Need a New Machine for Medical Billing Classes Online?

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If you’ve been reading this blog over the years, you know I rarely (if ever) give any product or service endorsements (except to recommend particularly useful websites or particularly over-the-top fast food creations).  But I feel like the experience I recently had buying a new laptop computer was worth sharing.  Especially for those of you who are studying medical billing and coding online (or those who may be considering it.) Did you know that most computer manufacturers sell “scratch & dent” and “refurbished” products through websites not typically connected with their main website?  Yep.  Its true.  In the past, I have purchased machines from Dell Outlet, HP Outlet and just this week, “Lenovo Outlet” stores.  I have purchased “scratch and dents” which, although it sounds scary, typically means nothing more than tiny cosmetic blemishes that aren’t even noticeable.  Refurbs are almost always machines that were ordered, delivered and sent back because the buyer didn’t want it when it arrived (read: found a lower price elsewhere).  Or perhaps there was a defective component when they buyer first booted the machine.  So it is sent back to the factory where the original manufacturer’s technicians replace the faulty component, returning the machine to virtually brand-new status. These “Manufacturer’s Outlet” sites sell these computers beginning at 50% off!  And the deals get even better than that.  I bought a refurbed Lenovo laptop with a touch screen, a superfast dual core processor (3Ghz), 6GB of RAM memory, DVD burner, webcam, Dolby speakers and Windows 8 operating system.  It was a $1100 ,machine.  I paid $388.00! Studying online to earn your degree in medical billing is a smart way to go.  Be smart about buying a good computer to support your studies.

Write a Masterpiece of a Resume

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The Rockport Institute is dedicated to helping people determine the very best career path for themselves.  If you’ve been studying at Allen School to become a medical office assistant, a certified nurse assistant or a medical billing specialist, then you’ve already determined the very best career choice for yourself.  However, after you’ve got your Allen School certification in hand, you must embark on the challenging task of finding a great place to work.  Landing the job you want in an organization that you’ll love begins with having a solid resume to get the hiring authorities interested in you as a candidate. The Rockport Institute published an excellent piece explaining what is required to develop the most effective, exceptional resume to vault your candidacy over the rest of the crowd seeking to land the same position.  Their five part series on Writing a Masterpiece of a Resume contains the following sections: Part 1 – Resume Writing – Write a resume that generates results Part 2 – How to knock the socks off a prospective employer Part 3 – The evidence section: How to present your work history, education, etc. Part 4 – A few guidelines for a better presentation Part 5 – I’m not sure the job I’m looking for is the right one for me Part 6 – Add power to your resume with power words If you’re done with or soon to complete your studies at Allen School or Allen School Online, do yourself a favor and really digest this series of posts; the strongest such how-to material I have ever come across on this subject.

Body Language Tips for Medical Assistant Job Hunters

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Getting the job you want is a multi-faceted process and one which requires sufficient planning in order to succeed.  Studying to earn your certification from the Allen School as a medical assistant is but the first milestone.  With the solid education under your belt, you must begin the journey through hunting for positions, writing resumes, negotiating preliminary phone interviews, buying the right clothes for interviewing and then, ultimately, sitting across the table from a live hiring manager whose job it is to disqualify weak candidates.  So if you’ve navigated the majority of these steps and stand ready to enter the office of the hiring manager, here are some tips to make sure you come across as the best medical assistant candidate for the position. Almost as important as what you say during your interview is what your body says without using a single word.  Just like a poor poker player, your true feelings can be telegraphed and revealed by the way you comport yourself physically during the interview.  Things like posture, eye contact, voice, excessive nodding of the head, “talking with the hands” and bouncing a nervous knee are all “tells” that can alert your interviewer to possible underlying issues with you as a candidate.  These things should all be acknowledged and guarded against.  Want to know more?  Visit this article at job site Careerealism.com for the details and be as great an interview subject as you are a medical assistant certificate holder from the Allen School.

Cancer Reaches Global Pandemic Proportions (More Medical Assistants Needed)

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cancer pandemic means more nursing assistants neededMedical assistant schools should expect to continue to be in high demand if it’s true what the World Health Organization (WHO) is reporting.  According to a report from CNN, the WHO has been sounding the alarm that cancer is approaching global pandemic proportions with almost 1 in every 8 deaths worldwide attributable to the disease.  Whether it is colon cancer in men, cervical cancer in women, or lung cancer among smokers, cancer is on the rise as more countries become industrialized and adopt Western lifestyles. While this is truly ghastly news, it should be noted that one of the byproducts of this spreading disease is an ongoing, high demand for people with nursing assistant education and all other types of healthcare-related workers.  While many of the steps people can take to minimize their cancer risk (like quitting smoking and increasing physical activity) are not something a certified nurse assistant can influence directly, there are other things that require the direct involvement of a medical assistant.  For example, vaccinations.  Women can get vaccinated against HPV virus which is a precursor to cervical cancer. In any case, the silver lining in this troubling story is particularly bright for those taking medical assistant training with the Allen School.   Article updated November 2023

Tax Suggestions for Nursing Assistants and Medical Assistants

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Tax Suggestions for Medical Assistants and Nursing AssistantsDid you know that you can potentially lower your tax liability if you know what deductions you can claim on your tax return?  As a careerist in the fields of certified nursing assistant or medical office assistant, there are a number of things you can write off if you’re filing an itemized tax return.  Knowing what is an acceptable deduction (and what is not) is important though, so you don’t run afoul of IRS guidelines.

