We’ve all had periods of unemployment. We’ve all had to take time away from career pursuits, whether it was to tend an ailing loved one, return to school/training, deal with personal problems, support a family member’s struggling business or become a quasi-homeless beachcomber in an exotic tropical locale. Whatever the reasons, inevitably, we end up with a gap in our history which can be a glaring weakness on your resume. In interviews, it can be awkward trying to call attention away from the gaps. How should you explain where you were when you weren’t working for 11 months?
Drew Brees of the Saints Celebrates SuperBowl Win w/ Wife and Son
Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints on their epic Super Bowl win yesterday. There was a lesson in perseverance to be learned through the remarkable achievement of Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees. In short, the lesson Brees’s story teaches is to never give up working toward your dreams, no matter what the obstacles. Follow me over the fold for the story. (more…)
Is it Monday again? Ugh. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by school, work, life, etc. take a second out for a quick chuckle. Life cannot be so overwhelming when you consider that someone spent a considerable amount of time teaching this elephant to play basketball.
OK so I am DEFINITELY not the next Warren Buffett. However, I feel pretty smart for having liquidated some poorly performing mutual funds in my 401k account about 5 months ago and using the money ($400) to invest in some 25 shares of General Electric (when it was at $3.56 a share) as well as 100 shares of AIG (when it was 44 cents a share). I also bought 10 shares of a stem cell research company as I figured that was a sector sure to grow in the future. Today, my $400 investment into these stocks is worth almost $2000, five short months later. I bought these things at the bottom of the market when everyone had been selling furiously. And it got me thinking about where the next “big” investment sector would be found. I think green energy is it. (more…)
A few months ago, I wrote a post about the spread of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, an antibiotic resistant pathogen. The probable result of over use of penicillin in humans and in factory farm animals, this devastating illness was rarely contracted outside of hospitals. But alarming and newly released studies show the presence of MRSA on US beaches – in the water and in the sand! Perhaps a result of offshore dumping of medical waste, this is a disturbing development. Especially as this blogger prepares to spend a week’s vacation at the beach! More details on this story and some positive developments too, after the jump. (more…)
For professionals in the field of medical billing and coding, there are a wide range of resources to help you seek employment as well as to keep yourself abreast of changes to the industry. I found the excellent list below on an industry website. (more…)
The departure of two American cultrual icons yesterday – Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson – demonstrates just how tenuous our grasp is upon life. Both these legendary figures passed away years before their natural time. Their untimely demise provokes some thought surrounding the immense benefits of wellness care and other preventative medical strategies. (more…)
I have activated the “Student & Alumni” category in advance of what should be a wave of student postings. So check back soon to read what your fellow classmates are thinking and blogging about. If you are a student or alumnus and you have a post you’d like to see on the front page, email it to me, along with your name, to blog@online.allenschool.edu and I will post the best of your submissions on the front page.
For so many of us who are working hard to just stay afloat in our personal lives — between debt, family obligations, relationships, careers and more — it is awfully easy to forget that we are indeed living in some historically interesting times. (more…)
Some of you may already know this about me … others maybe not. At one time, I was just like you, believe it or not. I always knew that one day I go back to school and finish my education. Early on I thought I really wanted to be a nurse, even started nursing school. However, life did get in the way and I needed to drop out for a while. I had a problem pregnancy and lost a child. Eventually, I found my way back to school. By that time, I decided I no longer wanted to be a nurse. I had spent many years taking care of others so I wanted something new. I knew I wanted to stay in healthcare but what could I do that would let me help people? I discovered the world of Health Information Management … coding to be exact!
It was a like a dream come true! I could become the girl detective I always wanted to be growing up. My heroine years ago was Nancy Drew. I wanted to be like her. Remember the “Secret of the Old Clock?” Well, that was me!! As a young girl, I thrived on those books and becoming my own girl detective. I made my own secret code, used invisible ink, and spied on my brothers and their friends! Oh, how they hated that! You get the picture, I am sure!
Well, I found medical coding is a lot like that except someone else made up the secret code! You must learn a brand new language, the language of the medical field, and transfer that language into codes! You must dig deep sometimes in the patient’s medical record to determine the patient’s diagnoses and procedures the physician carried out in treating the patient! It is a lot of fun! It can be frustrating when you don’t find the right code or information. Once you do though there is a feeling of Eureka! I found it! I did it!
So tell me what you are discovering? What your thoughts?
This blog provides news, information, and perspectives about the world of medical billing, coding and Allen School Online. Visit this blog frequently for useful news and information. If you have anything to share about what you read here, join us by adding your voice to this discussion.
We’ve all had periods of unemployment. We’ve all had to take time away from career pursuits, whether it was to tend an ailing loved one, return to school/training, deal with personal problems, support a family member’s struggling business or become a quasi-homeless beachcomber in an exotic tropical locale. Whatever the reasons, inevitably, we end up with a gap in our history which can be a glaring weakness on your resume. In interviews, it can be awkward trying to call attention away from the gaps. How should you explain where you were when you weren’t working for 11 months? 
OK so I am DEFINITELY not the next Warren Buffett. However, I feel pretty smart for having liquidated some poorly performing mutual funds in my 401k account about 5 months ago and using the money ($400) to invest in some 25 shares of General Electric (when it was at $3.56 a share) as well as 100 shares of AIG (when it was 44 cents a share). I also bought 10 shares of a stem cell research company as I figured that was a sector sure to grow in the future. Today, my $400 investment into these stocks is worth almost $2000, five short months later. I bought these things at the bottom of the market when everyone had been selling furiously. And it got me thinking about where the next “big” investment sector would be found. I think green energy is it. 
A few months ago, I wrote a post about the spread of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, an antibiotic resistant pathogen. The probable result of over use of penicillin in humans and in factory farm animals, this devastating illness was rarely contracted outside of hospitals. But alarming and newly released studies show the presence of MRSA on US beaches – in the water and in the sand! Perhaps a result of offshore dumping of medical waste, this is a disturbing development. Especially as this blogger prepares to spend a week’s vacation at the beach! More details on this story and some positive developments too, after the jump. 
For professionals in the field of medical billing and coding, there are a wide range of resources to help you seek employment as well as to keep yourself abreast of changes to the industry. I found the excellent list below on an industry website. 
