Free Education and Training Programs for Older Adults

There are many older workers who are preparing for work in this increasingly competitive job market. Even though many citizens ages 50 and older acquired limited skills doing their work history, they are now being hired in skilled jobs that provide good benefits and in some cases may supplement their SSI and Medicare. Many jobs are open to them in teaching, nursing, and medical office environments. 

Free Training for Senior Adults

What you might find is surprising is that there are many education and training programs available to the older population. Nearly 60 percent of accredited colleges or universities are granting tuition waivers for older adults. 

For example; there’s a Senior Adults Scholarship Program in Alabama that provides free tuition for mature citizens ages 60 and over, who are admitted into a public two-year college or university. The state of Tennessee offers tuition waivers and discounts for senior citizens. Many schools in Michigan offer tuition waivers for seniors. Bottom line is you have to check or research your particular state.

If you are a military veteran with a service connected disability, you may qualify for the Veterans Vocational Rehabilitation Program.  This program allows veterans with a service connected disability of 10% of more to attend college. Tuition, fees and books are fully covered by the US Government.  There’s also a monthly subsistence allowance paid; amount varies on number of dependents; however some veteran programs have limitations on taking online courses. See your Vet representative or visit www.va.gov for more information.

There are many public employment and training service programs available like the Senior Community Services Employment Program (SCSEP), website: http://www.doleta.gov/seniors/.
This program enables individuals to participate in temporary training assignments where they gain valuable on-the-job work experience and training needed to gain employment in the private sector. Again this program may vary from state to state.

If you are really looking to get back to work or retrain. Whether you want to work full-time, or part-time, one the best careers fields to enter into is the healthcare industry. Many citizens 50 and older find working as a medical office receptionist, administrative medical assistant, medical billing clerk and/or in the medical coding department of a smaller medical practice, or hospital very a rewarding job that they can keep pace with.

For those who are looking to supplement their social security income, you must check with your SSI office to find out what or if there are any limitations on income you can receive. You might be limited to working 20 hours or less a week. 

Doctors Hiring Older Medical Assistants

"Our society is being reshaped by a rising demographic tide. Never have so many people lived into the later stages of their lives so healthy and productively," says American Psychological Association at apa.org.

Between 1995 and 2007, the number of older workers on full-time work schedules nearly doubled while the number working part-time rose just 19 percent. As a result, full-timers now account for a majority among older workers, including medical assistants working in a doctor's offices. As the population gets older due to the Baby-boomer generations maturing, so does the number of maturing adults returning to the classroom for post-secondary education and vocational training programs to learn a new trade.

Older Population Seeking Work

Studies conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census Bureau data concluded that that about 7 million new jobs will be added to the social sector between now and 2018, and that 5.9 million of the positions available will be well suited for older workers. There will be many job opportunities in teaching and care giving roles including nurses, vocational training instructors, home health aides, nursing aids, orderlies, attendants, and medical assistants.

The Department of Labor Division of Industry Employment Projections further estimates that the number of workers over the age of 54 will represent 23.9 percent of the labor force and workers between the ages of 65 and 74 will soar by 83.4 percent by 2016.

Seniors are going to need to continue to work to finance their retirement years and as these people hit the job market, hiring doctors, and other clinicians will have to determine whether they want to hire a younger, middle-aged, or older person for available medical assistant positions; see BLS Division of Industry Employment Projections chart percent of labor force by age group. Middle-aged adults are defined as persons 55-65 years of age, older are persons 65 years and older.

Benefits of Doctors Hiring Mature Workers

Mature workers are known to perform better across the range of relevant performance indicators — better interpersonal skills, better attendance, more motivated and conscientious, able to make quicker decisions and so on. As employers recognize the value they bring to their business, earnings of older workers have also risen at a slightly faster pace than the total workforce. Among these employers are doctors who find older medical assistants for their practice a perfect fit because they appreciate the fact that a mature worker has a deeper understanding and compassion for people and are dedicated to them in a meaningful way - after years of work in an unfulfilling job. Hiring an older applicant also gives them personal fulfillment knowing that they are putting a mature person to work allowing them to apply their passions to the greater good of their patients and the community.

