become a medical assistant

One of the most frustrating issues with being a military spouse is finding a career that has national portability that will allow for employment at the next duty station. Finding a degree that leads to employment is a crucial step in planning for the next duty station move.


According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics the field with the highest growth and one of the top projected incomes over the next decade is medical secretaries. It’s estimated that an American turns 50 every 7 seconds and with a career field growth rate over 35% in the next decade this job offers an exciting entry point into the field of healthcare.


The website Salary.com which uses information based off of people working indicates that the median salary in Albany NY for medical secretaries is$ 34,000. With the growth of healthcare combined with the aging population now is the time to enter the medical field and start a journey towards a successful career.

Another exciting and growing career field that offers a quality entry point into the healthcare world is medical assistants. U.S News and World rates the position as one of the top 100 best jobs based on the projected growth of 29% and the increase of aging adults in the population. Both medical secretaries and medical assistants are needed career fields with tremendous growth over the next ten years.

With the remarkable growth in the jobs has come a wide variety of training and education for the position. Hospitals similar to colleges are accredited and have a wide range of federal, state and local regulations that must be met so employers prefer to hire medical assistants who are certified and have a national certification. This allows the hospital to show accrediting agencies that they have hired the most qualified and competent workers in a time of fast changing regulations and policies.

Colleges such as Bryant and Stratton in Malta NY offer an Associate of Applied Science Degree program that prepares people for a rewarding career as a medical assistant in a private practice, hospital, clinic or government agency. Earning an associate’s degree alongside a national certification opens the doors to more potential income. Some studies have shown that associates degree grads earn more than a half a million dollars more over their lifetime than high school grads and can even out earn people with a bachelor’s degree in certain fields. If your interested in a personalized learning environment that offers flexibility with a combination of online learning and a hands on approach feel free to reach out at http://www.bryantstratton.edu/online/degree-programs/associates/medical-administration

The Value of a College Education

Everyone attending college hears the quote “People with a bachelor’s degree earn a million more dollars over their lifetime” but what does this really mean. A recent nationwide analysis of degree data by Zaback & Crellin, (2012) shows that people who receive a bachelor’s make more than 71% than those with a HS diploma. That study also broke down the wage increase by field which is more helpful when considering what to major in. The two highest paying fields are Science/ Technology /Math (STEM) and Health care and this is true for both bachelor’s and associates degrees.

Another common myth is the Bill Gates story that if he doesn’t need college then you don’t either because college costs are rising. While, college cost have risen well over 200% so has the gap in income between those that attend college and those that don’t and the unemployment rate for college grads is significantly lower than those without college. In statistics, we measure things using the bell curve and it’s assumed that 95% of people fall into the same category. Bill Gates does not fall into the 95% of the population. Actually, a study by Wadhwa, Saxenian & Siciliano (2005) showed that of 500 startup companies founded those started by college graduates performed better than those started by someone with a HS diploma. The knowledge that a college education imparts is critical thinking and learning how to structure your thoughts along a proven framework based on hundreds of years of research by scholars and researchers.

Yes, college costs have risen dramatically and this is why researching the right major and school is so critical to transitioning to a college environment. If you’re planning on attending college and unsure of the economic value of a major then a good place to start researching is http://live.sheeo.gotpantheon.com/resources/publications/economic-benefit-postsecondary-degrees

Scholarships for Military Children Program

The Defense Commissary Agency business partners and others are in the 12th year of awarding scholarships and in 2012 more than 600 scholarships were awarded for a total of a million dollars.

Only dependent unmarried children under age 23 of active duty personnel, reserve/guard and retired military members, or survivors of service members who died while on active duty or survivors of individuals who died while receiving retired pay from the military, may apply for a scholarship.

Recipient must be enrolled or planning to enroll full-time in a four-year undergraduate college or university or students attending a community college must be enrolled in a program of studies designed to allow the student to transfer directly into a four-year program accredited in the U. S. They must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 basis. The minimum GPA requirement applies to both high school and college students.

