So, How Do You Finance Your Career Training?

By Dana Bernard

At Boston Reed College we speak to hundreds of people each day who would love to take a program but are unsure how to pay for it. Not a big surprise in today’s economy.

Don’t Pay Too Much

Boston Reed College is unique! Unlike other private schools that provide healthcare training, Boston Reed doesn’t have any campuses. You won’t find any buildings with a tower, like you see in the Boston Reed logo. Rather, Boston Reed College partners with other educational providers such as community colleges, universities and adult schools. Without large infrastructure to maintain, Boston Reed is able to focus on delivering affordable healthcare training, designed for busy adults looking to get a foot in the door to healthcare careers. By partnering with local educational institutions in communities where the jobs are, the partnerships seek to meet the need of the local workforce providers quickly and offer training that provides both classroom and ‘on the job’ opportunities through externships that Boston Reed coordinates.

Payment Options

Payment options will vary from school to school. At most locations the following payment options are available. If you are interested in knowing more about an specific location contact us directly at 800-201-1141 and ask for an Admissions Consultant.

BRC Payment Plan – $350 deposit, remaining tuition in two payments ( 1st day of class and 5-10 weeks later).

Credit Based Loan – Our partnership with Sallie Mae allows you to apply for a  loan individually or with a co-borrower. The loan payout comes to Boston Reed College and you make payments to Sallie Mae over a predetermined time period.

Financing Plan – Finance your education through our exclusive partnership with Tuition Options. Get started with a down payment as low as $150 and monthly payments up to 12 months. The plan has a low interest rate of 10% and everyone qualifies!

BRC Scholarship Program – Boston Reed College awards full scholarships for up to three students each calendar quarter. The Scholarship Committee makes its decisions based on student merit and financial need. Applicants must complete an application form and fulfill the scholarship requirements to be eligible. Application due dates are January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1.

One-Stop Career Center – One-Stop Career Centers offer free tools and resources to support members of the community who are looking to change or embark upon a career. It is possible you may qualify for funding through your local center. Go to servicelocator.org and enter your zip code to find the One-Stop Center nearest you.

Your Education is an Investment

A solid education can provide you with a wide range of personal, financial and other lifelong benefits. Think of it as an investment in you and your family. Make time to call Boston Reed College today at 800-201-1141 and ask for an Admissions Consultant. Don’t miss your investment opportunity!

Job Seekers Must Change Search Habits to Get in the Health IT Game

March 10, 2011 | Molly Merrill, Associate Editor Healthcare IT News

MARYSVILLE, WA – Job candidates with IT experience or interest are not broadening their searches to include jobs in the healthcare IT field, even though experts say it is ripe with opportunity, according to MedZilla.com. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that healthcare jobs increased by 34,000 in February – more than three times as many jobs created in January. And although layoffs were reported to be up in February, only 1,337 were in healthcare, according to outplacement consulting organization Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

“Healthcare remains a consistent growth industry in the U.S.,” said John Burkhardt, managing director of  MedZilla.com, a website for professionals and employers in pharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical sales, biotechnology, science and medicine.

“It’s not just doctors and nurses, though, that are benefiting. As the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – health care reform – comes closer to its final effective date in 2014, information technology roles will continue to grow in both scope and number,” he said.

“People who never thought they’d be getting jobs in healthcare might someday be reporting to hospitals or medical technology firms,” Burkhardt added.

February’s candidate search numbers from MedZilla.com speak to Burkhardt’s point – companies seeking qualified applicants increased their search activities by 2.5 percent in February. Companies who increased candidate searches in general were mostly located in California (up four percent) and New Jersey (3.1 percent); however, numbers dropped significantly in North Carolina and Texas – both down 3.3 percent. Job postings by employers and job searches by applicants remained fairly even, month-to-month, with only New Jersey showing a significant change – up 1.3 percent in postings and 1.2 percent in searches.

“We haven’t seen corresponding changes – in New Jersey or anywhere else – with technology-minded applicants looking for jobs in healthcare information technology,” said Del Johnston, MedZilla’s manager of Client Relations. “Our numbers for the past few months haven’t shifted much one way or the other. It’s still very possible to scoop everyone else and try to get in on the ground floor with health care IT.”

