Ella Kallish is a nationally syndicated columnist with 17 years experience marketing candidates directly to decision-makers inside business organizations throughout the United States. Her "Ask Ella" column now offers you personal, strategic and tactical advice on all your workplace questions. E-mail: Send Your Question To Ella

Dear Ella,

I am a pediatric cardiac sonographer working part-time, but doing 55 to 65 hours a week. My hours were supposed to be from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on call every third week.

The job itself is very stressful, since the majority of our patients are babies. I never seem to get any off time from work, and I have a full-time job at home, raising two kids, ages 12 and 16. My youngest has sickle-cell disease and my husband, a Navy man, is rarely home.

I have been diagnosed with GERD, hiatal hernia, esophagitis, gastritis, ulcers in the stomach and esophagus, and irritable bowel disease. Many people do not understand that it is a huge task in itself to be married to someone in the military and to have a sick child who needs constant care, and a job that requires a lot of my time and attention.

My doctors have suggested, more than a few times, that I find another job, but I am not sure another job is the answer. I really love scanning babies. I believe that if I could go in at 8:30 and get off without any hassles at 2:30 as I was originally hired to do, everything would fall into place at work and at home. Any advice?

Dear You've Got To Be Kidding!

So, you've chosen to take care of others at the expense of taking care of yourself. How selfless of you. You are either Mother Teresa incarnate, or you don't know how to ask for help when you need it. Hmmmmmm ... I wonder which it could be?

First of all, let's cut the "poor me" routine, shall we? You are a pediatric cardiac sonographer, a specialty that required quite a bit of formal training on your part before you were hired into a paying job. Surely you were informed or came to know during the education process that the nature of the business you chose for yourself was unpredictable and therefore difficult to schedule.

You're literally making yourself sick with your inaction toward change. Isn't the definition of insanity a person who does the same thing the same way over and over again but continues to expect different results? If you think that suffering while in the service to others will eventually bring you the attention and the help you need from others, think again. The only one who is going to come to your rescue is you, and the sooner you realize that fact and get on with what you need to do on your own behalf, the better.

At 55 to 65 hours a week, you're working more than a part-time schedule. I assume the only reason you are still considered a part-timer at work is because your employer does not wish to provide you with full benefits. In that case, you may be in for one of the greatest ironies of your life -- you'll have a medical collapse while at work in the hospital, but you won't be admitted because you're uninsured! Welcome to the American medical system, a beautiful thing.

Reduce stress on the job while continuing the work you say you enjoy, by taking a position in a more calming and predictable work environment, such as a diagnostic center or a private-practice facility.

Be your own best friend and advocate, or your unchecked medical condition could render you unemployable at best and, at worst, pushing up daisies (another type of life support).

Dear Ella,

With all of the work-at-home scams out there today, how can I find a legitimate work-at-home job or a company that offers telecommuting?

Dear Step By Step,

First of all, any company that charges an employee to work for it or requires any financial investment upfront from an employee is scam-based.

When choosing a telecommuting or work-at-homejob, be sure to read the small print on any contract before signing on the dotted line, and ask the employer directly if there are any fees or costs of doing business for which you will be responsible.

Now, what kinds of companies offer legitimate telecommuting or work-at-home employment?

There are several business categories that fit quite naturally into that environment.

To name a few, they are: Mailing companies, telemarketing companies, research companies, clerical -service companies and transcription services. Use Internet search engines or your local yellow pages to identify specific companies within each business category that may appeal to you, and then research each company you've selected carefully.

Make sure you can speak intelligently about the products and services of each selected company before calling for an appointment. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

And, yes, while it is true that there are a lot of scams being perpetrated against the unsuspecting and the innocent out there in workland America, if one thinks logically, practically and honestly when assessing opportunity, the imposters should be easy to spot.

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Written By Ella Kallish
For more information on Ella Kallish go to AskElla.com.
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