Friday, November 30, 2012
Choose the Right Medical Assistant Schools for Quality Training
Medical assistant schools are some of the most popular institutions you will find in the market today. There are many students willing to become medical assistants bearing in mind it is a fulfilling career. As a professional in the field, you will be required to perform a wide range of clinical tasks. Quality training is therefore imperative for you. It is essential that you settle for an institution that guarantees the best training to enhance your chances of becoming a competent professional in the future. When choosing a school, there are a number of factors that you should keep in mind.
• Accreditation
Accreditation is a very crucial factor that you should not ignore when choosing an institution. Get a list of medical assistant schools near you. Inquire whether an institution is accreditation. Medical bodies offer accreditation to institutions that offer the best training. Choosing such an institution prepares you efficiently to get started with your career in a professional way. Whats more, employees in the market give priority to students that acquired their training from accredited institutions. For this reason, it is essential that you do your homework and settle for an accredited institution.
• Programs
Medical assistant schools offer a wide range of programs. There are institutions that offer 1, 2 and 4 year programs. In this relevance, it is imperative that you define your needs and look for an institution that offers a program that suits your career needs. You can get started with a diploma or enroll for a degree program directly. It is imperative that you do a background search about an institution as well as its programs. Ensure the program you consider is accredited to enhance your chances of getting a good job in the future.
• National certification
National certification is also a very crucial factor to keep in mind when choosing an institution for your training. There are lots of medical assistant schools that have received national certification and they offer quality programs. The exams they offer are also administered by the certifying board. Therefore, you will have peace of mind knowing that you are on the right track to becoming a good medical assistant.
• Seek recommendations
It is also imperative that you seek recommendations from students, employees and relevant bodies to learn of the best institutions for your training. Settle for a school that is well reputed and a school that has the best facilities for quality hands on experience.
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Continuing Education
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Project Scope Management Knowledge Area Processes
Introduction: In scope management, it is essential that the initial scope of the project is defined very clearly. Then as the project progresses, one should be able to measure if the project is on track or is lagging behind. Two important measures for judging the progress or slips are the time allocations made initially and the budget meant for executing the tasks. Periodically, measurements must be made to check if any deviations are happening. Some changes in the requirements are inevitable in any real-life project. The trick is to make sure nothing goes out of control. When there is no escape from making changes, the original baseline will have to be updated carefully to reflect the change. The processes used reflect these needs.
Processes Required: Collect requirements, define scope and create breakdown structures are the processes you are going to need that help set down the exact scope of a project. Collect requirements is the process of collecting initial requirements. These are sort of top-level statements that define the need. When a customer is requesting a project, these high level requirements may be defined in the contract. You will need to ask around and try to elicit further details from actual users. Often it is difficult to define the exact need as, even the end users, may have no idea of what they are really looking for. Any techniques that help crystallize the thoughts, unstated needs, even wishful thinking needs to be captured.
Define scope is the process that formally sets down the requirements of the project to be undertaken. Having done that, you need to define actual tasks to achieve the expected outcome. When the initial boundaries of the scope have been defined, you need to define the specific activities to be done, particular tasks to be completed, in what sequence so that the project outcomes could be achieved. Work breakdown process defines the work involved. It serves two purposes. The first of course is that, activities get clearly defined. You can review and make sure everything required to be done has been included. There will be very low probability that something is missed out and therefore, project outcome could be jeopardized. Second advantage of defining work in sufficient detail is that it becomes easier to define the effort estimates. Estimates are going to be accurate when all the steps are explicitly known.
Once you have gone through these steps, the scope definition will be reasonably accurate. There is another process that the project team will need to go through. The scope details will have to be verified. Expert judgment is a big help here. Experience with similar projects, activities, task will enable will enable accurate assessment of the details. Going through a verification phase will ensure everything has been considered and no important details missed.
Control scope is a process involves monitoring the work performance and assessing if activities are proceeding as planned. The reference is the baseline plan. This baseline may get moderated due to approved changes. Then this modified baseline becomes the reference for further progress measurements. If there are deviations in work performance, corrective measures need to be taken.
If you are preparing for your PMP certification, PMBOK is required reading. It provides all the theoretical underpinning of the knowledge areas for managing projects well. The author has a Kindle book that makes reading about these knowledge areas quite simple. Written in conversational style, this book provides you insights into these knowledge areas and lets you be ready with a true understanding of the concepts.
