacks.”

The study pointed out that chronic short sleep produces hormones and chemicals in the body, which increase the risk of developing heart disease and strokes, as well as other conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes.

However, Prof Cappuccio did warn of the implications of going too far the other way, as sleeping overly long – more than nine hours at a stretch – may also be an indicator of illness, including cardiovascular disease.

“By ensuring you have about seven hours sleep a night, you are protecting your future health and reducing the risk of developing chronic illnesses. The link is clear from our research – get the sleep you need to stay healthy and live longer,” he said.

Details of these findings are published in the European Heart Journal

Choose Wisely with your Sales Career!

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Stay on the right Career Path

Stay on the right Career Path

Choose wisely when it comes to applying for jobs in these times.

With dole queues out the door and numbers of unemployment rising, it is understandable that getting back to work is the ultimate goal. But be careful what you send your CV forward for as it may prove fruitless.

Choose wisely and do not be hasty in applying for every “Sales” job you see on the internet if you are in Sales.

As aware as you are of the lack of employment in the country, rest assured that potential employers know this all too well, which makes them even more picky in the CVs that they wish to see.

Tips for applying for jobs:

  1. Job Title:  if the title fits then read on!
  2. Job Description: Read through the job description, the responsibilites and especially the area/ industry this job is in. e.g. if you have worked in Medical Sales and the job spec is for IT Sales then tread carefully. You may have all the skills for selling Medical products, OTC products or medical devices but no experience in selling Computer Software, JAVA programmes or PCs then this may not be the job for you.
  3. Qualifications Required:  These days employers really like their Sales employees to be relevantly qualified, i.e. Nurses selling Wound Care/ Dressings, Science qualifications for medical device, and Nutritionists/ Dieticians selling Nutritional products. Take special heed to the qualification requirements.
  4. The Location: This job may be based in Cork and you are based in Dublin. This could be another deciding factor, as confident as you are that you can cover the Southern territory with your home life in Dublin, the higher the chances are of “burn out”.

The fact is that if you are an experienced Medical Sales Rep then you have the advantage of -

  • Product Knowledge – no need for month long training sessions!
  • Client base – which means you have the existing client relationships and are on a business relationship with key opinion leaders in  hospitals, GPs or pharmacies. This, to potential employers, is like gold to them and is an essential part of what they are looking for when taking another Medical Sales Rep on their books.

I know there are bills and mortgages to pay, but best advice? -  Stick to what you know and choose wisely.

Play the waiting game as your working experience will stand to you once the right job comes up.

Instead of applying for every Sales job that comes in, choose only ones relevant to your experience.

Dublin Dental Hospital getting tough!

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Dublin Dental Hospital

Dublin Dental Hospital

The Dublin Dental Hospital are clamping down on patients who do not turn up for their appointments.

Thousands of patients failed to attend last year without notifying the Hospital.

Over 23,000 failed to attend in the last 3 years.

This leaves a Dental Nurse and Dental Student with nothing to do and instruments which have been cleaned and prepared need to be re-sterilized.

 

From September 1st 2010, they are introducing a charge of €30 per appointment if a patient fails to show without prior notification.

So, be careful, if you have an appointment with the Dublin Dental Hospital – keep it – if you can’t – let them know or expect a €30 invoice

Medical Card Online

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Medical Card Genius!

Medical Card Genius!

Medical Card Online!

It seems the HSE have finally come into the technological world and start to use it to everyone’s advantage.

With delays on everything HSE, between being inundated with applications from the unemployment line to disputes and strikes across the board, it seems everyone is waiting for something from the HSE.

BUT, after much criticism received on the delays and waiting times for medical cards, the HSE have announced their launch of their GP visit or Medical Card online application service.

You can now go online and check if you qualify and if so, you can also go through the motions with their online application service!

Paddy Burke, Head of the HSE’s Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) says, “The service will be of interest to thousands of people who simply wish to verify eligibility”.

He went on to comment on “90% of applicants who automatically qualify for a medical card based on their income will be able to use the website for their cards”.

With a combination of relief from applicants and also the HSE employees workload, this may well be one of the best steps the HSE has taken in recent times.

Doctor Doctor!

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Doctor Doctor!

Doctor Doctor!

 

Well folks, it’s a Bank Holiday weekend and just the right time for a ‘Doctor Doctor’ joke -

 

Patient – ‘Doctor Doctor, I feel like a pair of curtains’

Doctor – ‘Well, well, just sit there and pull yourself together’

 

Enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend folks and talk again next week.

Jobs on the Increase

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Light at the End of the Recessionary Tunnel!

Light at the End of the Recessionary Tunnel!

It seems that jobs are on the increase and that there really is a map in place for new jobs coming up in the next 2-3 years in Ireland.

There have been various reports on the news about Ireland coming out of this recession in the next 3 years and slow as I am to admit it, it does seem like the investments keep coming!

From semiconductor producers investing in their Irish plants to US call center giants  creating 400 jobs in the gaming industry, to a Galway company winning a space agency contract, one cannot argue with the facts in plain sight - jobs are on the increase!

Plus don’t forget all this talk of Nano-Technology – however, that may be just a little longer than 3 years!

So whether you gained all your experience in the semi-conductor world or you have worked in a call centre all your life, things really do like they are turning for the better.

Slowly but surely we will get there!