HIT:Who are the employers?

Who are the employers? There are many organizations already in and getting into the EHR market place today, due to the government support for EHR adoption.

Some organizations looking for qualified staff includes:

• •Healthcare providers (e.g., Hospitals, Home Health Agencies, Nursing Homes etc.)
• Hospitals are looking for support to help grow their staff to support both hospital-based implementation, as well as support for their owned physician practices
• Physician Organizations (e.g., Independent Physician Association, large scale practices)
• Regional Extension Centers (REC)
• Non-profit organizations funded by the government to work with primary care practices to help them adopt, implement and use EHR systems. In New Jersey, NJIT is the state federally funded REC
• EHR Vendors (There are more than 300 in the current marketplace)
• Value Added Resellers (VARs)
• Companies that specialize in a few EHR vendor products and offer full level support
• EHR Consulting Companies
• Medical Malpractice Insurers • HIT Providers (e.g., clearinghouses, e-Prescribing entities, laboratories, etc.)

Health Information 101

By http://www.hicareers.com

Health information professionals care for patients by caring for their medical data. They ensure that all of a patient’s health information is complete, accurate, and protected, yet readily available for healthcare providers when needed. There are three professional and academic areas of health information that you can learn about below: Health Information Management, Health Information Technology, and Health Informatics.

What is Health Information Management?

Health information management (HIM) is the practice of acquiring, analyzing, and protecting digital and traditional medical information vital to providing quality patient care.

Health information management professionals work in a variety of different settings and job titles. They often serve in bridge roles, connecting clinical, operational, and administrative functions. These professionals affect the quality of patient information and patient care at every touchpoint in the healthcare delivery cycle. Having skilled HIM professionals on staff ensures an organization has the right information on hand when and where it is needed while maintaining the highest standards of data integrity, confidentiality, and security.

HIM ptrofessionals are highly trained in the latest information management technology applications and understand the workflow in any healthcare provider organization from large hospital systems to the private physician practice. They are vital to the daily operations management of health information and electronic health records.

A career in HIM is right for you if you:

• See yourself in a career that offers diverse opportunities.
• Would like to work in health care, but not directly with patients.
• Have an aptitude for science, but also like management, law, and computers.
• Enjoy working with professionals: physicians, nurses, lawyers, administrators and executives.
• Want a career where you can choose to work on your own, with others, or some of both.

HIM programs incorporate the disciplines of medicine, management, finance, information technology, and law into one curriculum. Because of this unique mixture, HIM graduates can choose from a variety of work settings across an array of healthcare environments.

A Growing Number of Health IT Jobs, but a Shortfall of Talent

By Harold Biswas on December 14, 2010 in Computer/Math/IT, Health Care, WANTED Analytics.

With an 11 percent growth rate in 2009, Health information technology (HIT) is outpacing all other segments of the health care market, according to Scientia Advisors of Cambridge, MA.  Scientia Advisors predicts that in the near term, government incentives in the U.S. will catalyze hospitals’ and physicians’ adoption of clinical HIT applications.  There is a government mandate that began last year to improve healthcare efficiency involving Clinical and Non-Clinical data, driving the industry towards Administrative, Management and Financial/Accounting solutions. The HIT is Electronic Health Record Technology related to an individual’s health information. This information may include patient demographic and clinical health information, such as medical history and problem lists and has the capacity to provide clinical decision support.  According to research by Scientia, In-patient Electronic Health Records (Clinical Health Information Systems) will continue to be a fast growing market.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which mandates that hospitals and physicians switch to electronic medical records by 2014, spurred industry growth with a $49 billion investment. This spells job growth in the Electronic Medical Records fields. The industry is growing so quickly that it is expected there will be a shortfall of 50,000 health IT workers in the next five years.

According to data sourced from WANTED Analytics™,  in the last 120 days alone Employers in the U.S. Hospital, Physicians, Dentists and Ambulatory Health Care industry sectors directly posted 3,900 new job ads containing the skill keywords “electronic medical records”.

