21st Century Skills Every Medical Office Assistant Student Needs

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The knowledge people need to succeed is increasingly divergent from what they’re actually learning in school.   Traditional thinking about learning is seemingly no longer effective when it comes to providing students with the knowledge and understanding they need to survive according to the World Economic Forum report New Vision for Education: Fostering Social and Emotional Learning Through Technology.   Every medical office assistant student must be able to collaborate, communicate and solve problems if they’re to be successful in the field.  These are all skills developed what the WEF report refers to as “social and emotional learning (SEL)”.  A good balance between traditional skills and the modern, social and emotional skills prepares students to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving economy. The chart below illustrates the strategies used to foster social and emotional learning skills medical office assistant students and others. SEL Skills A recent analysis of 213 studies revealed that those who received SEL education scored, on average 11 percent higher on testing than those who did not.   This is evidence that SEL may contribute to long-term career benefits like higher employment rates and educational fulfillment.
The chart below, also courtesy of the World Economic Forum, illustrates in easy-to-grasp terms, the key skills a medical office assistant trainee needs to master to succeed in achieving that balance between traditional learning and SEL learning. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa For a job role like medical office assistant, the social and emotional training is even more important as these roles generally rely heavily on a person’s ability to interact and empathize with patients on a daily basis.

Online Medical Coding Class Students: Secure Your WiFi!

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When you decided to take an online medical coding class, you splurged a little bit and purchased a new laptop to aid in your un-tethered study-lifestyle.  After all, online medical coding classes are best executed if your computer is speedy and not prone to “hang ups” due to overtaxed system resources or worse, crashes and the dreaded blue screen of death.  So how come you’re noticing slowing speeds with respect to page loads while navigating through your online medical coding class materials? It may be because someone (or several people) are logging on to your wifi network without permission, using up bandwidth and slowing your browsing experience; all on your dime!  Yes, stealing wifi is a thing.  And there are steps you can take to find out if unauthorized users are logged on to your network and to boot them off if you find any.  According to Jess Boluyt at the CheatSheet.com, “One way to see what devices are connected to your Wi-Fi network (and to check whether you recognize all of them) is to log on to your router’s administrative page and check its DHCP Client Table, DHCP Client List, or the list of Attached Devices. From there, you’ll be able to see all of the computers, smartphones, tablets, and any other devices connected to your wireless router.”   If you see a strange/unknown device shown on the Attached Devices list, that’s good evidence your connection is being slowed by a parasite neighbor mooching your internet service to stream Netflix (or worse). In addition, if navigating through your router’s administrative page seems intimidating and scary, there are a number of simple apps to help detect wifi free riders like Netgear’s Genie, Linkys Connect, or Apple’s AirPort Utility for iOS. Once you’ve determined there is a lazy freeloader pilfering your precious bandwidth, booting them off is as easy as changing the network password on the router and then updating all the authorized devices in your household to use the new password to authenticate.  The next time the moocher tries to logon, the password they’d been using will no longer let them onto the network.  And you’ll be back to lightning-speed learning with the rest of your online medical coding class.

Learn About New Public Health Issue to Aid in Medical Assistant Training

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For those students of the Allen School engaged in nursing assistant training, this blog always strives to cover the latest public health issues as they emerge.  Of course, this blog is not in any way meant to be an instructional aid.  We leave this important work to the experts and thought leaders among our esteemed faculty who deliver the actual, high quality, nursing assistant training to students.  It is merely our intention to raise awareness of emerging threats to public health so that our student body can be as informed as possible when they graduate and enter the workforce as certified nursing assistants.  The more you know… Today’s crazy scary story is about a synthetic marijuana product called by the street name K2.  It is a substance that is smoked like marijuana.  But unlike its organic counterpart, K2 is laced with a synthetic active ingredient of unknown (not to mention unregulated) origin.  The effects of K2 are known to be far more potent and dangerous than the cannabis plant it emulates.  Proof of this fact was witnessed this morning in the Bushwick/Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn where police and paramedics were called in to treat dozens of users who’d recently smoked some tainted K2.  The scene was described as something out of the “Living Dead” zombie pictures. View this short video aired by TV program “Inside Edition” to get a look at the effects of this potent and dangerous illegal drug.  You will likely be encountering patients suffering from the effects of this drug which is growing in popularity in some quarters.  Knowing what you’re up against in the field is an important skill from those taking nursing assistant training. K2 Video Still

What Microsoft’s Purchase of Linkedin Means for Medical Office Assistants

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You may have heard that Microsoft recently announced its acquisition of a popular business social network, LinkedIn for the princely sum of $26.2 billion.  Why should this matter to you as a medical office assistant training student with Allen School of Health Sciences?

