How to Make Good Revision Notes!

Avoid writing in block text where possible! Make notes look like notes! Use bullet points or tables, graphs or even little sketches to show your work. Arrows and diagrams also work well, it depends entirely upon what your preferred style is and how you best like to set out your work. (As long as everything is all still understandable to you when you come to revise!)
· Use Highlighters and Coloured Pens to emphasise particular areas or things you need to remember, is a good idea. This way when you come to revise you can easily see what areas you may need to pay closer attention to.
· Summarise large passages where you can- this really makes you focus on what it is you need to remember without trying to remember lots of words that have little to do with what is important to remember!
· Put headers on paragraphs so that everything is clearly marked for when you come to revision and are looking for something in particular to look up and revise! It makes the task of revision easier and far more satisfying as you have already done half the work!
· Circle important passages with bubbles and different shapes to show they mean different things. This is a great way of differentiating between different meanings and concepts.
· Revise in ways that make sense to you! Don't feel you have to be regimented into using plain paper and black pens and standard paragraphs in your revision notes!
· Make your notes eye catching so you can quickly skim read and still be revising the key important points. This way if you find something you feel unsure of you can look into those in more detail and not have to waste time reading detailed notes on a subject you already know!
· Detail is sometimes necessary to achieve the highest marks in an exam but make sure all the key points and important facts to remember jump out at you on the page. This breaks up the detail. makes the page look more manageable to revise from and less overwhelming!
· Use post-it notes - put a key word on each note and stick these on your mirror, fridge (or where ever you are likely to see them often) and try to recall from memory everything you can when you see a particular word.

Ladder Safety

I've heard a lot of people say that ladders are dangerous and unsafe. The truth of the matter is that ladders are completely safe when used properly. We use ladders on a daily basis, while cleaning windows and pressure cleaning houses, and have never had an injury. Ladders are only as dangerous as the user. Here you will find several safety tips to make sure that you are completely safe when using ladders. This tips are meant for extension ladders but may come in handy for step ladders as well.
Before you even touch the ladder you want to make sure that you are properly taken care of. So let's take a look. Are you wearing the proper type of footwear? I would hope that its obvious that climb a ladder in flip flops is not a safe practice. Have the proper shoes on before starting, for example, sneakers or work boots, and make sure that they are tied properly. The last thing you want to do is trip over a shoe lace while climbing or descending a ladder. Now that your foot wear is taken care of lets check everything else. Make sure there is nothing on your body that could get caught on a rung or interfere with your feet or hands.
Next, if you are working with tools make sure that you have a proper tool belt. It should fit properly so that it is not slipping or falling off as you work. Do not carry tools in your hands while climbing a ladder. You want to make sure that your hands are free so you can have a proper grip.
Now, the ladder. The first thing you should do is purchase ladder mitts. Ladder mitts are a soft rubber mitt that fits on the top of the ladder. They serve two functions: 1. The protect the ladder from scratching the siding of a house or whatever the ladder will be leaning against. 2. They grip to the surface they are leaning against and prevent the top of the ladder from sliding while climbing or working. You can also purchase a ladder stabilizer if you wish. This piece of apparatus needs to be attached to the ladder and spans a couple feet. This adds extra stability to the top of the ladder. We don't use these but some do.
You can also add adjustable leg extension to a ladder. These attach to the feet of the ladder and extend to about a foot. The great thing about this type of device is that you are able to adjust one leg longer then the other which is great for uneven ground or working on stairs. Make sure that you purchase a good pair of extension if you decide to add these. If you are using a heavier ladder you will need a more heavy duty extension. Also, these are not something that should be added to large ladders like a 40 foot extension because the ladder itself is so heavy the extension may not be able to handle the weight.
OK, so we have taken care of the you and the ladder. The next thing to look at is where you are placing the ladder. First, getting to where you need to be. The two easiest ways to carry a ladder are parallel to the ground or in an upright position. You can put the ladder on your should and stand it up where you need it. For guys like us, who carry a ladder from window to window, carrying the ladder upright is easiest. Make sure the ladder is not extend and grab a lower rung with one hand and use the other to keep it stabilized. If you carry a ladder upright, or when you are raising a ladder, make sure you are clear of any power lines. The last thing you want is to be electrocuted.
Next, you want to make sure that the ground is as level as possible. Putting a ladder on an uneven surface will make the ladder tilt to one side which is extremely unsafe (leg extensions will help with unlevel surfaces). You also want to make sure that the base of ladder is the right distance from the wall it will be leaning on. When you put a ladder against a wall you do not want it to be too close or too far away. This will make the angle of the ladder too steep or too shallow of an angle. Too steep and you run the risk of falling backwards off of the wall; too shallow and your weight may make the base of the ladder slide out from under your bring the ladder and your body crashing to the ground below.
If you have to put a ladder on a surface that may be slippery make sure that you have someone holding the base of the ladder. Wood decks, tiles, etc. can be very slippery and may cause the ladder to slip out from underneath you if not careful. If your ladder is in the dirt, you are pretty safe. The feet of most extension ladders can be turned so that they dig into the ground adding extra safety. When you put the ladder against the wall make sure it is as close as possible to the area you are working. You do NOT want to be extending while working. The farther you have to reach, the more at risk you are of falling. Another rule of thumb is to not be on the top rung. The farther down the ladder you are the safe. Optimally you would want to be at least 3 rungs from the top.
The last tip I am going to give is make sure you are comfortable. If you are not comfortable working on a ladder you are more at risk of an accident. Start out working on a smaller ladder, like a 16 ft extension ladder and work your way up. After a few times on a ladder you should start to feel more comfortable. As always, if you are not comfortable make sure you have someone with you. If you fall and get hurt, you will need someone to call for help.