At the www.nursinglink.com website, they’ve published an article entitled, “Financial Tips for Nurses – Income Tax Deductions” which includes some interesting information about what may be acceptable tax deductions for folks working in the medical/healthcare field.  Things like uniforms and equipment, licenses and training fees, travel expenses and other things typically experienced by CNAs and medical assistants are all examined and explained.  Definitely worth a quick read as tax season is now upon us.

So What Did You Earn at Your Last Nursing Assistant Job?

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Whether they’re simply trying to determine if your salary expectations are in line with what the position offers, or if they’re trying to determine how much less you’re willing to work for, it is commonly believed that whomever answers the “salary” question first loses money. If, as an Allen School graduate, you’re moving up through the work world and moving from good certified medical assistant positions to great ones, it’s almost a certainty that a hiring manager is going to ask you about your salary at your last position.  If you answer and the new position was prepared to pay more than you say you were earning, the employer will be more than happy to save the difference.  So how does one deflect this question until the time is right to answer it? The folks over at USNews had a great piece sharing the tips and tricks to emerging from this dicey part of the interview process unscathed.  Read it here.  And best of luck in your upward move through the ranks as a nursing assistant in the job market.

Study Medical Billing Courses Online

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Study medical billing online even if you're away from your computerYes, we all know taking medical billing classes online is a great way to insert career training into an already busy lifestyle.  Even if you’re working a job (that you’re desperately trying to leave in favor of a rewarding career by earning a medical billing certification) you can easily study in your downtime, from the comfort of your own home.  Yet, sometimes, you find yourself away from your own home and your computer. Let’s say you’re visiting family out of town, or traveling for any reason.  Did you know you can access your home computer using virtual desktop software?  So even though you may be able to access your classwork from Aunt Betty’s computer, you still need access to your files and other course material which may be stored in your computer’s hard drive at home.  There are numerous “desktop sharing” programs that you can use to gain access to your files from anywhere and without having to put them in a cloud-based storage like Dropbox or some such. The brilliant folks over at Lifehacker.com have done the homework for you (no, not the medical billing online homework) and reviewed the top 5 remote desktop-sharing programs.  Here’s a link to the article they produced sharing their findings.  This blogger has used Team Viewer as well as Microsoft Remote Desktop (2 of the 5 listed) and has found them both to be easy and extraordinarily useful.  Have a look at the article and if you’ve got a trip planned, know that you’ll be able to keep connected to your studies and anything else you may need to access while away!   Article updated March 9, 2024

Medical Assistants Have No Regrets

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Have you ever wanted something badly?  Wanted it so badly it consumed your thoughts and dreams for weeks upon months?  And then, once you somehow were able to grasp the object of your desire, learned that in reality, you couldn’t stand the thing you thought you wanted?  Maybe it was a boyfriend or girlfriend you coveted who turned out to be a horrible person once you got close to them.  Or perhaps it was a car that while attractive on the outside was uncomfortable on the inside or got truly horrible gas mileage?  But if it was a career you thought you’d love but wound up loathing once you broke into the field, you probably still feel a stinging sensation when you think about it. Well, the folks over at Monster.com published this list of the 5 most regretted jobs, describing five career paths that are most frequently reported to be regretted by people who work them.  You’ll be glad to note that not a single healthcare related field was included on this list.  That means few medical assistants, medical billing and coding professionals and certified nurse assistants feel regret about choosing this rewarding field to pursue.

Is Medical Assistant the Best Job through the Next Decade?

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I am not in the habit of repeating things fools say.  But in this case I think I will have to make an exception.  That is, I am happy to republish this piece originally printed at the website of the Motley Fool (www.fool.com) which is a well-respected site for investment advice.  In the piece linked here, “fool” Patrick Morris lays out the jobs with the best prospects for the next ten years in terms of availability, stability and pay.

Not surprisingly, the perennial favorite for lists like this – registered nurse – made the top of the list.  True to form, several other medical/healthcare industry careers made the list as well, a testament to the demand for workers experienced by a nation with a rapidly aging population.  Also not surprisingly, nursing assistant was included on the list. 

Studying to become a certified nurse assistant is a very logical and low-risk/high-reward proposition.  As the Baby Boomer generation continues to retire at a rate of several dozen per minute for the next ten years or so, there will be no shortage of patients seeking help for a multitude of ailments and illnesses associated with aging.  If you’re holding a nursing assistant certificate, you’ll be well situated to be fully, gainfully employed.  If you’re thinking about a new career, you should definitely consider the Allen School for nursing assistant training.

Medical Innovation Only Requires Imagination

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Way back in April 2010, I blogged about a student who invented a a suction device for surgical use that cost a mere $3 to produce, making a truly life-saving impact on the lives of folks living in the most impoverished places on Earth (like Haiti after the huge earthquake they experienced). This story perfectly illustrated how a student could make an outsized impact on the lives of millions and the medical treatment they may now receive as a result of one person’s efforts. The above video shows another example of this maxim.  This doctor, running a medical clinic in rural Nigeria, invented a simple device to perform the duties of a centrifuge which was critically needed but too expensive to purchase.  Using bicycle parts and a lot of ingenuity, this rural doc was able to make healthcare happen for his patients. If you’re studying to become a certified nursing assistant with the Allen School, you should be prepared for a career that holds the potential for success beyond simply learning the skills you’ll need to earn a good living and improve the lives of those around you.  You’ll also be learning how to think outside the box and you will take with you – once you graduate – an ability to perform great acts in service of others.