Time for a Diet

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Allen School Online Blog frequently shares stories dealing with healthy eating (or lack thereof) and the ramifications our diets have on society and the environment.  So you can imagine how interested we were to find the following information courtesy of LiveScience.  We all know the developed world is struggling with the ravages of morbid obesity driven by increased access to nutrition, out of control portion sizes and dwindling levels of physical activity.  But nothing could have prepared us for the statistic showing that the entirety of global humanity currently weighs 17 million tons more than our collective body weight should be.  As their eye-opening article points out, this is the equivalent to having an extra 242 million people on the planet.  Its enough weight to counterbalance 170 aircraft carriers on the other side of the scale.  That’s a lot of body fat.  Too many KFC Double Downs and Taco Bell Doritos Tacos.  Of course, it is the US at the top of the list of most overweight nations.  Not surprisingly, the least overweight countries are found in Africa and Asia.  The serious health ramifications of such an overabundance of obesity pale in comparison to the inevitable ecological side effects we’re sure to endure as projected human populations add another 2.3 billion lives by 2050.  As medical industry professionals, students are certain to be involved in the front lines of the battle against obesity which is shaping up to be the number one health challenge of the 21st century.

Front Page News (Again!)

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Seems like a day doesn’t go by where I wake up an fail to see a story on the front page of some news outlet hawking the good news about jobs in the medical billing and coding field.  Today, of course, was no exception.  Upon logging on this morning, I saw the story linked here entitled, “Six Careers That Are Built to Last” penned by Christine Trang.  I will give our regular readers here at the Allen School Online Blog one guess as to which career field was sitting atop this list?  If you guessed “medical and health services manager” give yourself a cookie, or whatever your favorite reward is for being so smart.  Yes indeedy, it comes as no surprise that people studying medical billing and coding or medical office assistance are positioned well to enter a field that just continues to grow and that is exceptionally stable in an economic environment that is anything but.  So keep up the studies y’all.  You’re on the right track and it is validated each day in the media.

Hiring Managers Requiring Your Facebook Password?

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We’ve recently been following stories of hiring managers and employers who require job candidates to share the passwords to their Facebook and other social media profiles.  The idea here is that the employer or hiring manager can then log into the candidate’s social media profiles and “poke around” to make sure there’s nothing untoward or otherwise disqualifying about the job seeker.   Does your personal life outside of work have any bearing on your qualifications for a job?  Do employers have a right to peer into your life outside of the workplace as a prerequisite to offering you a position?  Yahoo! has a short video report about the trend here.  View the video and then share in the comments about whether or not you feel this is acceptable recruitment practice or a grievous overreach on the part of employers.

BLS: 19,000 Medical Office Jobs Added in April Alone!

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes an Employment Situation Summary wherein it examines the state of hiring in different career fields.  The latest Summary revealed that in April 2012 alone, more than 19,000 new jobs in medical fields were added to the American workforce.  That’s quite an impressive number given the overall sad state of affairs regarding employment in general.  Better yet, the top of the list, the number one job title in the medical field for new jobs added in April was none other than Medical Assistant.  Also in the top 5 was Medical Records and Health Information Technician.  Aren’t you pumped to be involved in studies at the Allen School Online now?  Compared to students in other fields of study, this report would indicate that you’ll have an easier time finding work once you receive your certification than others.  You’re so smart!

Where are You Talking Online?

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The Allen School Online blog is interested in publishing information about the top places for online discussion that is relevant to you, students of medical billing, coding and office assistance.  What kind of information do you seek or share with others on topics related to your studies?  This could include study tips/habits, online research resources, news, job-search information or even lifestyle information.  Some of the information we’ve shared in the past comes from sources which I regularly check out including www.lifehacker.com, www.monster.com, www.huffingtonpost.com, www.bls.gov and many others.  I also love to participate in industry discussion groups located at www.linkedin.com for professional discussions. They’re always chock full of great ideas. But I’d like to know where you go to look for information you use to enrich your experience as a student and a new entrant into the medical career field.  Please share with me in the comments your favorite sources of online information in any areas.  I will collect your input and produce a post highlighting the best informational sites or online discussion groups as chosen by Allen School Online students.  Thanks in advance for sharing.

