Want to Improve Medical Billing Study? Take a Nap!

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Medical Billing Online Students – Take a Power Nap Like This Little Guy

Well, this is probably true for all students.  However, those engaging in medical billing study online with the Allen School are typically busy people, working jobs, raising families, and taking online medical billing classes in the spaces in between as they work towards their goal of more rewarding and stable employment. If this describes you, then you’re probably a little sleep-deprived.  While the importance of a good night’s sleep – every night – cannot be overstated, sometimes, the best thing for you to keep you going through a very long day is a nap.  I’m not just saying this anecdotally, or as a snooze hound (although I am).  Naps are medically recognized as beneficial to brain function.  But as anyone who has ever napped before knows, sometimes, you awaken from a nap feeling far more sluggish than you did before you laid down for a power snooze. That’s where Dr. Michael Breus comes in.  Doctor Mike explains the perfect length of time for a truly restorative, brain-firing nap in this great article at Collective-Evolution dot com. Below is the synopsis of the article, but I recommend reading it in its entirety and then taking a little catnap according to the guidelines provided.

A study evaluating the recuperative effects of short and ultra short naps found that napping for 5-10 minutes can create a heightened sense of alertness and increased cognitive ability when comparing to not taking a nap at all.

If you are looking for a quick recharge: nap for 5 – 20 minutes.

If you are looking for deeper sleep rejuvenation: nap for 60 – 90 minutes.

Final tip: When you take your shorter naps, sit up slightly as it will allow you to avoid falling into a deeper sleep. If you dream during these power naps, it could be a sign that you are sleep deprived.

  Article updated March10, 2024

Outbreak Warning for Nursing Assistant Training Students

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The Allen School blog reports on emerging health challenges like the SARS virus and the penicillin resistant MRSA so as to help keep those studying to attain a certified nursing assistant degree well informed of the latest threats to public health and safety. Good Morning America reports today that the MERS (which stands for Middle Eastern Respiratory) Coronavirus, has seen an increase in infection rates across a greater number of countries, now including Egypt, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia.  Doctors are as yet, unsure why infections are increasing at this time. The virus, related to the SARS virus and common cold, produces acute respiratory illness, shortness of breath, and in some cases kidney damage.  The disease has effected nearly 350 worldwide and resulted in 100 deaths so far.  The World Health Organization (WHO) said that of recently diagnosed cases, almost 75 percent may be transmitted human-to-human, likely because a large number of health workers have been exposed to the disease and infected. However the WHO cautions that the reason for the increase could be related to increased testing for the virus and not virus mutation. In either case, Allen School CNA program graduates should be aware of this disease as it seems to be on the move.  Stay well people!

CNA Training Students – Walk the Healthy Living Talk With Patients

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After earning your nurse assistant certification, you’ll be off to work in a medical office where you’ll have regular opportunities to share information with patients on how to maintain healthy lifestyles.  One of the cornerstones of healthy living is eating a diet rich in healthy food such as fruits and veggies.  And nothing is healthier or more rewarding than growing your own! With Spring in full swing in the Northeast where the Allen School is located, many of us are beyond ready to be outside.  And even if you live in the city, you can still be successful at growing your own little patch of vegetables.  Of course there are some that are much easier to manage in a small, urban space than others.  Even if you’ve never been much of a green thumb, perhaps this is the year you seize the opportunity to become one. The brilliant minds at Lifehacker.com have published a list of the Seven Easiest Vegetables to Grow for Beginner Gardeners.  It offers foolproof veggie selections and growing techniques that are perfectly suited to urban growing under tight space constraints.  Read how to grow your own tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans and other fresh veggies.  Then you’ll be able to pass along some first-hand information on a good way to introduce or augment healthy dietary practices among the patients you’ll encounter during your career as a certified nursing assistant.  Get out there and enjoy the weather!