Candidates for one such open position, titled Clinical Documentation Specialist are being sought by the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, AZ. Knowledge relative to physician clinical documentation within electronic medical records is a required qualification. The job description is as follows:

Source: WANTED Analytics 

A recruiter looking to source appropriate talent in the Phoenix market for this position would find the new Talent web sourcing application in the forthcoming WANTED Analytics™ 3.0 platform to be a useful tool. The Talent web application will help the Recruiter identify three major Business Intelligence components for this search:

1. Estimate the talent pool in Phoenix, AZ by “electronic medical records” skill keyword
2. Gauge the current competition for similar talent in Phoenix, AZ
3. Identify Employers who had in the past advertised for similar talent (where qualified candidates may still be working)

A Keyword query in Talent would look like this:

Medical / Health; Medical Records and Health Information Technicians; “electronic medical records”; Health Care and Social Assistance in Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale MSA, AZ.

This search query produces the following Candidate Supply count graph:

Source: WANTED Analytics 

The graph shows that in U.S., there are a total of 130,647,610 employed people. This number becomes the baseline for talent estimation by skill keyword. In Phoenix, Arizona there are 1.77 million people and about 173,000 of them are in Medical/Health functions. All the data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) Survey. About 2,800 people in Phoenix, AZ who are working in Medical Records and Health Information Technicians occupations. Among those, an estimated 1,400 are working in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry sectors.

The skill keywords “electronic medical records” search four years of data for Current and Prior job postings in the Phoenix, AZ market for the Medical Records and Health Information Technicians occupation. Looking at the keyword ratio of job postings among all the job ads in Phoenix for Health Care and Social Assistance industry in the same occupation, Talent applies the same ratio to the BLS industry Supply Count (1,450) and estimates that there are 116 skilled people in the “electronic medical records” field in Phoenix.

So, the talent pool that the Mayo Clinic will be able to tap into to find their desired candidate for the Clinical Documentation Specialist position is an estimated 116.

A Prior Hiring map, as below, shows the job locations where employers advertised for this skill in the past and most likely filled those positions.

Source: WANTED Analytics 

The Talent app produces a search result page on Current and Prior Employers for this skill-set in the Phoenix, AZ market. The screenshot below shows that there are currently 2 employers, Banner Health and Banner Boswell Medical Center, competing for the same talent from an estimated pool of 116 people.

Source: WANTED Analytics 

However, in the past, as the search result page indicates, 11 employers sought the same type of candidates. Candidates that match the search requirements could still be working for these employers. Banner Health appears on both the Currently Hiring and Prior Hiring list. Since, Banner Health is looking for same skill-sets which they had employed earlier, it may be very difficult to source a talent from that organization. They are a current competitor of Mayo Clinic for the same talent.

Davita advertised for a “Medical Records Facilitator – DNP PHX MSO” position in June 2008. From reading the job description below, it seems similar to the qualifications currently sought by the Mayo Clinic. Therefore, the person hired by Davita to do the job could potentially be an ideal candidate for the Mayo Clinic’s current open position.

Job Description Medical Records Facilitator – DNP PHX – MSO – Tempe, AZ
Primary Accountabilities organizes and manages the daily functions of medical records through
Centricity-EMR (Electronic Medical Records) program and transcription. Resolves interface
errors between EMR, Centricity-PM and various laboratory organizations. Super user for EMR
and coordinates preload efforts. Responsible to maintain and send all referring physician,
consult and primary care physician letters. Performs other duties as assigned. Organizational
Accountability Maintains communication with pods regarding status of interface issues.
Participates in and supports departmental quality improvement programs and processes.
Supports confidentiality of patient information.

Going to a well-known resume data bank, such as Monster.com, a recruiter can locate a person with a name and number who has worked with Davita or is still working there in Phoenix, AZ and supposedly has an “electronic medical records” skill-set.

Monster’s resume data-bank shows 15 candidates in Phoenix who have at one point worked with Davita. Five of them are still there. However, many of them are especially skilled in medical work, more so than health information technology. Studying the resume profile, the Recruiter can prepare a shortlist and approach the selected persons to establish their interests to move from Davita for the Mayo Clinic.

