Healthcare Training Schools Rejoice – Guinea Worm Disease Eradicated!

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healthcare training schools rejoice - guinea worm is goneHealthcare training schools of every variety should celebrate today’s news about the Guinea Worm, another disease afflicting humanity about to be eradicated from the face of the Earth.  Whether you’re a medical school student training to become a physician or you’re taking medical assistant training with us here at the Allen School, it is always a notable day when a formerly devastating ailment is eliminated from the list of diseases you will be helping to treat among patients once you’ve graduated. Today’s news comes to us from Sub-Saharan Africa where just about 30 years ago more than 3.5 million people were infected with the Guinea Worm, a parasitic infection transmitted through contaminated water.  The Guinea Worm parasite would spend a year growing and stretching out to about 3 feet long under the skin of an infected individual doing extensive damage to musculature and tissue, especially devastating young victims whose bodies are still growing.  Removal of the parasite involves slowly pulling the long, threadlike worm out of the host; a process described as excruciatingly painful. With so many of the effected persons living in politically unstable parts of the world, it was difficult to raise awareness and get the treatment and preventative measures distributed to the communities in need.  Yet, on Monday, former US President Jimmy Carter announced the near eradication of the disease during the opening of “Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease,” a new exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History.  With ground school campuses in the NY metro area, Allen School students could easily make a trip to the museum on the upper west side of Manhattan to see and learn more about this notable stride in modern medicine.  Or simply check out the slideshow here. Today, there are only 126 cases of Guinea Worm left in the world and soon, all of these patients will be healed rendering the disease beaten!  It makes one proud to be studying at healthcare training schools like Allen School; preparing to make one’s contribution to the efforts of the medical community.

Argument Pro or Con for Medical Coding Training Online

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Medical Coding Classes OnlineWell, it has happened again this year, as it has in January every year since 2002, New York City’s annual “No Pants Subway Ride”.  For those uninitiated, this is a day wherein subway riders, men and women alike, can opt to ride mass transit without the benefit of pants or other bottom-covering clothing. Depending on your particular disposition – single, married, kinky, straight-laced, bashful, uninhibited, conservative or liberal – you find this quirky annual skin fest either greatly amusing or repulsive.  Events like this which seem to happen with a good deal of regularity in the Big Apple, can also be used to judge whether or not you should take your medical coding training online or at the Allen School ground campus. If you’re single, kinky, uninhibited and liberal, you may embrace the weirdness that exists daily on the subway as you travel to the ground school campus; enjoying all the libertine charms of humanity.  If you’re married, straight-laced, bashful and conservative, you’re probably relieved to study medical coding training online on days such as the annual No Pants Subway Ride. It’s nice to know you have so many options when it comes to earning certification in a new career field with a bright and lucrative future.  If it makes you feel like shedding your pantaloons, all the more power to you! Here’s a link to a slideshow of this year’s event to help you determine if you prefer online or on-campus studies.  Enjoy!

Evidence of Unlimited Job Security for Medical Assistants

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If there is any question in one’s mind about the potential longevity of a career as a Medical Assistant, allow us to offer the following few reminders (among an endless sea of reminders) as to why there will always be plenty of work for nursing assistants.

Exhibit A – People continue to work in fireworks factories prone to explosion, leaving many in dire need of emergency medical treatment.

Exhibit B – Daredevils live in all 50 states and often require emergency medical attention as well like this TV stuntman who had a rough day on the job it would seem.

Exhibit C – People eat things like the burger porn shown below, and as a result, require treatment for a host of ailments including hypertension, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity.  Although, this does look yummy (seared beef patty with smokey shiitake mushrooms, caramelized onions, kimchi Thousand Island dressing, swiss, and a couple of crispy root vegetable latkes as buns.).

So, be assured, a career choice to earn certification as a medical assistant with the Allen School provides a secure career field for a lifetime.

