Be Nice to the Pizza Guy Medical Billing Specialists

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Studying from home (or your selected remote location) is certainly a boon for those interested in a pursuing a medical billing & coding career.  The flexibility of online courses for medical billing and coding means you can have the flexible hours required to work a job to support your studies.  Like many, you’re probably taking the bold step of seeking certification in medical billing to improve your employment situation and avoid being stuck in low-paying jobs with severely limited earning potential; jobs like pizza delivery guy. Now, even if you’re not working as a pizza delivery guy to put yourself though medical billing and coding school, chances are, you’re going to order pizza delivery at times while studying diligently at home.  If you do, you should remember just how difficult a job like pizza deliveryman can be, especially for the low wages these workers earn.  With this in mind, I present to you Reader’s Digest’s list of 28 things your pizza guy won’t tell you.  This sometimes comical, sometimes depressing list should serve as a reminder to you of exactly what you’re working toward in your studies.  Study hard, get your medical billing certification and go out and land a job with real prospects.  Oh, and PLEASE, don’t forget to tip the pizza guy.  (Full disclosure: this blogger has done a stint as a pizza deliveryman as a younger fellow and this list is exceptionally accurate!)

10 Ways to be a Happier Medical Billing Specialist

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Whether studying medical billing classes online or working already in a medical billing and coding career, you’re likely to fall prey to the myriad dangers of a busy life.  Really, any of us can be afflicted by the kinds of activities that sap us of joy and affirmation, making us depressed, angry or ambivalent.  But we needn’t be caught up in the morass.  After all, if you have a solid job in medical billing and coding, you’ve got at least that going for you. But science has proven the following activities to be very beneficial if you’re looking for ways to stay happy, healthy and contented in life.  Some of these ten things are pretty intuitive, like getting regular exercise and making enough time for sleep for example.  Others may be not so obvious, like simply getting outdoors enough or volunteering to help others. The cool minds over at lifehacker.com published this list of 10 things to do to become a happier person and I don’t think there’s even one item on the list that won’t improve your outlook and state of mind.  So go ahead and have a read.  Then let me know if you don’t feel better after doing some or all of these things.  If nothing else, it will make it easier for you to study medical billing courses online.

Nurse Assistants, Know What to Say

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When patients come to the office or the hospital, they’re all seeking the same thing – cures and words of comfort or kind encouragement.  Knowing what to say in any given health-related situation is an important part of being a certified nurse assistant.  And to a large degree when taking nurse assistant training, you’ll be learning what to do and what to say in a wide range of health-related scenarios.  But, beyond the robust support you’ll get from Allen School’s career services you’ll still be on your own when you walk into the job interview for a position in a doctor’s office or other medical facility.  If you want to land that job as a nurse assistant, you’re going to need to know not just what to say to patients, but what to say to the hiring manager in your interview. The job experts over at Monster.com have put together a great list of five simple things to say during your next job interview to make you a more attractive candidate to the hiring manager.  There are just some phrases and ideas that, when communicated sincerely, indicate that you’re the type of prospective employee that companies categorically seek to hire.  Just as a sick or injured patient wants to hear words that put them at ease, so too does a hiring manager want to hear words that make them comfortable with you as a candidate.  Want to know the five best things to say during an interview?  Click here!  Let our readers know how these phrases worked for you in your next interview by sharing your experiences in the comments.  

