Jobs%20and%20stress%20and%20satisfaction

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Jobs and stress and satisfaction

• Dental Hygiene

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The Interview

• The Ontario Human Rights Commission has published
  a chart to illustrate the type of questions that
  are appropriate on
• Employment application forms
• At personal interviews
• The principle involved is that employment
  decisions should be based on criteria relating to
  an applicants ability to do the job

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Employment Interviews

• First
• Self preparation
• What are your short and long term career goals
• What type of environment suits you best
• Pace
• Challenges
• Large team or intimate
• What type of people do you find difficult to work
  with

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The Interview
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Interviews

• There are four basic phases to any interview
• 1. Introduction an opportunity to establish
  rapport impressions are formed in the first 30
  seconds and most decisions are made in the first
  five minutes
• 2. A discussion of candidates background
• 3. Matching candidate with the position
  behavioural interviews are very common. A
  candidate will be asked to give a response to
  certain situations
• 4. Closure- a chance for final questions and to
  plan follow up. Make a firm time line.
• It is always good policy to send a letter of
  appreciation

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The Interview

• What an employer wants to know when you are asked
• Tell me about yourself
• What are your strengths and weaknesses
• Will you fit in?
• --------------------------------------------------
  ----------
• How would your last employer describe your work
  habits
• What skills would you put to use here
• Are you motivated?

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The interview

• Why did you leave your previous job
• Why do you want to work here
• Will you work out?
• --------------------------------------------------
  ----------
• What you want to know
• Will I fit in?
• Why did the previous person leave this position
• What kinds of people do best here
• What are the job expectations

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The Interview

• Are the conditions right?
• How long are appointments and who determines this
• How many clients are booked in a day
• How are holidays booked
• May I inspect the hygiene operatory and equipment
• Are the rewards right?
• Performance reviews
• Continuing education
• Salary and benefits know the average starting
  salary

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The Interview

• Prepare answers to common questions ahead of time
• Some examples
• Tell me about yourself?
• Stress achievements and experience that will be
  useful for this position
• Why do you want this job?
• Stress your wish to be associated with an office
  where you can learn and advance your career
• Be definite about your goals and sell yourself

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Wht do you say when asked

• Personal questions about marital status, child
  care etc.
• Reply that you have made the necessary
  arrangements, thank the interviewer for his/her
  concern and say that the issue will not be a
  problem for you
• Then promptly return the interview to relevant
  information

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Some Essentials

• Be on time-allow for traffic/parking etc
• Present a professional appearance
• Smile and shake hands firmly
• Be attentive
• Be positive-no whining about previous employers
• Keep to the point
• Be truthful, but dont shoot yourself in the
  foot
• Leave promptly when the interview is over

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Contracts
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Employment Contracts

• In Dentistry they often take the form of verbal
  contract or simple letter of acceptance
• You need to know legal obligations and duties
• Often not specific enough so problems can arise
• Overtime
• What to do when there is a cancellation
• When do performance /salary reviews take place
• A written agreement with expressed not implied
  terms provides some protection against
  unscrupulous hiring and firing practices

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Contract Categories

• 1. Title and basic duties
• 2. Hours and days to be worked
• 3. Pay periods, benefits such as CE, uniforms
• 4. Salary, holidays, sick leave
• 5. Probationary, trial , review periods
• 6. Opportunities for advancement
• 7. Methods for termination of employment
• 8. Any other expectations

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To be continued
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Stress and Its Management
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What is Stress?

• Defined as a
• Physical
• Chemical or
• Emotional factor that causes bodily and/or
  mental tension
• Any force that that impairs the stability and
  balance of bodily functions
• May be a factor in disease causation

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Stress is here to stay

• The Holmes-Rahe scale, which measures the
  increasing complexity of life has calculated that
  life today is 44 more difficult than 30 years
  ago.
• Disabling stress has doubled in the last SIX
  years
• Depression has doubled with every generation
  since the 1920s

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Stress

• Who is most suceptible?
• Some generalizations can be made as to factors
  that contribute to the degree of stress we
  experience
• of life transitions faced
• of responsibilities and others expectations
• Lack of social support system
• Inadequate sleep or nutrition
• Poor general health

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Managing Stress
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Symptoms of Stress

• When we experience excess or poorly managed
  Stress, we may report
• Sleep disturbances
• Anxiety, tension headaches
• Anger
• Concentration problems
• Depression
• Changes in appetite
• Frequent colds or other illnesses