Manhattanhenge!

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OK, so I realize that as a student of the Allen School Online, you need not be situated in the NYC area in order to study medical billing, coding and office assistant courses.  However, many of you are indeed located in and around the NY metro area.  If you are, this evening is the so-called Manhattanhenge event. Manhattanhenge is a twice-a-year event when the setting sun lines up with Manhattan’s street grid (along the same lines as how the sun aligns with Stonehenge in England). This year, there will be a Manhattanhenge on May 29 and 30 and another on July 11 and 12.  You can best view the excellent effect by positioning yourself as far east in Manhattan as you can.  Make sure that when you look west across the avenues you can still see New Jersey. Cross streets where this is best accomplished include 14th, 23rd, 34th. 42nd, 57th, and several streets adjacent to them. The Empire State building and the Chrysler building on 34th street and 42nd streets make for especially impactful vistas. So take a moment away from your studies this evening or in July to check this out.  It’s pretty neat!

Never Forget! Happy Memorial Day

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The writers at the Allen School Online Blog would like to wish you and yours a happy Memorial Day.  Our hats are off as we salute all those who serve in our armed forces and all those who laid down their lives to protect freedom and the American way of life.  Your sacrifices will never be forgotten and we are forever indebted to you for your bravery and patriotism.  Enjoy your long weekend students of medical billing and coding.  We’ll see  you next week!

Yet Another Reason to Study at Allen School Online

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A team of Swedish researchers recently concluded that people who studied more actually lived longer than those who studied less.  As if you needed any further confirmation of the benefits you’re creating for yourself by being a student of medical billing and coding at Allen School Online.  Evidently, according to the research which you can read more about here, those who studied more were the beneficiaries of an improved outlook on life.  This in turn, leads to a more intent focus on taking care of one’s self and supposedly adds years to your life.  This aligns nicely with anecdotal evidence that shows those who study medical office assistant or billing and coding at Allen School Online are able to find gainful employment and improve their overall standard of living.  Surely, a good job, with better pay and benefits has a positive overall effect on one’s health and well-being.  So if you needed another reason to study hard, here you go!  You can thank me later!

Some Fatty Foods are Good for Memory

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Allen School Online blog has a regular, running series on some of the scariest, fattiest, heart-clogging fast food offerings.  A burger in a Tokyo Burger King laden with 4 pounds of bacon; the Heart Attack Grill’s infarction inducing Triple Bypass Burger and KFC’s appalling Double Down sandwich are some examples of these fat-packed atrocities.  So it does my heart well to be able to share with readers here some positive information about the consumption of fatty foods.  You see, not all fats are created equal.  And if you ingest certain varieties of fat, you can expect to see a boost in your cognitive abilities which can help you better navigate through your studies in the field of medical office billing and coding. Live Science recently analyzed of a study published in the Annals of Neurology Journal wherein it was revealed that saturated fat — like that found in red meat, butter etc. — is associated with worse overall cognitive function and memory in women over time. They also found that a “good” fat — mono-unsaturated fat — was associated with better overall cognitive function and memory.  Click here to read the full article.  A simple dietary shift can lead to improved ability to think clearly and learn more easily.  So eat a nice avocado and think about it.

Enterprise is in New York

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Yes, you Allen School Online students are being well prepared to enter into healthcare business enterprises large and small, as office assistants and billing and coding specialists.  Your education here at Allen School Online shows just how enterprising you are for having chosen such a brilliant field of study and career path.  But there is another enterprise here in New York City these days.  I am speaking of the Space Shuttle Enterprise which, famously, soared into the area atop a modified 747 and is currently sitting in a hangar out at Kennedy Airport awaiting its very final frontier – the final trip to its new home, the Intrepid Air & Space Museum in the Hudson River.  The space shuttle program is a testament to the same American spirit of ingenuity and dedication to excellence that we promote here at the Allen School.  The new exhibit at the Intrepid is sure to be as inspiring as your own efforts toward self-improvement and education.