Medical Assistant, Know Your Enemy

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certified nurse assistants should know their enemyAncient Chinese tactician, Sun Tzu, wrote in The Art of War, his famous treatise on warfare, “Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted.”  For the modern medical warriors, like the doctors, nurses, and certified medical and nursing assistants who fight every day against countless illnesses and diseases, this quote couldn’t be more appropriate. Knowing what you’re up against can help you arrive at the metaphorical fight first. Understanding the nature of the enemy – in this case, microbial attackers of nearly infinite variety – is essential to being able to help patients overcome or even avoid sickness in the first place.  This fascinating piece explains how microbes join forces to become more effective at invading their host and warding off defenses – both antibodies and medication. Understanding the detailed pathology of every bacteria and virus may not be a core curriculum for those taking a certified medical assistant course, but Sun Tzu also said something about keeping one’s friends close, but one’s enemies closer So, all of you pursuing your certified nursing and medical assistant degree, read up on the enemy and be prepared to fight the good fight. Article updated December 2023

Medical Field GREW During Worst Recession Since the Depression

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If there was ever any doubt that going to medical assistant school, nursing assistant school or online medical billing school leads to very stable employment, this chart dispels it.  The Labor Departments recent Establishment Survey looked at how employment in all sectors has fared during the Great Recession that began in 2007.  While there are some serious lows for many industries, and wild fluctuations in many others, the medical industry saw unimpeded, continuous, healthy growth as evidenced by the chart shown here.  A nice, steady, upward facing slope even during the worst of the downturn between 2007 and 2009.  In the last four years, the medical industry has added more than 14.5 million workers to the economy. If you’re on the fence about the value in taking medical assistant training or medical billing courses, I cannot point to a better argument in favor.  See the highlights of the entire report in this slideshow over at Marketwatch.com

Forbes’s Tough Love for Medical Billing and Coding Job Seekers

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medical billing and coding job interviewsOK, well it wasn’t written expressly for medical billing and coding professionals.  It could just as easily apply to those job seekers holding a certified nurse assistant degree, a medical assistant certification or really, everyone seeking employment today. In this frank article entitled, “Stop Screwing Up Your Job Search in These Ten Ways”, Forbes magazine editors lay out the myriad ways that job seekers of all types unwittingly sabotage their efforts at landing a job.  From tips as obvious as “Don’t talk trash about your former employer” to less evident suggestions as “Talking too much at the beginning of the interview”, the article is full of insight into ways that many candidates scotch their chances at landing the gig. Just because demand remains strong for medical assistants, billing and coding pros and those with certified nurse assistant training, it doesn’t mean the job search has become any less competitive.  Being on top of your interviewing game is essential if you’re going to stand out against the other candidates interested in the job.  But what you do have by way of advantage, is the good name of the Allen School to make the education section of your CV look impressive!  Good luck out there to all job hunters!

Medical Assistants Give the Best Advice

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Medical assistants and certified nurse assistants give the best adviceI don’t know about you, but I have received some of the best advice on health and related issues from the medical assistants working in the offices of my doctors.  After all, it is the medical assistant (or sometimes the certified nurse assistant) who comes into the examination room before the doctor to collect information etc.  The doctor comes in and performs the examination and then when he or she leaves, it is the medical assistant or certified nurse assistant who follows up and provides critical details about the course of treatment the doctor ordered. So as you’re taking medical assistant courses or certified nurse assistant training, you will ultimately end up in a medical office where you’ll encounter real people, with real medical needs.  These folks will look to you for insight, guidance, comfort and well being.  If you’re anything like the medical assistants and CNAs in my doctor’s office, you’re going to be a font of practical information that will be valuable to the patients you serve.  Here’s a good example. As I was planning a trip to New Orleans last year, the certified nurse assistant in my doctor’s office served me this excellent piece of advice.  I came across this article at LifeHacker which explained in detail, exactly what my doctor’s CNA recommended as I planned my trip.  Being that I take several daily medications for asthma, she recommended I take cell phone pics of all my medication bottles and prescriptions so that if I were to lose my meds on vacation far from home, that I would be able to refill them locally and with ease.  It is this kind of advice that makes a good medical assistant or CNA and invaluable one.

