Did You Know: Medical Administrative Assisting Blog is part of a network of blogs that discuss careers in the allied healthcare field.  Check out our friends over at Medical Billing and Coding Blog.

President Obama won a hard-fought battle last week.  After months of stalled progress and fiercely partisan debate, the House passed a sweeping health care reform bill with a vote of 219-212.  The $940 billion plan will completely reorganize the American medical system, extending coverage to roughly 32 million additional Americans.

There is coverage of this bill from every major news organization: CNN, NPR, and New York Times to name a few.  The topic is also being discussed across Twitter and the blogosphere.

So how exactly does the bill affect people working in the allied healthcare field?  Whether you agree or disagree with Obama’s policies, it is important to know how they affect you as a medical administrative assistant.

1. The bill increases coverage to 32 million additional Americans by requiring most Americans and businesses to have some kind of insurance plan or pay a fine.
2. Parents will be allowed to keep their children on their health care plans until they are 26.
3. Reform will eliminate discrimination based on pre-existing conditions or medical history.  If an individual hasn’t been able to get coverage because of a pre-existing condition, a ban on discrimination for adults will take effect in 2014. Additionally, a pool will be set up for high risk adults to get coverage until 2014. For those of you who have a child with a pre-existing condition, a ban on discrimination for children will take effect immediately.

External sources:  HealthReform.gov, New York Times Health Care Reform Overview

Prediction: All of these provisions, combined with the billions going to electronic health records, predict an increased need for medical administrative assistants in doctors’ offices.  The sudden spike in the number of patients seeking care combined with rapidly changing electronic health records systems could mean more jobs in the allied healthcare field.

We’ve talked before about the importance of reading blogs.  With the “biggest expansion of federal health care guarantees in more than four decades” (CNN) being passed in Congress, it is even more important to keep up to date with the rapid changes in healthcare technology.

While there are very few blogs that are specifically dedicated to medical administrative assisting (besides ours of course), we have selected ten blogs on healthcare and technology to help populate your RSS reader with useful information.  Here are our suggestions, in no particular order:

1. Healthcare IT News
2. Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
3. Modern Healthcare
4. The Medical News
5. NPR Topics: Health Care
6. The Health Care Blog
7. Healthcare Informatics
8. Alltop Healthcare
9. Google Blog Alerts
10. Google Blog Search

These are by no means the only blogs that report important information for medical administrative assistants.  If you have any other suggestions or blogs that you think should make the list, feel free to add your comments below!

Spring is in the air!  The days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer and we are gearing up to take that spring break vacation.  Whether you are headed to the beach, visiting family, or just staying at home, spring break is an excellent opportunity to network for job opportunities.

You never know where you might find an opportunity to work as a medical administrative assistant, so when someone asks you the typical “How is school/class/work going?” don’t throw away this opportunity.  Try to have a conversation.  Here is your checklist:

1. Before your break or vacation, think of your “pitch”. It should include what you have been doing and what you hope to be doing in the future.

2. Strike up a conversation with a family member or friend that you see during the break. Don’t be afraid of letting your friends and family know that you are in the market for a job.

3. Be conscious of what you are learning from these conversations. Do your friends and family have any insights or advice for you? Do they have any contacts that might help you in the future?  Take notes after the conversation covering what you discussed.

4. Follow-up after the break. If there were any contacts or places to look that were recommended to you, get on it! Don’t put this off; it might lead to your next job interview.

Have a Happy Break!

Today, there was something that you should have done, but didn’t. We procrastinate every day, but why? You should be working on a presentation for next week’s meeting or finishing up your paper for tomorrow’s class (or just starting it) but you find yourself washing your clothes or watching trashy TV instead.

It is especially easy to get distracted while working at home. There are always things you could be doing that get in the way of the things that you should be doing.

It is often not the most brilliant or talented people that find success or get noticed. The people that make progress in their careers are the people that get things done. Here are three steps to becoming the type of person that gets things done:

1. Set goals for yourself.

Setting goals or using a planner will help you stay organized and will let you know when your procrastination is interfering with your work. If you are consistently not meeting goals, then you have a problem. Set your priorities by using a list.