Online Billing and Coding Classes Can Still Use Windows XP

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In the past few months, we’ve been covering the imminent wind down of the venerable Windows XP operating system as Microsoft ceases providing support for it.  We’ve outlined all the security risks that support the recommendation to upgrade to a new operating system or even a new machine.  As several readers pointed out though, not everyone can afford to spend $200 on a new OS or more on a new machine.  After all, part of the reason many are studying medical billing and coding online is because they are striving to earn the credentials they’ll need to land jobs in a more financially rewarding industry like medicine. So, if you’re not in a position to upgrade and will be continuing to use your machine running Windows XP, don’t worry!  Our friends over at the TechGuyLabs.com blog put up this excellent post explaining what you can do to protect your computer and identity should you continue to use XP for online medical billing classes and other activities. Click here to read the TechGuyLabs easy-to-understand checklist of steps to take if you’re sticking to XP.  It makes it very easy to understand what to do.  As time passes, more and more software will begin to no longer work with XP rendering it less and less useful.  But by then, you’ll likely be gainfully employed in your new career and able to afford something new!

Avoidable Mistakes at Medical Assistant Job Interviews

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The Allen School blog frequently posts on ways to improve job interview performance, resume writing and other job search related topics.  The Allen School does a great job preparing people for new careers as medical office assistants.  Yet after graduation, there are another set of skills required to land a job; beyond the skills and practices you study to earn your certification.  The jobs search is almost a job unto itself and here the blog, we try to provide as much good information and support as we can.  The following information provides some information that I find to be very astute and more insightful than the typical information we typically see on this topic. The article here from LiveScience via Yahoo! News provides a very interesting list of 6 mistakes you can avoid during your next job interview if you’re prepared in advance.  Here are the six mistakes: Mistake No. 1: Pretending you can do it all Mistake No. 2: Dismissing questions about social media. Mistake No. 3: Bringing in negative energy. Mistake No. 4: Overlooking interests and hobbies. Mistake No. 5: Failing to research the company. Mistake No. 6: Not asking questions. You can read the elaboration on each mistake, why people typically make each one, and how to avoid falling into the same trap.  Read all about it and be well-prepared for your next job interview for medical assistant positions.

Windows 8 is Great for Online Medical Billing School

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windows-8.1 for online medical billing classesAs we reported a few weeks ago, Windows XP operating system is about to fade out of existence.  With so many computers still running Microsoft’s most popular OS ever, this means many of the folks who studying medical billing and coding online using Windows XP computers have recently upgraded to a new system (or will be soon).  That can be scary.  Especially since, since they’ve still been using Window XP, that means they missed the incremental changes spread over the releases Microsoft issued between XP and the present (which includes Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and most recently, 8.1). But fear not students of medical billing and coding school!  The new Windows 8.1 is actually pretty easy to use- some might even say ‘fun’ – even if you’re an XP diehard.  Microsoft built Windows 8 to act much more like a tablet, phablet or smartphone.  If you have an iPhone or an Android phone, you’ll intuitively understand the “Tiles” which are similar to the apps on your tablet.  What’s even more comforting is that the newest release, Windows 8.1 was issued specifically to restore some of the traditional Windows features that users complained were stripped out of Windows 8.  Things like a START button and right clicking of things have been restored in 8.1.  Overall, this blogger has found it to be the best of both worlds, tablet computing and classic Microsoft tools. Bottom line, like anything new and different, it will take a little adjustment time, but if you’re being forced to upgrade by XP’s final log off, you’ll have even more fun studying online medical billing classes with 8.1!