Stay Topical Medical Assistants

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Medical Assistants and Certified Nurse Assistants should stay abreast of public health newsBeing a medical assistant – like being a certified nurse assistant, nurse, or doctor – means being informed not simply on the material covered in medical assistant training, certified nursing assistant courses or med school.  It also means staying vigilant when it comes to trends and events that can impact on public health.  In some cases, being aware of emerging health threats can save critical hours when patients come in with severe health issues. Take for example today’s release by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) which announced the existence of an unidentified stomach bug which has stricken more than 250 people across multiple states including, Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, Wisconsin, Georgia and Connecticut.  The CDC suspects the pathogen cyclospora which are transmitted sometimes via produce which has been contaminated with feces. Wherever the current outbreak is ultimately determined to originate, the point is that a medical assistant or certified nurse assistant who is aware of the emerging threat will be able to more quickly help identify the affliction in patients who come in suffering.  Keeping tabs on resources like the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other public and private health organizations is a good practice for those who want to become top performing medical assistants and certified nursing assistants.

Why Certified Nurse Assistants have Job Security: Reason # 2477

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Cycle accidents alone could keep certified nurse assistants fully employedWhen looking for a stable, solid career to pursue, one could do a lot worse than certified nurse assistant.  Taking certified nurse assistant training via Allen School is a sure-fire way to nearly ensure that you’ll be graduating into a field where there will always be plenty of employment to go around.  Why do I say this? Consider this news wire story from the Associated Press about the four motorcycle riders in upstate New York this weekend who were stopped by police for driving their bikes at a heart-stopping 138 miles per hour!  Now, these fellows were lucky that their race on the open road was cut short by the police and not by a guard rail, oncoming vehicle or even a bird strike.  Because hitting any unforeseen obstacle at that rate of speed would surely have been catastrophic if not fatal.  And it is just this kind of maniacal activity that lands so many motorcycle riders in emergency rooms and hospitals every year.  The ones lucky enough to survive may also look forward to many years of physical therapy and other medical procedures; all of which are aided supported by dedicated certified nurse assistants. Before the two wheel-favoring readers of this blog start writing me nasty-grams about maligning the motorcycle, let me point out that the stupidity evidenced in this foursome’s weekend joyride is not native to motorcyclists alone.  Far from it.  Every year, thousands of people are injured doing really stupid things.  Digits blown off by illegal fireworks, broken bones caused by trampoline accidents, severe burns from turkey fryers around Thanksgiving time – and the list goes on and on.  Not even accounting for those accidents not stemming from irresponsible behavior, the point is that certified nurse assistants will always find it easier to remain employed because as long as there are humans, there will be accidents requiring medical attention.

Rising Tide Lifts All Boats for Employment in These Cities

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24/7 Wall Street published an article listing the top six cities for wage increases over the last year.  The top six cities where wages are soaring are: 6. Odessa, Texas 5. Provo-Orem, Utah 4. Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin 3. Midland, Texas 2. Vero Beach, Florida 1. San Francisco/San Mateo, California The article credits certain industries in each of these locales that are experiencing dramatic growth, contributing to the exploding wages.  As one may expect, oil and gas exploration in Texas is driving wages higher in Odessa and Midland.  Mining, logging and construction are doing it in Provo.  Manufacturing is behind the rise in Fond du Lac.  You get the idea. But you may be asking yourself, “What does this have to do with my decision to take certified nurse assistant training in NYC?”  The answer is two fold. First, by studying any of the career tracks at Allen School – whether it be online medical billing and coding classes, medical assistant training or the certified nurse assistant course – you’re putting yourself in the drivers’ seat.  Having a certification in medical billing means you can pretty much get a good job in any city.  Same thing is true if you earn a certified nurse assistant degree or a credential for medical assisting.  These are skills that are always in demand across the US. Second, with a boom in industries such as mining, oil/gas drilling and exploration, logging, construction and manufacturing comes a corresponding rise in medical needs (emergency and otherwise) derived from work in these physically demanding and sometimes dangerous fields.  And in areas like the six metros listed above, there are more workers earning more money and with greater spending power when it comes to healthcare.  As the old saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats.  So make your boat an education in medical billing and coding, certified nursing assisting or medical office assisting and take your show on the road to where the money is!