The LinkedIn Recruiter platform is also a useful source for locating appropriate talent. A search with the keyword “electronic medical records” and current company Davita reveals 5 different persons. None of them are in Phoenix, AZ area, but if for some reason the Monster.com candidate leads do not work the way the Recruiter intends, then these people could be approached as well. One person, currently at Davita as a Business Development Specialist in Dayton, OH was critical, according to the LinkedIn profile, in promoting the adoption of DaVita’s newly released Health Record technology.  So, it could be worthwhile to approach this person in Dayton to establish interest in relocating to Phoenix.

The Talent web sourcing tool helped to estimate the size of passive candidate pool, gauge current competition and identify employers where a person could be located and approached, narrowing the search for appropriate talent and providing leads on passive candidates who might be interested in a new position.

Breaking into the HIM Field

January 28, 2011 – by Debra Slusarczyk
Health Information Careers Blog

Q:  I am a recent graduate here in Nebraska in Health Information Management. I plan to work toward my RHIT credential, but the problem I am facing is that none of the employers is willing to hire me since I have little experience. Do you have suggestions as to what I should be doing differently? It is difficult to get experience when no one is willing to give you a chance.

A:  You want to make sure that your resume (portfolio) is up to date, with your latest trainings, etc.  Contact any friends in the field, and network, network, network.  Go to all your local meetings and state meetings if you can.  You can also try to volunteer at a local hospital in the Health Information Department.  If you can volunteer a few hours a week, you can use this as experience on your resume.  Also volunteering is a great way to get your foot in the door in a healthcare facility.  Be patient!  The job market for all industries is moving slowly.  Be creative and not only look for jobs in an acute care facility.  There are many alternative care settings that need our expertise.  Long term care, hospice, rehabilitation, correctional facilities, ambulatory care, etc..  You may want to try to the old fashion way of hitting the pavement, and visiting your local facilities and dropping off your resume.  If you know anyone who works in local facilities, have them watch the internal job postings for you also.  You may have to work in a position that is not in the area you want, but it will give you an advantage to see if a position becomes available in your area of interest.

Q:  What can aspiring health IT or HIM professionals take away from the hirer’s perspective to aid in their own job searches?

A:  Having an HIM and IT background along with experience is a win-win situation.  Employers and recruiters search for this marriage of fields because we have moved forward toward electronic documentation.   Educate yourself and have up to date skills.  Networking is crucial.  You want to be utilizing has many reputable data banks as you can to post your resume and connect to possible opportunities.   You must be diligent and assertive to keep yourself focused.  Follow up is also very important.  If you hear from a potential employer, follow-up with them.  There can be a fine line between the follow-up that is professional and timely, versus when you may become too pushy and turn off a potential employer.  So be careful.   Make sure you are using keys words in your resume, so when a search is being done by recruiters/employers, that your information is available to them.  Think also what will make your resume stand out, versus another candidate.   If you have a potential employer in mind, and a position is available, look at what they want, and then do an inventory of your resume against that.  Again make sure that your resume fits that they want, and that you resume stands out.  Your choice of words and action verbs are key!!!   Your resume is an introduction of you!!!

Organizing For Top Results – The Foundation of a Fast, Successful Job Search

By Michelle Dumas

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average length of unemployment is about 18 weeks. But this statistic accounts for all industries, sectors, and professional levels. While you may be one of the lucky few, other statistics indicate that the average job search for a professional or mid-manager can take six months (25-26 weeks) or more. Of course, if you are changing careers, your job search may be even longer. And if you are currently employed, your search will often take longer simply because you have less time to devote to it. 

Clearly, for most professionals, the days of just going through the Sunday paper and sending out a fewresumes is over. Today, conducting a multi-pronged search is critical. While the individual techniques and tactics of job searching are relatively simple, there are multiple steps you have to take, often simultaneously, and you will be dealing with massive amounts of information. Unless you find a way to keep this information organized in an easily maintained and managed system, you can quickly become overwhelmed, bogged down, and confused. If you let yourself get caught up in the details, you can easily lose sight of the big picture and lose momentum. An organized plan and system will help keep you motivated, moving forward, and focused on achieving the ultimate goal.