First, if you’re planning to study (or complete your studies) with the Allen School and enter the workforce as a medical office assistant, you should familiarize yourself with LinkedIn which is a tremendous resource for job hunting, networking, and burnishing your online reputation as a professional. LinkedIn enables users to find available positions and even to see who they may know that work within an organization where a job may be available.  That kind of insider connection sometimes makes it easier to land an interview and even the position itself. LinkedIn is a great place to keep track of the people with whom you studied medical office assistant training.  As everyone progresses through their career, those early contacts can become very valuable later in one’s career. LinkedIn enables users to stay in touch with their classmates, and then later, with colleagues, former colleagues, employers, former employers, and even recruiters.

In addition, the site is an excellent place to stay abreast of trends and topics that are relevant to the industries in which you work.

So, now that Microsoft has purchased LinkedIn, what can users expect from this new relationship?  According to popular techie website, TechCrunch.com, “Microsoft details how it plans to use LinkedIn’s social graph as an integrated selling tool alongside its existing CRM products (which are second to Salesforce in the market currently). That can help users find leads, open conversations, and close deals.”

Of greater relevance to medical office assistants, TechCrunch notes, “There are other elements of LinkedIn’s business that are interesting to consider in light of this acquisition. LinkedIn acquired Lynda.com, for example, to spearhead a move into offering online learning tools to users” which certainly has implications for online studies like the medical billing and coding classes offered by Allen School.  Most importantly though for medical office assistant trainees, the integration between LinkedIn and Microsoft promises to bring the productivity-boosting tools Microsoft is known for, together with the networking/recruitment and professional development functions for which LinkedIn is famous.  Taken together, this merger promises to make a more complete environment for users of all types to enjoy when it comes to finding jobs and performing on the job.

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Tech Behind Online Medical Billing and Coding Classes Shouldn’t Be Barrier

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So maybe you’re a middle-aged person who has been downsized out of a job in a disappearing field like manufacturing. Or perhaps you’re just tired of the long hours and abysmal pay of the retail and service sectors. And you want to start a new career but don’t have time to attend classes at college given your age and levels of responsibility. Maybe your niece suggests you look into online medical billing and coding classes. “You can study on your own time schedule from your own location,” she says.  But you’re not sure your computer skills are such that you’d be able to not only manage but to learn the material using the virtual classroom environment. Stop worrying! You can do this. There’s nothing about online medical billing and coding classes – from the subject matter to the technical ability required – that you cannot handle. Consider that many people your age working for NASA just succeeded in sending a probe to Jupiter, arriving after 5 years of travel and falling into a perfect orbit around the giant planet. The science, technology, and expertise needed to achieve this astonishing feat are orders of magnitude more difficult than earning your certification with the Allen School‘s online medical billing and coding classes. And if you think all the folks at NASA are young, tech-savvy Millennials, you’re absolutely wrong! Look, the bottom line is if you’re using the internet and a browser like Internet Explorer or Chrome or Firefox to read this blog, you have all the technical ability you need to pursue a lucrative, stable new career in a field predicted to exhibit continued growth. Take inspiration from NASA’s Juno probe that arrived today at Jupiter, 365 million miles from Earth. Online medical billing and coding classes are simple compared to that great feat! You can DO THIS!

Allen School Blog Wishes All a Happy 4th of July

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To all the medical billing and coding online students,

To all the nursing assistant certification seekers,

To all the diligent medical office assistants out there,

From all of us at the Allen School Blog, Have a happy, safe and healthy Fourth of July. Happy Birthday America!

3 Good Questions in Medical Office Assistant Jobs Interviews

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Going out into the field to land medical office assistant jobs can be a bit nerve wracking.  Actually, that’s true when interviewing for almost any job.  But, if you’re a person prone to proper planning – and it seems you are as evidenced by the fact that you studied at the Allen School before going out in search of medical office assistant jobs – you’ll probably like this list of three powerful questions to ask in your next interview.

‘Why is this position available?’