Challenges Seasoned Medical Assistants May Face at Work

Unfortunately, working in a medical office can also become quite hectic and busy at the drop of a hat; for example in a general family and primary care practice, the busiest season is the so-called flu season, and the medical assistant must be able to handle the stress, react fast, and keep up with the fast pace.

While and older person is likely not to get as flustered under stressful situations as a younger person, fresh out of high school, there are studies which show that older workers have a harder time physically, compared to their younger counterparts and may have a harder time adjusting to new technologies and technical devices, for example technology used in this occupation are:

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• Accounting, billing and bookkeeping software
• Email and word processing software
• Medical and patient management software (e.g. EMR)
• Visual electro diagnostic software
• Business software applications
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Further more, suitable candidates for medical office position are expected to be on their feet for several hours without a break, good hand - eye coordination, and have excellent near vision to see details at close range (such as the calibration markings on syringes, reading small print on medication labels, visualization of skin changes, identifying objects and seeing veins to draw blood). They must be able to work with a professional group or team and participate in face-to-face discussions with doctors, nurses and their colleagues.

The proportion of people 65 years and older is almost 13 percent of the U.S. population, and by the year 2030 it will be 20 percent. The website Practitioners Working With Older Adults - What Practitioners Should Know About Working With Older Adults dispels myths about older adults and raises awareness among physicians and practitioners about seasoned workers.

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More at Medical Assistant NET website.

Malpractice Insurance for Medical Assistants

The healthcare industry, especially doctor’s offices and medical care centers, employs an ever increasing number of medical assistants and many medical group and ambulatory care offices have become much more customer-driven when they provide services than ever in the past.

Doctors and their medical assistants must be sensitive and highly attuned to their customers and responsive and dedicated to their patients needs; however, while providing excellent services and care medical assistants must keep abreast with various rules and regulations and be aware of any local and state laws that may pertain to them at the work place, as to not unintentionally overstep their boundaries and scope of practice.

Just like any other service-providing individual, medical assistants can also be held liable for any mistakes or accidents that cause loss or injury in a court of law. To further protect themselves, carrying their own professional liability insurance policy can make a big difference and provide peace of mind. Professional liability insurance take on different forms and names depending on the profession. For example, in reference to medical professions it is often called malpractice insurance coverage. It is well worth the effort. Medical assistants should never assume that they cannot be sued and that the insurance rider on the doctor's malpractice insurance fully or adequately covers them, especially if they are hired on a temporary basis, or to complete their educational externship.

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More at Medical Assistant NET website.

Online Skills Review for Medical Assistant Students

Our New Medical Assistant skills review is 100 % free online and open to everybody either already working or interested in a new medical assisting career - accessible instantly, no signup required.

If you are planning a career as a new medical assistant we provide a creative look at what a medical assistant does and a glance behind the scenes of a busy medical office to help you evaluate your knowledge. While this is not intended to be a complete medical assistant course each chapter covers many important areas of medical assistant knowledge.

Our goal is to introduce you to basic concepts of the medical assistant discipline and briefly touch on fundamental skills typically encountered in a medical office, from organizational, administrative and clinical duties, infection control methods, medical record management, policies, confidentiality, consent for medical treatment, to incident reports and release of medical information. All chapters are printable as PDF with ads removed.

Creative medical assistant course review and online self study resources for new and seasoned medical assistants - Review essential skills and do simple learning exercises for self-study instantly online.

This website is not new, in fact it has been online since 2002. Initially these lessons were offered through UniversalClass.com but we have decided to make them available to everybody on the Internet. Each and every medical assistant skills review chapter highlights important responsibilities and case scenarios a new medical assistant must know and know how to handle. These lessons were initially provided at UniversalClass.com with special focus on real situations and daily medical office routines. Similar modules might be taught in formal medical assistant vocational training programs.

The goal of this series of online medical assistant skills review chapters is to provide basic concepts and theories concerning health and illness, patient care, and medical office technology and procedures. It is a basic introduction to daily medical office routines and the art of medical assisting.

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More at New Medical Assistant .com website.

Opportunities In the Medical Office Are for Everybody

Opportunities for Everybody and All Ages

Opportunities in the medical office exist for everybody, including late bloomers. It is not limited by age, gender, race, religion, or even certain disabilities. There is plenty of room for men and women of all ages. From the employer's point of view, the young energetic medical assistant right after high school is just as valuable as the mature and experienced professional, as long as they have the right attitude and the drive to succeed. Each one brings special talents and skills to the office, and if they qualify medical office managers are ready to hire them. Medical assistants can work in almost any medical facility where they are supervised by the physician who hired them. Doctors and senior medical staff train, supervise and monitor their medical assistant's activities right on the job.