3 Reasons to Pursue Medical Billing Classes Online in 2015

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top 3 reasons for medical coding classes onlineYes, the year is new, the future is bright, the economy is seemingly on the mend and the employment figures appear to moving briskly in the right direction.  Not that it would have mattered to those who are currently enrolled or considering enrolling in medical billing classes online.  The reason why it wouldn’t have mattered is number 1 on the list of Top 3 Reasons to Pursue Medical Billing Classes Online in 2015.  Without much further ado, here’s the list: 1)  Medical Billing is a Recession Proof Field Yes, it’s true!  For at least the last five years, US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports have concluded that careers in the medical/healthcare industry are projected to remain in great demand as the Baby Boomer generation continues to enter into their retirement years.  The need for healthcare professionals – doctors, nurses, CNAs, medical assistants, etc., continues to be acute.  And where there are medical practices, there are bills to be processed.  As such, medical billing continues to be a career position in high demand.  Plus, people need medical attention whether or not the economy is thriving so, it is a field relatively impervious to the swings of the economy. 2)  Career Portability If you’re an oil patch worker and the depressed prices of energy have led to the closure of the oil rig or natural gas fracking platform where you were employed, you may need to travel pretty far away to find your next job.  If you’re a performer or artist, you will likely need to locate yourself in a major US city, and most likely either NY or LA.  As a medical billing professional, you can work in any city, town or village where there is a doctor’s office or hospital.  This means you can work pretty much anywhere you’d enjoy living.  We recommend places with affordable cost of living so you can maximize your earnings. 3)  Because Baby, it’s Cold Outside Nothing is worse than commuting to school in the dead of winter when temps plunge into the single digits (or lower) and the snow, sleet, rain and wind come barreling out of the frozen north.  Avoid catching hypothermia on the train platform, frostbite at the bus stop or hypertension sitting in snarled winter weather traffic trying to get to class.  Medical billing classes online at the Allen School let you learn to earn from the safety and warmth of your own home 2015 is going to be a great year.  Get a jump on your new career today!

Healthcare Training Schools Teach Compassion

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CompassionUnless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re aware of the rising tensions between the law enforcement community and those they are sworn to protect and serve.  Several high profile cases have recently ripped open a divide between these two groups.  Wherever you stand on the issue, there is one thing that is true.  Violence is NEVER, EVER the answer. Healthcare training schools like the Allen School, prepare men and women to enter a field where they are often confronted with the mal-effects of violence in our society.  Gun shot wounds, beatings, attacks and all manner of other violent activity sends men and women, cop and criminal alike to seek treatment.  It is the job of the healthcare worker to treat them all without judgment.  That said, it is troubling that in our home town of New York City, where several of the latest deadly encounters have taken place, we’re seeing a deep, divisive distrust growing among us.  Fanned by those on both sides with a political axe to grind, these activities hold the potential to spin wildly out of control. In this holiday season where we turn to thoughts of peace and love for all mankind, the Allen School Blog would like to suggest that everyone assume the posture of a healthcare professional and take a compassionate stance on this very charged conflict.  It is important for us all to remember, all lives matter.   The vast majority of law enforcement are good people, dedicated to a very difficult job.  At the same time, most people living in poverty and other desperate situations aren’t criminals.  They are simply seeking a way to get by without resorting to criminal activity. Painting all cops with a broad brush is no less damaging than painting all those living in poverty – whether  Black, Hispanic, poor White or other – as thugs and criminals.  Let’s all try this Holiday season, to turn away from hatred, division, recriminations and violence and look upon one another as worthy of love, respect and goodness – just the way healthcare professionals look at their patients.  The world will be a better place for it in 2015 if we can halt the cycle of violence.

Nursing Assistant Education on Medical Marijuana

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nursing assistant education on medical marijuanaTo date, some twenty three US states have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes.  This liberalizing attitude toward what was once characterized (improperly) as a substance with no redeeming medicinal value has led to the inevitable legalization of the herb for recreational use.  Of course recreational legalization is a bit more controversial and has only been adopted so far in two states – Colorado and Washington.  That said, nursing assistant education on the facts about medicinal marijuana is bound to take place in the real world regardless of whether or not the subject is covered in nursing assistant courses like those offered at Allen School. The full-fledged legalization of pot in Colorado has been a fascinating experiment and has provided significant perspective into what the effects of legalization are from a public health perspective.  Of course, opponents of legalization have always warned that legalizing weed would lead to a significant increase in medical issues.  Now that there has been some time to collect actual, empirical evidence, the reality of legalization’s impact is plain for all to see. This article from Forbes, a reputable publication, concludes after having sifted through the statistics about hospitalizations and other medical interventions due to marijuana use since legalization, that “a preliminary view would be that marijuana legalization in Colorado has not resulted in a widespread increase in acute medical problems.”  There are numerous caveats though.  The article details the numerous unintended consequences of legalized marijuana including the dosage issues arising from edible pot products, instances of children being exposed to pot and other scenarios. Overall, it does seem that not only is medicinal marijuana a legitimate and growing medical treatment, but recreational marijuana is no more a risk to public health than other legal substances like alcohol or tobacco.  In any event, a well-prepared nursing assistant is aware of all the implications of this emerging story.

