Check Out the Boss When Applying for Medical Billing Jobs

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You’re handy with a computer and the internet if you’re studying medical billing online classes with the Allen School.  So we’d recommend leveraging your online acumen to do a bit of research on your would-be boss once you’ve earned your medical coding certificate and begin applying for jobs. Just like the prospective employer is surely going to check you out both in the real world and the online world, you’re able to check the employer out as well.  Visit sites like www.glassdoor.com and LinkedIn.com where you can access information about the person or persons who would be your boss at any of the places you’ll apply.  I am not saying anyone needs to turn down gainful employment opportunities in this tough economy.  However, you’d be surprised how much you can learn about a boss (or how much they can learn about you) online.  If the person is known for being abusive, coercive, exploitive or unfair, you’re better off passing on the role and looking elsewhere. So add the “boss check” to your job hunting process and take this easy and valuable step just before you accept any offer.  You may be very glad you did.

FDA: Tanning is the New Cigarettes

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Public health trends are important to follow if you’re planning to earn your living in the medical field.  As a certified nursing assistant or medical assistant, you’ll need to be aware and abreast of the latest public health and policy trends.  This is why I bring to your attention today, the new scrutiny facing the tanning bed industry from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Sitting under UV lamps to get one’s self a tan has been legal and relatively unregulated for years.  But recent scrutiny by the FDA has given rise to the idea that the tanning bed may represent a serious, long-term public health risk.  This article reveals that the FDA is moving towards restricting their use for minors.  This article goes as far as comparing the cancer risks involved with tanning to those posed by cigarette smoking.  Read, up and inform yourself on this issue so you can be knowledgeable about what will surely be a controversial topic for a subset of the patients you’ll serve after completing your nurse assistant certification with the Allen School.

Choosing Where to Live and Work After Medical Assistant School

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NYC is the most expensive place to live as a medical assistantSo you’re just about done with your medical assisting classes.  Or perhaps you’ve just decided to make a positive change in your life by enrolling in medical assisting classes with the Allen School.  In either case, you’re looking ahead affirmatively to a better, more financially rewarding career.  And while the jobs in this field remain plentiful across these great United States, it is worth remembering that the dollar you earn here in New York City doesn’t buy as much as it will elsewhere. One of the best things about having a good career – like one as a medical assistant – is the mobility that comes with the augmented earning power.  You can decide where best to begin your new career with the diploma in your hand.  But choose wisely because some cities are exceptionally affordable while others are extraordinarily expensive.  Fret not though, the kind folks at Kiplinger’s have produced the most current top ten lists of the most affordable and most expensive cities to live in. The short story is that coastal cities like NYC, San Francisco, San Diego, DC and LA are all premium when it comes to cost of living.  I guess that comes with the superior night life, arts, natural beauty, beaches and other premium amenities.  If you want to live cheaply, places in the middle – Augusta GA, Temple, TX, Wichita Falls, TX and other landlocked states offer the greatest value for your dollar, both in terms of housing and cost of goods/services.  So choose wisely, but be proud that you’ve earned for yourself the increased mobility that even allows for such considerations.  And view the whole list as a slideshow at the Kiplinger’s site to see where you may like to be!

Online Medical Billing Classes Protect Students in Dangerous Cities

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Pedestrians safer if they study medical billing and coding onlineOkay, so this is maybe a little tongue in cheek.  But a study by the Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition recently ranked the safest and most dangerous cities in the US for pedestrians.  Wouldn’t you know it, in spite of the nearly 9 million people living in the NY metro area – home to Allen School ground campuses – NYC ranks among the safest cities for those on foot; even when it feels like all 9 million residents are driving at the same time!  So Allen School ground campus students across the boroughs are pretty safe when walking to and from campus for class. However, people living in the top 10 most dangerous cities for pedestrians, (Orlando, FL, Tampa, FL, Jacksonville FL, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Memphis, TN, Birmingham, AL, Houston, TX, Atlanta, GA, Phoenix, AZ and Charlotte, NC) should be a bit more worried about walking around in broad daylight.  Per capita, these cities experience the highest levels of pedestrian injuries.  Perhaps those living in these dangerous locales might consider taking online medical billing classes with the Allen School so as to minimize the time they spend walking around in the danger zone!  P.S. Florida drivers: slow down WTH?

Customize that Resume to Land a Medical Assistant Job

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The Allen School blog has done a lot of posting about job searches, resume tips, cover letter etiquette, etc.  But this article from the Huffington Post is about the very best piece this blogger has seen on the topic of resume efficacy.  It blends the best practices for building a resume that passes muster with the ATS or applicant tracking systems (automated resume screening robots) with excellent tips for making the same resume attractive to live, human hiring managers. The contemporary resume is far different than the resume that would have been considered appropriate 10 years ago.  The ATS technology alone has revolutionized the way resumes need to be crafted.  But plenty of bad advice about writing for robot readers has rendered many resumes unreadable by the humans that will receive your candidacy from the robot should your resume make the cut. So read the article here and I promise, if you’re done with your medical assistant training program at Allen School, and you’re getting ready to look for a new job, and you follow these instructions carefully, your resume will land you the interview! Article last updated April 5, 2024

Definitely NOT an Allen School Grad!

