Surge in New US Medical Schools is a Positive Indicator

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The New York Times reported over the weekend on an imminent surge in new medical schools to open in the US this year.  From that article:
“The proliferation of new schools is also a market response to a rare convergence of forces: a growing population; the aging of the health-conscious baby-boom generation; the impending retirement of, by some counts, as many as a third of current doctors; and the expectation that, the present political climate notwithstanding, changes in health care policy will eventually bring a tide of newly insured patients into the American health care system. If all the schools being proposed actually opened, they would amount to an 18 percent increase in the 131 medical schools across the country.”
For some perspective on the significance of this development, follow me past the jump. Continue reading…

Top 10 Places to Get Ahead

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Forbes Magazine did some interesting research on what areas of the US are best positioned for growth.  They compiled a list of the top 10 locations for jobs, income growth and quality of life.  With so many major cities taking a beating in this near-depression, the landscape has changed dramatically in terms of where the best prospects are for job seekers.  Cities that used to be known for excellent prospects like San Francisco, San Jose, Atlanta and others are no longer at the top of the list.  Many of the cities and towns on Forbes’ new list are not even places you may have heard of.  If you’re about to finish studies and are looking for a great place to live and work, check this list out here.

How And Where Did Kennedy Die? Your answer may provide insights into how you fit into the new workplace.

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four-generations1In the current job market, there are four different generations working, the first time in American history that this is the case.  Each generation has a different way of communicating and different values and expectations. 

According to Greg Hammill, a human resources specialist, there are distinct attitudes, motivational “buttons,” behaviors, habits and expectations identified within each generational group. Research has revealed that individuals communicate based on their generational background. Generational differences can affect hiring, the building of teams, motivating and managing people and, ultimately, increasing productivity. Generational differences can also result in misunderstandings, employee turnover, problems in attracting good employees and keeping employees loyal. Learning how to communicate with the different groups can eliminate a great deal of confrontations and misunderstandings in the workplace. Follow past the jump for profiles of the four generations sharing the modern workplace. Continue reading…

Students Open Thread

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whisperThis is your opportunity to steer the conversation here.  It is a free discussion page or “open thread” for  the regular readers of the Allen School Online Blog.  Sound off in the comments about anything you may have on your mind whether its about learning, career, pop culture, movies, recipes or anything you’d like to bring to the community.  Ask your fellow bloggers for their advice about things.  You can learn from and help this community of folks, each of whom is involved in the same educational and career pursuits as you are.  Or, share with me, your humble blogmaster, some ideas of what you’d like to see here on front page posts.

WATCH: Absolutely Amazing Video

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As students and people engaged in utilizing cutting edge technologies to learn about rapidly advancing medical science, you will all likely be as astounded by this five minute video presentation.  The perspective it provides on education and employment in the near term is mind-blowing.  The presentation ends with a question:  “What does it all mean?”  Leave your impressions on what it all means in the comments.

Best and Worst Cities for Healthcare Jobs

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I found this excellent piece of research via website www.nursinglink.com outlining the top 5 best and worst cities for seeking employment in the healthcare field. As part of my series on job markets across the country, I will explore these top 5 best cities, one by one, in subsequent posts. Here’s the list of the best and worst from NursingLink: 5 Best Cities for Healthcare Job Hunters
  1. Sioux Falls, SD
  2. Madison, WI
  3. Ft. Walton-Crestview-Destin, FL
  4. DesMoines, IA
  5. Boston, MA
5 Worst Cities for Healthcare Job Hunters
  1. Yuma, AZ
  2. Fresno, CA
  3. Dalton, GA
  4. Waterbury, CT
  5. Monroe, MI
I know a little something about both Madison Wisconsin and Boston Massachussetts having spent some time in both those fair cities. So I am looking forward to providing some more detailed info on those two markets as well as the three other top 5’s in subsequent posts in this Job Market series.

Best Job Markets in the US – Part 1

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The current economic challenges have had the unintended consequence of spurring a lot of media coverage regarding employment figures nationwide. The upside of this focus on job data is – if you’re starting a new career – you have access to a wide array of data on where you can find a good job in an area projected to enjoy continued growth. Since lately I seem to be stumbling across a lot of state-by-state lists of “Top Growth Jobs”, I have decided to write a series of posts detailing the career environments in different areas of the country for people with medical billing and coding expertise. This virtual tour of great American destinations (and their respective job markets) may be as close as this writer gets to a vacation this year, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I plan to. Today, let’s look at the data from California, a State I once called home and a great place to be if you’re working towards a career in the healthcare field. The current recession has spurred significant job losses and a lot of coverage about California’s unemployment. Yet, less reported are the thousands of new job openings filled in the Golden State every day. According to labor statistics, California’s total employment is predicted to approach 20 million or more by 2016. That’s good news! What’s even better is that the healthcare sector is number one on the list of “growth industries” and medical billing is included in the list of “25 Jobs to Increase through 2016” in California. That makes the Golden State a good place to consider living and working. This blogger lived in San Francisco during and after the Internet boom/bust and even in the dark economic days, post-bubble, I always found it a great place to find gainful and rewarding employment. It also has the added benefit of being a truly beautiful place to live. Pristine beaches, majestic mountains, acclaimed wineries, world-class golf, diverse music, innovative cuisine…***sigh***. Great place to begin your own Gold Rush. Have a look at the full report on California’s employment environment here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Top_California_Jobs