4 Major Advantages of Fire and Electrical Safety Training

Fire and Electrical Safety Training is knowledge that will never go waste. This type of course is not for fire-fighters or electricians, it is for you. It may come in handy at times when you least expect it. You can never be sure the fire engine will arrive in time or if there will be time to wait for an ambulance. Therefore, it is good to get the information in a formal training class. Furthermore, another training course on your resume will only be good for you.

Here are four major things you will learn to do once you have successfully completed the training.

• Aware: Fire and Electrical Safety Training will teach you to always be aware of your surroundings. You will understand that small actions like playing with a lighter or candle may cause a fire. Once you become aware of your actions, you will be able to control them and thus avoid accidents.

• Observe: You will become more observant about the dangers around you. You will be conscious that you have left your geyser on too long or your electrical kettle left unattended. When you start observing things around you, you will be able to pin point the danger before it occurs. On finishing the training you will have acquired this potential.

• Act: In case, an emergency does occur and you find yourself in the middle of it, you will be taught how to act immediately to prevent the matter from getting worse. You will learn who to inform in case of a fire in your neighborhood, how to evacuate your building in an orderly manner, and how to use a fire extinguisher. You will also be trained to protect yourself and others in case of any injury sustained in the fire. Specific procedures will have to be followed for burn victims, before the ambulance arrives and they can be moved to a hospital. The main thing to remember in such situations is not to panic. The training course will make you confident even in the most dangerous situations so you can concentrate on protecting yourself and other from potential danger.

• Share: Knowledge is no good unless it is used and shared. Once you understand what fire and electric safety training entails, you can tell others at work so they can be aware too. This knowledge is especially handy at home. What you have learned can be passed on to them so they can be safe too.

How to Be a Nurse in 10 Steps

1. First, ask yourself if nursing is compatible with your personality and the type of work you enjoy. In my opinion, the nursing field is so vast that any one of the many specialties is compatible with different personality types and interests. An introverted personality, who may enjoy one-to-one care, would work well in a home health care setting, where personal interactions are focused and fairly predictable. An extroverted personality, who may enjoy organizational dynamics, would work well in a management position, which requires skillful interactions involving employees, families, and clients.

So get familiarized with a specialty that interests you, but it is also necessary to do a character self-assessment.

2. Make sure you maintain a moral character, since nurses work with the most vulnerable populations. Be certain you don't have a record during your student or professional career. This will prevent acceptance into a nursing program or denial /revocation of licensure by the state, for obvious reasons.

