How to Beat the Winter Blues

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January is here and so is the cold weather. For many people the winter blues are setting in hard. Today we look at a few tips to get you over the snow and looking forward to warm sunny spring days
  1. Lighten Up – The days are short and it’s dark out early. Your body is craving some sunshine. Make sure to give it some! Open up the blinds and turn on the lights inside the house. Even 30 minutes of extra sunshine during the day can make a huge difference.
  2. Feed your cravings – A little cheating on that New Year diet can make a big difference to your mood. Carbohydrates can give you a little burst of energy that can help chase those blues away. So yes….eat that chocolate bar. Keep it in moderation of course, but a little bit of indulgence now and then can really help the winter blahs.
  3. Get Moving – Exercise can be a big help to getting you back in the warm weather groove (plus we just told you to eat a candy bar so…) Make a point to get moving for at least 30 minutes a day. Sneak out on your lunch break and get some real sun and get your blood pumping. You will notice a huge difference in your mood.
  4. Pump Up the Jams – Music can improve your mood significantly. So put on your favorite tunes while making dinner, playing with the kids, studying, and whenever else you can. Maybe even take this opportunity to be adventurous and give a new style of music a whirl, trade in your rock and roll for a little R&B or your country tunes for some jazz tunes.
  5. Nature Calls – No… not like that. We know it’s cold, but bundle up and go outside. Indulge your inner child and go play in the snow. Even if it’s chilly, fresh air will get your batteries recharged in no time. Take a walk, build a snowman, anything, just get outside and make sure it’s strictly for leisure, no shoveling the driveway.
  Try these tips and you may actually find yourself enjoying the winter weather. However if you find you truly cannot beat those winter blahs remember….we have a very nice campus is sunny Phoenix, Arizona and we would love to have you visit.

The Allen School Dream

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We Have a Dream…For YOU! In the month of January not only do we celebrate a brand new year full of bright new beginnings, we also celebrate one of the most influential civil rights leaders of all time. Martin Luther King Jr dedicated his life to the betterment of people everywhere. One of his most iconic speeches ever was entitled “I Have a Dream” in which he spoke to the dreams he had for every person to lead a truly rewarding and meaningful life. For over 55 years the Allen School has dedicated itself to the betterment of our students through education. While we would never dream of comparing ourselves to the iconic MLK we do have one thing in common, and that is that we also have a dream. We dream of success and fulfilment for every student that enters our programs. With that in mind we would like to share our dreams for you, our students. We dream that when you come through our doors you find a welcoming environment no matter what campus you attend, even if your campus exists in the digital world of your computer. From the front desk to Admissions, Financial Aid, Student and Career Services and beyond, we hope your first visit allows you to see where your educational journey can take you. We dream that when you enter the classroom on the first day of school our instructors show you what a difference you are going to make in the lives of each and every one of your patients. We hope that you learn something new every day and that by the end of your journey you take pride in how far you have come. We dream that in the spring you share your tremendous accomplishments with your friends and family and maybe even inspire one of them to embark on their own journey of learning and education so they too can better themselves just like you are. And finally we dream that you find a better and more rewarding life for yourself and your family, as you embark on your new career. We hope you reach all of the goals that you set for yourself in the very beginning when you had your first interview with our admissions staff. These are our dreams for you, our student. From the Allen School family to you we wish you the very best of luck in achieving your dreams as you walk the path to a better life through education.

January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

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The Allen School of Health Sciences is proud to support an important health related cause every month and we dedicate the month of January to Alzheimer’s Awareness. Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia that affects memory, thinking, and behavior. It is a degenerative disease, which means that symptoms will get worse over time. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and as of now there is no cure. The Alzheimer’s Association has compiled a list of 10 common signs of early Alzheimer’s disease that can be an indication that someone needs to be assessed for this form of dementia. 10 Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s
  1. Memory Loss that Disrupts Daily Life
  2. Challenges in Planning or Solving Problems
  3. Difficulty Completing Familiar Tasks, at Home or at Leisure
  4. Confusion with Time or Place
  5. Trouble Understanding Visual Images and Spatial relationships
  6. New Problems with Words in Speaking or Writing
  7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
  8. Decreased or Poor Judgement
  9. Withdrawal from Work or Social Activities
  10. Changes in Mood and Personality
To read about these symptoms, as well as common age related changes please Click Here. While there currently is no cure for this disease there are still many ways you can help. Memory Care Centers are always in need of volunteers to help work with Alzheimer’s patients and enrich their lives. Family and friends of those caring for an Alzheimer’s patient also need volunteers and support. In addition there are many local organizations in your area that hold fundraisers, host events, and post volunteer opportunities for those who would like to get involved. To find opportunities near you please visit ALZ.org. If you are ready to join an institution who takes learning beyond the classroom please contact us today. Classes are enrolling now for our winter terms. You can visit our website at www.allenschool.edu or give us a call directly at 877-591-8753.