Nursing Assistant Training is Tax Deductible

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Medical and Nursing Assistant Tax SuggestionsSo, I was absorbed in my tax filing process using the TurboTax tax preparation software (no endorsement implied, it’s just what I use) when the words “Certified Medical Assistant Class” jumped off the computer screen at me.  While I write about certified nursing assistant training regularly, I wasn’t expecting to see it in my tax software.  But there it was. It was a question from another user asking the user support community if certified nursing assistant courses could be listed as deductions on her tax return.  The support representative had responded with the relevant link to the IRS publication that covers this question.  Sure enough, it revealed that the kind of studies you can engage at Allen School, from certified nurse assistant courses to medical assistant certification to medical billing and coding online, were all eligible deductions.  Now, I am not a tax expert by any stretch of the imagination.  And I don’t recommend taking these deductions without first making sure they are proper for you given your personal tax situation.  But it does seem probable that you can take this deduction.  Check with your tax preparer first or read the IRS information very carefully to make sure you qualify. Good luck getting your taxes done and may your refund check be a fat one!

Buying a New Computer for Medical Coding Classes Online?

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If so, you’ll be dealing with the issues surrounding what to do with your old computer.  Discussions on the technologies used to take our medical billing and coding online course are a regular feature of the Allen School Blog.  In these posts, we seek to provide good information to help our online students maximize their experiences studying by remote.  Today’s post deals with the best practices you should use when disposing of an old computer, tablet, handheld or other device. As we shared in this recent post about the end of Microsoft support for Windows XP, it may be time for many people to bite the bullet and buy a new computer.  Yes, you can opt to purchase a newer operating system like Windows 7 or Windows 8.  But chances are, if your machine is running XP, its probably at least 8-10 years old.  And with a new OS costing close to $200 (and the prices of new computers lower than ever before) you may be better off simply purchasing a new machine that comes with the latest operating system pre-installed.  But what to do with the old machine and the likely sensitive personal data that may be stored in the memory banks therein? Dan Tynan for Yahoo! Tech explains the five key things you must do to properly dispose of old computer gear without leaving yourself vulnerable to identity theft or polluting the environment. The five things are as follows:  Back it up, wipe it down, destroy it, recycle, keep records.  Click here to read the details from Dan’s article and protect yourself and the earth when it is time to upgrade your hardware.

Another Breakthrough in Medical Science

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As a certified nursing assistant, you probably won’t be performing any brain surgery.  That said, it is still interesting to note whenever a breakthrough is achieved in the medical field.  As a member (or soon to be member) of this exciting career field, it should be a point of pride for you whenever such innovations occur.  For our part here at the Allen School blog, we always try to publicize these occurrences. Today’s nifty news story comes from University Medical Centre Utrecht in the Netherlands where neurosurgeons completed the first successful skull implant using a large, 3-D printed skull.  The patient was a 22 year old woman with a bone disorder.  This step marks the opening of an exciting new frontier in medicine wherein 3-D printers can be used to fabricate replacement parts for the human body. If you’re just completing your certified nursing assistant course with us, you’re at the beginning of a fabulous career during a period in history which will be replete with fantastic breakthroughs that would have been considered science fiction just a few short decades ago.

A Framework and a Dream – Succeed in your Medical Billing Education

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There may be a thousand reasons not to do something.  But there’s only one reason why you should: because you’ve decided to do it!   Listen to those who tell you that becoming a medical billing specialist is too difficult or too costly and you’ll never know just how rewarding – personally and financially – it can be to earn a position in a stable and rapidly growing field. Sometimes, we all need some inspiration to overcome self-doubt, anxiety and other negative emotions that hold us back from achieving our true potential. This is why I am pleased to share the following ten truly inspirational quotes with you.  The title of this post takes an excerpt from Michael Dell, without whose contribution to society (Dell Computers), I wouldn’t be writing this blog.  (Yes, I am using a Dell computer.)  He said something that is very applicable to those considering the study of medical billing and coding online with the Allen School.  He said, “You don’t have to be a genius or a visionary or even a college graduate to be successful. You just need a framework and a dream.”   Studying to earn your medical billing certification with Allen School provides both the framework and the dream needed to launch yourself in an amazing new career. The quote above from Michael Dell was number 5 on the list of Ten Inspirational Quotes published by the entrepreneurial folks at Inc. magazine.  Read the full list here.  It’ll get you pumped up to pursue your dream like never before!