In this excerpt from “Secrets of a Successful Job Search: 7 Simple Steps to Land the Job You Want in Half the Time,” I will describe a simple, easy-to-maintain system that you can begin using today to immediately improve the efficiency and productivity of your job search.

The 4 Major Job Search Phases

In the overall job search process, there are essentially four key phases:

1) Option evaluation, goal setting & campaign planning

2) Job search & follow-up campaign

3) Job offers & negotiations

4) Accept and begin new job

At the start of your search, it is essential to create a system to schedule, track, and log all of your activities for the first three phases. At the very least, you need a calendaring system, a system of logging inter-related and follow-up activities, a contact management system, and a filing system.

Create the Ultimate Job Search Filing System

The foundation of your organizational system will be your filing system. It is possible to do this on your computer, to use a traditional filing method, or to use a large three-ring binder. Because it allows you to physically pick it up and carry it with you anywhere, I actually prefer the three-ring binder method, so that is what I will describe in this article. But if you prefer one of the other methods, just adapt these suggestions accordingly.

Before you go any further, I suggest going out and buying a large three-ring binder right now. A large-capacity one like a 4 or 5 inch will be easiest. You will also need some tab sheets to label the sections. Some hole-punched pocket sheets that allow you to store loose sheets of paper and computer disks would also be really helpful. Now you will want to use the tabs to create 9 categories:

1) Career Vision & Job Target

Begin your filing system by including a very clear written statement of your current job target in a divided section named “Career Vision & Job Target.” You should also include a written copy of your Personal Branding Statement. In this same binder, you can keep copies of any assessments you may have completed recently or in the past, to help you in setting your career goals. This is also the place where you will want to keep references, printouts, or copies of any industry or profession-related articles or research related to your job target.

2) Career Marketing Documents

In this section, store clean master copies of your resume, biography, all job search letters and correspondence, a list of references, a salary history, and any other documents that you might use in your search. This is also a good place to keep letters of reference written for you by others, copies of awards, educational transcripts, training certificates, and any other documents supporting and proving your qualifications.

3) Company & Industry Research

This section is a great place keep printouts or copies of any articles or other research that you have collected on companies that interest you and that you have targeted or plan to target during your search. This is also a good place to store research on industry trends and competitive data of relevance to these companies.

4) Job Advertisements

While you should keep more detailed activity logs elsewhere, in the Job Advertisements section of your filing binder, you should keep a copy of every ad you have answered along with some basic notes about the date you responded and the documents that you sent.

5) Internet Job Searching

The Internet Job Searching section is a perfect place to keep records of the websites you are using in your job search, places where you have posted your resume, and any passwords and user names associated with the sites.

6) Networking & Referrals

Again, you should keep more thorough records and logs elsewhere, but the Networking and Referrals section is a good place to keep a hard-copy printout of your networking address book along with any notes of information you want to remember in relation to particular individuals.

7) Recruiters & Agencies

In the recruiters and agencies section, you should keep detailed notes about every headhunter firm or job search agency you have worked with or contacted.

8) Interview Preparation

The interview preparation section can be used to keep all of the notes you will accumulate as you prepare for interviews. This is also a good place to keep notes on questions you want to ask during interviews and notes about interviews you have been on.

9) Salary Research

In the Salary Research section, you can keep data and research you have collected to help you define your own market value and to prepare for salary negotiations once you have been offered a job.

In short, this binder gives you the ability to store all of the documentation related to your job search in one central place. Keeping accurate, up-to-date records of your job search activities, logs of contacts you have made, and step-by-step, calendared plans of the activities you must complete in order to reach your job search goals will pay you back for your effort multiple times over through a faster and more successful job search. By creating a plan and system for your job search, you will always know where to focus your attention and what you should be doing next.

But remember, while this step of getting organized and creating your job search system is a critically important one, you must remember to NOT get bogged down. It is important to be organized but it is also critical that you get started on your search. Don’t let not having a perfect system prevent you from moving forward. At the most, spend just a couple of days establishing your organizational system.

“Secrets of a Successful Job Search: 7 Simple Steps to Land the Job You Want in Half the Time” includes even more tips on getting and staying organized in your job search -including a checklist to help you stay on track–along with all of the other essential information you need to bring your job search to a fast, successful conclusion.