Hey CNAs! What Do You Think of NYC’s Soda Ban?

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Allen School ground campuses are located in New York City.  This means that all you certified nursing assistant students, those studying to be medical office assistants and nursing assistants will soon be affected by NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s latest law.  Recently passed by the NYC Board of Health, the new law will ban the sale of sugary sodas in cup sizes larger than 16 ounces.  So no more Super Big Gulps at 7-Eleven.  No more “super sized” Cokes at Mickey D’s.  This is a regulation that has been the source of quite a bit of controversy amongst New Yorkers.  Similar to the smoking ban which went into effect in NYC several years ago, people are complaining that the government is intruding too far into their liberties.  However, the smoking ban – love it or hate it – has resulted in lower rates of smoking amongst NYC residents overall.  So that’s not too bad right?  The idea behind the soda ban is to help chip away at one of the root causes of the current obesity epidemic.  Will it work?  Is it governmental overreach?  As CNAs, medical office assistants and other medical office personnel, this issue is a very relevant one, impacting as it does on public health in the city where you live, study, and will eventually work.  Share your thoughts on the new soda ban in the comments below.  If you want more information on the details of the new law, you can read about it here in fimmaker Casey Neistat’s short video which was produced for the New York Times.

Online Medical Billing and Coding Students, Protect Your Eyes

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Yes, online students of medical billing and coding spend many hours in front of their computer terminals studying, reading, writing and interacting.  Even more so than their ground school counterparts studying such things as medical office assistants’ programs, certified nursing assistant training etc, the online students at Allen School rely on their computers greatly and spend alot of time looking at the monitor.  I suspect most of these medical billing and coding students have, at one time or another, found their eyes irritated, tired or otherwise bothered.  As a blogger and digital marketer, I too have run into this problem.   So I want to share with our readers some tips I got from the How-To Wiki at Wired.com on methods for keeping your eyes fresh and healthy. The top 4 steps you can take to prevent eye strain (according to the article here) are: 1) Take breaks 2) Blink more often 3) Cut down on contrast 4) Avoid glare and tiny text Read the article for the details, but then take a few minutes away from your computer to give your peepers a rest!

Never Forget!

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Students of medical billing and coding, certified nursing assistant training and the medical office assistant program at Allen School’s ground campuses all have one thing in common: they are all located in and around the New York City area.  As New Yorkers, we stand in solemn memory of all those whose lives were cruelly extinguished on this day eleven years ago.  To all the first responders, firemen and women, police men and women and medical professionals who served with valor on that fateful day, and especially to those whose lives were sacrificed in the rescue of others, we offer our most grateful salute.  Let us never forget the bravery and selflessness of these folks during one of our nation’s darkest hours and spend the day today in thought and prayer for those who lost loved ones to this despicable act of cowardice and violence.  For those of you studying to be nursing assistants, medical office assistants or any member of the medical industry workforce, take a page from these brave heroes and apply it to all your future dealings with patients over the duration of your careers.  We at the Allen School Blog will never forget the heroes of 9/11!

Inspiration for Medical Billing and Coding Students

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Starting a new course of study in pursuit of a new career can be a little scary.  In fact, it can be downright daunting.  If you’re coming to the Allen School to study medical billing and coding to make a change in your career and your life, you may feel at times like the challenges of study, and then the job search after graduation are beyond your abilities.  Well, before you get too wrapped up in it, let me share with you something I am sure will inspire you to continue forward towards your goals.  Over at Wired.com, there is a truly inspirational slide show of images from this year’s Paralympic Games.  If you think learning medical billing and coding is a challenge; if you feel like finding a job in a tough employment market is demoralizing; try shooting archery with no arms.  Try running a sprint with no legs!  Simply seeing these brave athletes achieving at the highest levels is enough to make our problems seem trite by comparison.  Have a look at the images here, and I am sure you’ll be re-energized for your study of medical billing and coding after seeing them.

Why the Nurse’s Aide Didn’t Get the Interview

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So this nurses aide student got her nurses aide certificate from Allen School and hit the job market looking for a position.  She sent out scores of resumes and cover letters seeking nurses aide positions in doctor’s offices and hospitals around her home.  Although her certification was from a solid institution like Allen School, with a good reputation for producing quality nurses aide candidates, she found no one was calling to offer her an interview.  Wondering why no one was calling, the nurses aide sought some sage advice from the gurus over at Lifehacker who regularly publish valuable information on job hunting, how to get interviews and how to ace them once you do.  Dave Fecak’s recent piece, “Why You Didn’t Get the Interview” explains a good number of common reasons why people’s resumes don’t yield interview requests.  So if you’re a nurses aide seeking a position (whether you’ve been working for years in the field or just completed nurses aide training with Allen School) you should pop over to Lifehacker.com to read this valuable article on where you may be going wrong.    

