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Trouble looms for Idaho's state science standards
Lawrence Lerner
Lawrence Lerner is a retired physics professor who thanks his broad liberal education in college for having made it possible for him later to make contributions in history and philosophy as well. He also worked for about thirty years on matters concerning K-12 science education.
The sciences don't fit together without evolution
Roy Speckhardt
Roy Speckhardt is Executive Director of the American Humanist Association where he actively promotes the humanist perspective on progressive political issues. He is a frequent media commentator, having appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, Fox News, and NPR, among others. He also gives speeches at colleges, conferences, and local humanist groups across the country.
Why teach evolution? So we don't give up our ground zero
Evolution Education Inoculates Against Fake Science
Can You Improve Your Medical Office?
Running a doctor’s office is something you may have dreamed about for years.
Now that this has come to fruition, are there steps you can take to improve your office?
From the treatments you offer patients to the staff you hired and more review where you may be able to improve.
So, where might you begin?
Always Make Your Patients Priority Number One
In looking at how to improve your medical office, think about the following areas:
1. Services offered – Whether a family physician or you focus on one specific area, make sure you are the best. Are you doing all you can to provide first-rate services to the folks walking through your door? If the answer is no, this needs to change in a hurry. Many patients have options when it comes to finding a physician they trust and like. As such, you could lose some patients over time if you are not careful. By keeping the patients you have, you stand a good chance of keeping your medical practice around.
2. Protecting you – What good are you to patients if you’re not around often or altogether for a long period of time? What would you do if you suffered a serious injury or came down with a major illness? Do you have protection in place to get you through the tough times? With the best disability insurance for physicians, you take a step in the right direction. Such insurance will give you the protection you need and keep you from falling into a major hole. It also provides you with some peace of mind as you look to get back on your feet and do what you love.
3. Learning each day – No matter how many years a physician, you never stop learning. As a result, always be looking to learn more about the area or areas of medicine you practice. Doing so gives you the opportunity to better help your patients as time moves along. One of the ways to learn more is by attending networking events with other physicians. The opportunity to talk about new techniques and how to best treat patients in general is key. From conferences to trade shows and more, get out there when you have the opportunity to do so.
4. Staff is key – Whether you have a small office or a fair number of people working under you, their efforts are key. That said make sure you do your best to hire the right people for the right jobs. It goes without saying that patients not happy with staff they have to deal with may look to go elsewhere.
As you look for ways to improve your medical office, some of them might be right under your nose.
So, are you doing all you can to have the best medical office in town?
If there are more things you can do, take the steps now to implement them.
Remember, you do not want to look back with regrets one day on what could have been for your medical office.
The New Abnormal: The Monarchy is Restored in the USA
How Physical Health Can Affect Your Mental Wellbeing
Taking care of your mental health at work can be done in a multitude of different ways, including stress management and counselling. But, something which is often overlooked is our physical health and the effect which this can have on our mental wellbeing. Workplace wellbeing is actually more achievable than people believe, particularly if it is approached in a holistic manner.
Our physical symptoms and injuries can influence our mental wellbeing, affecting how we feel, what we do and what we think. It also means that our thoughts and feelings can have a direct effect on our bodies and the way we physically feel. Understanding this link is important when it comes to managing the symptoms of physical illness and allows us to find preventative measures when taking care of ourselves.
Physical movement
Whether it’s taking a brisk walk during your lunch hour, choosing to cycle or walk to work or joining the gym, all forms of physical movement have shown to be an almost fail-safe method when it comes to boosting mental health.
Exercise leads the brain to produce more serotonin, but it also leads to other benefits such as good posture, strength and weight loss, which can all bring its own set of positive effects on your mood and wellbeing.
Some workplaces do offer exercise incentives, such as free gym memberships and cycle to work schemes, but encouraging exercise doesn’t have to be another expense for the business and can be something simple as encouraging employees to go on a walk during their lunch.
Nutrition
Research has long shown that what we eat has an effect on both our physical and mental health. But, with so much research available about what we should or shouldn’t eat, and which is often conflicting, reaching your peak health through diet can be a long, expensive and time-consuming effort.
There are some changes you can make around your workplace if you want to make healthier choices. Having fresh fruit in easy access, rather than sweets and pastries, will provide you with more energy until lunchtime or the end of the day. You could also add supplements and vitamins into your daily diet if you feel you may be lacking. High strength magnesium supplements have a whole host of benefits which you will notice day-to-day, as do probiotic capsules.
Many of us depend on high sugar of caffeinated drinks in order to stay focused during the day, but by taking a few minutes in between tasks provides a much better reset for your brain than an energy drink or coffee.
Smoking
The intake of nicotine reduces the natural production of the chemical dopamine, which gives our bodies that feel-good emotion. But, as smoking is highly addictive and is considered a personal choice, taking drastic actions against it may lead to resentment.
Getting to understand the effects that nicotine can have on mental help can help those who want to quit to better understand why they feel the way they do when they smoke and how it feels to quit. If you have support whilst trying to quit smoking, then statistically you are much more likely to stick with it.
James Gleick
James Gleick is the author, most recently, of Time Travel: A History. His previous book was The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood, an international bestseller exploring the genesis and consequences of the information age. His first book, Chaos: Making a New Science, was a National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize finalist. He collaborated with the photographer Eliot Porter on Nature’s Chaos. His other books include the best-selling biographies Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman, and Isaac Newton, both shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize, as well as Faster and What Just Happened. His books have been translated into twenty-five languages.
Why teach evolution?
NCSE launches #WhyTeachEvolution campaign in advance of Darwin Day
Jonathan Losos
Jonathan Losos has spent his career studying the evolution of lizards. He is the William H. Danforth Distinguished University Professor at Washington University in Saint Louis, where he also directs the Living Earth Collaborative, a biodiversity partnership between the university, the Saint Louis Zoo and the Missouri Botanical Garden. Losos recently wrote Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Future of Evolution, which discusses the extent to which evolution is predictable and repeats itself.
Evolution in real time has real-world effects
Elizabeth "Beth" Allan
Elizabeth “Beth” Allan is president-elect of the National Science Teaching Association. She began serving her one-year term on June 1, 2019, and will assume the office of president on June 1, 2020. Allan is currently Professor of Biology and Coordinator of the Secondary Science Education program at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma.
A unifying theme across all STEAM subjects
Biology Professor Honored With NCSE Friend of Darwin Award
Mandatory climate change education bill introduced in New York
NCSE urges district administrators to support climate change education
Amanda L. Glaze-Crampes
Amanda L. Glaze-Crampes is an Assistant Professor of Middle Grades and Secondary Science Education at Georgia Southern University. Growing up in an evangelical ministry family in rural Alabama, her own experiences with learning and the teaching of evolution led her to seek greater understanding of the conflicts that some see when their culture and beliefs diverge from scientific understandings. She is now a strong advocate voice for evolution education, as her research focuses on the intersection of science and faith, with evolution as a medium for exploring and enhancing science literacy for all people.