The scholarship provides for payment of tuition, books, lab fees and other related expenses For more information please see: http://www.militaryscholar.org/sfmc/application.html

Military college skills course

Peterson’s OASC for Military Success


For military members or dependents wondering if their math or reading skills may need improvement before attending college Peterson has developed an online assessment tool that is free. According to a Study by the American Council on Education (2009) of the 732 colleges that have military programs only 33% offer academic support/ tutoring specifically for military students so using existing resources to ensure military student success is crucial for military friendly colleges.

Peterson's Online Academic Skills Course (OASC) for Military Success is intended for people in the service who want to improve their reading, vocabulary, and math skills.
Servicemembers, family members and civilian employees of DOD can use the Academic Skills Course.

An initial pre-assessment will identify the academic areas that students are weak in and then the course designs custom lessons to strengthen those areas. Each session has practice quizzes built into the assessment to evaluate understanding through immediate feedback so students can monitor their progress in understanding the material. The course is asynchronous and can be completed online at any time of the day or night and allows retake of sections.

For more information about the course go to: http://www.nelnetsolutions.com/dantes/default.asp.



References:

American Council on Education. (2009). From Soldier to Student: Easing the Transition of Service Members on Campus. http://www.aascu.org/media/pdf/09_StudenttoSoldierFinalReport.pdf

Peterson's Online Academic Skills Course. http://www.nelnetsolutions.com/dantes/default.asp

Saban Military Wife Scholarship

The scholarship is for wives of service members to attend vocational training in the medical field and the following fields are eligible; dental assistant, medical assistant, medical insurance technician, and nurse assistant.

The scholarship is for tuition use only and will be paid directly to the school. Application will only be taken until May 1, 2011 and the awards will be announced July 1, 2011.

For more information please go to www.operationhomefront.net/scholarship

Scholarship for Military and veterans

The deadline of January 5th is rapidly approaching for the Department of Homeland Security’s Scholarship. The scholarship is for students who believe their degree program supports the DHS mission of securing the country and preserving our freedoms. The student must be enrolled in a major or concentration in any of the following areas:

Advanced Data Analysis and Visualization
Biological Threats and Countermeasures
Border Security
Chemical Threats and Countermeasures
Communications and Interoperability
Community, Commerce and Infrastructure Resilience
Emergency Preparedness and Response
Explosives Detection, Mitigation and Response
Food and Agriculture Security
Human Factors
Immigration Studies
Infrastructure Protection
Maritime and Port Security
Natural Disasters and Related Geophysical Studies
Risk, Economics, and Decision Sciences
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Transportation Security

For more information please go directly to the website at: http://www.orau.gov/dhsed/

Military Spouse Benefits Updates

Military Spouse Education Benefits Program Reopens but Restricted


D.O.D announced that the MyCAA program will start taking new enrollments on Oct. 25th, 2010. There have been some major changes to the program since its inception with DOD reducing the tuition amount, only approving up to an AS degree, and restricting the program to junior enlisted/ officer spouses.

The military spouse career advancement program is a Department of Defense (D.O.D) program that pays for associate’s degrees, certifications and licensure programs leading to employment in portable careers.

Only spouses of an active duty Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine service member, or activated Reserve member in pay grades E1-E5, W1-W2, or O1-O2 is eligible. There is a maximum amount of $4,000 per spouses with a $2,000 a year cap on funds.

To get started the spouse must establish an account at https://aiportal.acc.af.mil/mycaa.The spouse must have an established and approved career goal and have an approved degree program.

To apply for the program a spouse must call a military OneSource consultant at 1-800-342-9647 to create a career plan and academic goal. The program only covers tuition up and it does not cover fees and other costs.

The program is sponsored by the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy and the program is designed to decrease the stress of Permanent Change of Duty Stations (PCS) on military families.