Top 25 Cities Where Healthcare Training School Pays Off the Most

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healthcare training school grads should consider Austin TX, top city for earning in medical careers

Healthcare training school grads should consider Austin TX, top city for earning in medical careers

It is no secret that the medical field is among the top fields when it comes to projected job growth.  Many studies support the claim that job security will continue to be high for those who pursued education at healthcare training schools.  Whether you’re studying medical billing online, or working towards nursing assistant certification at the Allen School, you can be confident there will be a job for you when you graduate. That said, where you choose to live and work will definitely have an impact on what you take home in your paycheck.  This is because, although there is ample work in this field in nearly every city in the US, different cities have widely divergent growth rates, average salaries and costs of living.  So where are the best places to live and work once you’ve earned your certification in medical billing or as a CNA? Luckily, the folks at AllHealthCare.com put together a list of the top 25 cities for healthcare careers.  Their criteria included the aforementioned growth rates, salary averages and costs of living.  The top five cities are:
5)  Raleigh, NC 4)  Oklahoma City, OK 3)  Salt Lake City, UT 2)  San Antonio, TX 1)  Austin, TX
Click here to read the full article at AllHealthCare.com which contains a detailed overview of each city on the list.  You’ve opened the door to a bright future by going to healthcare training school.  Decide where to stake your claim!      

A Subway Hack for Medical Assistant Training at Ground Campuses

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metro2metro So you’re taking medical assistant training at the Allen School.  And unlike your counterparts at Allen School Online studying to become medical billing specialists from the comfort of their own living rooms, you have to commute to and from campuses around the boroughs.  This means you likely ride the subways as do nearly 1 million New Yorkers every day.  Would it surprise you to learn that the MTA has designed the way the MetroCard is sold in such a way as to screw each rider out of money every time?  I didn’t think it would. Here’s the scam and how you can beat them at their own game – legally!  No turnstile jumping required. According to the beautiful geeky minds at Gizmodo.com, the standard options offered by the MetroCard vending machines provide ticket buyers with, “Three quick options. But wait a minute. One button leaves you with the same $9.45 card, and gives a remainder of $1.95 after just three uses. The next one is even more frustrating: you end up with a $19.95 card, leaving a remainder after 7 uses of $2.45! So all three buttons presented leave quite a bit of “insufficient fare” on the card.” That left over fare money on every card represents a significant windfall for the city.  And beyond that, if you added up all the money you left on the table over the course of the year commuting back and forth to your medical assistant training classes, you could probably buy another month’s worth of subway rides. The solution?  Don’t purchase one of their pre-priced options.  Buy exactly $19.05.  Why $19.05?  Read the full Gizmodo piece here for the math and other details.  I guarantee it will save you money over the long term.  You can thank me later!

World Aids Day and the End of the Epidemic

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certified nurse assistants help AIDS prevention effortsRejoice oh future certified nurse assistants!

For the end is in sight with respect to the scourge of AIDS, which has ravaged the world for three and a half decades.  Today, December 1st is World AIDS day, and a perfect time to look at the amazing advancements produced in the treatment and prevention of this horrible disease which ravages the immune system of 80 million world-wide and has killed 40 million. Thanks to the efforts of brave and dedicated people in the medical and scientific communities, great progress has been achieved.  So confident is the medical community that they’ve found the ways to treat and prevent further spread of this disease, the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS has announced its goal of ending the epidemic by the year 2030. Now, it is not a foregone conclusion that we’ll be able to succeed in this effort.  Much remains subject to the continued efforts of people in the medical field.  Such a large part of the prevention elements of ending the epidemic relies on education and awareness about how the disease is communicated.  This type of information/knowledge transfer is easily accomplished via certified nurse assistants in doctor’s offices and clinics around the world.  Helping patients to understand the risks involved in their behaviors, from sexual activity to drug use, is yet another critical contribution certified nurse assistants make toward general public health and welfare. On this World AIDS Day, let’s all resolve to work toward the goal of marginalizing AIDS by 2030.