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Continuing Education
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The Difference Between an Associates and Bachelor's Degree: Which Is Right for You?
For some, the decision about their future is clear. Many students - no matter the age - want to go to a four-year university to get a bachelor's degree. They may take a few years to figure out what they want to do in life. Other students, however, may be looking for the most efficient way to set themselves apart from other job seekers in certain professions. That's where an associate's degree from a community college or technical school can come into play.
There's no right answer as to which of those paths is better. It all depends on the individual student. On the other hand, there are some clear-cut pros and cons of each path.
Associate's Degree
Less time: One of the biggest advantages of an associate's degree is the time requirement. Most associate degree programs take two years to complete, compared to four years for a bachelor's degree. In addition, most community colleges and technical schools cater to non-traditional students and people who already work full-time, so more classes are available on nights and weekends.
Less money: As you'd probably expect, associate degree programs also cost much less than a four year degree. Every school is different, but a typical associate degree program costs $6,000-$10,000 to complete.
More specific: Many students use an associate's degree program like a trade school. For instance, many of the jobs offered by staffing agencies around the country - professionals like welding, air conditioning, auto repair and nursing - are all incredibly popular programs at community colleges and technical schools.
Bachelor's Degree
More opportunities: To be frank, many jobs require a bachelor's degree to even be considered as an applicant - particularly white-collar positions. Take the television news industry, for example. If you want to be a photographer or studio assistant, an associate's degree will work. If you want to be a reporter or producer (higher-paying positions with more responsibilities), you will need a degree.
Well-rounded education: Obtaining a bachelor's degree will expose you to more core classes like history, English and math. In addition, you will likely be exposed to new subjects you would never think of taking in the first place.
More choices: Whereas associate degrees may make sense for someone who already has a particular trade in mind, a bachelor's degree typically affords students more choices. There are simply more majors, more fields of study and more possible paths at four-year institutions. This degree plan also gives a student more time to make a decision on his or her particular major.
As you can see, there are advantages whether you pick a four-year institution or a community college. It really depends on your own desires and goals. Education is the first step, followed by job experience. Do your research, compare costs and map out a plan.
Ideas for this article were presented by my good friend Todd Barnes. Todd Barnes is the president and CEO of Barnes Employment Group, a San Antonio-based staffing agency with branch offices across Texas and in Indianapolis, Indiana. Barnes is a graduate of Texas Tech University and a member of several professional organizations, including the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations. He lives outside of San Antonio with his wife and two children.
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Continuing Education
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Determination Is The Ultimate Learning Tool
As money and outer resources are not everything, it takes something more. Let me give you an object lesson in that fact. Sure, you can have books, computers, all kinds of "thinking tools" and the like. But, what is the greatest learning tool within you? I will say it with my answer from the beginning of this article, your own determination and productive creativity. Without that resource, all tools and gadgets are nothing but useless objects of art that would have a use if you could think how to use them.
But, in all reality, the best of us and the worst of us has the capacity for productive imagination. The best uses it right, and the worst uses it wrong to harm themselves and others consciously or unconsciously. I put it so simply for the best of us without any embellishment, because that is it, they use it right, it is that simple. But the worst of us make excuses for why it is used wrong, even if it is unconsciously destructive or consciously destructive. Unconscious wrongness is the worst, because usually when that happens, you do not even know you are wrong, and you close your mind to the right for fear of being wrong unless you do have a genuinely open mind to correct yourself in time. But, it cannot matter how things are looked at subjectively, there is a right way to do things and there is a wrong way to do things.
It is always simpler to do them consciously right from the initial stages instead of make excuses for "why they were done wrong by default". Weak people make excuses, strong people understand and can actively and honestly without shame correct themselves. That is why everybody loves a winner, and hates a loser even when they claim to be lazy and weak themselves". Everyone is a good learner who can depend on their determination to make them work and learn productively. In fact, I can honestly say that is what makes a genuinely masterful person or the highest amount of determination makes the most masterful person. That is the only thing that seems miraculous about any master or person who "wins big" and "makes good". They make themselves the best through their work ethic and creative productivity. But then, I cannot give this answer to making a loser into a winner enough, because that is how it all really is. Everybody starts out at zero and goes up the accomplishment scale for the best or worst. That is my point.
My name is Joshua Clayton, I am a freelance writer based in Inglewood, California. I also write under a few pen-names and aliases, but Joshua Clayton is my real name, and I write by that for the most part now. I am a philosophical writer and objective thinker and honest action taker. I also work at a senior center in Gardena, California as my day job, among other things, but primarily I am a writer.