If you qualify at this point, then you can think about the educational level you want to achieve in nursing.

3. Decide what type of nurse you want to be and understand the amount time it will take. The following is a summary of the approximate time a full-time student will take in order to finish different nursing programs. This does not include the amount of time during prerequisite classes.

Please refer to the end of this section for an explanation of the different nursing acronyms.

a. Licensed Practical Nurse / Licensed Vocational Nurse: 1 year + prereq's

b. Registered Nurse:

i. LPN-to-ADN: 1 year + prereq's
ii. ADN: 2 years + prereq's
iii. BSN: 2 years + prereq's
iv. MSN: 2 years + BSN
v. PhD: 4 years + BSN

c. Nurse Practitioner / Clinical Nurse Specialist/ Nurse Anesthetist:

i. MSN: 2 years + BSN
ii. PhD: 4 years + BSN

LPN: Licensed Practical Nurse

LVN: Licensed Vocational Nurse

ADN: Associate's Degree in Nursing

BSN: Bachelor's Degree in Nursing

MSN: Master's Degree in Nursing

PhD: Doctorate's Degree in Nursing

Now that you have an idea of how much time it will take to finish your nursing education, let's move on to what resources you will have available.

4. Plan on how you will pay for your education. These are a few of the sources that are available to fund your nursing education.

a. Personal / Family / Work:

Are you going to use personal savings, credit cards, or pay as you go with money earned from work?

b. Scholarships / Government Financial Assistance:

This involves filling out a lot of applications in order to increase your odds. Be sure to only apply to the programs you will qualify for.

c. Military, Enlisted:

The US Army will pay qualified enlisted soldiers to become Licensed Vocational Nurses. The US Navy does train sailors to become Corpsmen (or Corpswomen), but they must meet additional requirements in order to sit for the LVN/LPN NCLEX exam

The GI Bill is available to military personnel who have completed their service contract, which varies greatly from 2-8 years.

d. Military, Officer:

ROTC is a scholarship for high-school students. However, the age limit to become a Military Nurse Officer in is 42, so don't feel left out if you didn't get an ROTC scholarship.

For an advanced nursing degree seekers, the military has special programs to become Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, or Nurse Anesthetists.As your goal to be a nurse becomes clearer to you, be sure to share them with others.

5. Prepare your plans and goals, write them down, and discuss them with your partner, children, and/or other family members. Get their feedback, remember that they have to buy into this, because they will have to make sacrifices as well.

Set your plan into motion by researching and preparing applications to the schools that interest you.

6. Plan to apply to several vocational, technical, college, and/or university programs. Have a back-up plan ready if you don't get accepted into the program of your choice.

You will need to have competitive exam scores to get accepted into the school's program.

7. Study for the placement exams for the prerequisites classes and the entrance exams for the nursing schools. Not all schools have the same exam requirements. Consult with the nursing and other advisors at the school to make sure you are studying the right materials.

Once you have applied, got accepted, and enrolled in the prerequisite classes, study as best as you can order to increase your odds to get into a nursing program.

8. It is absolutely necessary to maintain your grades in order to be accepted into the nursing program and to graduate! Make sure you have competitive grades in your prerequisite classes in order to get into a nursing program. After completing your prerequisite classes and taking the entrance exam, apply to different nursing programs of your choice. Make sure the nursing school you apply to has NLNAC (National League of Nursing Accreditation Commission) or CCNE (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education) accreditation. Once admitted into a nursing program, you will need to continue to maintain your grades in nursing school.

This will help you to meet graduation requirements and it will help you to prepare for licensure.

9. Study for and pass the licensure exam. For LPN's, LVN's, and RN's, this requires passing the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) exam. Advanced practice nurses will take a more specialized exam in addition to the NCLEX exam.

Once you have passed licensure, it's time to go from a student to a professional.

10. Just like maintaining your grades in school, maintaining your professionalism is a must in your nursing career! You will need referrals from your professional relationships when applying for nursing residency programs, applying for jobs, or applying for more advanced nursing degrees.