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FINRA Certification Spouse Scholarship

The FINRA Investor Education Foundation's Military Spouse Fellowship offers free training each year to spouses of active-duty or retired Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Army or Air National Guard or reserve component servicemembers.
Fellowships are awarded by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and spouses can earn the Accredited Financial Counselor™ certificate. The program covers the enrollment fee, study materials, webinar study sessions and two attempts at each examination for the two required courses.
Interested spouses should have an interest in financial education, be able to complete 400-2000 practicum hours, and have the time to study online for the exam.

The Accredited Financial Counselor™ certificate requires the coursework, two exams and the practicum to be completed in order to be certified.

The program started in 2006 and is a partnership with Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education® (AFCPE®) and the National Military Family Association (NMFA). After accreditation spouses provide services as financial counselors at variety of settings in both the U.S and overseas.

The FINRA Investor Education Foundation is the largest foundation in the United States dedicated to investor education

Currently the scholarship is closed however spouses can sign up for an alert of when the program opens up for next year at: http://www.militaryfamily.org/get-info/support-family/spouse-employment/financial-counselor-fellowships.html

References:
http://www.saveandinvest.org/Military/SpouseFellowships/index.htm
http://www.finrafoundation.org/sai/index.htm
http://www.militaryfamily.org/get-info/support-family/spouse-employment/financial-counselor-fellowship-faqs.html
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The Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarships

The Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarships program is sponsored by the National Military Family Association and the scholarship of up to $1,000 is awarded to spouses of Active Duty, National Guard and Reserve, Retirees, and Survivors. The scholarship can be used for tuition, fees, and room and board for any of the following programs:

 GED or ESL
 Vocational training
 Professional certification
 Post-secondary
 Graduate school
 In-class or on-line
 Full-time or part-time

The program opens for enrollment for 2011 on December 1st and enrollment will be open until January. The scholarship is only for a year and must be reapplied for each following year.

For more information please sign up for the email news alert letter from The National Military Family Association at: http://www.militaryfamily.org/publications/enewsletters/enewsletter-sign-up-1.html

References:
http://www.militaryfamily.org/
http://www.militaryfamily.org/our-programs/military-spouse-scholarships/
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New Tax Laws for Military Spouses

Military Spouses can keep their home state for tax filing purposes, regardless of where the family is stationed. The Military Spouses Residency Relief Act says the non-military spouse can now retain the same home state of record/state of residence as the military spouse, as long as the non-military spouse’s sole reason for leaving that state was due to a permanent change of station (PCS) for the military spouse. For more information contact the Base Jag/legal office.


References:
http://www.af.mil/news/story_print.asp?id=123181621
http://www.military.com/finance/taxes/tt/military-spouse-residency-relief-act-and-state-taxes.html
http://turbotax.intuit.com/support/kb/state-taxes/state-issues/1274.html

Military Spouse Education Benefits program

*DOD announced that the MyCAA program will resume operations on March 13, 2010, at 12 p.m.,for military spouses who currently have existing MyCAA accounts. Those who have an existing account will have access to the Web site, including the ability to create and have financial documents approved. Those who do not will have to wait until more information comes out*

The military spouse career advancement program is a Department of Defense (D.O.D) program that pays for education and training to include degree programs leading to employment in portable careers.

To get started the spouse must establish an account at https://aiportal.acc.af.mil/mycaa
The spouse must have an established and approved career goal and have an approved degree program.

Any spouse of a military member on active duty, Coast Guard deployed with the Navy, Active/Guard Reserve (AGR) and Reserve component members on active duty for more than a year are eligible.

To apply for the program a spouse must call a military OneSource consultant at 1-800-342-9647 to create a career plan and academic goal. The program only covers tuition up to $6000 dollars a year and it does not cover fees and other costs.

The program is sponsored by the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy and the program is designed to decrease the stress of Permanent Change of Duty Stations (PCS) on military families.