Medical Assistant Training: Not Too Late to Achieve Career Greatness

by
Making significant achievements is not an activity strictly reserved for the young.  You may have worked for a decade or more in a field you find unrewarding and unprofitable.  But just because you’re no longer college aged and fresh faced, that you cannot turn over a new leaf and engage in some nursing assistant training to land a job in a field you will find rewarding both emotionally and financially.  Nursing assistant training can be taken by the young and the old alike and both age groups will find plenty of work available to them when they complete their studies.

Don’t believe that you can begin something like nursing assistant training at a later point in your life?  Think achievement is only for the youngsters?  Consider seasoned NY Mets baseball player Bartolo Colon.   Colon is set to turn 43 on May 24 and had never hit a home run during his long career in Major League Baseball.  Yet, this past weekend, Colon drilled one against Padres right-hander James Shields, blasting a two-run homer into the left field seats at Petco Park in San Diego.  In so doing, Colon became the oldest player in MLB history to hit his first career homer.

What are you waiting for?  If you’re sitting on the bench worrying that you’re too old to make a huge event occur in your life, think about Bartolo Colon and step boldly to the plate to take your swing.  Allen School is here to help you knock it out of the park!

Summer’s Last Hurrah! Time to Study for Medical Assistant Certification

by
Yes people, Labor Day is almost here and with it, the end of another summer.  At the grocer just yesterday I noted that the big pile of watermelons was quickly dwindling and I lamented that soon, there would be no more watermelon for sale (except in small quantities, shipped in from Mexico and at an insane premium).  So I bought the biggest one I could find and intend to enjoy its sweet juiciness but a few more times before the onslaught of the Fall. With Fall fast approaching and “back to school” on everyone’s mind, now might be a good time to consider taking classes with the Allen School to earn your nursing assistant certification and enter a fantastic new career in the medical industry.  You can ponder the possibilities over a juicy piece of the last of summer’s watermelon, prepared as shown above.

3 Reasons to Send Follow Up Emails After Medical Billing Job Interviews

by
post medical billing job interview letterChris Carlson, President of Sales Talent, Inc. says, “I find it remarkable how little effort many candidates put into a career search.  In my view, if it’s worth the time it takes to prepare for, drive to and interview with a potential employer, it’s worth spending a little extra time to get the details right.”  If you’re trying to land that first (or tenth) medical billing job, it is imperative that you send follow up letters or emails to your interviewers wherever you may have sat for an interview, in person or on the phone. 1)  Differentiation – The job market is and will always be a competitive environment.  There are almost always more applicants than jobs available.  As such, if the hiring decision comes down to a choice between you and another equally qualified medical billing job seeker, give the hiring manager a reason to select you.  A simple, sincere letter of thanks post-interview could be just the differentiation you need to beat the competition. 2)  Articulate Your Interest – Writing a nice follow up letter does double duty.  Clearly it demonstrates that you’re actively interested in the role available.  But it also gives you the opportunity to demonstrate that you can form cogent thoughts on paper and articulate yourself which is a benefit in any candidate.  If writing isn’t your bag, get someone with better writing skills to help you (or at least to proof your writing). 3)  Demonstrate Follow-Through – Being an employee who is able to complete tasks all the way from inception through satisfactory or even exemplary conclusion makes you a valuable commodity.  The act of sending a follow up message demonstrates that you don’t quit at the earliest convenient stopping point.  It shows that you’re the kind of person who will see tasks through to their full conclusion; that you’re thorough and thoughtful.  For why this matters, see Reason #1.

Carlson offers the following tips on how to craft a winning letter.

  • As classy as a handwritten “Thank You” note is, timing is key.  Always send an email within 24 hours of an interview.  A best practice would be to send the email around 5pm that same day that you interviewed.  This will put your message in front of the hiring manager(s) while they are stilling grappling with who will make the cut. 
  • Address concerns or opportunities that were uncovered in the interview.
  • Send a “Thank you” email to each person that you interviewed with (yes, get a business card from each person you meet so you’ll have their email).  Send them a message via Linkedin if they didn’t give you their business card.
  • Keep your message short, professional and to the point.