Where can I work as a Medical Assistant?

The neat thing about being a medical assistant is that the opportunities in healthcare disciplines and medical services are so wide open and varied. There are countless general and special focus areas, such as family medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, internal, gynecology, urology, dermatology, cardiology... you name it, and you can work in so many places, from small single-provider to large group practices, to ambulatory health clinics and large regional medical centers—it's all out there and available to you in your role as a medical assistant.

Nurse practitioners and physician assistants (PA) also like to have at least one or two medical assistant on their staff to keep the office running smoothly and efficiently. It is their responsibility to keep the office's work flow going and contribute to the doctor's ability to provide efficient patient care.

Temporary Job Opportunities for Flexible Medical Assistants

Medical Assistant Temp Employment

Where Do Medical Assistants Find Work?

Many unemployed medical assistants seeking jobs often miss out because they forget about temporary work opportunities; they forget that many work opportunities in a medical office and healthcare facilities come from the need to replace workers on temporary leave of absence, either due to an extended vacation, sickness, pregnancy or under the family leave act to care for an ill family member.

Job market. The job market for medical assistant remains excellent. Healthcare has added 41,000 new jobs in 2011 and medical offices, clinics, and hospitals are continually looking for qualified applicants to satisfy the increasing demand for qualified workers to fill the employment gap.

Job prospects. Job seekers applying for medical assistant positions should find excellent opportunities through temporary staffing agencies and recruiters, since medical assisting is projected to account for a very large number of new jobs and many other opportunities in today's labor market.

Medical assistant students also often seek temporary work to gain hands-on experience while in school and earn the money they need for their family, or education. So, they often seek out local temporary staffing agencies to help them find job assignments that fit in with their schedule and family obligations. This is where visiting a temporary staffing and employment agency can really help, and help fast.

Qualified medical assistants with formal training and experience usually have the best chances to get hired quick to fill the employment gap. Often this temporary employment arrangement can eventually lead to a permanent full time position within that company, or at best, provide a strong letter of recommendation which can open doors in a different office that's recruiting additional permanent staff.

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More at Medical Assistant NET website.

Role of Medical Assistant As Diverse As Scrub Top Patterns

No two work places in health care and medicine are the same. Medical assistants are found in small to large doctor's offices and clinics with an incredible amount of diff rent medical specialties and focal points. Some specialize in family medicine, others in pediatrics, others in geriatrics, ambulatory medicine and services, dermatology, cardiology, urology, gynecology, and many more.

The roles of these medical assistants are as diverse, colorful and versatile as the places you find them and the scrubs and uniform patterns they wear:

• floral patterns and garden print
• dragon flies and ladybugs
• puppies and kitten paws
• sun, moon, and stars
• Easter bunny and Santa Claus
• smiley faces and clowns

you name it! Likewise, no two medical assistants are the same, the palette of faces, ages, genders and ethnic backgrounds match the diversity of their uniforms and tops: young, old, male, female, blond, brunette, brown and gray, curly and straight, thin, skinny, tall, big, short, certified and non-certified; the list is long. Every medical assistant has unique talents and many stories to tell. Each and every one is unique and an important member of the medical office team and their community.

The medical assistant's duties on the job encompass tasks that are equally versatile and varied. They range from registering new patients from young to old, different ethnicity and gender, verifying health insurance coverage of everybody who is registered, setting up and organizing examination rooms, scheduling appointments, collecting and processing co-payments, keeping logs and medical records organized, to directly assisting providers during a requested procedure and following up on patient calls, questions and laboratory results. The medical assistant's day are busy and never boring. The colorful scrub tops represent their the plethora of responsibilities and skills.

For those who want to communicate with other medical assistants and network with their peers can do so through the very active, open Medical Assistant Web Forum, however, the forum does not encourage, nor solicit, or request posting of job requests and recruitment advertisement. Presently available medical assistant jobs are updated daily and listed on the medical assistant jobs page.

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More at Medical Assistant NET website.