The Labor of CNAs, Medical Office Assistants and Billing and Coding Pros

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This weekend we celebrated Labor Day, honoring the contributions of working men and women nationwide.  Labor is the lifeblood of the US economy and the engine for economic growth that has been the envy of the world.  For those of you entering the career world with a new CNA certificate, or medical office assistant training certificate or as a newly minted billing and coding specialist, you will immediately be earning and contributing to the economy.  The work you will do will provide you with earnings you’ll use to spend into the economy thereby driving increasing demand.  As we took time out this weekend to remember those who worked on some of our largest societal achievements – bridges, dams, highways, railways, energy grids and more – let’s also reflect on the good works done in the field of medicine.  Not only do medical office workers add to the economic might of the country, but they also contribute to the health and wellness of all Americans which is also a very lofty calling.   So here’s to all of us workers who keep this country moving forward.  Happy Labor Day.

Great Nurse Aide Training Comes More than Once in a Blue Moon

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Tonight will be the second full moon in the month of August.  Typically, there is only one full lunar cycle per month.  So it is rather a rare occurrence when there are two full moons in a 30 day span.  The occurrence was dubbed a “blue moon” and thus became an expression for something that only happens periodically, “Once in a blue moon”.  In reality, a blue moon occurs roughly once every three years.  But you needn’t wait that long to start an exciting new career as a nurse aide. In fact, you could complete your nurses aide certification in a much more manageable window of time.  Then finding a good paying, stable job will be something you’ll also be able to do way more than once in a blue moon.  So go on outside tonight and bask in the blue moon’s glow.

Drugs for Anxiety Outweigh All Else – Why CNA’s Should Take Time Off

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If you’re studying to become a certified nursing assistant, or a medical office assistant, or even a medical billing and coding specialist, you’re headed toward a fast paced and sometimes stressful career.  Americans spend more time at work than any other country.  For those in stressful jobs, this can lead to some pretty unpleasant health effects.  It is perhaps partly the reason that today, more prescriptions are written for anti-anxiety and anti-depressant drugs than for drugs to combat ailments like high blood pressure and cholesterol. Timi Gustafson is a registered dietician and health counselor.  She recently posted an essay about the importance of taking enough time off from work and its impact on overall health and productivity.  Just because a CNA or medical office assistant may find employment in fast-paced or pressurized medical environments, doesn’t mean they have to suffer from stress or anxiety any more so than any other job field.  Accounting, hospitality work, teaching and really, any other profession is just as prone to stress and overload as certified nursing assisting or medical billing and coding.  It is important to maintain a proper life-work balance to avoid health problems related to stress.  So take some time out whenever you feel you are burning out and avoid some pretty nasty consequences.

Medicine News for Savvy Medical and Medical Office Assistant

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If you’re a medical assistant program student, or at Allen School to become a medical office assistant, you can wow your instructors (and later the patients you’ll serve in a medical office or hospital) with your up-to-the-minute knowledge of the latest and most interesting advances in medicine.  A toaster-sized machine that detects cancer?  A nasal spray that can help curb suicidal thoughts?  A male contraceptive pill? The science behind overeating?  All these fascinating medical stories and more are posted daily at one of my favorite geeky websites, www.gizmodo.com.  Now, Gizmodo as its name implies, is mostly dedicated to gizmos and gadgets.  But, my medical field training friends, the site also has some subsections like the medical section I linked to above.  The medical section is chock full of cool stuff you could use to help make patients feel more relaxed and comfortable knowing that the certified nursing assistant or medical office assistant who is attending to them is a knowledgeable and well-informed medical professional. Article updated December 12, 2023

Diseases Like West Nile Keep CNAs Busy in 2012

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OK, so it’s not just CNAs.  It’s also medical assistants, medical billing and coding professionals and the physicians they all support that are working overtime to address the seeming increase in outbreaks of diseases like West Nile.  The Huffington Post this week that this season’s West Nile outbreak is the worst so far thanks to the warm winter and hot summer which favors the explosion of mosquito populations (which carry and transmit the disease).  However, it is not just West Nile.  This year has seen a resurgence of the Ebola virus on the African continent as well as other illnesses such as the food borne salmonella virus.  Whooping cough also seems to be making something of a resurgence.  It seems likely that a pandemic is not outside the realm of possibility given the nature and number of diseases at work today.  Whether the rise (or resurgence) of these diseases has to do with climate change or anti-innoculation movements, the fact is, medical offices all over are seeing an upswing in patient volume.  This means more work for certified nursing assistants, medical assistants, medical coding and billing staff and all manner of medical professionals.