HHS Dept Commissioned Study Says Regular Mammograms Only Needed After 50

by
mammogramSweeping new U.S. breast cancer screening guidelines are calling for an end to routine mammograms for women in their 40s and for women 50 to 74 they suggest a mammogram every other year.  This controversial new guideline was handed down by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF),  a group of nongovernmental experts convened by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to review published literature and develop recommendations for the use of clinical preventive services.   Coming on the heels of the controversial Stupak Amendment limiting coverage for abortions that was inserted into the House healthcare bill in the eleventh hour at the behest of Catholic Cardinals, this new guideline seems to many to be a part of a broader campaign to hack away at hard-won women’s rights. Continue reading…

Medical Assistant Certificate – Your Ticket to Low Taxes and Less Traffic Congestion

by
nursing assistant degree When you’re stuck in a dead-end job, you may wish for the ability to change your surroundings.  You may wish to move to a place where it is easier and cheaper to live.  However, in a dead-end job, it is hard to make enough money to make any changes to your surroundings.  You may be stuck living in a high tax state or a state with horrible traffic congestion making your commute to said dead-end job all the more emotionally taxing. On the other hand, if you have a good job, like the kind you’d qualify for once having earned a nursing assistant degree, you can exert far more control over your situation.  Get that nursing assistant degree and you’ll be earning a significant amount more than you would be working in food service or retail.  And with that extra money, you could move to a state with an overall lower tax burden so you’ll keep more of what you earn.  Plus, given that there are plenty of good jobs in nearly every US market for people with nursing assistant degrees, you could elect to begin your career in an area where there isn’t a ridiculous amount of traffic for commuting. So how would one go about locating the perfect location with low state tax burdens and acceptably painless commutes?  Glad you asked.  Here are a couple of articles to help point you in the right direction.  Here’s a piece that shows what states pay the highest state taxes (to be avoided) and another piece that shows the ten worst commute corridors (also to be avoided).  

Online Medical Billing School Working on Windows 7 timeframe

by
online medical billing classes

Sunset date for Windows 7

Here’s the story for anyone who uses computers for school; especially those enrolled in online medical billing school. As was covered in this blog extensively, Microsoft recently ceased support for its Windows XP operating system.  Now it has been reported that they are planning to kill again.  Microsoft announced it will be ceasing support for Windows 7 in January of 2015.  If your computer runs Windows 7, you might begin to make plans to either upgrade to Windows 8 (or, the soon-to-be released Windows 9 which is what Microsoft REALLY wants). Or, if your machine is getting old, purchase a new one with the latest operating system pre-installed. Look, your computer is important to do the work involved in medical assistant training classes and nursing assistant training on campus.  If you’ve opted for online medical billing school, your computer is your classroom, your lecture hall, you whole campus really, and we take serious the duty of keeping you informed of all the tips, tricks, and news information that we can to help you keep your computers in good shape. Should you be worried about this change coming in six months?  If history is any guide, it is possible that nothing will happen in January.  Microsoft announced its plan to discontinue XP support many years ago and kept extended the support period – over and over – due to popular demand.  Chances are we’ll see at least one extension!  But don’t forget you heard it here, because sooner or later, Windows 7 will be “sun setted”.  

Medical Assistant Training Doesn’t Cover Dealing with Annoying Co-Workers

by
medical assistants are good coworkers, but not everyone else is

How to Deal with Annoying Co-Workers Like this Guy

First off, let me make clear, annoying co-workers can be found in every career field, not just in the medical office field.  However, if you’re just wrapping up your medical assistant training and getting ready to wade into the workforce, you should be prepared with the following information with regard to the types and varieties of annoying co-workers you’ll no doubt encounter on your path. And since I bet they don’t teach this stuff in medical assistant classes, I, your humble blog master, am here to fill in this important gap in your preparation for a new career.  You can thank me later.

The folks at the job board, Monster.com have been kind enough to chronicle the 25 species of co-workers you may encounter and, more importantly, how to keep their buffoonery from impacting on your hard work and dedication to the job.  There are a lot of numbskulls you’ll run into in the workplace – the slacker, the gossip, the suck-up, the complainer, the chatterbox, the schmoozer, the smiling backstabber, the thief, the control freak, and many others.

Also, let me make clear that for every joker you may encounter on the job as a medical assistant, you’re likely to meet 20 really awesome co-workers. This is especially true in the medical field which by nature, is full of people who truly wish to make a difference and provide comfort to the afflicted.  It’s just fun on a Monday morning to vent a bit about some of our least favorite co-workers. Enjoy!