This question demonstrates a healthy level of curiosity and interest.  It is non-confrontational and at the same time, helps you to understand more about the history of the company and the position.  The answer you’ll get to this question will likely shed some light on whether the medical office assistant job you’ve applied for is the result of the company growing or because of turnover in the role.  Both of which are good things to know about the gig.

‘How does this job interact with the direction of the department and the company at large?

Asking this question will give you insight into the larger themes at play in the department where you’d be working and the company overall.  Understanding the broad, thematic forces driving the company’s direction (and the role of hiring within it) gives you better perspective on how to sell your skills in ways that are relevant to the job and the company.

‘What do you like most about working here?’

Enthusiasm is hard to hide.  Asking this question can often help you to decipher if the workplace is truly a positive, affirmative place.  If they place is a happy environment, you’ll be able to tell in the interviewer’s smile as they tell you about their favorite things regarding the workplace.  If they have very perfunctory and joyless responses, that can indicate the opposite.  Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and the author of “Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job,” explains the benefit of asking this question.  “Are they thrilled about mentoring their staff, their product or service, the innovative atmosphere? Do they focus on only growth numbers and minimizing expenses, with no mention of the team, training, or growth opportunities? It gives you a sneak preview into your prospective manager’s priorities and all-important personality. This is where it pays to have your people radar up, to evaluate if this is a boss you can respect.”
Happy medical office assistant jobs hunting to all!

Medical Billing Online Students, Update Windows or PAY!

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For the past year or so, this blog has been periodically reporting on the new Windows 10 operating system and the saga of users being nagged to death to take the free update.  If you have been procrastinating and trying to avoid updating the computer you use to study medical billing online classes, there’s good news and bad news.  The good news is, soon, the nagging will stop.  Microsoft has announced the free update period for accepting the upgrade to Windows 10 will end on July 29.  The bad news is, if you neglect to accept the free update by that date, it will cost you around $200 to upgrade at any point in the future. Medical billing online classes require a student to have a good, dependable computer that runs efficiently.  It makes online learning all the easier.  Having a slow, glitchy machine can make the medical billing online study experience a frustrating one.  So it seems like a good idea to upgrade to the newest, fastest version of the Windows operating system. “But we don’t want to change and deal with all the hassles that involves” say many computer owners.  While it is true, there is always some challenge to be expected when one does a large scale upgrade to their systems, this blogger can attest to the relatively painless process upgrading to Windows 10 involves.  I have upgraded several of the computers in our offices here at the Allen School Blog and can tell you that most of the update happened overnight, leaving the new operating system ready to use the next morning.  For the most part, the Windows 10 OS is intuitive and takes the best of Windows 7 (which most everyone loved) and Windows 8 (which most everyone hated) and rolls them into a single, effective OS. Windows 10 reinstates the “Start Menu” which had been stripped out of Windows 8 to the chagrin of many users.  It also reduces the prominence of the “tiled” interface which most people hated about Windows 8 as well.  The tiles can still be seen under the Start Menu for those who favor them (typically those with touch screen interfaces on their computers).  Windows 10 also comes with Cortana, Windows’s version of Siri (the artificial intelligence assistant offered with most Apple operating systems) and numerous other productivity boosting bells and whistles. The time is running out to update for free.  So what are you waiting for?

Allen School Blog Stands with Orlando

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Tragically, this blog marks the grim news of the 50 killed and 53 injured in this country’s latest instance of gun violence.  We here at the Allen School Blog stand in solidarity with the LGBT community of Orlando, Florida and all members of that city grappling with the unspeakable hatred and evil that has been inflicted upon all of us as Americans. Whether these senseless killings were driven by religious fundamentalism, or hatred against people for their sexual orientation, the fact is that it was an act of pure malevolence.  There can be no room in a free society for those who would seek to impose their will or viewpoints upon others at the point of a gun.  As the details continue to trickle out, let’s all. as Americans, treat one another with dignity and respect, and to resolve our differences without resorting to prejudice, enmity or violence.    

Congrats to Allen School Grads

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The current crop of Allen School students graduated over this past weekend.  Let’s all wish these newly certified nursing assistants, medical office assistants and billing and coding agents the best of luck as they make their way toward the future.  Here’s a link to the Allen School Facebook page with some pics from the graduation ceremonies.  We know you’re going to be most successful in your new careers. If you are someone who is considering a new career as a certified nursing assistant, a medical office assistant or a medical billing and coding professional, get started today with your enrollment.  New classes are beginning soon!