 TIP Number ONE-Training Ask the Teaching Institute if they offer training for the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) Exams, which National Career Skills Institute does provide. There are many benefits from achieving the CBCS distinction. The following is from the NHA website https://www.nhanow.com/certifications/billing-coding. Individuals with a CBCS certification from NHA gain access to the knowledge and training they need to prepare for a rewarding and meaningful career as a sought-after Billing & Coding Specialist. As a CBCS, you may perform some or all of the following tasks:
TIP Number Two - On-site or Distance Learning Options Ask the school if they offer the classes on-site or via distance learning. On-site courses offer benefits such as access to school library, classmate interaction and a quiet study hall. Distance learning provides several unique opportunities. Whether you live in rural Nevada or on the East Coast or in another country, you are able to enroll in a HCBC program. If your work schedule prevents you from taking on-site classes, the Distant Learning option allows you to study at any hour. NCSI’s HCBC Distant Learning Program is the same curriculum as our on-site courses and you have the ability to get instructor assistance anytime via phone, text, or email. TIP Number Three - On Site Testing Ask the school if they offer the ability to take the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) Exams conveniently ON-SITE. National Career Skills Institute (NCSI) is a certified NHA test site for graduating students. TIP Number Four – 100% Student Passing Rate It makes sense to inquire if the students taking the NHA exam actually achieve passing scores. People do not want to spend time and money to fail the test. Many schools offer training, but few of their graduates achieve the national certification. The best advice is to “go with the winner”. National Career Skills Institute has the outstanding achievement record. 100% of the graduates from the NCSI HCBC Program pass the NHA exams!!!! The secret is an outstanding instructor, curriculum that is current and up to date, and a school known for challenging and motivating students. Retiring
By KERRY HANNON APRIL 3, 2015 For many, a retirement of babysitting grandchildren, golfing and relaxing on the beach is passé. Older people today approach work as a pillar of a retirement lifestyle, planning ahead and adding skills even before leaving their current jobs. As demand for more adult learning opportunities accelerates, colleges and universities are trying to figure out how to tap into the market for second careers to bolster their revenue and perhaps build alumni loyalty. The potential audience is huge. By 2030, the number of Americans 65 and older will grow to 72 million, up from 40.2 million in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau. To date, colleges and universities have paid little attention to the needs of this population. “It makes no sense, however, to have an educational system that ends in the 20s when people are likely to be working into their 80s,” said Laura L. Carstensen, founding director of the Stanford Center on Longevity. “We need to rethink these things.” A Merrill Lynch study conducted in partnership with Age Wave, a research firm that focuses on aging, found that nearly three of every five working retirees said retirement was an opportunity to shift to a different line of work. A survey by PNC Financial Services found that more than half of retirees 70 or younger retired before they had originally intended; 40 percent did so because of health-related issues and 26 percent because of layoffs, forced early retirement or other issues with their employers. Some of those reluctant retirees want, or need, to keep working in some fashion, but to get hired, they must first expand their skill set. At George Washington University, 70 online and hybrid online-and-in-class degree and certificate programs provide opportunities to older adults, said Steven Knapp, the university president. “Our spring 2015 enrollment includes 868 students age 50 or older.,” he said. “Last fall we had 905 students aged 50 or older.” “Each of our fellows wants to contribute to society in meaningful ways,” said Dr. Philip A. Pizzo, a former dean of the Stanford School of Medicine and founding director of the Stanford institute. “They are here to discover which areas capture their spirit and permit them to transition to something new.” Career consultants often urge 50-somethings to head back to college so they can learn skills that will make them stronger job candidates, especially in the current economy, with the unemployment rate for Americans 55-and-up a steep 6.2 percent. Here are a few more relevant articles that you might also enjoy: http://www.nextavenue.org/2-year-degree-can-fast-track-new-job/ http://www.nextavenue.org/why-you-may-want-get-college-certificate/ http://www.nextavenue.org/laid-60-what-do-next/ MLA and APA are two formats used when writing research papers. They are closely related and the instructor will usually determine which formatting to be used when writing your paper. MLA is most commonly used in English class research papers while APA is most commonly used in Science research.