Ready to take the next leap in your career? Browse all the amazing programs at Allen School of Health Sciences – we have three amazing campuses at Queen, NY, Brooklyn, NY, and Phoenix, AZ.

CONTACT US

Medical Billing Classes Online? Or Medical Assisting Training on Campus?

by
subwayHere’s one criteria you may use to determine whether you’re more suited to studying medical billing classes online with the Allen School, or taking medical assisting training on one of their NYC area campuses. Two words for you: Subway & Acrobats!

If you live in the NY Metro area and you ride the subway, you’re no doubt acquainted with the amateur acrobats who sometimes come through the cars making impromptu performances of physical prowess, using the handrails and poles as gymnastic equipment.  Recently, NYPD has begun enforcing the rules prohibiting these performers from twirling, flying, and catapulting themselves around the cars, apparently endangering other riders.  This prohibition on acrobatics though, will not stem the flow of other “street talent” using the subway platforms as their stage.  From magicians to musicians, poets to rappers, and every other kind of artist, you’re still bound to be treated to a show on steel wheels while you’re bound for work or school.

So, if you applaud the crackdown on subway acrobatics and find most train-based public performance an unbearable annoyance, perhaps you’d prefer to study medical billing classes online with the Allen School and avoid the daily shows in the tube.  If you think the acrobats and all the other subway performers are an interesting part of the social fabric, then you may prefer to study medical assisting training on Allen School campuses in the NYC area, taking the “E” train to school (that’s “E” for Entertainment).

Medical Technology – From Online Medical Billing Classes to Neural Bypass

by
Technology has always been at the forefront of medical advancements and never more so than it is today.   Consider the recent advance in neural bypass technology wherein neurosurgeons successfully connected the brain of a paralyzed man to his muscles using an innovative medical breakthrough known as “Neurobridge” technology. From a Live Science article which I recommend reading for its amazing content, “Neurobridge reroutes brain signals. The system combines a computer chip implanted in the brain, a brain-computer interface, and a sleeve that transmits electrical signals to the patient’s forearm and hand.” Breakthroughs such as this – helping the paralyzed to move again of their own volition – are one of the many reasons why a career in the medical field is such a rewarding one.  And while it doesn’t approach the same level of wonder, technology is also instrumental in helping to produce class after class of medical billing and coding specialists.  Allen School‘s online medical billing classes enable busy people to complete their certification from the comfort of their own home or any other internet-connected location they may choose. Article updated April 3, 2024

Just Earned a Medical Assistant Certificate But Have No Experience for Your Resume?

by
resume21Fret not.  Everyone starts somewhere no?   If you’ve decided to pursue a career as a medical assistant and you’re about to earn your medical assistant certificate, don’t be too concerned about finding that first job. “But I have never had a job as a medical assistant before and I won’t have any relevant experience to list on my resume” I hear you saying.  Just because you’re new to the field doesn’t mean you don’t have qualities, characteristics and yes, experiences that will be attractive to hiring managers.  Its just that none of these things have taken place inside a medical office.  So what do you do to fill a resume if you are a new grad and entrant into this exciting new career? The brilliant business minds at Forbes magazine have some answers to this question that, as luck would have it, has been asked by thousands of people before you.  The first answer they provide in their excellent article (which we strongly recommend you read here) is to include any and all relevant and transferable skills.  Were you the clerical person or admin for your uncle’s car dealership for a few summers?  Perhaps you helped your church group organize a trip for the choir to sing at the state capitol?  Or maybe you volunteered at your local assemblyman’s last campaign.  Any or all these types of activities can go a long way towards demonstrating your exposure to skills and functions necessary of a good medical office assistant.  List them all along with a good run down of the tasks you handled and the results you helped produce. Related side and/or academic projects are also fair game according to Forbes.  And this makes perfect sense.  The efforts you invested into in depth projects for school are a great source of experience and demonstrate your ability to complete complex tasks according to schedules and deadlines.  Create a “projects” section on your resume to share your experiences in projects – even if they’re not employment-related – that may have some bearing on the work you‘re now seeking.  Perhaps you worked with a non-profit public health policy think tank.  Or maybe you volunteered at a free clinic?  Any of these types of activities can polish a resume.