Storied Past, Bright Future

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The Allen School of Sciences has been a fixture of the New York area for over 55 years. Our Jamaica Campus is our original location and is still going strong today. The school was opened in 1961 and was called the Allen School for Physicians’ Aides originally. Much like our current goals the original purpose of the school was to provide the residents of the Jamaica area with quality professional training in the field of healthcare. On January 31st, 1980 Mrs. Loretta Teich purchased the Allen School after she had owned an employment agency. She made the decision to purchase the school because the candidates that she worked with in her employment agency lacked the skills they needed to find rewarding careers. Mrs. Teich became so involved in the institution that she sold her employment agency and made the Allen School her sole focus. Over the next several years Loretta’s son Robert learned the business and expanded the program offerings from just Nursing Assistant to include Medical Assisting which was added in 2001 and then the school expanded to a national level in 2007 by adding an online Medical Insurance Billing and Coding Program, which is now celebrating ten years of student success. Today the Allen School of Health Sciences is under the leadership of a third generation of the Teich Family with Loretta’s grandson Jason.  In addition to owning the school he also gets to interact with students daily in our Brooklyn Campus as our company President. To date the Allen School of Health Sciences has helped to launch the healthcare careers of thousands of students that have come through our doors. We have watched many of our previous graduates grow in their careers and take on leadership roles and even earn higher medical degrees. Some have even come to us in their new roles seeking new graduates knowing the quality student they will receive from the Allen School. The upcoming New Year will bring us even greater success as we continue to produce quality educational programs for our students. We will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of our Medical Insurance Billing and Coding Program and so much more. We sincerely hope that you join us in 2017 and become part of our bright future. For more information please visit our website at www.allenschool.edu or give us a call at 877-591-8753.

What is YOUR Learning Style?

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Everyone learns in different ways. It’s important as a student that you know the learning style that works best for you to get the most out of your educational experience at the Allen School. We strive to teach in many different ways to accommodate every one so they can be successful in their new careers.
  1. Determine your style – You need to know how you learn best. Are you a reader or a listener? Do you learn better when someone explains the steps to you or do you learn by doing? Do you learn visually, by seeing something explained or demonstrated? Once you understand how you learn best you can start to look for ways to use that style to your advantage.
  1. Use your Style – If you are a visual learner this may mean taking notes during lectures. If you do better listening, you may want to ask your instructor if you can record lectures to listen to again later. If you learn better through explanation it may help to break down complex material into lists or flashcards. Your instructors will use many methods to teach you throughout your education so you will get a chance to see material delivered in several different methods.
  1. Explore New Styles – The great thing about a career in healthcare is that you will have new opportunities every day to learn new skillsets and grow in your profession. It is a good idea to develop different learning styles while you are in school to help you adapt out in the field. If you notice a classmate has a very different learning style from you be sure to ask them about it. You may find a great new way to make your learning even more rewarding.
  No matter what your learning style is the Allen School works hard to make your time with us rewarding. We strive to see every student succeed in the workplace. Our instructors and support staff know what it takes to help you gain the skills you need to start a career in healthcare. If you are ready to start on the path to your new career today call us at 877-591-8753 or visit our website at www.allenschool.edu today. Our first classes of 2017 are enrolling now.