It is important to know how to correctly site sources in these two ways in order to prevent being accused of plagiarism. We have posted below some tricks, tips, and tutorials on how to properly site your sources, where to find your sources, and certain things to be aware of as you are going through the writing process. Where to Find Sources With the internet being readily available there are thousands of places to obtain your research and sources; however, be careful where you get your information from. Places like Wikipedia and Wiki Pages are considered open sources which means the general public can go in and change the information, therefore information found on these sites could be inaccurate. Although Wikipedia isn’t a good place to take your information from, it can be a good starting point. The bottom of the Wikipedia page for your topic will have a list of sources that the author used and you can use those sources to go and obtain your information. Things To Consider
Citation Tutorial Add a new citation and source to a document: Adding a new citation to your document means that you also start a new source that shows up in the bibliography. 1. Under the References tab, look at the Citations & Bibliography group, then click the arrow next to Style. 2. The most common styles for citations and sources are APA and MLA, choose the one you wish to use. 3. When inserting a citation, click at the end of the sentence you wish to cite. 4. Under the References tab, find the Citations & Bibliography group, and then click Insert Citation. 5. Do one of the following:
6. By clicking the arrow next to Type of source, you can start to fill in the source information. An example of different type of sources include: a book, a report, or a Web site. Insert the bibliography information for the source
Remember to always cite your sources! Being accused of plagiarism is a very serious offense at most schools. With all the resources available to help you cite, it is easy to stay out of trouble. Developing good study skills is one of the keys to achieving academic success. For most people, their memory needs constant review to retain information that is taught in classes. On average, 50% of what we learn is forgotten within 20 minutes, another 25% is forgotten within 24 hours, the next 13% is gone within one week, and the little bit that remains is forgotten within a month. Studying effectively can help you to retain more information, for a longer period of time. Being able to retain information is important in the school setting since concepts often build on themselves. If you’ve forgotten the first step, the second and third steps become extremely challenging to complete.
READING Explore the book first. Is there a glossary? Index? Bibliography? These are all places you can refer to if you have trouble with one particular topic. Take it a chapter at a time. If you are assigned 3 chapters, break the reading up chapter by chapter. The first time you read through a chapter, just skim it. Pay close attention to the headings and side notes. Doing this will familiarize you with the content so that when you go back and read completely, you already have a pretty good idea of the main points. Read the chapter thoroughly, and make notes. After you have skimmed through the chapter, go back and read through making notes in margins, or highlighting key points. Be mindful not to highlight the entire chapter (which I catch myself trying to do often!). Try to stick to highlighting information that helps you more fully understand the key points. Write down any questions that you still have while you are reading. For some people, it helps to read aloud if they are having trouble understanding a portion of the reading. Review. Go back and review your notes and highlighted pieces. See if you have found the answer to any of the questions that you wrote down. If you still have questions, pose them to your instructor at the next class. Repeat for each chapter! DECIDING WHERE TO STUDY Everybody is a little different as far as where they feel most comfortable studying. Whether you prefer the library, your living room, or the kitchen, make sure that it is a place where you can spend the time you need with as little distraction as possible. Choose a place that has good lighting, temperature, and ventilation. I prefer a cooler room, since if it is too warm, I tend to want to doze off. Too much clutter can be a huge distraction. It will be very hard to find your pen to write notes if it’s constantly getting buried under piles of papers and books. Organize your area before you begin. Clear your desk of any books, papers, and other items that are not necessary for the class you are preparing to study for. ORGANIZING YOUR TIME The general rule of thumb, is to expect to spend 2-4 hours studying for every class hour. This can vary depending on the subject, so get a feel for it as the class goes on and adjust accordingly. Spend your time wisely. Do not attempt to do all the studying for the week in a 10 hour cram session. Your brain retains information more effectively with shorter periods of study. For each hour of study time, take a 10-20 minute break. Eat a light snack if you are hungry during break times, as concentration can be hindered when you are overly hungry. KEEPING YOUR CONCENTRATION There are many different ways of keeping yourself on task, and what is effective varies greatly person to person. Get creative with it if you need to! Use a timer. If you catch yourself daydreaming often, try using a kitchen timer to give yourself audio cues. Set it for every 20 minutes or so (depending on how often you catch yourself) and use it as an audio cue to ask yourself…”Am I on task?” If so, reset it and move on. If not, get your head back in the game, reset it and move on. Try study groups. Many people benefit by studying in groups. Set up a time to study with your peers. That way you can help each other stay on task, and it has the added benefit of two (or more) heads are smarter than one. |
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