2. Identify anything that is causing you to procrastinate.

There are a thousand possible reasons why you are procrastinating. Poor time management, distractions, anxiety and boredom are all causes. At home, we tend to get caught up in what I call constructive procrastination. This is when the mundane chores around the house become infinitely more appealing than that daunting project or presentation that you have been putting off for the past few weeks. Identifying these causes is only part of the process.

3. Eliminate whatever is making you procrastinate.

Don’t make excuses about procrastination. It’s easy to justify procrastination by blaming it on outlying factors. Instead, take control. Plan your time while at home so that there are designated times that you work and designated times that you do other things. Create a special space in your home that is free of distractions where you do your work.

Sometimes the best way to avoid procrastinating while working from home is to get out of your home. Take your work to a local park or library. Good luck!

The interviewing portion of the job application process is often the most nerve-wracking part of applying for a job.  There is always an element of surprise and unlike in a cover letter or resume, you can’t “edit” what you say.  Here are 5 ways to make sure your interview experience goes smoothly:

1. Do your research.

Read up on the practice or company that you are going to be applying to.  The interviewer will ask you what you know about the medical practice or company, and saying “I’m not sure” shows that you did not take initiative and that you are not genuinely interesting.

2. Prepare your own questions.

Asking questions is also a good way to show that you have done your research on the position that you are going to fill.  Try asking about their professional development opportunities to show that once you have the job, you will still be committed to improving.

3. Use your schools’ career resource center.

CRCs often offer mock interviews for students to help them prepare for job interviews.  Practice makes perfect and these test runs will give you valuable feedback on how you come across in a professional setting.

4. Prepare answers for tough questions ahead of time.

Brainstorm some of the questions that an interviewer might ask you and rehearse your answer.  Questions like “What is your biggest weakness?” and “Where do you see yourself in five years?” are typical interview questions.

5. Be confident.

This is the easiest thing to tell people about interviewing and often the hardest thing to accomplish.  Some people are naturally more confident that others, but everyone can boost their confidence by preparing for the interview.  Dressing well helps too!

People will tell you a thousand things to prepare for an interview.  Give a good handshake, make eye contact, don’t interrupt, don’t fidget, sit up straight, speak clearly, etc.  The list goes on and on, but the most important thing you can do is practice and prepare.  Good luck and let us know in the comments if you have any pointers that work well for you!

Most of us could use less stress. Jobs are being cut and we are seeing our weekly workload steadily increasing. With the kind of ridiculous connectivity that we have and the expectation to be constantly “plugged in”, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. So here’s what we are going to do:

1. Make a list. Sometimes the best thing to organize your life is some good old pen and paper. (Or if you really think a computer is the solution to everything, try out Evernote).
2. Write out your absolutely essential tasks, your “have to dos.” These are your responsibilities. Any deadlines, homework, necessary errands (lack of toilet paper is a “have to.”) or promises/responsibilities you have.

3. Write out your “should dos.” These are the numerous things you feel obligated to be doing, but generally aren’t. Going to the gym, filing your taxes, keeping in touch with friends, etc.

4. Write out your “could dos.” Here are the fun ones! Because life should be balanced, list the things you do to unwind: watching TV, going out, dancing, napping, cooking, hobbies, etc.

5. Prioritize! Organize your list by most important to least important and work your way down the list. If you have to, plan out your schedule for the next week, hour by hour.

6. Based on your number of responsibilities, set a daily goal of the number of “should dos” you would like to complete every day. Start with one a day.

7. Break down big tasks into little ones. This is a pretty basic trick against fighting procrastination. Something daunting like “Apply for Job” becomes many manageable tasks like “Finalize Resume”, “Draft Cover Letter”, “Contact Career Center”, “Research Possibilities Online”, etc.

Follow these pointers and you’ll be well on your way to a more organized and less stressful week.