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Not an Allen School GradHere is a story about what happens when a frazzled medical office staff member does something downright stupid.  The following story comes to us from a hospital in the Philippines where a neo-natal ICU nurse covered a crying baby’s mouth with adhesive tape, ostensibly to stop the infant from crying.  Of course, upon discovering this horrific act, the baby’s parents were rightly angry.  The situation was compounded by the fact that the nurse’s supervisor offered an insultingly implausible defense for the action saying that the tape was place there to keep the pacifier from falling out. What relevance does this story have to those studying to become nursing assistants or those taking medical assistant training with the Allen School?  First, you can be absolutely certain that the classes at Allen School provide insight on practices and procedures to follow during times of heightened stress on the job.  Beyond that, this piece serves as a reminder that the medical field – particularly those working in trauma centers, maternity wards and other specialties – can be stressful.  As medical workers, you’ll often be dealing with people who are at their most vulnerable; people who are hurt, scared, angry and more.  It only takes a moment of poor judgment to make an inappropriate decision, but the consequences can be long lasting. Upon graduating from the Allen School, you’ll have a world class certification and training under your belt.  Protect your hard-earned credential by always thinking about the ramifications of your actions on the job.

Cases of MERS in USA – Be Aware Medical Assistants

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Part of one’s medical assistant training at the Allen School includes learning to be current in one’s knowledge of trends affecting public health.  This is especially true of all threats of outbreak like the SARS epidemic of a few years ago and, more recently, the West Nile Virus.

This blog always tries to keep readers informed of emerging threats to global health with articles keeping tabs on MRSA and other scary communicable diseases. That’s why we’re reporting today on the Middle Eastern Respiratory virus or “MERS”.  Not to be confused with MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), the anti-biotic resistant virus, MERS causes fever, cough, and shortness of breath, and can be lethal, particularly among older people and those with pre-existing health problems.  The disease is linked to exposure to camels (no, not the cigarettes, but those’ll kill you too).

Two confirmed cases have been reported here in the US recently and are believed by CDC researchers to have been brought here by health workers coming to the US from Riyadh Saudi Arabia.  According to the World Health Organization’s latest count, MERS has killed 145 people out of 536 lab-confirmed infections.  So this is a disease worth keeping an eye on.  As a student working on nursing assistant certification, you should learn some more about this and other emerging diseases so you can be vigilant for the symptoms among the patients you’ll serve once you graduate.

Top 10 Resume Mistakes to be Avoided by Medical Billing Classes Grads

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This is one of the best articles I have read in a while about the errors made on resumes by job seekers.  This one is especially targeted to “young careerists” or those who are just setting out in the professional realm – a pretty good description of many of the folks who study medical billing classes online with the Allen School.  Even better, this piece from TheSavvyIntern provides a “by-the-numbers” look at the frequency with which hiring managers encounter the following resume errors.

  • Lack of Accomplishment Statements (95%)
  • Lack and/or Poor Placement of Action Verbs (90%)
  • Lack of Differentiation (80%)
  • Irrelevant Detail (70%)
  • Poor Formatting (60%)
  • Meaningless Phrases (50%)
  • Grammar or Word Usage Issues (40%)
  • Typos (33%)
  • Use of an Over-used Resume Template (20%)
  • Old School Elements (10%)
Click here to read the whole article with the explanations of each error, why it matters, and how to avoid making them when you put together your resume for landing a job after completing your studies with the Allen School.    

Nurses Aide Skills Include Honoring Everyone’s 1st Nurse (Mom)

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Those who elect to make a career of their desire to comfort and heal others by becoming certified nursing assistants share a trait with mothers everywhere.  That trait being a compassion and caring that really makes a difference to someone when they’re suffering with an illness or injury.  That is why it is important to pay respect to our moms (which should be done every day of the year) on Mother’s Day which is this coming Sunday in case you forgot. Nurses aide skills are similar in many ways to the skills needed to be an effective momma, from having a caring demeanor with patients as a mom would with her children, to being knowledgeable about what to do in any circumstance related to abrasions, broken bones, fevers, bee stings and a whole laundry list of potential ailments, maladies and injuries.  In fact, in a lot of ways, moms are kind of like honorary certified nurse assistants.  Of course, unless they’ve completed nurses aide certification with Allen School, moms are not ready to enter this field as a profession.  However, any mothers who are interested in a new career vector might be attracted to this career, as they already have an inherent understanding of some of the skills required to be an effective CNA. In any case, please don’t forget to do something extra special for your mom this Sunday and let her know how much you love her!  After all, you only have one mama!

Where is this all Leading, Medical Assistant?

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The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.  And if you’re just about to embark on a new career, studying to become a medical assistant, you’re likely more focused on the tasks this entails today.  You’re probably not spending much time (if any at all) thinking about where this new career might lead you in 2 years, 5 years or even 10 years.  However, if you are thinking about the long term prospects, you’ll appreciate the following. Investment site, MotleyFool.com published a piece about Three Fast Growing Occupations that Pay Over $85,000/yr.  Number two on that list is “medical and health services managers”.  Human Resources site MyPlan.com published a list of all the job titles that fall under the heading “medical and health services manager”.  As you can see, there are more than 100 job titles in this field.  Many of which require experience in medical office assisting, medical billing and coding and other courses of study which you can engage at the Allen School.  So keep it in mind.  Not only are there robust opportunities in the growing fields of medical office assisting and medical billing and coding, but these credentials are the first step in a progression leading to significant opportunities for career advancement in a field that simply continues to grow and is not projected to contract for decades.