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Continuing Education
Monday, November 26, 2012
The Need For Upgrading Skills Through Higher Education
Education is a lifelong process. It especially takes a higher priority once the professional life sets in. this fact is contradictory to the popular belief but holds true in the most literal sense. One's professional life is met with a varied range of challenges, some avoidable, while some highly tricky. This calls for a specialized training in one's vocation, in order to effectively meet these challenges. It is often seen that professionals, in a quest to fulfill their job responsibilities, sideline the need for obtaining higher education. In the hurry to meet deadlines and earn money, education mostly takes a backseat. This trend is not only disturbing, but also derogatory and is sure to take the person down.
Business is ever evolving. New and new technologies are coming up from time to time. This necessitates the need for keeping abreast with the latest in one's field of work. This factor when not kept into purview proves fatal for one's talent. You may be the best salesman ever, but if you are not aware of the latest trends in your field, your expertise would become stale and obsolete in a very short span of time and then it would be difficult for you to hold on to your faithful customers, let alone attracting and keeping the interest of the new ones. Your practices may not be in line with the requirements of the modern customer, leading to the death of your celebrated monogamy in your field. New players, with better and more updated and modern methods of work may take over and put you out of business soon.
This entails a need for higher education. Higher education adds an advanced knowledge and skills to your resume. It gives you an edge over others and helps you take your career to greater heights. It is however observed that people refrain from going in for higher education. This is generally due to the fact that going in for higher education demands time, dedication and money. Most people do not wish to leave the comfort of their jobs and therefore miss on all the opportunities that come with higher education. Many prestigious institutes and universities have endeavored to cater to the special needs of working professionals and introduced a sea of executive courses that not only offer the chance at improving one's skill set and adding better qualifications to one's resume, but also do it in the most accessible manner. These executive courses have been framed keeping the special time and monetary needs of working professionals in mind. With changing work environments, there is a growing acknowledgement of online executive courses. These online executive courses encompass all the good points of a regular MBA program and make it better by adding features such as flexibility of schedule and curse work according to one's convenience.
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Continuing Education
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Why Is Organic Chemistry So Difficult?
Fact: Organic Chemistry exams are designed to be difficult
Have you ever taken a course where you just knew you were going to ace the class? The material wasn't difficult, the exams were rather straight-forward, and with just a bit of effort the 'A' grade was guaranteed!
Organic chemistry is the exact opposite. Not only is the material overwhelmingly difficult, but even if you do master the material you may find yourself struggling to get the correct answers to the questions posed on your exams.
Why do they do that?
Organic chemistry is a course of understanding. By simply giving you information and testing in an easy way, the professor cannot ensure or even determine if you truly understand the information. And perhaps this may work in your favor for the first exam. (and you're probably thinking, sure, why not?) This strategy would only wind up hurting you down the line.
If you ace your easy first exam, you probably do not have a solid foundation on the concepts covered. Perhaps you memorized just enough to pass knowing that the examination process would be pain free.
But what about the second exam? and the third, and so on?
Organic chemistry is a topic that keeps building upon itself, and if you just glance the material in the beginning you will be lost for the rest of the course. Without really delving into the information to understand the why and how of each topic, you will NOT have the foundation needed to answer more and more complex questions down the line.
And so the exam questions will NOT be easy. Half of the questions will be designed to trick you or strip you of points by making you miss out on a vital concept or two. And if that's not enough, the exam will ALSO contain too many questions for the average student to complete in the allotted time.
Why?
Because if you KNOW that the exam will be difficult and tricky, you will study very differently. Your studies will not be a mere skim of the information, instead they will be in depth, concept focused, practice oriented, study study study.
And if you study in this manner you will wind up, now only with the ability to ace this difficult exam, but also with a foundation so strong and solid, that you will be able to add the new material to your reference base with little difficulty.
It's true that organic chemistry exams are difficult, too short, and low averaging. But if YOU prepare differently compared to the average student, then you may very well be the study who aces the exam and scores well above the curve.
And taking this a step further, you will also be the student who enters the next year of studies with a strong organic chemistry foundation.
In order to ensure that you succeed in organic chemistry you may require outside help. Come on over to learn more about organic chemistry tips and tricks, and maybe watch a video tutorial or two
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Continuing Education