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Symptoms of Stress
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Stress (contd)

• Excessive stress over an extended period can
  lead to burnout
• This causes a loss of interest in normal activies
  and
• A feeling of no longer being able to cope

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Burnout

• This is described as
• Physical
• Emotional
• Attitudinal Exhaustion
• It occurs after time in a demanding professional
  or personal role
• Burnout is caused by intense involvement with
  people over a long period
• Dental Hygiene has many attributes that make it a
  burnout prone profession

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Dental Hygiene Stressors

• Main sources of stress
• Constant time pressure/Running behind schedule
• Feeling undervalued by employer/clients
• Repetitive nature of work
• Maintaining high levels of concentration
• Clients experiencing pain/anxiety
• Uncooperative or dissatisfied clients
• Physical strain/long hours
• High expectations of employer/clients

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Difficulty coping with stress

• The first step in managing the stress in our
  lives is to recognize certain warning signs such
  as
• Physical symptoms such as grinding teeth, chest
  pains, digestive problems, insomnia, pounding
  heart,headaches
• Pschosocial signs such as irritability, anxiety,
  hypersensitivity, depression, sadness, apathy
• Behavioural signs such as overeating or loss of
  appetite, procrastination, use of alcohol or
  drugs, impatience
• All these signs and symptoms do not happen all at
  once

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Stages of stress

• Phase 1 warning
• May develop slowly over a year or more
• Such things as boredom, depression, emotional
  fatigue
• Phase 2 Mild symptoms
• Warning signs have intensified and physical
  symptoms may become evident
• Sleep disturbances, muscle aches, irritability,
  withdrawal, frequent headaches/colds

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Stages of Stress

• Phase 3 Entrenched cumulative Stress
• Warnings of stress are ignored and symptoms
  impact personal and family well being
• Use of alcohol, prescription drugs, ulcers, loss
  of libido, intense anxiety, crying spells,
  fatigue
• Phase 4 Severe/ debilitating Stress
• Hypertension/heart conditions, paranoia, suicidal
  thinking, inability to perform ones job or
  manage personal life, uncontrolled anger or grief

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Stress

• Some stress is normal it provides us with
  stimulation and motivation to meet our daily
  challenges
• Many hygienists are Type A personalities and set
  impossibly high standards in their commitment to
  their work

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Taking control
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Taking Control

• Managing stress is a Process so dont epect
  instant results
• Identify the major stressors in your life take
  one of the on-line self-assessment tools
• Start with one or two small changes such as
  healthy snacking or a short daily walk
• Focus on one or two main areas- improving sleep
  or nutritional habits can help you cope with
  school or work
• Set realistic and specific goals-plan a time
  frame
• Give yourself a pat on the back frequently and
  try to laugh every day

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Stress Management
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Stress Management

• Top 10 ways to stay healthy under stress
• 1. Reduce caffeine intake it can increase
  stress hormones
• 2. Take along some healthy food to avoid missed
  meals and fast food binges
• 3. Dont treat stress symptoms with sedatives,
  alcohol or nicotine
• 4. Eat breakfast - try for 3 food groups
• 5. Evaluate dietary supplements carefully- look
  at your diet first

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Stress Management

• 6. Drink water eight glasses per day to
  maintain healthy hydration
• 7. Make sleep a priority sacrifce household
  chores if need be
• 8. Dont ignore symptoms its better to detect
  and deal with problems early
• 9. Walk somewhere each day- just 10-15 minutes
  can help clear your head
• 10. Schedule regular health screenings if you
  have a stressful lifestyle

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Workplace Stress
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Calming Effects

• Be social take a few minutes to chat
• Eat right benefits waistline and energy
• Exercise-try a lunch time walk or work out
• Laugh-catch the comics in the paper
• Adjust your lighting try a lamp on the desk
• Get a massage- a 5 minute hand massage
• Listen to music- plug in your favourites
• Get a plant- cleanses the air around you
• Say NO- learn to delegate
• Adjust your attitude- it cant hurt to take e
  fresh approach

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Resources

• Stress Vitual Library
• http//www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/stress/
• Holistic-online
• http//www.holistic-online.com/stress/stress_home.
  htm
• Life Stress test
• http//www.cliving.org/lifstrstst.htm
• Professional Life Stress Test
• http//www.hcc.hawaii.edu/intranet

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The End