Allen School Makes a Difference All Year Long

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Learning Goes Beyond the Classroom at the Allen School   The Allen School of Health Sciences prides ourselves on taking the learning experience beyond the classroom and into the real word. Every month we support a special cause through our Institution For HOPE Campaign. We choose a special cause every month and educate our students and staff on that cause and then go out into the real world and help that cause in any way that we can. We do many different things through the year to support our causes whether it be fund raising, community events or even blood drives, but we would like to talk about a few causes that are near and dear to our hearts. AIDS Walk NY – Every year our New York campuses spend the entire month of May fund raising and preparing for this event. This year the New York Campuses raised $1,588.65 through bake sales, fundraising and penny wars to take part in the walk. Several of our students and their families where able to participate and we had such a great time supporting a search for a cure to this devastating disease. Strides for a Cure –  In October our campuses go PINK to support the fight against Breast Cancer. Once again, this year well over $1000 was raised across all of the campuses to help find a cure. Our students wore their pink scrub tops and showed their support while raising funds. Despite the cold New York temperatures, we again had several students and their families join us in walking for a cure. Sickle Cell Awareness – The number one way to help support patients who suffer from Sickle Cell is to donate blood. All of our campuses held Blood Drives that not only helped Sickle Cell patients but potentially thousands of other patients that are seen in hospitals daily. Our special thanks to everyone who took part in our blood drives. Making the Holidays Bright – One of our favorite events every year. Students and staff spend the entire month of December collecting toys, books, games, craft supplies and more, to help make the holidays as bright as possible for the pediatric patients at local hospitals. It is a great honor to be able to deliver the toys every year and know that we did our part to help make a child’s hospital stay a little better. These of course are just a few of our great causes. At the Allen School our motto is “Where Education Comes to Life” and we strive to live that motto every day. If you are ready to be part of making a difference in the lives of other everyday please call us today at 877-591-8753 or visit our website at www.allenschool.edu.

A Special Thank You To All of Our Students

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A Letter of Thanks to our Students, As 2016 comes to a close we here at the Allen School of Health Sciences would like to take a moment to thank all of the students who make this institution so amazing year after year. Without each and every one of you we would not be able to be as successful as we are, so here are our words of thanks and encouragement to each of you. All of you have your own story. Each of you came to the Allen School for a different reason. Some of you are just done with High School and ready to begin your adult lives. Some of you are starting over, and have finally found your calling in the field of healthcare. Many of you are juggling families, school, work, and a hundred other things. Some of you have shared challenges that many of us cannot even imagine trying to handle. Each of you is so very unique, but one thing is certain; you are here sharing this journey of education together because you want to make a difference for yourself, your family, and everyone you will meet as you start your new career. Our admissions department got to watch you come into our school and take you first steps towards a new education. Our Financial Aid Department got to watch you take the plunge and make a true investment in yourself. Student Services got to support you and help you along when life happened. Academics got to watch the pieces come together and the lightbulbs flash as you learned and honed you skills. Career Services has the great joy of helping you start to work toward a truly rewarding career. And the rest of the administrative staff was able to watch you learn and grow from a student to a graduate every time you came through the doors or logged into class. So from all of us at the Allen School to all of our students current, future, and past we want to say thank you so very much for making our institution the incredible organization it is today and for making all of our careers so very, very rewarding. We wish you the very best holiday season and cannot wait to see what 2017 brings for you.

Tips to Get Your First Healthcare Job

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What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s a question we have been asked ever since we were little. Maybe you knew from the first time you were asked that question that a healthcare career was for you, and maybe you just figured out recently that you wanted a future where you could make a difference in people’s lives, but now you need to answer an even bigger question. How do you want to use your new skills and what type of work setting will work best for you? There are so many work settings to choose from in the field of healthcare and sometimes your choices can be overwhelming and you may not know quite where to start. Take a look at these tips to get you started on the path to finding your perfect new career:
  1. Location, Location, Location – As you begin looking for your first healthcare position don’t limit yourself to opportunities that are only near your home. Commuting a bit further away to take a position with a well-known or well-established clinic or hospital can be a very valuable addition to your resume. Not only will you have a great employer to showcase, but you will also show future employers that you are dedicated to your employer.
  2. Shifts and Schedules – One of the greatest things about the healthcare setting is there are shifts and hours to meet every need. Many settings are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Whether you are an early bird or a night owl you can likely find hours to match your needs. However the more flexible you are, the more useful you will be to prospective employers. Shift flexibility is a highly sought after commodity when it comes to working in healthcare, and it looks great on a resume.
  3. Make Connections and Build Experience – From the first day you start your new position you will begin to build your experience and add skillsets to your resume. Take every opportunity you can to not only learn new things, but hone the skills you already have. You can also start to build a great professional network that can help you in the future with things like recommendations as you grow in your career.
  4. Grow Your Skills – Your first position in healthcare is a great time to step out of your comfort zone and grow your skillset. It’s great to have a goal to work in a certain specialty someday, but now is the time to develop your skills and become a valuable asset in any setting. Who knows, you may even discover a new favorite work setting.
  5. What Speaks to YOU? – Do you enjoy working with children? Do you want to make a career of taking care of the elderly? Maybe fighting a certain disease like cancer or diabetes is your calling. There are many opportunities available that will allow you to specialize to a specific patient population. However some of these specialties may require that you have some experience first, so don’t be afraid to take some time to build your resume first and set goals that will help you get into that highly sought-after specialty position.
No matter what type of work setting you choose the Allen School of Health Sciences can help you get there. If you are ready to start the path to your new career give us a call today at 877-591-8753 or visit our website at www.allenschool.edu. Our first classes of 2017 are enrolling now and we can’t wait to speak to you about becoming a member of the Allen School family. Article updated March 2, 2024

What is YOUR Career Resolution?

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December is here and 2016 is almost over. A brand new year will be here soon and with it comes a whole list of resolutions that seem great in theory, but are rarely followed through on. Instead of spending money on a gym membership again this year, make 2017 the year you focus on your career resolutions. Start Small – Set a goal for your next set of classes. Try to get perfect attendance and be in class on time every day. Aim to get test scores that are at least 10% higher than they were in your last classes. Try to make Honor Roll. These are easy goals that will not only help you in your education, but also build better habits for you personally that will help you in your new career. Give yourself a small reward for meeting these goals as an extra bonus. Most people fail in their resolutions because they don’t see immediate rewards or changes and get discouraged. Plan Ahead – Whether you are in your first or your last module, start looking forward to going on internship. Think about the type of work setting you would like to be in. Look at opportunities and job openings near you to see what is available. Take advantage of the Career Services department at the Allen School to start working on your resume and interview skills. The more you plan towards the end result of your resolution, the more motivated you will stay. Dream Big – There is nothing wrong with dreaming big as long as you have a plan to get there. Write down where you see yourself personally and professionally 5 years from now and research the steps needed to get to that goal. Breaking a large goal down into small steps that you can achieve will help keep you motivated and moving forward toward that goal. For example a career goal may be to become an office manager in a large clinic within five years. – Your first step of course is graduating school. – Then you need to have a wonderful internship and build a great support network of other       healthcare professionals that can recommend you as you go out into the workforce. –  From there you need to start gaining experience in your field through employment and            expand your skillset- you may even consider adding to your education. Before you know it that goal that seemed so far away five years ago is ready to be yours. The important thing is break down the steps and celebrate your victories and achievements. This will help keep you motivated and moving toward achieving everything you’ve dreamed of. At the Allen School we want to see all of our students keep their Career Resolutions in 2017. Whether you choose a hands-on career as a Medical Assistant, or enjoy the analytical structure of Medical Insurance Billing and Coding we can help you get started on the path to your dream career. Please visit www.AllenSchool.edu or give us a call at 877-591-8753 to get started today.

Tips to Calm Pre-Interview Nerves

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So after nine months of school and internship, it’s finally time to go out there and get your dream job. You’ve spent hours combing through job openings, you’ve polished your resume to perfection, and you’ve applied for some great jobs. Then that moment comes and you get a call to come in for an interview. Now is NOT the time to panic. Here are a few great tips to help you relax and face your interview like a pro.

  1. Do Your Homework – Look up the name of the company your interview is with and find out as much about them as you can. The more you know in advance the better prepared you will be to not only answer questions but also ask them. You can also look up company reviews on sites like Glassdoor and get a feel for the culture of the company. If you know in advance what employees say it can help you determine if the company is going to be a good fit for you.
  2. Take a Drive – Or a taxi, bus, or train. In other words, drive to the company the night before the interview so you know where you are going and get a feel for the area. You can also scope out parking and get an idea of what traffic may be like as you make your daily commute. Knowing where you are going will help make your interview day way less stressful.
  3. Dress For Success – And do it the night before the interview. Make sure your clothes are clean, in good repair, and ironed. If you need to replace anything make sure to do so before interview day. If you had to buy new shoes make sure to wear them before your interview so they are broken in and comfortable. If you’ve been putting off a haircut now is a great time to find some time and get it done.
  4. Practice – Remember your professional development class and all those great interview questions you discussed? Now is the time to re-visit that material and review everything. Write out questions and answers and practice saying them out loud. The more comfortable you are saying your answers, the more natural you will sound.
  5. Catch Some Z’s – The night before your interview get a good night’s sleep, at least 7-8 hours. The better rested you are the less stressed you will feel the next day. Also don’t forget your breakfast. A little food will go a long way to settling your nerves.
While these tips may not calm all of your pre-interview nerves they can help. Remember you have worked very hard to get to this point in your life and you are READY to succeed. All of your hard work over the last several months has brought you to this point. If you are ready to take the first steps toward your new career contact us today. We offer our students a wide array of Career Support Services to help you succeed in your new career. Call us today at 877-591-8753 or contact us at www.allenschool.edu. Our first classes of 2017 are enrolling now and we can’t wait to speak to you about becoming a member of the Allen School family.   Article updated March 11, 2024